Scuba

[rossthefishman]

Hello, I've been presented the opportunity to get SCUBA certified in the near future, but the problem is, I won't be able to practice much before the big trip i'm planning in two years. Those of you who are certified, is this something you have to work on every few weeks in order to stay good at it? or can i learn, and maybe dive twice a year and still keep my skill up?


Many Thanks


-Tyler
--Bluefield WV

[Paul B]

Yes you can dive twice a year to keep your skills up. If you will be diving in a resort the diving is a no brainer and it will be no problem. Of course you should dive at least a few times before you go.
In a tropical resort you will most likely be surrounded by many people and the water is very clear.
If you were to dive yourself or in northern waters it is much different. Here in NY where I dive our visability rarely gets more than two feet and we have to wear thick wet suits which limits your movements. In these conditions even if you are with someone, you are really alone.
The most important thing in SCUBA diving is to not hold your breath as you ascend but they will teach you that. You will most likely do no decompression diving so you will not really have to worry about the bends or anything like that. Most diving accidents occur in shallow water by someone who gets frightened by something and panics which may cause you to hold your breath. If you do this when you are surfacing you will most likely kill yourself but like I said they will instruct you on this and it is not a cause for concern. Diving is a very safe sport and in almost 40 years of diving I have never even gotten slightly hurt and that is with almost no visability in half my 300 dives.
Have fun and be safe. Listen carefully to the instructor.
Paul

[Glove]

Tyler, take the opportunity and get certified!
you dont have to limit your diving to vacations and such, I am sure the is a place for you to dive locally.
The most important thing is your personal comfort.
Instructors cannot teach this.
The more you dive the better your diving skills will be.
I dive year round here in Indiana, rain or shine, and even under the ice.
There is usually a place you can 'refresh' your skills in a pool before big vacations, but I really think people should dive freshwater lakes and quarries more often.
Think of it this way.... if you can tolerate and enjoy the cold water and limited visibility of local freshwater holes while ya perfect your skills then going to prime dive locations with 100+ ft of vis in 78+ degree water is wonderful.
To answer the question- you can get certified and not go diving until your vacation. I have seen many people have a bad time (or no dive time) because they had not been diving regularly.
Its a workout sometimes- getting gear on while a boat is rocking, ocean currents and hard kicking- or the reef cowboys that have to swim a million yards and "see it all" and hes your dive buddy.
Buoyancy is a big issue too. You get a feel for achieving 'neutral buoyancy' and if you dont dive very often this can become one of the most challenging of diving skills.

[woodycb]

I just got back from calica mexico where i did a beginner scuba diving trip. It was a 20min crash course and some practicing in some shallow water and we were off. We dove in about 20ft. of water around some reefs. The biggest thing is controlling your breathing underwater. If you can do that your in. The cool thing about getting your c-card is you can dive longer, go in deeper water. Just make sure you try diving before going on an expensive trip some where. We had a couple of people in our group pay big money to figure out they cant do it.
Enjoy.

[Glove]

Paul- "In these conditions even if you are with someone, you are really alone."
very true. Those conditions require a little extra planning and a good level of comfort and exp. on the part of each diver. I dive in zero vis quite often and I do it solo. In these conditiions a buddy can become a liability.

Tyler, why do you say you will have limited time to 'practice'?
Just wondering. I log about 200 dives per year in a stone quarry 20 mins away. Its not Fiji and there are no table acros but feeding crayfish (crawdads) and hotdogs to largemouth bass and bluegill can help take some stress away.

[Paul B]

Glove when I dive here in NY we usually go for lobsters or wreck dives. There are 2000 wrecks aroung Long Island. If I dive with a partner here we have a tether tied between us. If not you would never find your partner. A partner here is helpful because we ger tangled in fishing line, lobster trap line, nets or just old cable. It also helps if we need to lift something heavy.
We sometimes dive at night for larger lobsters but the visability is the same. We sometimes also have a swift current.
I have my own boat and equipment.
Have fun diving paul

[rossthefishman]

thanks guys, I think i'll go ahead and get the certification now. Does anyone happen to know of any good dive places around southern west virginia/northern virginia? I heard New river is a good spot to go, has anyone been? thanks


-Tyler

[joesynodontis]

I did a solo dive in black rock Maui. I had to plan and asked as many divers that did that dive , scuba shops is a good place to inquire ,but the divers on that day can give you the conditions especiall any hazzards like current. That day I dove I was informed that there was a current that will take me to the left and I will not be able to turn around and go back to where I first started.......so I planned an exit route and walked back with my gear...

[cutnup]

never dive without a buddy