Would You or Wouldn't You?

[Davidstealey3]

okc,
first let me say that you are asking some of thr right questions. it is allways good to get a feel of things before jumping in with two feet

now that you are interested, you do have some options. you can do a full OW course here in the states and do the checkout dive at the local diving hole ( quarry, lake whatever ) or you can ask for a universal referal to go somewhere warm and do your dives. or you can forego doing the full course and just do a resort course everytime you go on vacation ( but i do not recomend this. it would cost more in the long run, but you would still have fun ).

when it comes to the family and divining in small groups, there are operations that have boats geared towards small groups, and they are willing to asign you a divermaster for your dives. they are in the business for a reason and that is to make your diving fun and enjoyable. also doing shore dives in some places is fun and relaxing, but everyone forgot to mention here that not all shore diving has easy entries or exits. you might still need a divemaster to go on these dives with you.

i do concur with doing a refresher if you only plan on diving one or two weeks a year, at least for the first couple years. after you get some dive under your belt, you might feel comfortable enough to not need to do this anymore.

now you did ask about buying gear and mentioned that a shop might force you into buying expensive gear. let me say that my family does own a shop, and we are not in the business of haveing you buy all the expensive things we sell. if it is a good shop they should only sell you what you need for the diving you plan on doing. and even if you do just want to rent, can i suggest getting a wet suit. this way if it is the only piece of personal dive gear you own, you will get more of a return on your investment. you will have the satisfaction of knowing who has worn it and what has been done in it ( no one else has gone #1 in it ). not to mention it is a low cost peice of gear to maintain. hand wash in a little bit of diluted woollite and hang to dry.

as far as the mother hen comment and the family possiably not being buddies with eachother let me say this, dive to the level of the least experienced or least comfotrtable diver. dont try to force them to stay longer, go deeper, or dive more then they want. this will cause less problems and you will have a more enjoyable time. and who knows, maybe you will meet some people and you will end up diving in the same places ( if you get a time share somewhere ) and you can switch up buddies.

whatever you decide i hope you make the right decision, and to steal a quote from a friend of mine, look for someone who promotes " we are a family of divers teaching families to dive "

 

[OldNSalty]

Would you or wouldn't you? I would move to somewhere closer to the ocean so I could dive more

 

[Johan Broere]

How wonderfull it would be if that was your biggest problem in life. Do it ! You know that diving is one of those things that makes you forget about everything else. There is no job or office while you are diving. My sun was certified at 13. Best of all, when you come home they fall asleep. Its quiet in the house. Love it. Oh, and when you go somewhere new, dive with a divemaster. I dove with people that had over 50 dives and never had seen an octopus yet. People with over a 200 dives that never had seen a sea horse yet. Haha, you are going to get bit.

 

[Jax]

Our son certified at 13. Good dive master kept stressing "don't think/act/be safe, you gonna die". That statement got through that teenager mindset. (the mindset where they think they'll never die.)

My husband and I certified first, though. Being present when your kid trains / certifies puts too many distractions in the way. Find an instructor you trust, and hand him over.

Then, as slightly more experienced parents, you can keep an eye on him and each other.

 

[Jax]

Double entered . . .

 

[mudhole]

okc, welcome to the board and my apologies for coming late to the party. Yes, we are in the middle of the "Great American desert, but we have lots of diving and have had since the early 50's. There are two dive shops that have been open over 50 years, and there have been thousands of divers certified over that time. There is good diving in Tenkiller lake, Elmer Thomas lake in south west Oklahoma, Lake Murray just off I-35 and Broken Bow lake. And at limited times good diving near Porum on Lake Eufalla.

There are about 10 dive shops in the Oklahoma City Area, and several around each of the popular dive lakes. Every one of those dive shops offer guided trips to the tropics, or can set up a dive trip only for your family, with operations they have personal experience with. No need to travel with the concerns of a foreign land, just follow the well worn path local divers have worn.

In a city with so many dive shops, who to deal with . . . visit with all 10 on one of our many cold stormy weekends and meet the employees you feel comfortable with. If your lake cabin is on Tenkiler, you're in luck, there are two shops there for lessons, future equipment rental, and travel opportunities. There is one dive shop owner that takes so many people to Cozumel, the islanders think everyone from Oklahoma is his friend.

You might wonder about the fanaticism you've read on your post. . . diving is much more addictive than sailboat racing, I've done both. The whole family can share the excitement of drifting over a coral reef with dazzling tropical fish, underwater photography, movie making and more. This board can help you with fresh water or salt water adventure 365 days a year.

 

[Garth]

I didn't even see the dive bug but I was bitten. This is why I find myself wanting to go back to the deep 45 degree waters of my local quarry. Maybe I will look for a drysuit soon and some undergarments. Or maybe I'll buy a new Apex regulator, I have two steel 120's, should I get a pony? I think I also need a . . . .

 

[Druid]

Yes, of course you should do it.

My son was 14 when he learned to dive, in the same class as my wife and I. I wish I had learned to dive when I was 14 too.

There are plenty of dive centres who would be happy to provide you with a DM/guide all to yourself, provided you pay the extra of course Any reputable centre will also make sure the first dive you do with them is a nice, easy check out dive so that you can familiarise yourself with being back under water.

I wouldn't bother buying too much kit, tbh. For the amount of use it will get it makes much more sense to rent everything apart from a mask and wetsuit. The mask needs to fit properly so that it doesn't leak, and the wetsuit also needs to fit if it is to keep you warm (you also know you're the only one who has pissed in it)

 

[pittyyofool]

Do It or you will regret it FOREVER, sorry that is the dive bug talking it has infected my brain and controls my thoughts now.
I was 13 when I was certified and had no problems at all. I would suggest choosing a class that takes a few weeks to complete the academics rather than a weekend crash course. Time helps learning.

Being the occasional diver is just fine. Let the dive operators know that you are a vacation diver and rarely get wet, they will accommodate you. After all they do want your $$$$. If you tell them when you book the boat, they might try and put you on a boat full divers just like you.

If the scuba bug does get you there is always local places to dive and something new to see. I have done dives in places that are a bit gross just because I had to get wet.
PS. my Aunt has a cat fish lake/pond in OK. It is a different dive but you are guaranteed to come up with dinner!