New diver in Florida gives a shout out!

[Amber]

Hey everyone! I just got my OW for my 16th birthday. To put it simply..I loved it! I've always been the adventurious type since I was able to walk. I can't sky dive untill im 18 so I thought to go in the complete opposite direction. I took my class in the local gratto (omg it was so cold!) It was about 69 degrees at 60 feet and it was pitch black dark. Talk about a rush. On our last dive, my instructor took us a little deeper than the "rules" say to go. Needless to say I'm hooked on this sport for life. I recently did 2 more dives in Key West. I'm from Florida and on the coast so I have a lot of oppertunities to go diving. I'm just working on getting a job so I can go out and buy some gear. That way I can dive as quickly as I can get partners.
I want to get my AOW, nitrox, cave, deep, nav, wreck, and then hit my dive master.
I have the best mentors. The owners of my scuba shop go all over the world, and recently did an iceberg dive that National Geographic covered. I got to see some great behind the scens footage of that. Look for it when it comes out!
I wish everyone happy and safe diving!!

 

[finstotheleft]

Congratulations on your cert.! I just got certified myself on 7-12. I love it too! You're a bit luckier than I though....I'm in KY:blah:

Sounds like you've got the opportunity for some good adventure! Maybe I'll run into you one day. I have a good friend that has a beach house in Carrabelle, Fla. I'm planning to visit her A LOT in the future! There's some neat stuff around the panhandle!

Happy diving...

Beth

 

[Rooster1]

welcome to the board Amber and congrats on your certification.

Up here if we have 69 degrees ast 60 fsw that is heaven

 

[Amber]

Thank you!

There is better diving in the Atlantic Beth. Just a little tip in case you didin't know. Not too much on the Gulf side, no to mention it's murkey at times and we have schools of hammer heads come through. Not that I'm complaining! I would love to be the lucky person who gets to photograph those big groups from within the group! That would be my fun.

 

[Wendy]

Welcome to the board. Tell Jill and Paul I said hi!

 

[DennisW]

Congratulations on your certification. It's always great to have new divers on the board. One warning from an old man with a son and daughter that are divers: Until your bones are finished developing, say around 21 or so, you should limit your depths and the number of dives you do. There are no studies I know of to support my concerns, so you can blow me off if you want, but... We know that nitrogen will dissolve into bone under the pressues we frequent when diving. We also know that younger bones are also softer bones and that leads us to believe that more nitrogen will dissolve into softer bones. Will this cause you problems later in life? I can't say, but I limited my children to 40ft and only one dive trip per year. I didn't want my kids to be the guinea pigs for this kind of statistical information. I know of one person that used to post on diverlink.com that said she dove deep and often when she was young and now has extreme osteoperosis at a young age (in her 30's I think). So, dive and have fun, but know that you may want to limit yourself for a few years. Besides, you can see a lot of things above 40 ft on a reef.

 

[JimC]

I want to get my AOW, nitrox, cave, deep, nav, wreck, and then hit my dive master.

Your 16, take your time and enjoy the ride. Develop and practice your skills and all that good stuff. At 16 you have a good 50+ years of diveing to look forward to.

Penetration/overhead dives are not to be taken lightly or jumped into without a lot of thought, equipment, knowledge and a LOT of training.

 

[JimC]

Besides, you can see a lot of things above 40 ft on a reef.

Most good stuff to see is 60fsw or shalower. Besides, your gas and NDL is a lot better shalow.

 

[finstotheleft]

I didn't know that about younger divers and the risks for later in life. That's wierd. Wonder how much truth there is in all that? (I think I'd probably do the same if I had kids though, and limit their diving!).

Thanks for the tip Amber. I am going to try to go on a dive trip to Panama City in Oct. with my instructor and a group. The murky water makes me nervous anyway...now I'm gonna be on the lookout for hammerheads! :shark:

I'll let you know how it goes...

 

[The Chairman]

Thats right... look for a SCUBA oriented Venture Crew in your area and you will have tons of buddies who are all your age (there abouts) and it will be done in a safe manner. And yes, the Venture arm of the BSA is coed. If you can't find one (or don't know where to look), PM me with the town you live in and I will find one for you. I am the advisor for SCUBA Venture Crew 7 here in Central Florida Council. The girls, as well as the guys have loads of fun!