OT: First Scuba Experience

[jbrunken]

I just got back from Puerto Vallarta where (on a whim) I got a chance to scuba dive for the first time. I went with my family on an excursion to a place called "Las Calletas" and during the boat ride over, they offered 4 people the chance to take a short hour long coarse and then do a 1/2 hour dive with the instructor.

The coarse was pretty straight forward and just went over the very basic stuff. Once we got in the water, I was a little freaked out at first. It was very tough to convince myself that I could actually breath under water. I almost climbed back onto the boat, but the instructor said I should give myself another chance and just put my face in the water and try and breath and relax...

So... I talked myself into giving it another try and as soon as I stuck my head into the water, I looked down and there was a HUGE school of angels and damsels swiming right below me... That was enough to get my attention off of breathing and allowed me to relax so after that I had no problems at all.

The water in Puerto Vallarta is not the clearest right now and has a definite green hue to it. The guide said that the water really clears up during the rainy season, but right now the water was murky enough to keep you from being able to see a whole lot, but I did see quite a few damsels and/or tangs, triggers, puffers, rays, eels, seahorses, etc. The divers that were going a bit further out into deeper water (I only went down about 30') were seeing those huge manta rays.

Anyway, it was a really great experience. Next spring I'm going to be going to Maui for 2 weeks and I've heard that the diving there is great so I'd REALLY like to take advantage of that.

I'm not sure if I should try to get certified here, there or just do more instructor dives. I know that there is (or was) a dive shop in Hiawatha at one point.

Anyone have and advice on what I should do if I want to be able to do some diving in Hawaii?

-JB

 

[faylor]

there is a little shop here in waterloo but i dont know any specifics as i have never been there.
My advise.
Get with bob, apparently he is the "go to" guy when diving is on the subject.
Joe

 

[xroads]

For safety sake I have heard to take a good course here & do as many practice dives as you can. Alot of people goto some abandoned gravel pits (with permission) where the water is clear to practice. I would love to dive Maui!

 

[Glove]

You happen to use Vallarta Adventures?
Used to be a guy named Stephane (stef-on) working through Vallarta Adventures as a dive leader. Just wondering if hes still there.

I wasnt impressed with PV diving, but I wasnt in the water that much.

 

[jbrunken]

Yes, it was through Vallarta adventures. I can't say for sure but that name does sound right.... He was a short-skinny guy, probably in his 20's.

-JB

 

[jbrunken]

After a bit more research, it looks like there is a reputable PADI place here in Cedar Rapids called "SeaTaSea".

So.. I have 3 basic choices if I want to get certified.

1) Do my classwork and pool dives here in CR and then do my open water dives in Devil Lake. This would take a weekend in CR and a weekend in Wisconsin. $450 Total + purchase of Mask, Snorkel Fins

2) Do my classwork and pool dives here in CR and then do my open water dives through a referal in Maui. The would take a weekend in CR and 2 days in Maui. $575 Total

3) Do everything in Maui over a period of 3 days. $325 + cost of log books, etc.

I think right now I'm leaning towards option 2 as I really don't have any desire to dive in wisconsin, I don't want to rush through it all in 3 days and I'd like to spend as little time as possible in classrooms while in maui.

I'd love to hear from anyone else who has experience with this kind of stuff in the eastern iowa area.

-JB

 

[got2lb]

For some reason I was thinking there was a place up by Mason City that you can do your open water dives? Also one out by Palo???

Don't quote me on that just thought that's what I remembered reading.

 

[Bullet]

You don't want to waste time on vacation to get certified! Sea ta Sea is very good and I would say to go ahead and get it all done here so you can enjoy the dives more in Hawaii. By the time you get done with all you pool work...the open water dives are just a technicality to go through all your skills. I did not know why they go to WI to do the open water dives. We just did ours in a gravel pit. It was not a good dive by no means but we were able to go down to 40 feet and prove that we can perform all the skills.

I am glad to see that you are going to do it right. There is a lot more to it than just hooking up some air and jumping in.

Have you checked out any local Rec Centers? That is where I did mine.

 

[tibbs2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9995705#post9995705 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by got2lb
For some reason I was thinking there was a place up by Mason City that you can do your open water dives? Also one out by Palo???

Don't quote me on that just thought that's what I remembered reading.

I did my checkout dives at "Big Blue" rock quarry in Mason City. They have a dive platform and a sunken sailboat there. I think most of the Des Moines dive clubs go there for checkout dives.

I'd recommend doing your checkout dives here. If you can dive in murky 5 to 10 ft visibility water you will have no problem diving in Hawaii. Plus I think it may be a bit safer in a lake than in the open ocean.

And you are right to not rush your training. The stuff you learn is what to do when something goes wrong so you want to have a good handle on it.

Chris

 

[Roll221]

I'd recommend doing your checkout dives here. If you can dive in murky 5 to 10 ft visibility water you will have no problem diving in Hawaii. Plus I think it may be a bit safer in a lake than in the open ocean.

Rest asured there are plenty of spots here in HI that are "safe" to perform your open water skills. And needless to say much more enjoyable then the lake.
If you were comeing to O'ahu I could hook you up with a friend of mine who would do your cert dives as shore dives and save you the chater fee.
Either way make sure you are comfortable with your decision to do any training during vacation. If you get it all done before hand you can just come and log some awesome dives and have an enjoyable time while you are here.

Ed
(AKA Bullet's borther)

 

[Roll221]

Also, for more info and if you have any specific questions about diving in Hawaii, check out the Hawaii O'Hana (Family) forum on SCUBA Board. A great group of helpful dive folks, kind of like all the reef keepers here on RC.

SCUBA Board Hawaii O'Hana

Ed

 

[Ebmorri]

My 2 cent is do #2. this way your sitting in a class room for 2 days while in HI, this way your seeing cool stuff while diving. I did my class time here in Denver and my open waters in HI off of Kauai. It may seem like it's cheaper to do # but wasting 2 days in the class room in HI mean your not doing other things you want to do or more dive.

 

[tibbs2]

I hear Kona, Hawaii is one of the best places to have a chance to dive with dolphins and I also hear there is a place you can do night dives with mantas.

Both of those are definitely on my "to do" list when I visit Hawaii.

Ed lives in Hawaii so I'm sure he can tell you all the best dive spots.

 

[jbrunken]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll probably go ahead and do the classroom and pool dives through SeaTaSea and figure out what to do about my open water dives later. I wouldn't mind doing them here, but I don't want to have to drive 4 hours to do them.

Does anyone know anything about a place called "Deep 6 Diving" in Hiawatha?

-JB