I am SOOOOO new to diving....

[lanun]

i agree with welshman on getting more dives under weightbelt before rushing into advanced courses.

there was a week when my wife spent to to fine tune her weight (dropped 6lbs from her weight belt over 8 dives). she took AOW a week later and aced the navigation bit - she was diving in a better profile (VS probably a lot more heads-up), was less busy managing her bouyancy (yup, important in navigation lest you lose track of where you are), more familiar with her gear, etc.

i on the other hand, did the express bit - OW to AOW within a month. i'm still learning the 'A' bit - i think i'm okay with natural and compass navigation, finally. deep dive i had to relearn. night dive so so. boatdive - finally got some of it right (keep your reg in your mouth not because that's what your DM or instructor says but because it's safer in case you fall back in the water).

anyways - do more dives before doing the AOW. the dives you do in between help with muscle memory, make some things intuitive, and help develop a routine that makes task balancing a lot easier (e.g. in what sequence do you check depth Vs time Vs air Vs your buddy Vs your serrounding Vs the marine life around you, etc).

you'll actually learn, and appreciate and assimilate what you learn that much more. after all, you're not as busy with the other things mentioned above.

 

[Scuberman]

Yo Dutchdown,

Seems like I am caught in the firing line.

Anyway, I have to totally agree with Welshman and Lanun. Experience is important.. so is passion.

I too had alot of problems with maintaining buoyancy on my first couple of dives. It got better after spending many long boring hours in a pool staring a light bulb in the wall practising my hovering.


Some Equipment Considerations :

BCD :

I started off with a Scubapro Classic..
http://www.scubapro.com/consumer/products/bcds/classicsport/classicsport.html. It was recommended by a friend. I found that with the air passage going all round even my neck, it was comforting but uncomfortable. I decided to sell it after my OW.

I changed to a backplate setup with winged bladders. ( Looks like BP123 )
http://www.aquasafaris.com/store/secondarypages/Tech Diving/OMS/OSharnessbackplate.html I was hesistant initially, but my doubts were quickly replaced with confidence. Maintaining neutral bouyancy is a breeze with this baby. I believe that its largely because of the weight equally distributed over my back instead of along my waist. With this, I can stay horizontal effortlessly. And also the retain bands along the bladder pulls it in when empty, giving me a more streamlined design.

FINS :

I started off with a Mares Plana Avanti.
http://www.divebooty.com/equipment_details.asp?pid=94

I liked the buckle system, it made getting back into the boat so much easier, also slipping into one was easy as well. Downside, was that it was abit on the soft side, so heavy kicking is required in strong currents.

I still keep the Mares as a spare, but now I used the Scubapro Jetfins most of he time. This in my opinion in my short and woefully inexperienced time as a diver is probably on the best fins in the market.
http://www.scubapro.com/consumer/products/masks_fins_snorkels/fins/jet/jet.html

REG :

Am using a Scubapro G500/MK20 http://www.divernet.com/gear/dtst798.htm#g500

I like the adjustable airflow and small 2nd stage. I also dun use an octopus, I opted for an AIR2 instead. Thats 1 less trailing tentacle and less coral destroyed accidentally as well.

SPG :

This is how my SPG looks like. You'd notice it has no depth gauge. I depend on the dive com for that.

http://www.scubapro.com/consumer/products/instruments/spg/spg.html


DIVE COM :

I am using the older model of the Aladdin Pro ( grey ). - MUST BE an old model as I can't seem to find a picture for you. Seems to be a standard work horse for most divers. It can't accomodate for NITROX and that seems to be the only downside. I find using a dive com's depth gauge also lightens my SPG quite alot.


Some last words, when and if you get serious, spend the cash on a good reg and a dive com....


And very importantly, ENJOY YOURSELF..!!!!


Dive deep to get high.

 

[DutchDown]

Okay Welshman, Ianun and Scuberman, you've convinced me to slow it down a bit. The time constraints are the only reason I am not taking the OWC in Holland. I'll do the OWC in Bali, then after returning to tropical central Europe, I'll practice what I've learned in the waters here, then take take the AOW course here at a later time. You guys are convincing!
As to the diploma factories, I'll do some more research before I decide which school to use. Good advice.
Equipment. I agree Scuberman that a regulator will likely be my first purchase, alongside a drysuit for which I will need another course before I try to use it. I have an older 3mm suit I used for windsurfing, but that's way too thin for Holland. A computer will have to wait awhile. I've read a loot on the board about various BC equipment and admit that I am, for the moment, baffled. I need to try different things after I first learn to dive. Regulator choce seems a bit less daunting, but among the ones I've read about, Scubapro, the Oceanic Alpha-7 (yes, I read about the recall), Aqualung and Apeks seem to be the frontrunners. I hope I can try the various models in Dutch waters.
I will keep the Ides of March in mind, Welshman. As it happens, I will be in Nali for my birthday. Depnding on when I begin the OWC, I might be certified on my birthday.
Thanks you very kindly gentlemen. Your suggestions have cleared up a lot of confusion for me. Until now I've been operating in a vacuum, more or less. Most of my information has come from magazines which are helpful, but can't always answer specific questions.
Regards,
Phil

 

[Welshman]

DutchDown

No need to slow down. Even if you don't do the AOW do take the Peak Performance Buoyancy speciality. Learning to fine tune your buoyancy just by breathing more or less will make a big difference to your diving.

I agree about the regs. All those are good makes. As for the Oceanic remember that it is the CDX first stage that has been recalled not the Alpha 7 second stage. Mares also are a quality product. Good idea to try them in Dutch waters. So called warm water regs may be no use in cold water conditions.

Being in Bali for your birthday - I envy you.

Have a great trip.

regards

 

[DutchDown]

LOL! OWC while on Bali. Perhaps PPB course as well, time and money permitting, then AOW when I return to Holland. If I don't do the PPB specialty on Bali, I'll do it here. That mirrors what a couple of colleagues have told me.
I did notice the Oceanic recall applied only to the CDX first stage. I've been reading a lot of the regulator posts, among the other equipment. The Oceanic appeals because of it's low price. On the other hand, there appear to be several very good brands in addition, so I will do as much comparison here as possible. What sort of gear do you use? I gather that UK and Dutch conditions are similar.