Hello from San Antonio

[Ched03]

Howdy!

My family and I are in the process of starting this exciting adventure. I am hoping it will quickly become our favorite hobby.

I have finished my online training for Padi Open Water Diver and am working with my 13 year old son to get him finished with his. My husband is a tad behind my son but will finish it soon as well. We start our in-water training on May 23rd.

Two weeks ago we emptied our bank account on masks, snorkels, fins and dive boots for the three of us. Well, I guess we didn't really empty the account but sure feels like it. I'm sure you all know the feeling.

I am currenlty reserching dive computers and have pretty much settled on the Cressi Leonardo for my husband and I. We will purchase one for our son once we allow him to go on his own dive adventures. Until then, she will be sandwiched in the middle of our buddy trio.

I hope to learn a lot of great info from you all and get to know you more.

See ya!

 

[Prometheanfire]

Hi from SATX as well.

Are you diving canyon lake for training? I've gone with the i300c, as it has bluetooth pairing as the first dive computer. The deep6 computer might be good for you as well, depending on your needs (would be what I go with at this point).

 

[Compressor]

A very warm welcome to ScubaBoard @Ched03 . Nothing like diving with friends and family as you will soon discover.

 

[Ched03]

We will be doing our open water training at Media Lake.

I kinda looked into the i100 for a bit but I liked the Leonardo interface better. I also like the one button rather than multiple. Less to remember I guess. I never really looked at the i300 but I still have plenty of time to do my research. I would like Bluetooth. I will also look into the Deep6 as well.

Because 3 of us are getting certified all at once we are “trying” to keep the cost down. But I also understand that going cheap isn’t always a good thing. Thank you for the recommendations.

 

[Ched03]

A very warm welcome to ScubaBoard @Ched03 . Nothing like diving with friends and family as you will soon discover.

Thank you. I’m sure I will.

 

[Compressor]

Make sure you tell us when it happens. We love to hear from members.

 

[Ched03]

Make sure you tell us when it happens. We love to hear from members.

Will do! I am itching to get in the water. I can’t wait to share our experience.

 

[txgoose]

Welcome to the insanit....I mean club! Welcome to the club!

 

[iamrushman]

howdy and welcome from southeast florida.....a family that dives together stays together...it'll be great having a family of dive buddies.

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Welcome to Scuba Board and more importantly....the deep end! I was around your part of the state back in January doing the Eco Diver program at Spring Lake (Aquarena Springs). I'd say I'm surprised you're not doing your OW training there, but I believe they're still closed to the public at this point.

As far as computers, allow me to mention a couple things. First, another great computer that's fairly inexpensive and has Bluetooth is the Deep Blue Cosmiq+. I had some credit at one of my local dive shops here in NTX and got one for my 10 yr old son as his first computer. Honestly it's a great computer for the money! The app is quite impressive and the color screen makes it very visible in the water. I may have to get him another one and keep his for myself because I've been using it as a second computer since I bought it and it's got me really considering a wrist mount w/ air integration (AI) via wireless transmitter. I've been hard core against not having an AI console due to it having an actual hose for the longest time. But seeing how convenient it is to just be able to glance at my wrist since it's usually right in front of me rather than having to reach for my console has been really nice! I apologize for the long-winded explanation.....it's the dive master (DM) in me I guess. But definitely consider the Cosmiq+. It's a 2-button computer and very user-friendly!

Secondly, I know you said you wanted to wait until your son is old enough and experienced enough to go on his own dive adventures, but honestly it's in everyone's best interest for him to have his own computer and not rely on yours or your husband's during a dive. At the very least, he needs some sort of bottom timer, which could just be a wrist watch if nothing else, But having him rely on anyone else's computer/bottom timer other than his own is quite honestly a bad idea. His air consumption rate is going to be next to nothing compared to you and your husband's but even still, he really needs a way to track his own bottom time, etc. There is always the option of renting a computer for him when he dives; the only issue with that is it may not always been the same type of computer or even the same algorithm, which will leave some inconsistencies. And while it's not necessarily a bad thing, having to learn a new computer every time you want to dive is just a pain in the ....well...you know what I'm getting at.

So a couple things for you and your husband to ponder. I'm sure you're looking forward to your in-water training on the 23rd. You'll have a lot of fun! I just DM'd a class this past weekend and it's always a blast! Even more so because 4 of the 5 students were kids. Kids are awesome at learning to scuba because they generally don't share the same inhibitions and fears adults do. It's a lot of fun to watch them! I'm actually taking my son to go blow bubbles in the dive shop pool this evening so we can work on some drills, buoyancy, etc.

Good Luck on your OW dives and above all else....Have Fun!