I want to get into scuba diving and I found what I think is a decent package. $1850 will get me all the way up to a PADI Divemaster while apparently saving $500 on course materials as well as $100 store credit (though I'm pretty sure I'm still technically paying for that). The side courses for Advanced Open Water like wreck and deep diving are also included and I should get a year of free gear rental.
I already own all the equipment that they require for starters and I'm ready to go. Is this a good deal?
Padi is a joke. Sdi is where it's at.
The shop also does SDI training, though I'm pretty sure they don't have a package like this.
Regardless, I'll definitely look into it.
I wouldn't go from owd, all the way to dive master in one go. I'd take it step by step in each area and log more dives before moving on. Its better to be a owe with 100 dives under you then be a dive master with 10dives. The name just says you can go this deep. I'd inquire about how many dives you will get in each section also get rescue diving under your belt and some other Tec dives. I'd wait till you hit 50 so dives before trying to go to dive master so your comfortable under water and have praticed and mastered your gear and the most effective ways to use it safely. PADI is a good company less pricey then other but they don't cover as much material in the OWC unless you go AOWC or higher. I personally like NAUI they have been around longer then PEDI and cover a bit of rescue diving in there OWC since being able to save your own ass and others is very important. But company is mostly a matter of preference really PEDI and NAUI are the most known and largest. BSAC SIDI are smaller but that doesn't mean they are worse or better then the big 2. Just really make sure you get a good instructor that will work with you and cares about you being the best you can, and safe doing so when underwater.
I've inquired about the package and was told that it would take a couple years at best to complete the entire thing, so they're not going to let me just go straight to DM in a short time (not that I was expecting to). Also, rescue and first aid is also provided, forgot to add that.
That being said, I think I'm still jumping into this too quickly. I'll look at the other agencies and see what they're all about.
>>787304
Alright, long as it's not all done in a short time from OWD to MD your fine, I know some people like rushing certs as if they are boy scout badges which can be a bad thing as I said yeah you have the cert but not the mastery of what you learned. Agency's all cover the basics well, they may do a few things differently or show you more stuff then what is federally required to be a OWD. What matters is again your instructor not the agency, but it's Nice to apart of one of the big 2 or at least a lesser agency that is well known for the street cred and the reputation that follows being with them. It's just best to go with a agency that is close to you and not,having to travel far for classes, also when looking at gear make sure the gear you pick online or at the shop can be repaired at your local dive shops. It sucks to have to wait 2 weeks for you gear to come back for repairs since you have to ship it far away to service it. The local dive shops Will tell you what brands they carry and fix in house; I'd personally pick from that list unless your heart is set on ____ brand.
>>787304
If you think your going to fast just go for your OWD after a few dives you will know if this is what you want to do. And you can also swap agency's at anytime of you really want you just have to take a higher class to change. Example: I got my OWD with PEDI and I want to change and be a diver under NAUI so to change you would have to take a AOWD class with NAUI to swap Agency's since you can't move laterally from agency to agency in the same dive level bracket. Just worry about your instructor not the agency.
>>787152
Do not listen to this.
>>787143
PADI MSDT here (2500+ dives, certed over 150 divers) The price isn't bad. Where are you training (country)?
PADI will, by far, make you more employable through out the americas and the pacific.
Certifications (padi vs naui vs ssi) will not make you a better or worse diver, experience will.
Taking open water through rescue straight through is fine, but if you choose to start your Divemaster training right after, take your sweet time with it. Learn from as many divemasters and instructors as you can and dive, dive dive as much as you can. Looking back I realize how little I knew when it came to underwater leadership at 200+ dives finishing my instructor exams. So embrace the learning path.
>>787595
I'm training in the US.
I also understand what you mean about taking my time. this is something that is supposed to be enjoyed, after all.
Any Divers in north Florida, i just got my OWD cert and need a dive buddy. new to the scuba only have 12 dives. although i have 100+ free dives average of 10m depth.
also what peoples thoughts on individual diver Cert. looking into taking nitrox courses then doing individual diver cert along with AOWD
352 dive buddy needed
It is 2016. There is a gigantic space station in orbit and Antarctica is covered in huge bases.
Why is there no such thing as an underwater resort I can go to on vacation and scuba dive from? I know there's one scientific underwater lab and one "underwater hotel" but it's in a little lagoon, not even in the ocean proper.
That really sucks. When I am diving I don't want to come up until I am ready. I never have as much bottom time as I want and I hate dive table limits forcing me back to the surface.
My dream is a really big, modern, beautiful underwater facility with futuristic ocean themed architecture, giant bubble windows, a restaurant, cafe, gym, hotel rooms, the works.
If there's a market for space tourism, surely there's a market for something like this. I don't expect Rapture. Something that could host even 100 people would be rad.
>>787681
just tie off tanks and deal with decom instead of trying to stay within no decom limits. also use nitrox for added bottom time
>>787682
I guess, but that doesn't satisfy me. I have these visions in my head of climbing out of the moon pool, showering, drying off and enjoying some hot tea by a big window that looks out into the open ocean. Reflecting on the recent dive and just watching fish go by.
I don't just want more bottom time, but to dwell in the ocean for a satisfyingly long period. To really get my fill and have wholly unrestricted access for days or weeks at a time.
>>787617
Sweet. Go with PADI for sure then.
Something to keep in mind as well is how much opportunity for jobs there is after you finish your divemaster training. I did my Divemasters and IDC in utila, bay islands and what was nice about there was once I finished my divemasters course, I was able to immediately start working for a dive shop while I got more experience (diving, filling tanks, assisting with classes) and prepared for the IDC. Money flow is nice, and if you can be in a place where dive jobs are availible (think dive tourist destinations), you will stay indulged and obsessed in the diving world. Some of the best times of my life.
>>787690
my buddys and i had an idea like doing pop up parties in the springs with like a giant bubble anchored under water using a hookah to inflate it
pretty much turned into like a 100k plus build so scratched the idea
>>787694
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHV8I_Ck1Jo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o7K7HNf_7E
It doesn't cost anywhere near that much, and is a hobby project occasionally undertaken by amatuers.
Unless you mean something large enough to stand up inside of, in which case that's more believable. The more you increase the interior volume, the price increases exponentially mostly due to the weight needed to hold it down.
>>787696it was much more then a bubble, you got it it was going to be 40 ft by 70 ft with a height of 10 ft. with a rigid floor. we've done smaller one for ou friends that would be free diving while we scuba. we where thinking like pop parties underwater and almost even have booze. our depth was going to be somewhere around 30ft so free divers could also make it down. was a sick idea till we figured we would need 3 trucks and my whaler was to small to haul even half the gear needed
>>787699
haha, I see. 40 feet by 70 feet would be the largest fixed underwater structure humans have ever built, so yes, that was a case of biting off more than you can chew.
Much more modest tent sized structures are feasible on a hobbyist budget though. Only room enough to get out of the water and admire the view through a window, but even that is pretty cool.
>>787701
exactly so we decided to just keep building stuff on the surface where its alot cheaper
>>787708
Sure, but my goal is not cheapness. I specifically want to be underwater. I can't afford to build such a place myself but would spend good money to visit as a tourist.
>>787713
gofundme lets do this im like a engineering drop out with some civil engineering friends
>>787143
Sounds like a great deal. I'd go with NAUI if you could find an alternative.
(bugguy)
>>787724
I don't think it's possible to raise the hundreds of millions (possibly as much as a billion) this would cost on gofundme.
>>787143
any links to the package deal OP?
>>787741
people raise money for way dumber shit like wedding and other selfcentered causes
>>787921
I can't find anything about it online. The way that I found out about it was through a brochure that one of the staff gave me when I stopped in. If I can find it, I'll take a pic.
>>787989
>>787921
I guess I should deliver.
>>788497
Jesus fucking Christ, that was a lot bigger than I was expecting it to be.
Have a smaller one.
>>788502
Not bad.
Most of the prices I see.
>OWD $300 (Including rentals dives etc in that price)
>AOWD $150 (Includes rentals)
>Rescue $200-300 (Included rentals)
>Tec dives(Full Specialties) $150-$500+ per class depending on the type of tec diving) {Wreck and Cave diving being the most expensive}
>Dive master $300 roughly
OWD, AOWD, Rescue and MD without the 4 specialties will run roughly $800-$1,000
So removing the $100 in store cred, and the lets just estimate $900 you have $749 that will be for the 4 Specialties don't know if you have free choice on what those are, but I'd Recommend: Night Diving, Wreck diving {Not just cause you can go inside wrecks but also you learn a ton of safety information etc.} Underwater Photography is good to have if you want to take pictures and videos underwater and do it well. Deep Diving if you plan to go 40meters or deeper. Dry suit Cert if you plan to use them, Just really depends on what peaks your interest most and talk to your dive instructor and they will help point you down the path you need to get to do what you want.
>>788819
>OWD, AOWD, Rescue and MD without the 4 specialties will run roughly $800-$1,000
Is that with or without course materials?
You've also hit the mark on basically all the specialties I was planning on taking. I'm not so sure about photography since the most I have in mind right now as far as that goes is putting a GoPro on my mask, though I'm not sure what I'd replace the course with. Drysuits are probably going to be a must for me as well since I'm in the northern midwest; the shop even pushes them from fall to early spring.
>>788853
Depends on the company. Some have course materials included in the price some don't why the prices are rough estimates.
Good ones to have Imo: Wreck, Cavern, Night, Equipment Specialist (Learn to take care of your gear if you invested into buying your own Scuba gear and not renting) Solo diving, Deep diving, Dry Suit, Side mount diving, Ice Diving (If diving under ice), Altitude Diving (If diving at high altitudes aka mountain lakes)
As for the 4 I would personally take for the 4 included before paying for others:
Wreck, Night, Deep diving, Equipment specialist or Cavern Diving.
>>788502
Jesus dude. Just get your open water and buy your own gear. Padi is just a private training company. There's no actual regulations for scuba. If you want to teach just dive enough to get your master diver.
If you wanna dive a wreck go dive one. Your money will be way better contractually diving not just hanging out with padi instructors
I'm in the middle of an Open Water course, just finished the second pool training session.
The diving center guy was a bro and included the Dry Suit Diver course in the price, which is real nice considering the water up here rarely creeps over 12°C. I'm fixing to buy the equipment I need after the course as I got a pretty good deal on it, and it'd be a lot more useful to me, as I live a way away from the dive center, but have access to a good compressor and know some guys I can dive with.
I had a mind to make some money from the certification by helping people out with cutting their propellers free of line (surprisingly well paid for the amount of work) and some underwater fishing on the side, type lobster, crab, monkfish and halibut
Do any of you guys have any success stories of making some money with your certs? I'm not deluded enough to think that this won't be a pretty big money sink, but it'd be nice to be able to turn a buck or two from it, softening the blow, like.
>>789764
It's pretty easy to make a little cash doing scuba stuff for boat owners if you live near a port. Hull cleaning is a good way to do it, a lot cheaper for the owner than dry docking and you can charge a getting in the water flat rate plus x amount per foot of boat.
Hey, that's a pretty good idea, thanks mate!
Friend of mine has inoperable shrapnel in his body from a RPG blast several years back. He wants to get scuba certified but could the shrapnel pose an issue because of the changing pressures?
>>792551
It wasn't mentioned in my RSTC medical examination papers as I can remember, but if he wants to play it safe (as he probably should), he should see his doctor about it, eventually see if he can find a doctor specialised in diving.medicine.
>>792551
Contact DAN Divers Alert Network, you can email a DMT directly from their site.
Since there are quite a lot of (experienced) divers in here, maybe one of you knows the explanation to what is often just stated: "When you go deep, you consume more air."
Now, I get that more air goes into your lungs and all, but there is also more oxygen in this air. Why are we unable to use this? Is it because CO2 levels will just become too high?
I recently completed the Openwater course in an SDI agency and i heard some people tell me it sucks compared to PADI
What's the big difference between these two?
>>794885
Your question is actually pretty good, and while I'm not really able to answer it, I'd just like to mention how it's not very much of an issue for scuba divers, in that we're taught to breathe slowly and steadily all the time, to make sure that we're breathing "fresh" air - That is to say, air that's basically on the same depth as you are (Sorry if I'm unclear, might be a language barrier going on).
You can read this: https://www.bookyourdive.com/blog/2012/6/28/never-hold-your-breath to see how the air can be dangerous if you don't breathe proper.
Of course, you COULD, TECHNICALLY, save your breaths as long as you don't ascend or descend, but just like you technically can drive in the wrong lane on a road, I wouldn't take the chance. If you want to save air, work on your breathing and finning technique. If you're diving in cold waters (even with a dry suit), the tank might even outlast you. I've gone up because my mates were cold, and had 140 bar to spare out of a 300 bar/10 liter tank (and the plan was to turn around at 100). If you're diving for long enough, there's also the risk of decompression sickness, and you might have to cut your dive short to make a decompression stop on the way up, or risk some nasty health problems.
If you already know this and just wanted the answer to a curious science question, I'm sorry I can't help you - You might have better luck hearing with someone else, or asking the blokes at /sci/.
>>795135
Do you feel like your instructor(s) didn't teach you properly, seemed incompetent about the subjects, or couldn't answer your questions? Do you feel like you're not ready to out and dive?
It's all about your instructor IMHO. The organisations follow the same ISO standards when they teach their courses (Some info on that here: https://www.bookyourdive.com/blog/2015/10/9/alternative-padi ).
If you just dive and interact with other divers and acquire skills, it doesn't really matter much who cleared you to do so in the first place.
>>794885
Bottles law. As pressure increases, volume decreases and vice versa. At two atmospheres the volume of air in a bottle will last half as long as surface.
That's slightly over simplified but that's how it works.
>>795753
Boyles law, autocorrect hates physics.
Dive physics are important to know if you ever plan on diving deeper than 30 feet.
>>794885
You still breathe in and out at the same rate. Since each lungfull at 33 feet is twice the volume of a lungfull at sea level, you use it twice as fast. Once you breathe out it goes to the surface. Maybe you could hold your breath a bit longer but that's a recipe for a burst lung.
Rebreathers work on the philosophy of reusing air I think.
>>795892
Twice the density. Which is why nitrogen becomes an issue. Partial pressures of gas in a mixture. Rebreathers scrub co2 and reuse the o2 from your exhale.
Do not attempt to hold you breath ever. POIS is not fun
>>795710
I know it is a very bad idea to hold your breath, should never do this whole diving.
I am interested in the science part, with what I know now it would make sense to take smaller breaths at the same rhythm of even breathe more slowly. I am one dive away from advanced open water (SSI, 24 dives + 4 specialties), so not really experienced yet. I will inquire with my diving buddies, will post back in the next diving thread. Really looking for the sciency part of this.
>>796528
>I will inquire with my diving buddies, will post back in the next diving thread. Really looking for the sciency part of this.
Please do, it seems really interesting.
>>796528
It makes more sense for you to take slower, deeper breath. At depth the partial pressure of gases in a mixture will be higher so the absolute pressure of O2 and N2 in your respiratory system will be higher. This is why you experience nitrogen narcissism at deep depths.
Look up Henry's law, boyles law and Daltons law.
>>796825
I am very well aware of the physics of gasses under pressure, it is mainly the biological part that is unknown to me. Breathing deeper would only increase the liters/minute wouldn't it? Must say I like the nitrogen narcissism :P But that doesn't have anything to do with the air consumption, just the partial pressure of nitrogen.
>>796919
Kek. Ok anon, go find your "sciency" answer. Godspeed.
>>796258
yeah sounds totes lame!
wtf does this have to do with diving?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postorgasmic_illness_syndrome
>>798403
Haha what doesnt it have to do with diving?
I meant pulmonary over inflation syndrome.
Do you guys have any cool pictures or video from your dives?
I'd love to take some pictures of the stuff I see, but I'm unsure of what to do.
I have a Canon EOS550D, but I can't seem to find no underwater housing for it that isn't crazy expensive. Do you suppose a Gopro will suffice, or are there better alternatives?
>>799440
The hardest part about underwater photography/filming is the lack of light. If you go to about 15 meters in The Netherlands, it will be so dark that you really want a torch already. Also, these housing are crazy expensive because they do not leak. It tends to be hard to make something that works well and still performs under pressure. But with a gopro, you will be able to make quite decent video if there is enough light. Some guys in our club have cases with torches on the side and big battery packs, they make real nice photo's.
