any scuba divers here?

[den9]

just wondering if any1 ever scuba dived or is any1 certified?

[the mike]

My girl and I are. Got some dives in while we were in Key Largo. It's really fun, but I hate water up my nose so the training was a pain. Once you get down under the surface though, you forget about all the crap you went through and just marvel at the stuff you can see. It's not as hard as you might think to get certified.

edit: pic!

[cmr076]

i am, havent gone in a little tho. training in a swimming pool was so fun tho! everyone was looking at us like we were crazy. havent decided between aspen or mexico for spring break but if we go with mexico im hoping to get some dives in.

[den9]

im takin a class at cb west, maybe south, one of those schools. even in the swimming pool when i went under i was breathing uncontrollably cuz it was so cool.
to get certified they take u to a quarry in bethelehem, im kinda nervous though becuz i cant seem to trust the instructors, and when i go under with a snorkel i can never tell when its cleared out and i breath in water when i get to surface. another problem i have i cant go underwater with out holding my nose or a mask, i hope they dont make us rip off our mask underwater cuz i definetly wont be able to breath with the regulator.

i was just wonderin if any1 dives around here, i doubt i will becuz the only place is far, and the equipment is too expensive

[poolmike]

Every winter I say that I will go to the classes and get certified....and then fail to go. I really REALLY want to. Bonus: One huge tax deduction when I buy equipment! The cabana boy likes tax deductions. Next Winter.

[den9]

they have a class coming up in june i believe, i guess u want winter tho becuz down time on work. its cheap, 240 for 10 classes, usually 3.5 hours long, then u pay about 250 to get ur certs at the lake, if u ever decide to go u can use my book and that will save u $40

the place that holds the class is underwater world on 611 in horsham

[poolmike]

Yeh, next winter...I opted for my basic welding class this year. Money well spent.

[den9]

yeah i gotta finish my welding too, now all i gotta do is get my under water welding certs

[bjc26]

I am certified, advanced open water. I dive on a weekly basis for work but we use surface supplied air, not scuba. Diving in the local water is nothing like the carribean.

If i remember correctly one of the things you will have to do to pass your open water will be to remove and replace your mask (and clear it) while underwater. Make sure you have some good instructors that you can trust, makes a world of difference.

[the mike]

Originally Posted by den9

to get certified they take u to a quarry in bethelehem, im kinda nervous though becuz i cant seem to trust the instructors, and when i go under with a snorkel i can never tell when its cleared out and i breath in water when i get to surface. another problem i have i cant go underwater with out holding my nose or a mask, i hope they dont make us rip off our mask underwater cuz i definetly wont be able to breath with the regulator.

That quarry is pretty bad ass. I believe it's Dutch Springs. That's where we got certified, and did our training dives. The water is super clear due to some weird mussels that got brought in by accident.
They will make you take your mask off underwater. It sucks horribly. I have a problem with getting water in my nose and not being able to breath through the regulator, but you get used to maintaining a cool head and you can get through it.
You can get a snorkel with a purge on top that won't allow water to get in if it goes under the surface. Makes it a litle easier. Be prepared though, it is physically exhausting. I almost didn't make the multi lap swim at the end, I was straight wore out.

[den9]

damn im really nervous now, even when i take the regulator out u have to keep exhaling and my natural instinct is to breath in, and one time i sucked in water but thank god i was in the shallow end. we had to clear our masks but didnt have to take them off.

[the mike]

Honestly, all the stuff they teach you in the class/pool is strictly so you can save your/someone else's ass in an emergency. It's uncommon to have something happen like that in an actual dive situation.

My advice is to learn bouyancy and depth control with your breathing rather than using your BCD. My first time out I used a LOT more air, simply because I hadn't really figured out my lung/breathing control.

On a side note, on our first dive out i was staring face to face with a 4 foot barracuda about a foot below the surface. My breathing was a bit uncontrolled for a few minutes. Keep your hands and arms in the ride at all times.

[den9]

barracude at dutch springs?

yeah i learned i sink fast when i exhale with the bc deflated, i also learned i play with the bc too much, i was the first one to run out of air, but i think that was because my tank wasnt filled to 3000 psi

[den9]

Originally Posted by the mike

.
They will make you take your mask off underwater. It sucks horribly. I have a problem with getting water in my nose and not being able to breath through the regulator, but you get used to maintaining a cool head and you can get through it.

had to do it tonight, first thing i thought was u telling me this, i thought there was no way i could do this but some how i did, as long as u breath out ur nose, i couldnt see chit tho, couldnt open my eyes. i dont think i could do it without a tank becuz i tend to run out of air quick when im exhaling

[AutobahnRacer]

I am. I'm PADI Certified

[den9]

where did u get certified?

[ScubaSteve]

Surprisingly, I've never been scuba diving.... I'm a fake

[den9]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

Surprisingly, I've never been scuba diving.... I'm a fake

i was waiting for u to chime in, i figured u werent a scuba diver since u didnt respond when i made this thread