Scuba!!!

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mattmac

Senior Cook
Joined
Mar 18, 2008
Messages
173
Location
Manassas, VA
Any scuba divers here? I have my PADI OW certification, and I have two dives since I got certified back in October of last year. My birthday was yesterday, and my wife signed me up for the Advanced Open Water course with the same instructor I had for my OW course. I am *SO* excited. He is a great instructor.

The 5 specialty dives we'll be doing are peak buoancy, navigation, underwater search and recovery, night dive, and deep dive. Deep dive isn't too deep as the deepest point in the lake we'll be at is near 70'. Regardless, it'll be good to learn the proper dive profiles and procedures and diving deeper.

I don't have any of my own gear except for fins, mask, snorkel, and booties. I'd like to dive some more and hopefully rent a few things to try out different brands/types before I invest the money into my own gear.

I definitely want my own wetsuit asap, though...for obvious reasons! :ermm:
 
Ever see the movie Open Water??? :ohmy:
;)
I don't take to the water, but I used to work with a guy who was a scuba instructor and had a dive shop. He let me borrow his dry suit one time when I needed it for a skydive I was making into Lake Erie on New Year's Day.
Looks like a similar sport as skydiving as far as the different levels and gear choices and of course $$$.
But ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Have fun learning your sport!
 
I've only been once, but I loved it. I wouldn't recommend doing it the way we did, though. We were at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and, on Christmas Day, noticed a sign by the pool advertising scuba dives. We thought, what a great X-mas present to ourselves! (I know, the trip should already count as that, but we'd already had a drink :ohmy:)

So we signed up and paid, and, after a 20-minute tryout with the gear in the pool, to see if we could handle the equipment, we got a little tutorial on what to do and off we went. We only went down about 30 feet, but we didn't really know what we were doing. DH had a hard time with the pressure in his ears, and took a while to get down. Then we swam around and followed the guide for, I don't know, half an hour or so. Then back up.

I've since found out that all this was very dangerous (my mom and her former husband were certified), and I wouldn't do it again that way, but it was gorgeous down there :)

Our water sport now is whitewater kayaking - not much less expensive, in terms of the gear. Boats, paddles, helmets, PFDs, waterproof camera and other bags, wetsuits, straps and holder thingy for the top of the SUV to carry them, water shoes. And DH just bought a second boat - a smaller one for playing in the rapids. It's great fun, though :)
 
I used to whitewater kayak...scary stuff! On my first trip out in the water, I went with a bunch of experienced kayakers and they plopped me into some calm water to practice being upside-down and getting out. I also practiced righting myself while upside-down using another kayaker who approached and bumped their boat up to mine. I practiced a bunch in a pool righting myself, and got the hang of it pretty well but never did it in whitewater. I quit before I had the chance. ;) Scarrryyyy!!!
 
I am certified, also with advanced open water. Being born and raised in Bermuda, I was in the water before I could walk.

did some great diving while living in Hawai'i, specifically, Molokini, and Kona.

Don't think I will be doing any diving in D.C. though...not even going to consider the Potomac, lol.
 
I would love to learn how to scuba dive, but I'm too claustrophobic with the mask on. It takes me nearly an hour to get used to the mask whenever I try snorkeling. It looks like so much fun tho'. I envy those who can go scuba diving. I guess this also leaves out possible trips to outer space (as if THAT would ever happen:rolleyes:), as I would love to go up there if I ever had a chance to. No astronaut service for me, oh well.
 
I've only scubba'd twice.
Both through hotels on vacation. The Mexico trip was great!!!
It was just Paul ( he's certified) I, the boat captain and the dive instrutor.
It was the perfect day. The dive instrutor was great. He held my hand the whole time we were under the water and took great care of me.

The other time was in the Bahamas... it was beautiful but... there were about 20 people... the equipment sucked ( they gave Paul an EMPTY tank!!!) you held on to ropes under the water... and it wasn't relaxing or safe at all.

I'd do it again but only in the tropics! It's cold down there!


Happy birthday Matt!!!
 
I don't scuba dive, but an ex-boyfried did (in So Ca). I won't even open my eyes under water. Reaped some of the benefts though. He would bring home live lobsters & abalone. Didn't try the abalone. Maybe someday. He told me he would poke at sharks that swam by. :ohmy: Eventually, I think he turned it into a biz, taking folks out on a boat in Ventura (?). Almost sorry I didn't go to the Cayman Islands with him - knew I'd never get him out of the water. :rolleyes:
 
I am certified, also with advanced open water. Being born and raised in Bermuda, I was in the water before I could walk.

did some great diving while living in Hawai'i, specifically, Molokini, and Kona.

Don't think I will be doing any diving in D.C. though...not even going to consider the Potomac, lol.

Are you a member of the DC/MD/VA SCUBA Meetup Group? Great group of people - and I'm getting my cert through SKDivers. Scott is absolutely amazing. We do the dives at Lake Rawlings which is a ton of fun - that place has so many cool things to see under water, and there are a ton of fish that are really friendly/curious and hang out with the divers as long as the bubbles don't get out of hand.

It's difficult for me to comprehend anyone being uncomfortable under water - I feel more comfortable scuba diving than I do walking on land! It feels so calm/relaxing and exciting at the same time. The astronaut analogy is great - and considering I'd do anything to be an astronaut, scuba is a great second. ;)

I'm definitely a water person - used to be on a swim team, swim for fun, love love love love love water!
 
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Though it's been awhile, yes. My Dad was a NAUI instructor for 40 years and we used to live on an island - we got our time in! It's the most awesome experience. I'm always the first one in and the last one out. Being the first one in you get to see everything before it's startled and swims off. It's the most serene thing I've ever done....sharks and all. The most dangerous thing I ever encountered on a dive was my ex husband :rolleyes:
 
Are you a member of the DC/MD/VA SCUBA Meetup Group? Great group of people...

No, I had no idea there was even a group, having just moved to NOVA.

Had never really though of lake diving, cool. For the first time, in 30 years, I am NOT on/near a beach...I really feel like a fish out of water...not to mention, my "beach bum" lifestyle does NOT seem to fit in around here, lol.

Thanks for the info, I will look into it.
 
TATTRAT, Lake Rawlings is great - visit their website and take a look. They have a nice camping area, and it's definitely close enough for a nice weekend diving trip. There are actually quite a few dive spots around NOVA, and Virginia Beach and the Carolinas are close enough for 3-day weekend diving trips. Don't be discouraged - lots of opportunity here!
 
TATTRAT, Lake Rawlings is great - visit their website and take a look. They have a nice camping area, and it's definitely close enough for a nice weekend diving trip. There are actually quite a few dive spots around NOVA, and Virginia Beach and the Carolinas are close enough for 3-day weekend diving trips. Don't be discouraged - lots of opportunity here!

I didn't know anyone went scuba diving in Va Beach except the Navy SEALs ;) What is there to see down there? It's not tropical.
 
I didn't know anyone went scuba diving in Va Beach except the Navy SEALs ;) What is there to see down there? It's not tropical.


Actually, there is a tower, I think like 7 miles out, that you can dive/spearfish on. It isn't too bad so long as there are no storms stirring things up.

I know about the OBX diving too, even some old WWII ships and such I have heard.
 
There are a lot of wrecks off the east coast, not so much Virginia Beach (although diving is still decent there), mainly the Carolinas.
 
Wow, you opened an old wound.

I started practicing and learning as a kid, and by mid teens started to dive in the open sea, Black Sea, that is. I spent part of the summers with an archeological team for 3 years in the row since I was 16, thank G-d there were no rules and regulations those days. And then when I come back from military for another 3 years, And then I got married (if you could call that marriage). I have not had an opportunity to do it here, I mean in the States, since I moved here. It’s been at least 25 years (wow) since my last dive. But it is like addiction, you may have stopped doing it, whatever it could have been, but for the rest of your life you still want to go back.
 
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