Virginia Diver Budy wanted

[Mr.Bubbles]

I have my first diving class comeing up this comeing weekend. And will do my open water dives the following weekend. After that? That is why im look for some Virginia divers. I will be doing a lot of lake Rawlings divving because it is 45 min. away. But do not want to Dive alone.

 

[jbd]

Where in Va is lake Rawlings? Have you talked to the people at the dive shop about divers that dive in low viz and cool temps. Some folks don't mind this kind of diving; some despise it. I have a sister near Leesburg that can get me the name of dive shops in that area if its of any help to you. In low viz you may be surprised at how quickly you are diving "solo" even though you started the dive with a buddy. I would recommend getting a compass and plan your dives around a compass azimuth to help the 2 of you stay on track. Excellent bouyancy control is a must. My last 4 dives were in a lake. At the bottom(55 ft)there was no light at all(console could not be detected even though it was pressed against my mask) and a light was of very little use(murky water)At 45 ft the light helped and at 42 ft the light was not needed at all but the viz was only 3 to 4 ft. If you want to dive in these conditions make sure that the person you are diving with is cormfortable with this. Its certainly not for everyone. Relaxation is important also. You need to watch your air consumption closely and monitor the level of stress you and your dive buddy are experiencing.

 

[Mr.Bubbles]

Lake Rawlings is a rock quary. the viz is from 35-50 feet at all times. The timp is from 85-45 in the summer and max dept is 65 ft. It is located close to the center of Va. O and this is not a Advertisement just looking for Dive budies. http://www.lakerawlings.com/

 

[Beachman]

Folks from Virginia Beach sometomes go to Rawlings for fresh water diving (about 2 hrs), particularly open water certs that don't feel comfortable doing their first dives off a boat in the ocean 15-25 miles from shore.

On the other hand, if you're east of Rawlings it's only a relatively short drive to super wreck diving out of Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. Two dive shops operate 4 boats regularly during the summer months. Lots of folks from Richmond, Petersburg and similar locales dive here all the time.

E-mail me direct if you want more information. I live in Virginia Beach and dive here regularly. Always ready for a new buddy (if I'm not working as DM on the boat that day).

 

[herman]

Hi MB,

I dove Lake Rawlins for the first time on July 4th, nice place. I live about 2 hrs from there but my dive shop does club trips there about once a month. You can try what a person did the day we were up there. He walked up, introduced himself and ask if he could join us. We met a new friend and he got 4 dive buddies. Our dive club has a camping/dive trip planed to Lake Rawlins on the July 28/29. I am sure if you show up and introduce yourself you would be welcome. I would offer to meet you there but I will not be able to make that weekend. If you like, email me and I can get you to the club pres if you would like to contact him. You don't have to be a club member to join in. Also, how close are you to Fantasy Lake (Rolesville, NC- just north of Raleigh)? The conditions are not as good as Rawlins but it's 45 min from me, may could meet you there on fairy short notice some time?

 

[TexasMike]

JBD.... There is a thought around our little group that we would much prefer diving with a "low vis lake diver" than someone who only dives high-visability areas such as most blue water sights.

The thought is that to dive green and brown water, you need to be very comfortable with general diving, navigation, buoyancy, and keeping your buddy in sight (much the same things you pointed out). If you and your buddy can dive successfully in these conditions and enjoy yourselves, then it forces you to practice toward being a better diver. And then when you get in blue water conditions, all the brown water skills make being in the ocean a snap.

 

[jbd]

TexasMike,
I would agree with your group. 1 to 2 feet of viz and lots of dark has helped my diving. As a friend pointed out when you go to the ocean and the divemaster apologizes for the poor 30 to 40 ft viz we think we've died and gone to heaven. I think the biggest improvement in my diving was learning to hover without using the depth gauge or having anything to look at other than the murk.