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 "
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 "