Just getting started in the uk

[MrMojo]

Hi All,
I have just returned from a holiday in Cuba and passed my OWD with ACUC. Upon comleting i carried onto do 8 ocean dive max depth 30 metres i was lucky as i was always one to one with a good instructor.Now i am back in UK i find everything is run by PADI ,Does this matter ?
I recently found a good club in N.London where i had some pool time and really looking for advice where to go from my present point.(Take advanced course?)
I work a lot at weekends and need to find some where during the week ,i have no equipment at the moment but wish to hire and find what works well for me.
My biggest anxiety and fear is the limited visability in the uk waters i feel spoilt learning in 35-40 vis and dropping down to 4-5 metres may take away the enjoyment i found before.

Any Advice would be grateful

Regards,

MAL..

 

[booga_roo]

Hi! I learned abroad too and was wary of diving in the UK, largely cos of the cold and the lack of vis. Now I am totally hooked on UK diving (although don't get me wrong, should I get given a foreign dive holiday I won't refuse!)

There is lots to see and down here we get 10m vis on a good day. I have to day that I quite enjoy the more challenging conditions that there are here.

Check out the UK NDI site for info on dive sites etc. Unfortunately I don't know much about your qualification but I'm sure that someone here will be able to help you.


Booga

 

[art.chick]

What are you worried about with a card from a less well-known agency? that they may not fill your tank? It is a myth that your agency must match that of the resort, shop, or boat you dive with. Certified is certified, & if there is a debate, have them call the agency themselves.

It will take some adjusting to go from warm clear water to cold murkey water (like where I dive) but it is worth it if only to see the diversity of life in your own land. It is a good idea to buddy with a group who have experience in that environment & explain that you have never worn that thick wetsuit before. If you are shore diving, get the help you need to learn to work with the waves. Please tell us how it goes.

 

[crab]

I am jealous of your Cuba diving experience.

As for the low vis in your local area, don't let it get you worked up. I live in an area that probably has similar conditions, and it is not as bad as it might seem. I have certainly had many dives in local waters (with 1 or 2 meters of vis on ocassion) that have rivaled some tropical dives. It all depends on what you are looking for.

Enjoy your own back yard!

 

[MrMojo]

Thanks for all your encouragement,
over the last few days i have surfed the web and have found an inland site quarry with a dive centre and a depth of upto 36 metres with areas of other depths.they allow diving 7 days a week and is quieter on week dayys which is excellent for me.
I have just purchased mask,snorkel,fins and shorty (for pool practise).i have decided to buy a suunto vyper and a semi-dry suit ,the regs and BC i shall hire until i find somthing i like or my knowledge improves as there are so many!.I could do with some advice on the suit i was looking at a mares as the major importer is only a few miles up the road and also any advice on what sort of boots i will require as this topic is not much talked about. They reckon the water temp to avg. 10 C ..

Regards,

MAL..

 

[Ian Wigg]

...Now i am back in UK i find everything is run by PADI ,Does this matter ?...

Hi

1. It isn't - BSAC is at least as big in the UK plus there is also SAA

2. It doesn't.

3. "I absolutely hate you, you lucky swine - I was last in Cuba in 1982 and I wish I could afford to go back!

Welcome to the UK

Ian

 

[MrMojo]

Thanks Ian for you reply ,
Cuba was a run away from my problems in uk ,either jack my job in for stress or just get away and i ended up in a little island of north Cuba doing nothing.After a few days of R & R thought i needed to something (read my only book) to do and discovered scuba(could write 10 pages here) and ended up spending up the next ten days diving and passing my open water. I found it the most relaxing,exciting and theraputic experience and wish to carry this on in the uk now i am back into the rut of life .So if you can give me some good dive sites and any views on stoney cove as i hopefully will go there once a week on an wednesday to practise my skills and then brave the open waters of the uk.I have joined a local club and hope to do my advanced to give me more expierience and safety in the uk waters as i expect them to be more unforgiving than the tropics.I read on diver net that a couple of divers died in uk waters over the last couple of weekends.This is very sad but its also someone reminding me that this is a dangerous sport we persue and i should never take my lack of experience and wisdom too lightly.

All advice welcome,

Regards,

MAL..

 

[Ian Wigg]

Know the feeling - work stress nearly gave me a breakdown a couple of years ago.

I'm going to make you sick when I tell you that I was being paid to do absolutely nothing for 3 months in Havana when I was there. I was in the Merchant Navy taking a shipment of frozen chickens to the Cubans. Due to delays and one thing and another we just sort of got stuck there. Didn't dive then which was a shame but it was fabulous. Particularly as then nobody really went there so it was just the same as Hemmingway's days.

Ian