You guys owe me ...

[cruiserguy11]

Thanks to you diver's on here, and your great stories and pics, I've signed up for a scuba course.

 

$295. PADI certification. All equipment supplied. Mid July.

 

If I die 50 feet under, I'll come back and haunt you all. :eek:

 

What scares me the most is my wife is now taking out life insurance on me ...

[C Cruise Dude]

Thanks to you diver's on here, and your great stories and pics, I've signed up for a scuba course.

 

$295. PADI certification. All equipment supplied. Mid July.

 

If I die 50 feet under, I'll come back and haunt you all. :eek:

 

What scares me the most is my wife is now taking out life insurance on me ...

 

LOL, I would be more worried about taking out the policy than 50 feet. I haven't made to 50 feet yet, just 45 but looking forward to it. :D:D

 

Hope she's not like this character:

 

[cruiserguy11]

LOL, I would be more worried about taking out the policy than 50 feet. I haven't made to 50 feet yet, just 45 but looking forward to it. :D:D

 

Hope she's not like this character:

 

 

I looked at that URL ... couldn't make the connection. The video that came up was just some bad singing video. Did you put down the correct URL?

[redlef]

Thanks to you diver's on here, and your great stories and pics, I've signed up for a scuba course.

 

$295. PADI certification. All equipment supplied. Mid July.

 

If I die 50 feet under, I'll come back and haunt you all. :eek:

 

What scares me the most is my wife is now taking out life insurance on me ...

 

Don't know if you're serious about the life insurance, but as a diver for the past 25 years, I can tell you life insurance will become expensive as many companies won't write policies for "dangerous activities." Lying on a policy does no good if you were to die during a scuba accident.

 

If you're not certified yet and might need life insurance, get the policy now, not after you take the class.

[cruiserguy11]

Don't know if you're serious about the life insurance, but as a diver for the past 25 years, I can tell you life insurance will become expensive as many companies won't write policies for "dangerous activities." Lying on a policy does no good if you were to die during a scuba accident.

 

If you're not certified yet and might need life insurance, get the policy now, not after you take the class.

 

 

Naw, I was joking. My wife doesn't think I'm worth the premium. :p

 

I know what you're saying about lying...the repercussions are too serious to do that on an insurance policy so I don't.

 

When we changed companies on our health insurance a few years back, one of the questions was tobacco use. I told the truth ( I chew snuff ) and it cost me an extra $50 per month. But if I'd lied and then gotten some type of cancer that involved chew, I think they'd rightfully have refused to pay.

 

Thanks for your suggestion though.

[CaribKng]

Thanks to you diver's on here, and your great stories and pics, I've signed up for a scuba course.

 

$295. PADI certification. All equipment supplied. Mid July.

 

If I die 50 feet under, I'll come back and haunt you all. :eek:

 

What scares me the most is my wife is now taking out life insurance on me ...

 

I think you will love it. Once you get through the classes...that is when the real fun begins. My wife and I have been certified for almost 2 years now. We have fallen in love with diving and all the great things that can be experienced. Keep us informed on how you are doing with the classes. Enjoy!!!!

[C Cruise Dude]

I looked at that URL ... couldn't make the connection. The video that came up was just some bad singing video. Did you put down the correct URL?

 

The right link, bad joke. When you said that the wife took out the policy, I was reminded of that song. Disregard. Have fun.

 

Don't know if you're serious about the life insurance, but as a diver for the past 25 years, I can tell you life insurance will become expensive as many companies won't write policies for "dangerous activities." Lying on a policy does no good if you were to die during a scuba accident.

 

If you're not certified yet and might need life insurance, get the policy now, not after you take the class.

 

Wow! I never considered that. Good thing I'm not shopping life insurance. :eek:

[cruiserguy11]

I think you will love it. Once you get through the classes...that is when the real fun begins. My wife and I have been certified for almost 2 years now. We have fallen in love with diving and all the great things that can be experienced. Keep us informed on how you are doing with the classes. Enjoy!!!!

 

Thanks. I'm at that point of "Holy bananas, Batman, what have I got myself into?" I'm 65 and I have distinct preferences as to my demise ... being dragged by the current, lifeless, along the bottom of the Mighty Columbia River just ain't on my list.

 

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for a physical but I expect to pass. (Luckily for me I don't need a mental exam.)

 

I've read on here that some people take their equipment, less tanks. Man talk about full suitcases. Do you guys take your equipment on your cruises?

[cruiserguy11]

The right link, bad joke. When you said that the wife took out the policy, I was reminded of that song. Disregard. Have fun.

 

OK. Good to know I didn't miss another joke. (I can only understand real simple ones...:D)

[Lefty Writer]

<snip>

I've read on here that some people take their equipment, less tanks. Man talk about full suitcases. Do you guys take your equipment on your cruises?

 

My wife and I just got certified last month, and we are having a blast! Our upcoming cruise will be our first "diving" cruise, and we'll be taking our masks and fins. We still rent all of our other equipment, so that's all we are taking on this trip.

I've spoken to several members of our local dive club, and those that cruise and dive usually take everything but tanks and weights.

Have fun!

[Dive Master]

Don't know if you're serious about the life insurance, but as a diver for the past 25 years, I can tell you life insurance will become expensive as many companies won't write policies for "dangerous activities." Lying on a policy does no good if you were to die during a scuba accident.

 

If you're not certified yet and might need life insurance, get the policy now, not after you take the class.

 

 

Very sound advice !!!!!! Please also remember to join DAN (Divers Alert Network) and buy dive medical insurance as soon as you are certified.DAN offers annual policies for $40,$50, and $70 plus membership fees.Many health care policies do not cover "Med evac" or recompression chamber treatments.These expenses can run thousands of dollars and if you are in another country you may well have to pay in advance.

 

Unfortunately I had to count on DAN last weekend.I returned from diving the local lake and developed a "numb and tingling" arm after a deep dive.Yep, I got a DCS hit even though I more than doubled my DECO obligation and did a very simple second dive averaging 31 feet using 32% Nitrox.DAN was there for me and I may very well need that insurance---still waiting on the hospital bills and my insurance company to sort it out.Please protect yourself and help your fellow divers.Join DAN!!!

[cruiserguy11]

Well thanks Dive Master. Just what a newbie wants to hear....:D

 

Today I had a physical since the dive application made me reveal that I had a punctured ear drum when I was young . I stated that on my application and had the physical to make certain I was Okeydokey. Yeppers. Healed up and I'm ready to go. (My wife said it's lucky it's healed since she doesn't want to have to smack my head on the side to empty out any water that leaked into my empty head cavity.) Damn I'm lucky to have such a supportive wife. :rolleyes:

 

So while at the dive shop I bought a wet suit. He suggested a 6.5 mm one since our local water here in NE Washington tain't too warm. I explained I mainly wanted to dive in the warmer Caribbean or Mexican waters and didn't want to haul around a 1000 lb wetsuit in my luggage. (Imagine how much beer I'd have to remove from said luggage to replace it with a wetsuit.) So I ended up buying a 3-2. Or should that be 2-3?

 

I'm almost ready to go. Let's look at my check-off list. Wet suit...check. Thats it. Not a long list but at least easy to remember what to pack.

 

Ha...soon I'll be joining you underwater.

[scubadiver888]

Hey cruiserguy11,

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of scuba diving. Don't sweat the medical. As a DM or Instructor we aren't qualified to determine if you are fit to dive. The list of questions on the medical are things which may or may not be an issue. If a doctor says it is not an issue then it is not an issue.

 

Your body is 97F. Caribbean water ranges from 75F to 85F. So even warm Caribbean water is going to be less than your body temperature. A 3mm wetsuit is a good choice. If you are diving deep the suit will compress and give you less warmth. As a new diver, you will not be diving to 100+ feet. So a 3mm will slow the heat loss enough for the dives you will be doing. Maybe a few years from now you might need a 5mm. Using a 7mm will work when you are in water but you can easily get overheated as you suit up and wait for your turn to get in the water. If the surface temperature is around 70F and the water is 75F I might consider a 7mm wetsuit. If the surface temperature is 90F, you can get overheated (a serious concern) very quickly.

 

If you get serious about diving, changing any of your gear will be noticeable. I'm a divemaster. The fins I use, how I place my weights, how I place my tank in the BCD, etc. all makes a difference. Ten years ago I wouldn't have noticed the differences. So any type of gear would have been fine. Now I have to have my gear. I bring everything except tank and weights. If you are just diving on vacation, you probably won't need to take your own gear.

 

Owning your own gear means the cost of buying the gear, carrying it on vacation plus you need to have it maintained. If you own your regulators, you might end up spending $50 to $100 on annual maintenance. The cost of renting gear might be less than annual servicing. Most shops on a cruise charge $10 more for the gear rental (2 dives). So if you are diving 10 to 20 times a year you might save money renting. When I started diving I rented everything. After a few years I got serious about diving and buy all my own gear.

[cruiserguy11]

Thanks scubadiver888 ... good information.

 

At the moment I only have a desire to be very shallow as I assume it's harder to scream the deeper I go. :)

 

We'll have to see if I fall in love with diving like others have said they do.

[krhpee]

I just became addicted to scuba and have only had an intro to scuba in pool at resort we were staying at. I LOVED IT. at 62, and being fluffy, I enjoyed the ability to get to bottom of pool. Going for medical exam with dive doc--- I do have some medical issues pointed out on questionaire but then watch out--- hope to be cerified by January b2b cruise to eastern and western carbb. Glad to have found this discussion. Help and advice always appreciated.

[ScubaCruiser54]

Dan insurance is a good cheap investment for a diver. If you are over fifty miles from home, they have coverage under certain conditions. Look at their website. You do not have to be a diver to get the coverage either. I dive on cruises. My wife does not dive and I have her on the DAN policy as well as my two children. No one is trying to scare you with this, but medical repatriation is EXPENSIVE if you need to fly home.

 

We have had the insurance for over ten years and 600 dives in that time period. Never needed it yet.... knock on wood, coral, or whatever you choose.

 

Diving is great fun and I've been at it since 1973. Learn to be consistent in your diving, pay attention to what you are doing, learn to keep your equipment and yourself streamlined in the water, move extra SLOWly, and relax. You will have a good time.

[Scuba55]

Answering yes to any of the questions on the PADI medical questioner is really a non issue as some here have said.

 

I have several yes's on mine, and additionally had a big possable yes this past Feburary 5th a saturday morning bright and early my family Doctor, and the family Cardiologist (we have many family members using the same doctors we like them so well) have me in the cathlab doing an emergency angioplasty, front two arteries ok, now hes going for the widow maker, and he saids, there you go, look at that twisted artery.

 

I said looks like a horseshoe with several 90 's on each end to me, well thats the end of my diving career!!:eek:

 

The family Doctor said you put on how much weight since you quit smoking two years ago? :confused:

 

The cardiologist said the baloon is not working to good, hang on I am sending my little packman in to eat the colesterol, and answer your family doctor how much weight have you gained in the past two years?

 

I said about 20 pounds.:(

 

Family doc said how much weight does the cold water gear you use here at home weigh?

 

I said about 45 pounds total.:p

 

Family doc & cardiologist both said at same time, add 5 to it to make it an even 50 pounds and jump your tub of lard A** in the lake.:D

 

I said what??

 

They both said, you are on meds right? yes asthma? yes heart fixed up? yes,...doctors said and your problem is _______?

 

I can still dive???

 

Doctors, the work we just did, YES you can still dive, you are not getting off that easy, how many dives you have now?

 

I told them I have over 300 since certification in Hawaii 2003.:rolleyes:

 

Doctors,....get your tub of lard in the lake and exercise.

 

SO I take a release to them prior to any diving trips and they sign off.

 

SO you have issues, get checked out, you may still be able to particapate, and remember any diver can call any dive at any time,..one of the first things we learn in OW training.

 

OW SDI / PADI

AOW PADI

Nitrox PADI

300 + dives from all over the USA and world its a great sport and exercise

[w&k]

Here's my #1 tip: remember that diving is like smooching your sweetie - the slower, the better. ;)

 

Let me also chime in that you don't have to be a young super-fit specimen to be a diver.

 

We're solidly middle-aged - I'm 46, and DH Keith is 51. We carry our own gear because we absolutely have to carry Keith's... he's 6'5" & 295, and there isn't a rental setup anywhere that has gear in the 'right' size for him. Or a wetsuit for either of us (I'm 5'6, 250).

 

Actually, I like having one or two of those young gung-ho ones on a dive trip. They burn through their tank, and end up sitting on the boat roasting in the sun for half an hour while those fat middle-aged folks (that's us) keep cruising along with the fish. ;)

 

It will be obvious who the 'old hands' are on the first dive of the day. Divers are wonderful folks, and are usually more than happy to help out new divers with good suggestions and advice. Not to mention sharing beverages and dive stories afterwards (and sometimes that's the best part of the day).

 

Relax, have a great time, and keep us posted on your progress!

 

Wendy

 

dive pix http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

 

in a little while, this could be you peeking out from behind some coral and sponges!

 

[cruiserguy11]

Hi w&k...

 

I posted earlier this evening about the wall I had hit. For some reason, it didn't post up here.

 

The gist of it was I received my PADI package with 10 days to go before out first confined water dive...this coming Saturday. I saw the course book had 250 pages so I allocated 25 pages per day. Then this morning on around page 200 the book told me to go to the dive table (which was included in the package) and to read the instructions on how to read the tables. OK.

 

This threw my timetable off since my old brain takes it's time "alarnin" stuff. And I wasn't able to comprehend the tables. So I posted here, (at least I thought I did) but I apparently didn't....lol...and in the ghost post I was whining like a little baby. Maybe it's good that it didn't appear.

 

Anyone...I took the evening off and cleaned out the garage.

 

Tomorrow morning I'll get back to the friggin tables and try again.

 

Thanks for your nice post. I appreciate it.

[C Cruise Dude]

Hi w&k...

 

I posted earlier this evening about the wall I had hit. For some reason, it didn't post up here.

 

The gist of it was I received my PADI package with 10 days to go before out first confined water dive...this coming Saturday. I saw the course book had 250 pages so I allocated 25 pages per day. Then this morning on around page 200 the book told me to go to the dive table (which was included in the package) and to read the instructions on how to read the tables. OK.

 

This threw my timetable off since my old brain takes it's time "alarnin" stuff. And I wasn't able to comprehend the tables. So I posted here, (at least I thought I did) but I apparently didn't....lol...and in the ghost post I was whining like a little baby. Maybe it's good that it didn't appear.

 

Anyone...I took the evening off and cleaned out the garage.

 

Tomorrow morning I'll get back to the friggin tables and try again.

 

Thanks for your nice post. I appreciate it.

 

Hang in there Cruiserguy11, I hate those dive tables. That is why I have a thread on the board about a dive computer. You can do it. My instructor gave us hand outs to practice with, hopefully, yours will too.

[cruiserguy11]

Just got home from the first class. Four hours in the classroom and then four hours in an 11 foot deep pool.

 

I died. Well, that's a slight exaggeration. I'm 65 years old, in lazy old guy condition and they made us swim 200 yards, then immediately afterwards tread water for 10 minutes. I started first of the seven students in the swim and finished last. :D Not from choice but necessity or I would have died if I'd tried to keep up with them damn young'uns. I did go to the washroom after completing the swim and threading water and threw up. This is true. The instructor followed me just to watch over me. Or he likes to look at puke.

 

And ya know what ... I was sweatin' over my not having the knowledge of the tables in my head...and two of the students hadn't even cracked the book and two others has only partially done the quizzes.

 

I'm too tired right now to decide if I like Scuba ... I do know I don't like the pain and complete exhaustion.

 

And guess what ... I get to do it all over tomorrow morning starting at 8 AM. Mmmmmmmm...more pain.

[Laurie S.]

Hang in there, it gets a lot better!

[w&k]

Just got home from the first class. Four hours in the classroom and then four hours in an 11 foot deep pool.

 

I died. Well, that's a slight exaggeration. I'm 65 years old, in lazy old guy condition and they made us swim 200 yards, then immediately afterwards tread water for 10 minutes. I started first of the seven students in the swim and finished last. :D Not from choice but necessity or I would have died if I'd tried to keep up with them damn young'uns. I did go to the washroom after completing the swim and threading water and threw up. This is true. The instructor followed me just to watch over me. Or he likes to look at puke.

 

And ya know what ... I was sweatin' over my not having the knowledge of the tables in my head...and two of the students hadn't even cracked the book and two others has only partially done the quizzes.

 

I'm too tired right now to decide if I like Scuba ... I do know I don't like the pain and complete exhaustion.

 

And guess what ... I get to do it all over tomorrow morning starting at 8 AM. Mmmmmmmm...more pain.

 

Cruiserguy-

 

BUMMER! It sounds like you landed in some sort of paramilitary training course, not a dive class. Get done, get your OW card, and get out of there.

 

That being said, I imagine the conditions up there in the cold can be a bit stiffer than down here in the warm water (all other things being relative).

 

Just take a deep breath or two, and go at your own pace. Let the young'uns do the rabbit thing, and take your time. They can sit there and wait. It's good for them. ;)

 

Tables suck, but it is necessary to learn how they work. I resisted a computer for quite a few years, but finally broke down and got a really simple one with big numbers.

 

Here's the [new] golden rule: 60 feet for 50 minutes. (us old f@rt divers, we learned 60 for 60, but that changed, from what I understand).

 

Remember, old age and treachery overcomes youth and exuberance every time!

 

Hang in there!

 

Wendy

[cruiserguy11]

I'm just finishing my coffee then I'm off.

 

Thanks Wendy, I had to laugh at your "computer with big numbers"...lol. One of the instructors yesterday was wearing his and I noticed him squinting at it a few times...and he's one of the middle agers.

 

I also have changed my idea of "they're waiting to pounce on you and fail you" theory. They just want to make certain you've learned it. I suspect everyone in the class will pass AND know what they're supposed to by the end of the class through their teaching. It's nice to have two instructors...they can one on one a lot.

 

 

Dunno about the paramilitary camp...200 yards isn't that far. It's just that I'm totally out of any condition to do it in a decent time. I had mentioned to my wife previous to the class I should be on the tread mill, just to get some conditioning. But stupidly didn't so I suffered.

 

I actually feel good this morning ... so am ready to go check out the fishes again. Haven't seen any in the pool YET but hope springs eternal.

[Laurie S.]

I don't know about PADI, but when I took my certification course in SSI we could either float or tread water for that 15-minute test. As a former synchronized swimmer, I can tread water until the cows come home, but decided to do most of the time floating to save energy for the lap swim afterwards. I'm also a great floater. LOL