I hate snorkels.
You can descend through a school of barracuda and not get attacked.
Goliath grouper are huge.
There is no depth police at 60 feet.
Drift dives over reefs in 35 feet of water are easy and fun.
Six packs are alot better than cattle boats.
If a diver appears nervous or seems to be having trouble they probably are.
Even people with alot of dives, diving tattoos and locally known don't always have the best diving skills (as they crash into reefs and don't seem knowledgeable about their gear) no matter how cool they talk.
If you make an effort to work on bouyancy it does get better.
While still a gas hog, it does get better with each dive.
Waiting to buy your gear for a while is great advice, however, with alot of research, a knowledgeable LDS, scubaboard and talking to alot of divers, you can buy your gear as you can afford it and be happy with it.
Gigantic knives are not always the answer (my dive buddy with the sword knife continually asks to "borrow" my four inch knife with tank knocker while on dives).
Not everyone believes in or practices safety stops.
I plan to kill lionfish as I get more comfortable diving.
When you roll in off the boat.....hold your mask.
Turtles are alot bigger than I thought.
Current will make you use more air.
When on a cattleboat with an instuctor and his class the instructor will not hesitate to swim right over you, tangle your flag lines and then cut your line.
Stay away from somebody learning how to use their new speargun.
Most rental tanks won't have 3000 psi.
Halcyon has incredible customer service.
Listen to the DM briefing.
Do not rinse your mask in the bucket designated for cameras.
Make sure the captain and DM are aware of your lack of experience so they don't try to drop you on a wreck in 90 feet of water on your second dive ever in life.
Most experienced divers are more than willing to talk to a newbie and offer advice and experiences. They will even point stuff out to you during the dive.
Octopus really do squirt ink.
A huge ray swimming on the bottom out of no where is an awesome sight.
AOW and nitrox certs are a must. (for me)
Snorkeling after diving is not the same.
I have to learn to take incredible pictures like some of you take.
Not everybody on the dive boat appreciates it when you bring up a Diet Coke can from the bottom.
Going through security in the airport with a carry on full of dive gear WILL cost you extra searching.
The person on the boat that smells like alcohol will be a problem at some point. 2 for 2 on this one.
There is too much fishing line on wrecks and reefs.
I am consumed with getting better and diving as often as I can.
I got lots of advice and information through this site.
Buck
You can descend through a school of barracuda and not get attacked.
Goliath grouper are huge.
There is no depth police at 60 feet.
Drift dives over reefs in 35 feet of water are easy and fun.
Six packs are alot better than cattle boats.
If a diver appears nervous or seems to be having trouble they probably are.
Even people with alot of dives, diving tattoos and locally known don't always have the best diving skills (as they crash into reefs and don't seem knowledgeable about their gear) no matter how cool they talk.
If you make an effort to work on bouyancy it does get better.
While still a gas hog, it does get better with each dive.
Waiting to buy your gear for a while is great advice, however, with alot of research, a knowledgeable LDS, scubaboard and talking to alot of divers, you can buy your gear as you can afford it and be happy with it.
Gigantic knives are not always the answer (my dive buddy with the sword knife continually asks to "borrow" my four inch knife with tank knocker while on dives).
Not everyone believes in or practices safety stops.
I plan to kill lionfish as I get more comfortable diving.
When you roll in off the boat.....hold your mask.
Turtles are alot bigger than I thought.
Current will make you use more air.
When on a cattleboat with an instuctor and his class the instructor will not hesitate to swim right over you, tangle your flag lines and then cut your line.
Stay away from somebody learning how to use their new speargun.
Most rental tanks won't have 3000 psi.
Halcyon has incredible customer service.
Listen to the DM briefing.
Do not rinse your mask in the bucket designated for cameras.
Make sure the captain and DM are aware of your lack of experience so they don't try to drop you on a wreck in 90 feet of water on your second dive ever in life.
Most experienced divers are more than willing to talk to a newbie and offer advice and experiences. They will even point stuff out to you during the dive.
Octopus really do squirt ink.
A huge ray swimming on the bottom out of no where is an awesome sight.
AOW and nitrox certs are a must. (for me)
Snorkeling after diving is not the same.
I have to learn to take incredible pictures like some of you take.
Not everybody on the dive boat appreciates it when you bring up a Diet Coke can from the bottom.
Going through security in the airport with a carry on full of dive gear WILL cost you extra searching.
The person on the boat that smells like alcohol will be a problem at some point. 2 for 2 on this one.
There is too much fishing line on wrecks and reefs.
I am consumed with getting better and diving as often as I can.
I got lots of advice and information through this site.
Buck
