Discussion
I am a diver (Apprentice Divemaster). Have a fabulous time, that is what it is all about. Be safe, be conservative and don't set any unrealistic goals. 150 feet (over 40 meters), with only 1 months experience is a pretty big challenge (And uninsurable with DAN on a Sport Diver package I beleive.
It depends on who you learn with, but PADI for instance, will not offer a training course below 40 meters (130 feet) which is the maximum depth for a PADI recreational diver.
I wouldn't dream of telling you horror stories when you haven't dived before, just wanted to say I hope you have a great time learning.
Remember, It is not about how deep you go but the fun you have. Some of my favourite dives have been in just 10 meters of coral reef.
EDIT: I forgot about the PADI Tech diving courses when I wrote this as I was concentrating on the Rec diving!
It depends on who you learn with, but PADI for instance, will not offer a training course below 40 meters (130 feet) which is the maximum depth for a PADI recreational diver.
I wouldn't dream of telling you horror stories when you haven't dived before, just wanted to say I hope you have a great time learning.
Remember, It is not about how deep you go but the fun you have. Some of my favourite dives have been in just 10 meters of coral reef.
EDIT: I forgot about the PADI Tech diving courses when I wrote this as I was concentrating on the Rec diving!
Edited by Lady Muck on Thursday 20th June 16:41
Thanks - I must admit I set out my goal before doing any research and am now picturing ruptured lungs, hypoxia, narcosis, failing equipment, rip currents, entanglements, uncontrolled ascents, claustrophobia and panic! And sharks, did I mention sharks? And being left behind by the dive boat!
I agree with LM. It isn't about the depth, it is what you do when you're down there (ooh err). Striving for big numbers will end in one of two ways:
1. Injury / death
2. You'll look like a Christmas tree with bottles slung everywhere and an unconscious tick every time someone mentions long deco stops (3 hours +) or the latest credit card bill.
Some of the best diving I've ever done has been in less than 10m (close up with a manta at 5m for example. Below about 15m you lose a lot of colour too. The skill is in buoyancy control and not sucking your tank dry in two breaths. That way you'll still be down there when the cool stuff decides to turn up.
(God, that mskes me sound like a pipe smoking old codger).
1. Injury / death
2. You'll look like a Christmas tree with bottles slung everywhere and an unconscious tick every time someone mentions long deco stops (3 hours +) or the latest credit card bill.
Some of the best diving I've ever done has been in less than 10m (close up with a manta at 5m for example. Below about 15m you lose a lot of colour too. The skill is in buoyancy control and not sucking your tank dry in two breaths. That way you'll still be down there when the cool stuff decides to turn up.
(God, that mskes me sound like a pipe smoking old codger).
Jamster123 said:
Nothing useful to contribute but I am going to the Maldives this year where I hope to scuba for first time ! ...I was there last year also but not allowed to dive as I could not equalise? my ears. Was just getting over a cold .
Do a dive course before you go and enjoy the fish/rays/sharks/coral more as a open water/sport diver. You can have lots of water based fun in the Maldives with mask snorkel and some fins depending on which island you can have some stunning marine life visit you.One of the best thing I've done was learn to dive! I've met some great people and had some seriously good fun.
I've got about 150 dives under my belt and consider myself a newbie. Every dive is a lesson of some sort.
Until you experience depth I don't think you realise how deep 150ft is. You are a very very long way from the surface. Btw have a read about no stop diving. You dont have much time at depth. 8minutes at 40m on air before you hit deco... You will probably s
t yourself the first time they put you in the lake at 5-8m!
I would set yourself some more realistic goals. Basic skills and buoyancy.
I'm padi msd and have done the deep course. Trust me there isn't much at 40m let alone 50! Deepest I've been is 41m in the channel. Cold. Dark and not much fun. Having seen how my own diving progressed and the buddies I met early on I'd not think of doing padi aow until at least dive 50 or so!
You need to consider the kit and feel confident in using it. Any mongo could do a 50m bounce dive but you need to really consider how dangerous this sport is before committing to depth/overhead stuff.
As already said. If you go deep abroad fk up and survive expect to pay the pot ride and medical bills. You won't be insured on a padi ow ticket.
If you are determined to go deep early on Google nemo 33.
If you do get qualified and live in Kent. I'll happily show you around our local lake. Its only 12m deep though.
I've got about 150 dives under my belt and consider myself a newbie. Every dive is a lesson of some sort.
Until you experience depth I don't think you realise how deep 150ft is. You are a very very long way from the surface. Btw have a read about no stop diving. You dont have much time at depth. 8minutes at 40m on air before you hit deco... You will probably s
t yourself the first time they put you in the lake at 5-8m!I would set yourself some more realistic goals. Basic skills and buoyancy.
I'm padi msd and have done the deep course. Trust me there isn't much at 40m let alone 50! Deepest I've been is 41m in the channel. Cold. Dark and not much fun. Having seen how my own diving progressed and the buddies I met early on I'd not think of doing padi aow until at least dive 50 or so!
You need to consider the kit and feel confident in using it. Any mongo could do a 50m bounce dive but you need to really consider how dangerous this sport is before committing to depth/overhead stuff.
As already said. If you go deep abroad f
k up and survive expect to pay the pot ride and medical bills. You won't be insured on a padi ow ticket. If you are determined to go deep early on Google nemo 33.
If you do get qualified and live in Kent. I'll happily show you around our local lake. Its only 12m deep though.
IanMorewood said:
Do a dive course before you go and enjoy the fish/rays/sharks/coral more as a open water/sport diver. You can have lots of water based fun in the Maldives with mask snorkel and some fins depending on which island you can have some stunning marine life visit you.
I invested in decent (to me anyway around £180) mask snorkel and fins for my trip last year , was great fun every morning , loads of reef sharks ( one around 4/5 ft white or black tip I can't remember which was which ) plenty rays etc .I think they were only offering 10m scuba for beginners , but I'm kinda just after the experience of diving for first time .
Going to vilamendoo island
Jamster123 said:
I invested in decent (to me anyway around £180) mask snorkel and fins for my trip last year , was great fun every morning , loads of reef sharks ( one around 4/5 ft white or black tip I can't remember which was which ) plenty rays etc .
I think they were only offering 10m scuba for beginners , but I'm kinda just after the experience of diving for first time .
Going to vilamendoo island
Discover Scuba? Trouble with that is when you like it your going to have to stump up more cash, do it now (in the UK (PADI or BSAC)) and you can get 24 fab dives under your belt for the same cost as doing the PADI OW course out there. Besides 10m is within snorkel depth so sitting on the sand being bothered by surface divers would seem like a waste of $120 to me.I think they were only offering 10m scuba for beginners , but I'm kinda just after the experience of diving for first time .
Going to vilamendoo island
Ayahuasca said:
Hear what you both say. The 150 feet is because I want to dabble in a spot of underwater archaeology / relic hunting and the target area is about that deep, although I appreciate that it is on the edge of what is do-able.
At that depth you will have minimal amounts of bottom time and long decompression stops on the way up. Fine if that's what you want to do, but it would be a bit like driving the length of the country to do a single warm up lap at a trackday, and then going home.Not much light down there as well.
As PADI openwater it is 18 meters, then as you get more courses done you can go deeper. ADW is 30 when you have deep diver speciality then 40.
There are rules with every dive organisation.
As already said when you do overhead diving, those dives where you need to do a deco stop rather than the no stop limit dive of PADI early courses, be that with TDI, IANTD or anybody, you start to think about gas usage or re-breathers, such fun and such cost. A simple 60 meter dive costs me around £100 for travel and bottom gas.
As has been said fish do not live deep and the wreck and archaeology sites which are deep are normally done on mixed gas dives..
I would suggest go and learn after that course see how you feel.
I love it and waste a lot of my money on dive related purchase. not even thinking what my average gas bill a year is
There are rules with every dive organisation.
As already said when you do overhead diving, those dives where you need to do a deco stop rather than the no stop limit dive of PADI early courses, be that with TDI, IANTD or anybody, you start to think about gas usage or re-breathers, such fun and such cost. A simple 60 meter dive costs me around £100 for travel and bottom gas.
As has been said fish do not live deep and the wreck and archaeology sites which are deep are normally done on mixed gas dives..
I would suggest go and learn after that course see how you feel.
I love it and waste a lot of my money on dive related purchase. not even thinking what my average gas bill a year is
^ I know all about the spending cash on dive stuff thing! Most of my stuff is eBay bargains but I'd certainly recommend buying a new mask so you can get one that fits bang on.
I have just bought a twinset! Tec 40 here I come! OP that gives me the same depth limit as my padi deep but with deco allowed. Still not deep enough for what you want.
If I had a spare £6k I'd be going down a rebreather route.
Dive safe!
I have just bought a twinset! Tec 40 here I come! OP that gives me the same depth limit as my padi deep but with deco allowed. Still not deep enough for what you want.
If I had a spare £6k I'd be going down a rebreather route.
Dive safe!
IanMorewood said:
MrsThatcher said:
If I had a spare £6k I'd be going down a rebreather route.
Frightens me yet intrigues me the rebreather sets, probably down to stories that my dad recounted to me from the early days of recreational diving when amateurs got hold of old navy sets.Phud said:
Mrs T,
If you have not may I suggest you take a second mask deep.
Enjoy your Tec 40, have you looked in to TDI or any other agency? I ask because I am recalling the days what PADI would almost claim deco dives would kill you.
Thanks! I didn't really think of looking elsewhere tbh. When I first started out our local bsac club wasn't taking on any new members and the next one was miles away so couldn't do the bsac thing.If you have not may I suggest you take a second mask deep.
Enjoy your Tec 40, have you looked in to TDI or any other agency? I ask because I am recalling the days what PADI would almost claim deco dives would kill you.
I've reviewed all my kit recently. I'm now carrying a spare mask, torch and linecutter. Since my daughter was born last year I haven't been able to dive as often and it's made me think about how risky the sport is. There is no doubt that I want to continue diving, but I want to make sure I minimise any potential risk there is to not coming home.
It scares me what some people think is acceptable. My eyes got opened big time last summer when my buddy lost all his air at nearly 30m. 100 bar lost in what seemed seconds. Ironically his pony breathed wet so I my octo got used in anger for the first time. We ended up doing 12mins of deco because it happened right at the end of our dive and with all the faffing trying to sort it. The cause was a set of brand new faulty regs!
IanMorewood said:
MrsThatcher said:
If I had a spare £6k I'd be going down a rebreather route.
Frightens me yet intrigues me the rebreather sets, probably down to stories that my dad recounted to me from the early days of recreational diving when amateurs got hold of old navy sets.Was supposed to be at the ndac in Chepstow today but have a stinking cold! Mid summer and I'm walking around like it's December!!! Grrrrh!
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