Do you SCUBA?

[Doc]

Thinking about taking a course... Thoughts?

[Bonk!]

It's great, especially if you want to dive in warm waters. I find I only dive here in order to make sure my equipment is in working order. Kind of like skiing here versus out west. Once you've experienced great conditions you don't really want to do it here anymore.

[Doc]

I was kinda wondering about visibility in Lake Champlain. I hear it is Dark.

I snorkle but have always wanted to SCUBA and I can take the course for 1/2 off in a pool this winter with an open water dive/cert in the spring...

[scottfromboston]

I was kinda wondering about visibility in Lake Champlain. I hear it is Dark.

I snorkle but have always wanted to SCUBA and I can take the course for 1/2 off in a pool this winter with an open water dive/cert in the spring...

We've snorkeled quite a bit on vacation, tried SCUBA in January, it's amazing. Do it. Hoping to get my ticket this winter. Would be great if I could find a winter deal like yours...

[SVenpointsixtwo]

Do it Doc! I used to work at the Waterfront Diving Center downtown; I've helped out with classes and it's a good time!

Diving in lake Champlain sucks. It's cold, dark, and boring. There's really nothing to see down there except for some wooden shipwrecks, and even then the more interesting ones are too deep for just an open water cert. I will say though that if you learn in Champlain, diving anywhere else will be absolute cake- 30 feet in the lake feels like 130 in the Caribbean. Visibility on a really good day is 10-15 feet, and expect to see 40 degree water on your checkout dive in the spring. It doesn't really warm up until june or july sometime, and even then it's bloody cold down under the thermocline.

Once you have your certification though, you can go anywhere and rent gear! It's a great skill to have and there is a LOT of great diving all around the world.

[Punjistick]

You should definitely go for it. It's a nice cert to have if you go someplace warm and want to dive. I have my advanced open water cert but I find I don't dive around here since the visibility is so bad and it's very cold. I've been on some really cool dives in the Caribbean and Hawaii. Everything from shark dives, manta ray, and tons of shipwrecks.

There's so much more you can do once you get certified and want to increase your ability too. You can get into rescue and wreck diving, etc.

[markbvt]

I took the Basic and Advanced Open Water classes through Victory Sports in Colchester. Great bunch of guys.

SCUBA is a lot of fun to learn. And the Advanced Open Water class, by the way, was a lot more fun than the Basic (as you might imagine). It included some fun stuff like night diving, deep diving to 100', etc.

Lake Champlain is definitely not the most interesting place to dive, although there's something kind of cool about limited visibility when wreck diving. It makes it that much more eerie and creepy to only be able to see the wreck close up.

After taking the classes, though, I never ended up doing any diving, just some snorkeling, because it's expensive. Between a boat charter (not many shore diving opportunities if you want to see anything interesting), equipment rental, etc, you're looking at laying out a very hefty chunk of change for a 30-minute dive or two. It really only makes sense if you own all your gear and have a boat or a friend with one. Plus I never had any friends who were into SCUBA.

If you decide to take the class, keep me posted. I'll try to find my old textbooks and brush up on everything, and I'd definitely be up for doing some diving next summer.

--mark

[scubasteveRR]

I say DO IT. I have always wanted to get certified. I went once in the Dominican. only 10 meters be it was freaking awesome. we went around a reef.

the only thing thats been stopping me... i wouldn't want to dive in cold waters all the time and i don't have the extra cash to go on vacation as it is. If i had cash i'd have my certification.

[old timer]

I agree with those that say ' do it '...I got certified in 1977 and have over 300 dives from Comet pond in Hubbardston to the outer reefs in Tahiti and Bora Bora , along the way I picked up a Master Diver certification and it's something to be proud of . Learning in New England is a great big boost when it comes to diving independence ( with a dive buddy of course ) . Some of the best diving can be found between Cape Ann , Cape Cod and shore dives thru out NE .

Be serious about it if you start , it's nothing to fool around with or take as a joke . Opportunities are many and as you advance there are whole new levels of underwater ' vistas '...reefs , caves , wrecks , walls , night dives and on and on .

It's a great sport and just like motorcycling you're on your own and you accept responsibility for your choices...Good Luck .

[oVTo]

Do it. Being underwater breathing from a tank of air is an awesome experience. The gear isn't cheap, but once you own it, diving is a reasonably inexpensive hobby. I got certified in '76 and used to dive quite a bit when I lived in ME. Nothing like winter diving for fresh scallops or checking out a wreck. The cold water around here lacks the color and life of warm water, but diving gives you a great excuse to spend some time in the Caribbean.

[Damnut]

Diving is so much fun. Absolutely get certified!! Even if you only dive once in a while, it's so worth it just to have. I don't get to go diving around here (no one to go with) but always have a dive trip lined up when on vacation.

[HanktheTank]

If you got the funds to do it, I definitely would. I got certified back in High School and have primarily been diving in the Northeast, although I haven't gone in a while. If you learn to dive up here, you can pretty much dive anywhere. It's also nice to have when you go some place warm. Also, you can get a lobster license, I used to get a ton of lobsters scallops and flounder when I dove. The cost of gear is pretty steep but you can always piecemeal it too and just buy a bit at the end of every season when dive shops have some good deals.

[06gixgirl]

Thinking about taking a course... Thoughts?

I have been scuba diving for about 16 yrs. now & I love it. It's tons of fun. It's a very expensive hobby though. I have all my equipment & the one thing that if you buy is to get a good regulator. when I travel I take my stuff with me minus my tanks needless to say. but, I recommend it..lots of fun. I have dove pretty much all the caribbean islands.

[caddydaddy]

I've been certified since I was 12 and learned to dive in the cold Finger Lakes of NY. After that, diving in the Caribbean was easy! I've been diving all over the Caribbean, the Florida springs, the St. Lawrence River and the Finger Lakes. All have their unique challenges.
As others said, the gear is expensive, but so it motorcycle gear. A good set of scuba gear will last you many years if you take care of it.

[gregp]

My daughter just finished up her basic certification this fall. She is going for her advanced certification (dive to 100') this coming April - in Florida! It is not expensive, compared to, say, getting a pliot's license....
She really enjoys diving, and our neighbor is a master dive instructor (out of a dive shop in Westfield, MA), so he kind of got her going. Now, she loves it!
She has been accumulating gear slowly, piece by piece, and she hasn't broken the bank yet. It seems to be a "work intensive" sport, though - prepping, travel, clean up, etc., but she doesn't seem to mind at all. Her mother and I are happy that she has taken it up.

[Doc]

Well, I signed up. Got the course for 50% off. I will keep you all posted on the progress.

[caddydaddy]

Good luck, study hard!

[solgirl]

Diving is amazing. I was certified so I could dive in Cozumel and Grand Caymen. Nice!

[snwbrdr435]

Do it.

When i got cert i went down to key largo for my open water half after i did all the pool work. My first open water dive i saw more then i have anywhere else.

[Doc]

1st class is done and I am BEAT.

I thought I was a good swimmer but I am WAY out of shape.

Other than that I had a blast and will sleep well tonight.

[caddydaddy]

1st class is done and I am BEAT.

I thought I was a good swimmer but I am WAY out of shape.

Other than that I had a blast and will sleep well tonight.

Yeah, I do remember the swim testing to be quite demanding! Hang in there!

[Doc]

Sorry to report that I was sick during the class in January and it didn't help. Caught a mild pnuemonia and had to reschedule.

Then the timing didn't work out and now that I am unemployed... Doesn't look like I will be SCUBAing any time soon.

Going down today to turn in my books and get a refund.

[jwm2k3]

Well...at least you tried. One consultation is diving in the northeast really does suck mostly. I lived in Ft.Lauderdale for about 5 years and worked as a diving instructor. Great dives, great lifestyle but was totally broke all the time. Made about 18k a year in income. This was back in mid 90's.

Don't give up on it. You can always try again. I only dive while vacationing in the caribbean now but I will dive for as long as im physically able. I certified a 68 year old woman a while back. She was a champ!

[catamount]

Why yes, I do. Sorry to hear about your experience though

[06gixgirl]

That sucks...sorry to hear. Hopefully eventually you can retry again.