Any Scuba Divers here?

[TheRodFather]

I have wanted to learn scuba for many decades but there was always something that ended up being higher priority.  Recently I have decided to commit to getting certified.  Besides the obvious tropical and ocean stuff, and seeing that I am pretty hooked on fishing as well, I wonder if I could dive some local lakes and maybe get some close up information about the lakes and fish behavior.  A dive at the local lake is much more feasible for the time constraints of my family situation right now.

 

Anyone else do something similar, and can offer any insight?

[NHBull]

It's been a decade since I have been down, I was pretty active for 25 years. That said, given today's electronics, it would be hard to get better feedback below water and fish behavior is even more difficult.

Lake diving, unless it is on salvage, can get boring fast.

Have fun and enjoy the process.....It's fun!

[Dens228]

I dove for many years.  I was certified in search and recovery, overhead environments, rescue.  It was a blast. 

My favorite dives were the various springs in Florida and some wrecks off of Cape Hatteras.   Research the EM Clark.  It's beyond normal diving but after a few years of experience and training it is literally the dive of a lifetime.  But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I live in the midwest and diving around here got boring.  Plus most of the time you're lucky to get 5 feet of visibility. 

 

 

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, NHBull said:

It's been a decade since I have been down, I was pretty active for 25 years. That said, given today's electronics, it would be hard to get better feedback below water and fish behavior is even more difficult.

Lake diving, unless it is on salvage, can get boring fast.

Have fun and enjoy the process.....It's fun!

Same here - been about 15 years since I've 'gone down' - certified back in '77. I dove local lakes, but the visibility in most was such that you almost had to be right on top of the fish to see them. Modern electronics is a much easier method to find fish.

 

Now if you want to inspect the bottom in various spots - even snorkeling can do that...I've done 15'-20' dives that way. Not much time on the bottom of course, but you can at least get a look.

[webertime]

Build your own rockpiles

[12poundbass]

2 hours ago, webertime said:

Build your own rockpiles

I plan I doing that this year on my private lake. I’ve got the “hook up” for pipe. We’ll see how it goes. 

[reelfast]

Have virtually every PADI dive cert possible. Started when I was 22 and I am 36 now.

 

Dove multiple trips in Cozumel, So Cal, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Keys, Hawaii etc. I would say for cheap amazing diving, Cozumel is impossible to beat. Look up all inclusive trips and just go do it.. life is short. 

[webertime]

11 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I plan I doing that this year on my private lake. I’ve got the “hook up” for pipe. We’ll see how it goes. 

There's a tower of sap buckets in Champlain.  Another giant set of a guys initials built with rocks in a weedbed.  Funny stuff. 

[TheRodFather]

Yeah, visibility is probably going to be terrible here in NC.  I guess it isn't going to really be feasible, but no matter, we go to Florida quite a bit and may be moving there soon due to my inlaws failing health and they want to have us take over their small business. 

[Hi-Powered Red Neck]

I have to start out like most the other comments saying I haven't been diving in a decade. When I started diving it was actually for money. I was a Golf Course Superintendent in Destin Florida at the time. The GM asked me if I would be interested in making some extra cash by diving for golf balls. First time on scuba with borrowed gear I made $250 in about an hour. I was hooked after that. I got certified and went hog wild diving. Met a few new people working part time at the local dive shop and started spearfishing. Nothing like combining a love for fishing, hunting, and scuba into one thing. I've dove several lakes not including the golf ball diving. Your biggest hurdle is going to be visibility. When you can only see a few feet in front of you things come out of nowhere. With that said I really enjoyed scuba diving. I'd still be in the game but sinus squeeze issues and reverse blocks ended my diving. I highly recommend Scuba diving. I had a wonderful 20 year love affair with it. Countless dives, hundreds of wrecks and unknown amounts of fish. So do it you won't regret it.    

[SuperDuty]

I've never done scuba but I use to use a 3rd lung system to dive for lobster around the keys and for scallops in the gulf. Had a blast doing that and didn't need any certifications. 

[Mjmj]

1st thing is to find out if you're capable of doing it. I'm not trying to insult you but at least 1/2 of the people I have seen try to do it can't.  That being said, there are 2 ways in my opinion to try. The first would be a local class that takes to a pool to learn the basics for your certification.  The second way (the way I would do, if I had to do it again it) is to do all your online certification items and  then book a place in the Caribbean to do your dive certification. There are alot of places (almost every island) in the Caribbean that also offer a beginner scuba. I believe 35' is the limited depth your allowed to  go without your certification, but they will instruct you on your basics and then take you out for a limited drive. 

[TheRodFather]

On 2/2/2020 at 10:01 AM, Mjmj said:

1st thing is to find out if you're capable of doing it. I'm not trying to insult you but at least 1/2 of the people I have seen try to do it can't.  That being said, there are 2 ways in my opinion to try. The first would be a local class that takes to a pool to learn the basics for your certification.  The second way (the way I would do, if I had to do it again it) is to do all your online certification items and  then book a place in the Caribbean to do your dive certification. There are alot of places (almost every island) in the Caribbean that also offer a beginner scuba. I believe 35' is the limited depth your allowed to  go without your certification, but they will instruct you on your basics and then take you out for a limited drive. 

I have had to put this on the back burner for now (this is like the third time I have bought the "personal" equipment, arggg).  What do you mean by "can't"?  Like a health thing, coordination thing, or claustrophobia thing?

 

Someday.

[Mjmj]

I think it's like an anxiety thing. Not sure. I've done a few trips In the Caribbean,  where they will take out non certified and a 2 tank dive for certified. When it was time for the beginners to go, I've saw more than one person on each trip, (I did this 3 times) go into full blown panic mode. On the second trip I saw a grown man cry. Some people made it about 4 foot down and came up. It's not for everyone. That's a shame too. It is the most peaceful thing i have ever done in my life. You can float a couple feet from the bottom and all you hear is your bubbles, when you breathe. I hope you get a chance to do it and everything works out for you

[TnRiver46]

On 2/4/2020 at 6:51 PM, TheRodFather said:

I have had to put this on the back burner for now (this is like the third time I have bought the "personal" equipment, arggg).  What do you mean by "can't"?  Like a health thing, coordination thing, or claustrophobia thing?

 

Someday.

I can’t go down more than 8 feet or my skull wants to explode 

[TheRodFather]

Interesting, no way to tell if I would be one one of those guys I guess, I do have a good amount of snorkeling experience.  I used to love staying down as long as I could checking stuff out in the pool.  And in the ocean when we would vacation there.  I never panicked or anything, but I guess you never know until.

[soflabasser]

Scuba diving is fun but I prefer freediving. With freediving you are not weighed down by so much equipment and limited in the amount you can dive in 1 day. For example I have had many +8 hour spearfishing trips where I spent a good amount of that time freediving, with tanks you can usually only safety do 1 tank dive per trip. At one point I was able to hold my breath for over 3 minutes and was very comfortable doing dozens of 1-2 minute breathhold dives while spearfishing. Another thing is you are more of a Sportsman when you freedive when spearfishing, you give a fish a decent chance to evade you unlike scuba diving where you can easily lay motionless on the bottom and wait for the fish to come to you (try holding your breath for at least 60 seconds while you are 50 or more feet underwater and you will understand). With freediving you do not have to worry about nitrogen narcosis (unless you are an elite level freediver which is a small percentage of freedivers) and other problems associated with tank diving. You do have to be in very good shape to be a freediver which is one of the reasons people are intimated by freediving. With that said make sure to get your Doctors approval before you try scuba diving or freediving.

[Siebert Outdoors]

I'm certified.  Its been about 5 years since I dove but going to go some this year.  I've dove a lot of lakes and some in the oceans/gulf.  Obviously the ocean and gulf is the best but local lakes/quarry's are fun too.  I really enjoy it.  Then going to AR spear fishing is a blast.

[TheRodFather]

Well, combining fishing and scuba wasn't really my intention, but I suppose you are right, that is a path that could be taken.

[soflabasser]

If your goal is to take underwater pictures and videos then scuba diving is a fun way to do it but you still have to rely on scuba tanks and a bunch of excess gear you really do not need since you can see plenty of wildlife in less than 50 feet of water. There are spots I dive in that are less than 25 feet deep and loaded with corals, fish, lobster, and even +100 year old shipwrecks. For most people in good health it does not take much training to comfortably freedive in 25 feet of water or less, especially if you are fortunate and find a dive buddy that is willing to train you.