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scuba info please

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newyakman

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So, I just got back from Cozumel, Mexico and had a great time with the family...I have never scuba dived before, but the wife insisted I try it, loved it so much, the next trip I took both of the kids with me and now I think I'm hooked...

 

If I wanted to do it here in NY, where would I start, as far as the equipment, which is better? As far as tanks, should I buy one or are they better to just rent? If anyone in ny scuba dives please let me know...any help would be appreciated....Thanks in advance...

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hope your not looking to see anything close to what you saw there. NE Diving is a completely different thing visibility of 30feet max and most times just 6 to 10 feet. water temps on the cold side even in the hottest months. some good dives under 50 feet but most of them at that depth have been raped long ago. There are some better wreck dives at deeper depths. All in all the diving is better then nothing but far from what you experienced on your vacation.

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i would rent for awhile and see if you stick with it. a lot of guys will go and spend some big $$$ and then a year later they dont have the time for it anymore.

 

You can take the padi course and rent their gear. You will most likely need snorkel, mask, fins, weight belt, ... they made us buy neoprene gloves, booties, and a hood for our quarry dives. We went to Dutch SPrings quarry in PA for the open water stuff (stuff you cant do in a pool). I think the basic padi stuff cost like 350 and we did a lot of it in an indoor heated pool. good luck. your local dive shop will be able to tell you more.

 

Oh and you will always meet someone that spends top $ for their gear and there really isnt any reason too. SOme of the most experienced guys i know go with a backplate,tanks, and weight belt instead of a BC(bouyancy compensator) and all the fancy stuff. If you get serious into it in the northeast you might want to spend the money on a good dry suit but your dive shop can point you in the right direction for a beginner.

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View Posthope your not looking to see anything close to what you saw there. NE Diving is a completely different thing visibility of 30feet max and most times just 6 to 10 feet. water temps on the cold side even in the hottest months. some good dives under 50 feet but most of them at that depth have been raped long ago. There are some better wreck dives at deeper depths. All in all the diving is better then nothing but far from what you experienced on your vacation.

 

Exactly! I logged a couple of hundred of wreck dives between 1984' and 1989' off LI (Wreck Valley) and a more exciting, life threatening, expensive sport you will be hard pressed to find. 95% of my dives were in more than 100' as these were the dives that were worth the effort and as jmerc stated that the shallower dives have been raped long ago so have the deeper locations at this point. This type of Diving is more like making a moon landing than what is experienced on vacation, it also requires much more equipment than shallower dives. I'm not trying to discurage you, however if diving the North East is what you want to do than wreck diving is where your headed IMO.

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Thanks for all the info guys...allways helpful advice on sol...I really am not too interested in the deep dives, just off the beach at breezy point maybe...

 

A few years ago when I hadn't bought my boat yet and kayak fished a lot, I launched from the beach in Breezy,and after passing the kelp beds, I could see the boulders under me...Up until that point, I allways thought NY waters were opaque...my fishfinder said I was in water 26 feet deep...I could see the schools of bunker at the bottom.....I just drifted for a while didnt even fish, because the bunker was completely calm, not being chased or bothered...

 

I would like to scuba dive these areas, safely, with a flag and someone at the helm of my boat keeping an eye out....

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I do almost all my diving in these waters and did a ton of training for water rescue, so I am very familiar with zero viz diving. In fact, I kind of love it!biggrin.gif

For gear, I woul d definitely get my own mask, fins, booties. suit and snorkel, A reg is really something to have your own and maintain it to a level of perfection. Renting tanks can be a good thing, but if you can afford a couple and plan on diving a lot, you will save yourself some money, and have the ability to dive whenever you want to. I would stay away fro aluminum tanks and only use steel.They are lighter, maintain neutral buoyancy when empty, and last far longer than aluminum.

The brands to look at are OMS, Sherwood, Pressed Steel and Scubapro.

For regulators, I lile the Scubapro G250 MK20. This is very reasonably priced and breathes fantastically. The other one I really like are the Apeks. Stay away from Tusa and Blue Reef it is trash, and doesn't belong on the water.

There are a ton of good regs these days, and I only mention a couple because of price and quality. Sherwood is good, Dacor, Aqua Lung, Mares (great!), are all terrific stuff as is Atomic, but the prices begin to head for the stratosphere.

If you want to talk gear and where to get it, PM me a phone # and I will be more than happy to help you get started. I can also let you know some places to take classes if you want/need to.

I would be happy to dive with you this season, and I used to do a lot of beach diving, and would go again in a second.

I can also discuss the ins and outs of solo diving with you, which as you gain experience, is something to consider. I have over 200 solo dives, and many times feel safer rather than have the liability of caring for a less experienced diver.

Diving in the Northeast is an exciting and fun thing to do, and if you are interested, I urge you to go for it!smile.gif

Proud to be a NERB and I have the shirts to prove it!!
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NEWYAK, be careful where your advice is coming from just like on this web site a lot of guys overstate thier qualifications. First find a good instructor one who has expierence in beach and boat diving.YOU WILL NEED A BCD FOR DIVING as to suggest to a new diver to try with out is poor judgement.The first time you dive down to over 80 ft without a bcd a new diver would likely die. Dutch Springs is a fine place for a first dive but you should do a beach or inlet dive before you are certified. Also be carefull about divers who have search and rescue expierence. Often they just dive Dutch Springs or someplace else tranquil and play rescue diver on occassion. NOTE on diving alone unless you can take off your gear underwater in zero vis with a strong current and waves breaking overhead DO NOT TRY IT. Find a good instructor,start off diving shallow water dives on good days with good people and follow the rules and you will be safe.As to equipment follow instructors advice however remember your life may depend on this equipment. Just as a side note when visiting Dutch Springs in the past I have found students lost at depth and on more then one ocassion had to rescue instructors and divemasters.

Best of luck knobs

p.s. don,t mean to scare you but take some precautions and you will enjoy be able to enjoy a great sport.

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What Canyon said, also what knob said.

I would not go in the water without a BC, period.

A G250 and MK10 or 20 will last forever.

And would add, no need to spend big $ on gear.

Figure out the gear you want and then hunt it down on fleabay. The thing is, many people get certified, go on 1-3 vacations to warm water, get 10 dives in per vaca, total 30, then fall out of the sport and eventually sell the gear.

 

Good gear lasts a lifetime. All regs can be completely overhauled for a moderate fee. A good BC that has 30 dives on it and was taken care of will last forever. Just have to check with seller how he maintained it.

 

Exception to the rule I found has been computers, they just never really seem to loose their value, the good ones.

"My hair is a yellar and I'm always a combin" NC
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I must agree, I wouldnt go in the water in this area without a BC. Especially if you plan on diving off Brezy Point. The tidal currents there are treacherous. Ive seen experienced divers stranded on the jetty getting hammered with the waves. Never dive alone. Diving can be a great experience but can also turn into a nightmare in a minute. Get proper training not a 45 minute course they give you at a resort where you dive in no current and 18 feet of water on a 2 mile reef. take your time and do it right you will apreciate it more in the end.

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View PostNEWYAK, be careful where your advice is coming from just like on this web site a lot of guys overstate thier qualifications. First find a good instructor one who has expierence in beach and boat diving.YOU WILL NEED A BCD FOR DIVING as to suggest to a new diver to try with out is poor judgement.The first time you dive down to over 80 ft without a bcd a new diver would likely die. Dutch Springs is a fine place for a first dive but you should do a beach or inlet dive before you are certified. Also be carefull about divers who have search and rescue expierence. Often they just dive Dutch Springs or someplace else tranquil and play rescue diver on occassion. NOTE on diving alone unless you can take off your gear underwater in zero vis with a strong current and waves breaking overhead DO NOT TRY IT. Find a good instructor,start off diving shallow water dives on good days with good people and follow the rules and you will be safe.As to equipment follow instructors advice however remember your life may depend on this equipment. Just as a side note when visiting Dutch Springs in the past I have found students lost at depth and on more then one ocassion had to rescue instructors and divemasters.

Best of luck knobs

p.s. don,t mean to scare you but take some precautions and you will enjoy be able to enjoy a great sport.

 

If you are talking about me, I used to run water rescue for a fire dept and have done body recovery and salvage diving for several years. I am understating my experience to a degree.

Good info though, and thanks for mentioning the BC... I kind of left that out!redface.gif

BTW, this is one other piece of gear I would want to own.

Check out Zeagle for a BC. Very well made and they have back (tech) as well as jacket style bladders. The jacket style will better float you face up (if designed properly) while unconscious, while the tech bladder leaves your chest clear of extra mass and is usually more streamlined, but will float you face down if unconscious.

Todays jacket style BCs are quite comfortable, so long as you do not overinflate it on the surface. I have had several panicked divers who were freaking out because they could not breathe. The bladder was so heavily inflated, it was squeezing them like a vise. Al I had to do was let some air out and then talk them down a little bit.

The more you dive and practice emergency drills, the more comfortable you will become. The nice thing aout this is, what once would have been an emergency, like having your mask knocked off at depth, will become little more than an inconvenience. We used to steal each others masks and shut air off, loosen BC belts, steal fins and all sorts of goofy stuff. Mind you, you NEVER do this with someone who is not very experienced in having this done, and it shold ALWAYS be learned in a controlled environment.

Onc you really learn to dive, it becomes so fun it is silly. It is like flying in super slow mo, and you can hang out for a nice long time and check out marine life going on about their lives. It is great stuffheart.gifheart.gifheart.gif

Proud to be a NERB and I have the shirts to prove it!!
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PADI cert open water and advanced open water

NAUI cert in NOS...

 

been divin in NJ since 99' from the beach you need to time your dive with slack tides... getting your gear and such... local shops are overpriced but you can get good in with the owners and get deals and such... their is a cheap retailer outthere if you google some... not sure if i can post the name or not...

 

hit me up if you need any info in NJ biggrin.gif

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This thread is a funny coincidence to me, because I've been away from diving for awhile, and just this week I've been thinking of getting back into it. I started diving around 1972. Back then, my friends and I bought gear and took a short course, and we were off.I spent countless days on the bottom of Northeast waters, slamming into things before I even saw them.A good day of Vis was when you could see your outstretched hand in front of you. We'd pay for college doing light salvage work and scrubbing boat bottoms clean.We started hanging around with some commercial divers who gave us free training. I was headed toward a commercial diving career, but then I met some guys that had been injured on commercial jobs and that changed my mind.Some pretty horrible things can happen at depth, and I'm not just talking about getting bent. As the years passed, I dove less and less and finally got away from it altogether. When I learned to dive, the equipment was very different from what is available today. I'm certain that the advances made in the equipment that's available today makes this a much safer activity. I suppose if I do decide to take the plunge again, I'll have to find an instructer somewhere. Wouldn't want to use any of my old gear , either. This might be expensive. I'll have to prepare the wife.

 

Valentine

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