Hm.
Okay, man... My bad. Whatever.
By the way, ship impact and hurricanes aren't what's responsible for killing the reefs in South Florida. If she's telling you that, it's one more reason to believe that something's not right.
Look, man... If someone is offering you a "free" scuba "license" for $300 if you'll remove coral polyups from the sea so that you can return them later, something's amiss.
It doesn't really matter if you think my post's tone was too excited or not - or if you think that I am somehow making an "accusation." The bottom line is that there's something really "off" when someone offers you a "free scientific scuba license" for $300 if you'll volunteer to pull coral polyups out of the ocean so that you can make sure they'll mature in captivity and so you can put them back in the ocean a year from now.
Ask this woman to see her facility, where she recieves the polyups and matures them. Compare the facility to what people have here in terms of life support for corals. I think you'll find something amiss.
...Another red flag is if she told you that these reefs are damaged because they have been run over by ships or hit by hurricanes - that's not why the reefs are damaged in South Florida... So until you get some straight, real information from this woman, I would recommend staying away. I can tell you from someone who pretty much spends his life in the water that there's like a dozen red flags with what you just told us she said.
I understand that you, a self-professed "noob," read my post to be accusational or krass - sorry you feel that way. If you weren't a "noob," you'd see how obvious it is when someone's been pumped full of incorrect information and starts reciting it. This isn't personal - I'm not faulting you for any of it - and that you called it a "license" is only one of about a dozen red flags... Simply put, the information you gave us has obviously come from a really "off" source, and something doesn't smell right, and I'm letting you know. If you want to ignore my advice, that's fine - but I'm giving you the straight skinny that if someone has offered you anything like you've reiterated here, there's something really wrong.
Here, I'll put it to you this way... This woman's implication, apparently, was that she needed volunteer divers to do some work for her or her company, and that she'd be willing to trade some training and a C-card or two for that work. Why would she do this? What, is there like a shortage of divers in South Florida? Why wouldn't she waltz in to any dive shop down there and ask people to join her to do this "coral polyup harvest" instead of taking a complete noob and having to train him first so that he can then do the same thing? I mean, all she'd have to do is run an ad in the paper that says, "Divers - help the environment - we need you... Show up on this date at this location, and we'll show you how you can help." A million South Floridians would show up, and maybe some vacationers, too. Why would anyone approach a fish club and offer to give free C-cards (for $300) to anyone willing to pluck polyups? It just doesn't make any sense. Red flag, man.
Bad juju... Run away. I don't know what the deal is, but there's something really wrong with what you told us.
Your violent reaction to my reply pretty much tells me that there never really was a woman that approached a fishing club in South Florida with a free, $300 offer for scientific scuba licenses in exchange for plucking coral polyups to "save" them from the ship's impact damage on the reef... That you made that up, I caught it, and now you're angry at me for catching it. But I have no way of knowing that for sure, so in my South Cackalackey way, I'll simply shut up about it and smile... Or choose to advise you to stay away from anyone who said that. That is a simple, non-conforntational method of telling you that you're full of B.S.
Look - you said in your above post that you were "asking for advice on how to start." Therein lies another red flag... If you were offered a free C-card, why would you ask us how to start? If you were really offered a free C-card, then you'd have said, "I am starting my dive classes, and I'm excited," not, "How do I get into diving?"
...But again, whatever. I don't care one way or the other what you do, how you do it, or whether or not my post ticks you off. If you're really looking for answers on how to start scuba diving, then cool - find a reputable dive shop near you and attend class. In an above post, Speckled Grouper had a personal experience with one right in your home town, and highly recommended them to you, right down to the instructor's name. But if you want to ignore his advice, then you are welcome to do your own research - open the phone book or internet search engine of choice. Locate dive shops local to you. Visit a few of them and get a "feel" for the shop. Explore prices on your first "certification." Typical prices should start around $300, depending on what's included. If you're in South Florida, my bet is that there's at least six shops within a 30 minute drive. Here's a good place to start:
http://www.browniedive.com/dealers/dealers.shtml#florida
Hope that helps.
Oh, and the next time you jump down my throat, I'll be sure to swallow.
