brumdaisy

Having just tried scuba for the first time I've booked myself another week in Turkey next week to do my PADI open water course, having done my DSD.

I know there's a lot to it (and learning new things gets harder as you get older) but Im going to try to do the whole lot within the week. Plan is to read the book on the plane, then split the dives over three days (3 dives per day - two training, one fun).

So is there anyone out there who's already done it and do you think its realistic to get it all done?


Cheers BD

ok so how do i edit the title? FFS

done it

Fuzz

Hello.

Fuzz

You'd be better of getting what's called a referal course.
This is where you do all the theory and classroom stuff over here and then on holiday... Go diving (whilst learning)
you get more time under the water doing what you went there for.

If you are a geeky type and know what newsgroups are then try uk.rec.scuba that used to be my group of net diving friends and went all over the UK.
Things progressed well with them as a lot of them are very experienced safe divers.

Edit to add,
If this is to be a regular hobby then I heartily recommend diving lots in the UK, This country can provide as much to look at as abroad (just less colourful) it's a LOT cheaper and WILL stand you in good stead if the "**** hits the fan".
UK waters can be more demanding than abroad but if you can dive safely here.... you can dive anywhere. And everyone knows it, you get a fair bit of respect from other divers when your log book is filled out with 90% UK wreck dives. :


Andy

speed demoness

wow.... so jealous !

after having a go at snorkling for the first time when we visited Lindos on Rhodes about 3 years ago now... i've always wanted to see whats deeper down under those lovely clear waters.

The fishes I saw whilst snorkling on the surface where fascinating enough

good luck with it all BD !
look forward to hearing how it all went

brumdaisy

thanks Fuzz, good advice but.......

Im flying out monday morning (having only been back a few days ) and this is the only chance I'll have to get qualified before a dive with some more seasoned people in October.

So agree 100% its not the best way, just wondering if its realistic?

brumdaisy

cheers mate, I had no intention of trying it as Im terrified of water, open spaces and enclosed spaces but I tagged along with a friend and ended up 11 metres deep - and not remotely ashamed that I totally freaked out and burst into tears when I had to put my face under water at 1 metre deep - oh yes in front of a bunch of 12 year olds

Fuzz

Plenty of people do it that way Brum, however I do feel abroad courses are a bit "herding cattle" rather than "safe diving and your best interests" if you know what I mean.

If you are ever not happy about doing something DONT do it, ask for help / advise and be aware of how dangerous it can be if it goes wrong whilst you're in-experienced.....

Andy

Freak

My dad will back that up........spent a couple of days in an egyptian navy decompression chamber after having his heart restarted. Berk.

brumdaisy

cheers Andy

I must have been very lucky so far... I dived with EDC in Fethye (sp) and had 1-2-1 for all four dives with the same guy. Cant fault em. He even told me 'it ok to cry Turkish sea level very low' bless im

Simon C

Yup, must get my backside wet again this year. Few of my mates from the club have just all bought rebreathers and I want a go!!!!!!! (like I have 3k spare )

Throughly recomended if slightly expensive sport.

Current project is building a marine housing for my cheap and nasty digital vid cam, and must get the housing for the stills camera too (like scoobs and photography aren't expensive enough!!!!)

brumdaisy

3k???

Blimey I'll be doing my next trip for under 500 quid (not including beer tokens)

Fuzz

It's just the rebreather that costs 3k Brum, that doesn't include a holiday as well.

A fair few years ago my brother who lives in Crete with Dad asked me to find him a rebreather for his dive instructor, I found one (from uk.rec.scuba actually) and organised to get it over there...
I heard shortly afterwards that he was doing silly things with it, not respecting it, cleaning it, changing the sofnolime when you should.....
To cut a long story short, sure enough late last year his dive instructor was put 6ft under ground !!
It nearly put my bro off diving for good !

Andy

Simon C

Its a game not to be taken lightly indeed. If your stupid with it, it will bute you horribly, its bad enough we loose good sensible divers.

Fuzz, your point just emphasises it. Personally I take very good care with my life support system, as does everyone else in the club (most off them are freaks (trimix divers) or advanced nitrox)


But I'm no kill joy, be safe and you will enjoy it. Its fantastic to look into an alien world that you wouldn't normally see for long.

speye91

Serefer Dostum

mick

Fuzz

ANTD / advanced TDI here, most of the uk.rec.scuba crew went YBOD* but I wouldn't, I stuck with twin 12's and a side slung of 50% oxy.



Andy

YBOD = Yellow Box of Death

Simon C

Nodoubt my DO will pop on tomorrow (Scubascooby) as he's all camps!! (and a freak!!! Pete.)

I made a promise to myself when I started, that I would never go below 40m. Everything I want to do (video and stills) can be done above that depth.

But I'm happy to pootle about above that so I'm happy.

Fuzz

I agree, just over 50 odd was enough for me on the Rondo

:


Andy

The Snug Rhino

referal PADI course sounds ideal for the poster.....do the theory and basics in the UK then finish off overseas.....i did mine last year in the UK, all very simple.

(although i then canceled the maldives as i didnt want to complete the course and didnt fancy 2 weeks sat on the beach looking at the sea!)

brumdaisy

yer bunch of geeks I havent a clue what you're talking about! Give me a couple of months and Ill be up to speed

Simon C

Yup geeks r us

We were just talking about different gas mixes (Trimix = Air + Helium), Rebreathers recirculate the stuff you breath out to be reused and depth limits. Oh and Nitrox is Oxygen enritched air (ie air with more than 21% O2 and less Nitrogen)

Thats it in a nutshell or as well as my brain will explain it after a 14 hour night shift.

p1mark

Some great info from Fuzz and Simon.

Couild not agree more with Fuzz in that diving in tis country is just as much fun as abroad (but a little colder)

Some very good training places here as well such as stoney cove (only 30 miles from Brum), and if you can dive with low viz at places like that you will find foreign dives a piece of pi$$. Any slight mishap at 20M in the cove when you cant see your hand leaves you more than prepared and calm for any more serious mishap in clear waters. you just wont flap as much.

Training abroad is all about getting the right dive company, do some searches around the dive forums and find a recommended one. As andy says some of them its like a cattle market. (im a BSAC snob anyway so all the PADI stuff seems compressed to me). There are some fantastic wreck and drift dives around our coasts.

When you are into it you will become hooked. Its a bit like ******** in that if you have not done it for a while you become desperate to jump back in.

Andy - twin 12's - Have you took them out on a Rib? bloody things everyone moaning at you cos of the room you take up and you need to be like Arnie Scwarzeneger to kit up!

p1mark

And dont put pressure on yourself to qualify in the week. dont set deadlines, just take it as it comes and im sure you will be fine.

Keep off the pop the night before you dive - even the slightest bit of head fuzziness is not good especially when you are training and concentrating.

Most of all just enjoy it, its a great sport, and not dangerous at all if you are switched on and most of all calm about things.

If you are lapse with your kit, or fool around, or get panicky - its not a safe sport at all.

Fuzz

All well said Mark

We used to go to the bottom of Stoney and stirr it up on purpose, just to get used to silt outs. Not many people down there for some reason
As soon as you move away from the deep hydrobox the silt is about a foot thick.
I think that helped stop me from panicking when in Coniston water looking for the bluebird crash site, breathing a mix we had a silt out and turned round to back track (well we thought we turned round) next thing I know, I can hear my computer beeping telling me I'm below my mix depth limit.


Customised my tiwin set Scooby blue as well !

tonybooth

It was easy enough to find time in Mexico to do the whole course (and much cheaper than the UK).

Instructor gave me book pack and video's + a video player. Read book whilst sunbathing and watched videos before breakfast

Final assessment dives in Cozumel were mind blowing

Enjoy

T

Brendan Hughes

Did PADI Open Water (0-18m) in 3 days in Koh Tao. As there's only so much diving we were allowed to do in a day, the rest of the time was spent with the theory.

ChefDude

we go every 3 months.

it's addictive

as everyone already said, be relaxed. anxiety can lead to panic and 20MSW+ is not the place to panic! also your air lasts longer

ps, grinning lets in water

Account deleted by request

Yep scuba is addictive to say the least.

I did padi open water in 4 days, could have done it in 3 quite easily but wanted to make sure I had learnt everything properly.

As said before its not good to panic at 20meters below the surface.

chop

SideShowBob

I found that low vis diving in the UK makes you feel far too coccuned and safe.
I did my entire course here, doing the qualifying dives in Wreysbury, and since you could barely see a foot in front of you, you never got the impression of your surroundings.

Straight after I finished the course, went and dived in the Red Sea, and that freaked me out big style, I just couldnt believe how deep we were going (20m), or the enormity of the surroundings!! I dont think diving in low vis helped at all, it just meant when I dived somewhere with good vis, I felt like I was starting from scratch!!
Its a very strange feeling looking up at the bow of a boat 20 meters above you, I know I was amazed that 20m looked that deep!!

Since then ive gone to 33 meters on dives, and you kinda forget about how much water is above you, there's normally something else to concentrate on.

Havent done any UK wreck dives or anything, but have dived in Mozambique and South Africa, even dived with a bunch of raged tooth and hammer head sharks, with dolphins buzzing around, and rays as big as dinner tables, but as mentioned, it gets expensive, so am going to try out Stoney this year.

I did the course over two weekends, followed by the open water dives, so a week is plausable, but dont rush it, you may find aspects you're not happy with, that you have to practise (some people dont like doing the skills at 10 meters), so you might end up taking a bit longer to get certain aspects right.

EvoBarry

Did my basic Scuba at Sharm last month, and the Open Water course add-on to that was only a days worth from what I recall? We were only there a week so figured some relaxation time was needed instead, otherwise we'd have done it tbh.

Jamescsti

I did my PADI open water course in england last March, think it took 4 day's in total inc all the class work, but you bear in mind that the outside dives were stupidly cold, and we couldn't do more than 2 twenty minute dives a day due to the temps.
I think the benefit of learning in the uk is that I got the drysuit course thrown in as part of the deal.
If you learn abroard you will need to do a drysuit course to dive in this country, or be bloody cold in a wetsuit!