Diving beginner

Stheno

Hi everybody,

I'm considering taking up diving and getting certified to Advanced Open water level to start with.

I'll be doing it abroad and it will be PADI certification. I've done a bit of reading on this forum tonight, and have figured out that if I were to get AOW certified with PADI that I'd need to cross certify with whichever overseeing body was certifying any club I joined.

Does the certification take long?

I'm completely new to diving, I used be a lifeguard/instructor when I was younger, and have always wanted to learn to dive, but never had the opportunity. After getting the AOW certification I expect to get up to 20-30 dives in abroad before I join a club in Ireland.

In terms of kit, what do most people prioritise getting when they join a club? My diving school will provide everything I need to get certified, and I can then rent everything when I go on other dives with them, so I'm unsure what diving clubs expect people to have?

Many thanks in advance.

denismc

If you are considering joining a dive club here it may not be necessary to do the PADI courses as most clubs offer some form of training.
Many of the clubs here are CFT clubs which is an Irish club affiliated to CMAS.
There are also BSAC and PADI clubs around the country.
As for equipment you don't need to buy all your equipment straight up, this can be pretty expensive. Many clubs have equipment for trainees or at least you could borrow from other club members for a while.
There is no point forking out for a load of equipment only to discover 12 months down the line you don't like diving in Ireland.
Check out these websites for info, they will have lists of clubs in Ireland.
www.diving.ie
www.bsac.com

Stheno

Thanks I'm going to be abroad for several months with work and learning to dive is something to do at weekends and everywhere I am travelling do PADI, which is why I was thinking about that and then converting.

CruelCoin

Stheno wrote: »

Thanks I'm going to be abroad for several months with work and learning to dive is something to do at weekends and everywhere I am travelling do PADI, which is why I was thinking about that and then converting.

PADI is a reputable system.

If you're only looking to do diving with your local club, then they should have no problem accepting the certification.

Benny-c

Stheno wrote: »

Hi everybody,

I'm considering taking up diving and getting certified to Advanced Open water level to start with.

I'll be doing it abroad and it will be PADI certification. I've done a bit of reading on this forum tonight, and have figured out that if I were to get AOW certified with PADI that I'd need to cross certify with whichever overseeing body was certifying any club I joined.

Does the certification take long?

I'm completely new to diving, I used be a lifeguard/instructor when I was younger, and have always wanted to learn to dive, but never had the opportunity. After getting the AOW certification I expect to get up to 20-30 dives in abroad before I join a club in Ireland.

In terms of kit, what do most people prioritise getting when they join a club? My diving school will provide everything I need to get certified, and I can then rent everything when I go on other dives with them, so I'm unsure what diving clubs expect people to have?

Many thanks in advance.

Firstly there is not an ounce of jealousy about the fact you will be diving abroad:D

Please see thread from last year re Crossover from PADI to CFT (if that is what you want), this is quote common for the CFT Clubs. I did it myself & there is no big deal-see the post from Seaduce.

Good luck & when certified get as many dives as you possibly can-there is no use in having a qualification unless you use it.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056729846

Hope this helps,

Benny

Catmologen

Stheno wrote: »

In terms of kit, what do most people prioritise getting when they join a club?

If you think you are going to dive in Ireland then bite the bullet and get the dry-suit first.

Mr. Tezza

Catmologen wrote: »

If you think you are going to dive in Ireland then bite the bullet and get the dry-suit first.

Hey everyone,

I'm kind of in the same boat as Stheno, looking to start out diving, was just wondering what kind of equipment you would want, figured on getting a wetsuit first and going from there, been doin a little reading around and there seems to be 3 different types

• Wetsuits
• Wet/drysuits
• drysuits

Can someone fill me in and tell me what the difference is between them and recommend which one to go for?

thanks!

yankinlk

@Mr. Tezza

Actually the very first place to start is to buy snorkel mask and fins. Get the kind of fins that have straps and require "booties". If you do plan on getting a dry suit (even possibly) then be sure to get a fin with a large enough foot size to go over a dry suit boot - which is generally bigger than a bootie. Most CFT clubs start their winter training now, and so u could simply show up with Snorkel,Mask,Fins and hit the ground running. Save up for the rest of the gear and slowly build it up.

Suits wise... its simple really.

Do not get a wet suit. That's not for diving in Ireland, too think, and it "flushes" the water from the inside of the suit, rather than holding it there like SEMI DRY suit. A semi dry suit with at least 7mm thickness is a good start, and if you plan to dive in the colder months (not summer) at all, then you would probably want to get an additional layer of protection to go over the 7mm full semi dry suit. I had one that was 7mm in the core area and had an integrated hood. I rarely even felt the water until about 30 minutes into the dive.

I have switched to a dry suit (as many do) and i got one that was mostly neoprene rather than membrane (bag). This means IMO its actually a little easier to learn to use - as it doesn't fill up with air as easily. But do your own research here and get one that FITS and you will never look back. Some people swear by dry suits - others are tired of "being wet" after every dry suit dive and love the ease of using a semidry suit.

The only drawback really of a good semidry - is that if you decide to do two dives, u have to change out to dry off and warm up during your surface interval. At least on cold days you do - but some people don't mind this and other hardy souls can manage just fine without changing.

Mr. Tezza

yankinlk wrote: »

@Mr. Tezza

Actually the very first place to start is to buy snorkel mask and fins. Get the kind of fins that have straps and require "booties". If you do plan on getting a dry suit (even possibly) then be sure to get a fin with a large enough foot size to go over a dry suit boot - which is generally bigger than a bootie. Most CFT clubs start their winter training now, and so u could simply show up with Snorkel,Mask,Fins and hit the ground running. Save up for the rest of the gear and slowly build it up.

Suits wise... its simple really.

Do not get a wet suit. That's not for diving in Ireland, too think, and it "flushes" the water from the inside of the suit, rather than holding it there like SEMI DRY suit. A semi dry suit with at least 7mm thickness is a good start, and if you plan to dive in the colder months (not summer) at all, then you would probably want to get an additional layer of protection to go over the 7mm full semi dry suit. I had one that was 7mm in the core area and had an integrated hood. I rarely even felt the water until about 30 minutes into the dive.

I have switched to a dry suit (as many do) and i got one that was mostly neoprene rather than membrane (bag). This means IMO its actually a little easier to learn to use - as it doesn't fill up with air as easily. But do your own research here and get one that FITS and you will never look back. Some people swear by dry suits - others are tired of "being wet" after every dry suit dive and love the ease of using a semidry suit.

The only drawback really of a good semidry - is that if you decide to do two dives, u have to change out to dry off and warm up during your surface interval. At least on cold days you do - but some people don't mind this and other hardy souls can manage just fine without changing.

So unless I want to freeze I shud get myself a semi dry suit?, is that what your saying? Like one of these: http://www.divegear.ie/ads_item.php?id=3795?

yankinlk

Mr. Tezza wrote: »

So unless I want to freeze I shud get myself a semi dry suit?, is that what your saying? Like one of these: http://www.divegear.ie/ads_item.php?id=3795?

Correct. That suits look pretty good. Exactly the one i described, and had many years usage of. (his price is a little over the top though. I sold mine for 50 euro but hey i just wanted to see it get a good home, and it had more than 5 dives).

Here is a similar spec one for only a little more new from flagship scuba: http://www.flagshipscuba.com/details.php?p=185

Stheno

I'm a cold person, I tend to feel the cold a lot, would a drysuit be warmer than a wetsuit?

Catmologen

Stheno wrote: »

I'm a cold person, I tend to feel the cold a lot, would a drysuit be warmer than a wetsuit?

Although it depends on the under suit, generally speaking a drysuit is not necessarily warmer for short recreational dives, but you don't freeze in between dives. Some people get two semi-drys and just change after the first dive, that could be an option as well.