Scuba diving

Sheilas parents are well into it, the only advise I have is make sure you have PLENTY of disposable income, they are looking at a 'twin canister' thingy, which looks to me like little more than two gas tanks, 5K.

Mind you they say the same about my hifi.

self contained underwater breathing apparatus.
Sounds like a science fiction film to me. I would want rear view mirrors.

I took it up 12 years ago while I worked in Saudi with an eye to drinking less. I only ever dived there, in the Gulf and the Red Sea.
Nothing prepares you for your first coral reef or wreck dive, so go for it and enjoy. Then, if you have the courage, a deep night dive in clear water will be the closest you'll get to floating in space.
Equipment? Well, just make sure it fits and is from a well respected manufacturer. When I learned, I tried loads of gear, and for warm, safe-ish diving it was all pretty much the same in use. Save the money for more dive holidays.
One thing that I never regretted buying however, was lead shot pouches instead of those lead blocks some people belt to their waists. I still have hip bones, and they feel better unbruised.

Tony

I have been involved in diving for quite a few years. Underwater photography was my thing BTW.

I would recommend training in UK before you go on any expensive "blue water" dive trips. UK training is likely to take place over a much longer period of time (even if the teaching time was the same) so your mind and body get a better chance to take it in. If you join a UK club and train with BSAC (as I did), the training will take a very long time indeed, but you will go on your dive trips with a level of experience and safety far beyond that available on a short PADI course. A quick PADI course abroad can be ok if nothing goes wrong, but I've known many, many people get a scare at the open-water stage and give up for good. This doesn't seem to happen with UK courses.
A BSAC log-book is still treated with the reverence reserved for holy relics in most dive-schools abroad. More importantly you will know that you are a safe diver when those around you are losing it.

I wouldn't buy anything until you are sure you are dive-fit. Quite a lot of people are excluded for health reasons (I was a long-serving BSAC medical referee).

The most important piece of personal equipment is a dive-computer. These are not supplied on dive-trips, and it is worth getting to know your own. These days, I only take my own mask, snorkel, fins and computer abroad. The BCD (jacket) takes up too much baggage allowance on a family holiday. So buy a mask and fins too; these are personal and I would go to a proper dive-shop to choose. The mask should stay on by suction without using the straps.

Get the best computer you can afford, it may well save you from getting "bent", and will give you more relaxed dives. Without a computer you have to trust the judgement of the dive-guide or your buddy, not always reliable. I favour Suunto, but Alladins have their supporters.

If you are really getting into diving you will want a BC jacket and regulator. Yiou don't need to buy them until you have dived enough to know what you want.

[This message was edited by Rockingdoc on Fri 30 July 2004 at 9:15.]

[This message was edited by Rockingdoc on Fri 30 July 2004 at 9:18.]

[This message was edited by Rockingdoc on Fri 30 July 2004 at 9:36.]

count.d

Having been involved in diving since 1956 I can strongly recommend you no longer dream about diving but dive your dream. It is a wonderful experience.

The opinions expressed as to which is the best equipment, are as wide and varied as they are about HI-FI. Look at as much as you can and if possible, try before you buy.

A full set of gear can be purchased for around £1200/£1500 depending on the discount the dive store offers. I think the 5k Gary refers to is for a rebreather, an advanced item of equipment.

Safe diving.

Roger.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I've popped into two training schools, one does PADI and the other BSAC. The BSAC did seem more thorough as an initial course. Whilst the PADI seemed cheaper initially, you had to do further courses to reach the same level of training as the BSAC offered in the first place.

The dive computer will be a hard choice as it is your life line. £185-£600 for the Suunto range, but they were well built. http://www.vr3.co.uk/ these looked rugged, but damn expensive.

I've tried on a few masks and some sucked to my face, some dropped off instantly. http://www.divingdirectshop.co.uk/acatalog/CRESSMASK.html

Cressi seem to make wide vision masks, but haven't tried one on yet.

Whilst I'm no diver (having only done it on holiday) my wife is BSAC instructor-level qualified. Basically, she'd reinforce the comments with regard to BSAC-versus-PADI and always recommend the (very thorough) BSAC course, though I think she told me that the BSAC has become 'easier' to get through whilst the PADI has become 'more thorough' than when she did it.

She has basically given up diving after an altercation with a nasty stinging jellyfish off the coast of Stonehaven a few years back. Pity, as I'd like to do it again...

John

count.d

I'd have to agree with all, and especially Rockingdoc's, advice.

Being bsac trained myself, in the uk, I can say they offer a thorough/safe/welcoming atmosphere to learn and enjoy one of the most exhilarating sports I've ever done!
That's just my own experience obviously, bsac used to have a reputation as being a bit hard - ex forces regime and all that.... And I would agree that over the past few years padi have improved their reputation too. They are no longer the 'cheaper' 4hrs in the pool and you're a diver, holiday alternative, but I'd still have to recommend bsac over them, so what if I am a bit biased....

I started learning in the Scottish North Sea in January 2002 - 6 degrees C water temp and mask clearing exercises was an experience, but definitely prepares you for the worst...
I’m also lucky enough to have dived off the coast of Malaysia last year (mum's from there, which helps) and to experience my first reef, and nice warm waters, was unbelievable!

I'd thoroughly recommend joining a club and qualifying over here in the uk. You'd be surprised how much life we have under there, plus in the winter there's no plankton bloom and excellent visibility! Your own mask snorkel and fins is a must, plus for this country - a dry suit. The suit will probably be the most expensive (but most used) initial item you buy. Any good club will offer free equipment – buoyancy jacket, air regulator, cylinder, weights - while you are training, then a cheap fee (going to club funds) for the use until you buy your own once qualified.

For the holiday abroad, like Rockingdoc said, mask snorkel fins and computer (I'm an Aladdin man myself) are a must - the rest can be hired no worries.

Hope this helps.......I’m sure you’ll love it!

Ali

Hi Count.d

Wholeheartedly agree with Rockingdoc, Top Cat and arf005 (arf 005 - I found it hard coming up with a unique id too).

I started my diving in warm waters with PADI and qualified as a PADI Advanced diver. I then joined the Richmond branch of BSAC (90 members) and have never looked back. I rose painlessly up the ranks to BSAC Open Water Instructor and was their Chairman for 5 years.

The great thing about being in a club enviroment is that you make friends with many other divers and are able to dive and train regularly. Furthermore most of the extra training can be done within the branch at no or minimal cost (depends on the branch).

Some people are tempted to learn abroad but why waste that precious holiday time in a classroom when you could just present your BSAC qualification and dive right away in exotic places!

Don't underestimate the social life. My club's is terrific. A BBQ next weekend and regular club holidays to the Red Sea, Cyprus and Scotland in addition to the regular weekend diving.

Dive safe, dive BSAC
Don

Thanks for your time chaps and how could I not take the advice from a name like Don The Deep Diver?

Was Cousteau a Dolphin in disguise ?


Fritz Von Sunk

quote:

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Was Cousteau a Dolphin in disguise ?

---

No, Cousteau's nose was too big to be a Dolphin.

I've often thought it a rather strange choice having Peter Sellers characterising him in the films, innit ?



Fritz Von Where'szerfoon

Count D
www.aqualung.co.uk are really good to deal with if you need any dive kit.
David

Hello again count.d,

apart from your dry suit a decent computer will probably be the next most expensive item you buy...

Unless of course you do as many people do and rush in, buying the complete set of fancy equipment 'cos it's new and shiny and looks good......I'm not saying you will though!
Plus those people are the sort of folk that normally advertise the 'jobs lot' on e bay for a bargain as they had a fright and decided not to take the plunge, so to speak....which means great bargains for us divers!!

I started with a simple dive timer, handy so I could monitor depth easily (without having to grab my contents gauge all the time) and it meant I didn't have to buy my rolex oyster divers watch (joke) to keep an eye on how long I'd been at depth - remembering that it has to fit over your dive suit/gloves.
This way also taught me to learn the dive tables, bsac will do that anyway, and it's a good way to grasp the basics. I kept my eye on the shops/websites and when a 'special offer' dive computer came up I jumped at it. I now feel confident about progressing deeper safe in the knowledge I can reduce my chances of getting 'bent'.

See in your profile your into photography, recently purchased an underwater housing for me digi cam - one of the best purchases so far! Apart from the other items that will save your life.....

All the best,
Ali

ps. Don the deep diver (cool) - arf005 has been my hotmail for years, made the choice easier....

Thanks Ali.

Your dive computer was the one I was looking at buying. It looked rugged and easy to use, but I couldn't keep my eyes off the VR3 in the shop. At £560 it seemed a bit ridiculous to spend that money, but I am ridiculous with these type of products. I'm still thinking.

No worries count.d,

the VR3 is a kind of "do it all now!" computer....
Meaning - there are plenty other computers out there, most cheaper, some a lot cheaper! But not all will be as future proof.....a bit like Naim and it's upgrade paths....

You may think it's only a few hundred quid, why don't I get it now! That's cool if you have squads of cash.....and are planning on nitrox diving in the future.... For a beginner though those few hundred quid could be better spent on other equipment - suit, jacket, regs, camera/housing..... But if money isn't a worry, then no worries I guess....

The aladin pro ultra I got my hands on was an ex factory model that had been lent to an owner who's own aladin was in for a chip upgrade. She used it twice before getting her own one back from uwatec, then Aberdeen Watersports had it (and a few others) up for sale for about £200 if I remember.....bargin! Does about everything I need it to do - apart from rinse my kit out at the end of a dive, which would be handy! and is nitrox ready for future use.

Happy hunting......

Ali.

I was getting worried that we had a thread where everyone was agreeing with each other. At last, a controversial point.
As you are a photographer, I would strongly advise against buying a camera/housing in your first season. Underwater photography is a bit of a specialty in its own right, and it doesn't sit well with the British style of training and diving.
British water diving tends to be quite deep, dark and wreck orientated (I bet Don the deep is one of them, and good luck to him ). If you join a British club, that is where the dive trips are likely to be. Even when British clubs go on dive trips abroad, my experience is that the majority of the group will want to find some deep wrecks to dive them. Lots of experienced club divers get bored with "pretty" dives around reefs.
As a proper photographer, if you took a camera down, I suspect you would want to get the best shots. These are usually achieved by spending most of your air-time in one place on the sea bed, at relatively shallow depths (6 to 15 metres), trying to get the lighting right. The longer wavelengths are filtered out if you go deeper, and the colourful fish become less plentiful. You also need to use wide angle lenses close-up to reduce the water column between the camera and the subject. This means getting very close to your fish. This takes time.
To do this safely, you need a like-minded buddy who doesn't mind hanging around watching your air etc., while the rest of the group will go racing off to look for unexploded bombs in wrecks.

Decent photos need a biggish SLR housing and preferably two large strobes on extension arms. I'd suggest this is too much extra gear to cope with until you are a fairly experienced diver. Point and shoot cameras are pointless under water as the ever-present particles in the water reflect the light from a camera mounted flash staight back into the camera lens causing a "snow" effect. Flash has to be used underwater because of the loss of reds at depths below about 10 metres.
My advice is to keep diving and photography separate for a while.

Cool - controversy.....

Although not quite....
I'd have to agree that buying a camera in your first season would be the wrong move - a distraction from the training, plus an extra bit of kit you're not really familiar with that you really don't need to worry about!
There is more to the british waters than just wrecks though.....
I've been diving a couple of years now, am at sports diver level, and haven't even dived one yet! Mainly 'cos I've been stuck out here (off-shore) when my club have been enjoying all those good dives - typical.
I would however agree with the photography around wreck sites.....due to their nature they are very deep and dark.
But I don't agree with the 'proper photographer' bit...
Decent photo's can be snapped at a fraction of the cost of a decent SLR/housing/strobes etc. All the purists might like to think otherwise, it makes the cost of all these items a little easier to live with.... I recently upgraded to the Sony DSC P-10 (from P-72) digi cam, which was bought by my folks while they were in Malaysia (so it was a bit cheaper at £250) and got my hands on a housing from Camera's Underwater for £160 (Sony's own one is £200). The results are pretty good, in my opinion......

It all depends how serious you take it I suppose - but also how much you want to spend, and what you want to dive for......

These shots have obviously been reduced to the 50k min.......booo.

Learn to walk before you run.

Once more I uncontroversially agree with Rockingdoc. Learn to dive, gain experience then, and only then, think about underwater photography. Similarly as Marc says it will be some time before you need a complex dive computer like the V3. Look at Suunto and Uwatec.

BSAC is the biggest dive club in the world but Marc is correct, as with any, club you need to suss them out I joined one 5 miles away from my nearest club as they were friendly, encouraging and lively.

Ask to speak to the Training Officer who is in charge of training and ask him when you can be trained, how many others are being trained. Our ideal is groups of up to ten as that way they will have good camaraderie and bond. You will find local BSAC clubs here http://www.bsac.com/about/branchlist.htm .

My turn to be controversial on this thread; I haven't mentioned doing underwater photography!

Still grateful for any advice though.

Sorry count.d

...think that's my fault.....
I noticed you worked in photography and thought you might be interested.

Some really good advice in this thread. Here's some web addresses if you want a browse.

http://www.divechannel.co.uk
http://www.divernet.com
http://www.deepbluedive.com

The first two are full of just about anything you need to know about diving, and I've bought stuff from deepblue and found them good so thought I'd add that too. Deliberately didn't include any manufacturer sites, I'll let you make your own mind up about which brand......

Enjoy.
Ali

and I'm just off for two weeks diving and sailing in Greece, so I'll leave you in peace.

Didn't know you were in the GB team Doc.

I'm back with my medals.