Open Water Certified Today: Now What?

[weitodive]

Knowledge is power. I don't agree with the lds comment one hundred percent but there is some merit to the statement. Next steps are dive, try gear, dive, find a good mentor, and dive some more. I have seen plenty of open water divers that are completely comfortable in the water. That's because they dove all the time. I have seen plenty of divers with advanced, nitrox, deep and a plethora of other certs that look like new open water divers because they get their certs every year when they make a dive trip.

 

[oly5050user]

How is one able to tell if a mentor is a good one or just someone who thinks he is an expert? I see alot of so called "experts" every day. One sticks out especially..He counts himself as a technical diver with all the gear that goes with it and only dives in a local quarry every weekend. At least with the LDS there are people who deal with diving every day of the week and are usually true experts. You can find honest ones. Diving in a quarry every weekend for someone in the northeast is not the only or best way to get experience. we do have the Atlantic ocean here.Can be off a boat out of NY or NJ, or go for no cost off RI..alot of beach access there.

 

[chrpai]

I see your point but I'm afraid that I've met to many people in an LDS that aren't experts either. The 100 dive wonders that I've seen and the falsehoods I've heard uttered have made my jaw drop on more then one occassion.

That's why ScubaBoard is a great place. He can go over to the NJ forum, introduce himself and see who replies. You can then vet their experience and reputation.

I loved diving wrecks off of DE/NJ when I lived in NoVA but I prepared for that with boat dives in warm blue water and dark, cold lo-viz quarry dives in VA and PA. I have no shame in diving the mud pits that I've dove. They have helped make me a more comfortable diver.

 

[stevensamler]

That is actually not good or the best advise..For someone starting out the LDS can be there to assist you. Just because some people think of the LDS as an evil place it is not necessarily true. If you found a LDS that you feel comfortable about, one that greets you by name and listens to your needs, there when you need them, then you should use their local experience on advise on how to gear yourself..After all, part of the reason you took classes there is to learn to dive. Part of the class is to include gear selection for the type of diving YOU may have in mind. You paid for professional training and part of the instructors/LDS job is to assist you and give you benefits and features of different types of gear along with all the positives and negatives that go along with it..Anything else and you just may short change yourself. Really upsets me when someone does not avail themselves of this service and purchases gear inappropriate for their type of diving and abilities.
Here at the facility I teach out of we LISTEN to what the consumer has to say about their goals in diving. We take into account the type of diving they plan to do and their physical abilities that they have/ or not have for the activity. We also take into account their budget and give them alternatives that may work out for them.

Frickin LALA land , take your time open your eyes, listen and watch seasoned divers, ask questions, find a solid buddy, and don't be in a hurry to spend that hard earned green stamp.

 

[gcarter]

My view on specialties...

I don't care about cards, I care about doing the dives I want to do, and I care about learning.

Learning comes from basic skill development, from diving often, and from finding someone with experience who can lead you on the kind of dives you want to do. It comes from training (which doesn't mean specialties, it means training - some instructors will provide non-cert personalized training, and mentors are invaluable).

From a cert perspective, EAN matters because many places won't sell you nitrox without it. Ditto AOW and Deep. Rescue is widely cited as the most personally rewarding. The rest are just learning opportunities and you don't need to take formal courses or pay for certs to get that. If not having a plastic card will not stop a LDS or boat from letting you on a dive, don't worry about the card. But if you do get the card, take the training seriously or you should not be doing what it says you know how to do.

My 2c.

 

[RonFrank]

If you have the $$$ get AOW certified as you may need it when diving in Key Largo or any where in the states. They want AOW to do any of the Wrecks below 50' like Grove, Eagle, Duane, Bibb, etc. That or pay for a guide.

I like your quarry plan. It will give you confidence diving someplace you are familiar with. Once you have a couple dozen dives then do an ocean dive. A trip somewhere tropical is something you will enjoy. It does not have to be expensive. Shore diving out of Lauderdale by the Sea is a cheap alternative as well as Blue Heron Bridge. Boat diving is fun but adds up quick at $40 per dive. Still you can do 10 dives for less than $400 and it is not a bad way to spend a vacation.

Enjoy your new hobby!

 

[TSandM]

UW Photography in my own opinion is not worth card they charge for, its has to much focus on old film type camera shooting​

I think it depends on who teaches it. One of my original OW instructors teaches a very good underwater photography class (PADI) -- but it's good because he's a very good underwater photographer, and he has thought about how to help people get a better toehold on underwater photography.

It's the same with all the other classes. If taught by someone who believes in the class and wants to make sure the student has a high quality experience, most all of the classes are good. If taught by someone who's figured out what the absolute minimum required is, almost any class will be disappointing. And if the instructor doesn't have the skills he's trying to teach, it rarely works out real well.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The universally positive comment so far is one I agree with- go diving! That is why you got certified in the first place! As for a good dive buddy , that is one who has good skills and is available to dive with you when you want to go diving. As to classes, I think all continuing education classes in diving have value. You should focus on those that will enhance your skills for the diving you want to to do. The AOW class is good for enhancing and broadening basic skills. I just spent last weekend diving with 4 AOW students and each had a different level of prior experience, ranging from 10 to 80 dives. Each had visibly improved skills after the open water weekend- buoyancy, trim, navigation, kicking style and etc. Don't let the "nay sayers" discourage you from doing what you choose as far as continuing your formal dive education. Of course the value of each class is related to quality of instruction. But you should, and will, learn from every dive, whether led by and instructor, a divemaster, a more experienced buddy, or by you. Congratulations on your certification. Be an active diver!
DivemasterDennis

 

[tplyons]

Regarding the comments about the LDS and mentors... for me, they're one and the same. My dive shop, Underwater Adventures in Short Hills, NJ greets my by name each time I walk in the door. I'm on a first name basis with almost all of the staff in only a few weeks of diving, and they have steered me away from buying my own gear so far. I am confident that they are looking out for my best interest (most of the instructors have full-time careers and teach diving because they enjoy it, and have invited me out to the quarry to dive with them in the future.)

I have befriended my instructors on a level beyond just diving. For this reason, I have no worries about taking additional classes from them.

I'm working to pick out my gear that I will be diving with and will dive as much as I have the time to. I've dived with the gear that I intend to buy and find myself quite comfortable in the water. I've found I have a knack for controlling my buoyancy as long as I have visual references, but once I get away from those, I rely heavily on my computer to tell where I am in the water. My underwater navigation is pretty good (former Boy Scout who particularly enjoyed orienteering). But I do need more experience navigating with a compass and controlling my buoyancy in the process.

As far as the classes I want to take:
Nitrox - want to maximize my bottom time so I can dive a lot when I can get away from home for the day.
Advanced Open Water - I want to further my current skills and increase my depth.
UW Photography - this one is taught by a real talented UW photog. C-Card or not, I want to learn to shoot from this guy.
Wreck diving - I definitely want to dive as safely as possible around wrecks and understand the hazards.

I intend to dive freely in between taking classes. As the quarry is only about 50 miles from my house, I can easily pop out for a long morning of diving.

But thank you all for your input, it means a lot to me. I have several mentors at the shop and am always looking to make new friends!

 

[nimoh]

The advice is solid, it just doesn't match the LDS / PRO agenda. I don't hate LDS's and I really don't care if my advice upsets you. LDSs and Pro's are not the sole fountain of knowledge and experience.

If an LDS actually does all the things that you say versus sell overpriced stroke gear to the newly minted OW diver while selling them on the need for a bunch of merit badge classes then I say hooray. But far more do the latter and a new OW diver doesn't have the knowledge and experience to know the difference.

That's where the experienced mentor comes in. If your shop is what it says he very well may bring that diver to you. If you aren't, then he'll direct him to online companies that sell good stuff at better prices. Either way they will be diving in the quarry building experience and getting ready for wreck diving.

I would have saved a boatload of money if someone had taken me aside 12 years ago.

When getting advice from an LDS, there is a conflict of interest since they make money by selling you stuff. With a mentor, there is no conflict.

I think most LDSs won't steer you wrong (on purpose), but it is tough to tell as a new diver, making a mentor a better option (if available).