# discovering more information



## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

ok so i was asking questions on someone elses thread and figured i would start my own, im beginning to figure out how much me and the girlfriend are getting ourselves into with this scuba thing and i was wondering if we have any resident dive masters here that would be willing to take on a pair of apprentices while me and the girl learn our way, id rather have a relationship with a dive master than feed money to a charter buisness that might not care quite as much about our development, also is it necessary to get openwater sdi certification and complete some dives before getting openwater padi? im kindof confused about how mbt and dive pros have given the info, mbt mentioned doing the sdi openwater class and dive pro mentioned the padi class but i cant remember if it was advanced or not but the advanced padi class at mbt is the same price for the padi class quoted at dive pros.


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

First thing to do is get your open water cert. Either through a dive shop or independent instructor if you want more personalized instruction that's one on one for example. That will cost more though.

There are different open water cert organizations. (Padi, Naui, etc...) all get you the same type cert. Different shops are usually aligned with one or all etc...

If you want more education past open water certification, you can progress to nitrox (highly encourage that one and you can take it at the same time as your open water I believe), advanced cert, rescue diver cert, and more.

You do not need to do any dives prior to getting your open water cert. That's part of the class.

Plenty of dive masters on here though. They may speak up.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

lol i hope they do, i want to get things together over time so that the girl and i can dive confidently up and down the coast together without support. especially since we live on our boat, i want it for maintenance reasons and fun but thanks for the info i just didnt understand the way the shops put it, how deep are you allowed to dive on a basic open water cert?


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## cuzmondo (Oct 1, 2007)

rufus1138 said:


> lol i hope they do, i want to get things together over time so that the girl and i can dive confidently up and down the coast together without support. especially since we live on our boat, i want it for maintenance reasons and fun but thanks for the info i just didnt understand the way the shops put it, how deep are you allowed to dive on a basic open water cert?


Basic open water cert. used to be 130 ft. with NAUI, which is who I certified with many, many years ago. I think they may have changed/reduced that depth recently. As TP mentioned, get your open water cert. first, get some experience, and figure out if it's for you and mainly what kind of diving you like, then go from there. The main thing you need to do is spend a lot of time diving and getting comfortable with your gear so that it is second nature to you. This is best done in shallower water to begin with.


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## DiverShane1 (Feb 18, 2010)

rufus1138 said:


> ok so i was asking questions on someone elses thread and figured i would start my own, im beginning to figure out how much me and the girlfriend are getting ourselves into with this scuba thing and i was wondering if we have any resident dive masters here that would be willing to take on a pair of apprentices while me and the girl learn our way, id rather have a relationship with a dive master than feed money to a charter buisness that might not care quite as much about our development, also is it necessary to get openwater sdi certification and complete some dives before getting openwater padi? im kindof confused about how mbt and dive pros have given the info, mbt mentioned doing the sdi openwater class and dive pro mentioned the padi class but i cant remember if it was advanced or not but the advanced padi class at mbt is the same price for the padi class quoted at dive pros.


 Your intrest in diving is great and you are asking the right questions. 

First a Divemaster can not take uncertified divers in the water for scuba diving. Their certification only allows work with certified divers. You must go with an instructor. Just because a charter boat takes divers out does not mean he can take uncertified divers out unless he is also a instructor. Most of the time they are going to require you to be certified before going on a charter trip anyway unless you are with a instructor and doing a qualification dive. You need to get your open water certification first. Then you can work with a divemaster and he will not be taking a chance with his insurance and also the legal issues if something should happen. 

Check with your local shops and see if they offer a discover scuba program. This allows you to go with an instuctor and put on scuba gear and just get in the pool and try it out for a little while and see if you really want to go forward with the class. It usually cost 20 to 40 dollars for this. Great for those just not sure yet. 

As far as the certification agency there are several out there: Naui, Padi, SDI, TDI, ans so on. Padi, Naui, and SDI are the most common. The material and skills taught are all pretty much the same. It is the Istructor that will make the difference in how much you learn. Good material and a bad instructor equal untrained diver, and a diver who may choose not to continue diving which is bad for the new diver and bad for the shop due to lost fututre customer. Like Telum said most shops are usually use one agency but may offer others as well. If they are a Padi 5 star shop they can only use Padi and will not offer other agencies. Choose a agency that is going to be offered in the other places you plan to travel to and stay at to avoid issues. You can do crossover training if you need. Again the instructor makes the difference.

Most divers progress in certifications in this way: Open Water Cert---Nitrox cert---Advance diver---Rescue diver---Master diver---Divemaster. This how most progress through their training. By the time most reach master diver they decide if they want to go further towards technical diving or maybe the profesional side being a divemaster or instructor. You may decide that master is enough and just further inhance your training with speciality classes like, spearfishing classes, underwater photography etc. You will discuss these as well in traing but get more in depth in the speciality rating. Just remember divers learn in many different ways and areas and what works for them where they came from may not work for you. Take your time and figure out what works for you. What gear brand and type works for the person next to ya may not be what you like.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

DiverShane1 said:


> Your intrest in diving is great and you are asking the right questions.
> 
> First a Divemaster can not take uncertified divers in the water for scuba diving. Their certification only allows work with certified divers. You must go with an instructor. Just because a charter boat takes divers out does not mean he can take uncertified divers out unless he is also a instructor. Most of the time they are going to require you to be certified before going on a charter trip anyway unless you are with a instructor and doing a qualification dive. You need to get your open water certification first. Then you can work with a divemaster and he will not be taking a chance with his insurance and also the legal issues if something should happen.
> 
> ...


thanks for the info and i hope we both end up loving it as much as i suspect we will, just to clarify im wanting to find a dive master to work with after we get our certification, i understand the insurance issues and i definitely wouldnt be comfortable with going on a dive without having the classes first, but like i said, once we have the certification i want to dive with other experienced people, mabey get a group together or join one from here that already dives together regularly.


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

rufus1138 said:


> thanks for the info and i hope we both end up loving it as much as i suspect we will, just to clarify im wanting to find a dive master to work with after we get our certification, i understand the insurance issues and i definitely wouldnt be comfortable with going on a dive without having the classes first, but like i said, once we have the certification i want to dive with other experienced people, mabey get a group together or join one from here that already dives together regularly.


Plenty of people around here that dive often and don't mind taking new people out. Heck, that's how I got started years ago. I got certified and simply got with people from this forum. Now I dive with quite a few that I have met on here.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

k, ill check back in once we get our cert's and hopefully we can start learning more from the forum members and test driving equipment, i hope to have the classes handled by spring and then im gonna start working on fitting our sailboat so that we can do some cruises and mix sailing and diving for some of the members here, i can promise its a great way to travel anywhere, nothing like having a house and a bed along with you everywhere you go.


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## WhackUmStackUm (Jan 31, 2010)

rufus1138 said:


> ...im wanting to find a dive master to work with after we get our certification....


Many dive masters will go out on your boat with you. Most would be willing to split gas $$.

You could also volunteer as crew on a dive boat. You will learn a lot about diving and have access to at least one dive master.




rufus1138 said:


> ...i want to dive with other experienced people, mabey get a group together or join one from here that already dives together regularly...


This is probably an easier scenario to pull off. There are several groups of experienced divers on this forum. Offer to split expenses, haul gear, and help wash the boat. Some groups may take you up on your offer when they have an opening. This section of the forum has diver openings from time to time http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f55/ .

There are about half a dozen diving couples on the forum. Organizing or participating in a dive outing for couples is a great way make friends and exchange tips and tricks.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

There are about half a dozen diving couples on the forum. Organizing or participating in a dive outing for couples is a great way make friends and exchange tips and tricks.

thanks whackum, michaela will definitely love that idea.


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