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**TravelMan** · 04-12-2011, 11:51 AM

I went on one of those intro "Discover Scuba" things while I was on vacation last week in Puerto Rico. Un****ingbelievable. It's definitely an experience I'd like to repeat.

I live in NYC, so the options for local diving are limited. However, I can certainly see myself diving twice during each vacation * 1-2 tropical vacations per year

Are there any experienced divers here? Is it worth it to get certified for this level of involvement? With 2-4 dives a year will my skills be good enough that I can manage to not be a hazard to myself or others? It's not that money is no object, but a few hundred/thousand dollars here or there doesn't matter that much. If it matters, I'm 31 and in better than average health. The only ill effect I had after the two dives was a mildly sore left ear for 5-6 hours. I felt quite comfortable down there. The deepest I got was probably 13 meters/40 feet or so.

(1) Diving certificate

In general I would strongly suggest you to get the basic certificate: knowing why certain things happen to you when you are diving is very helpfull because it places you in a position of understanding (which is in my opinion the first step in avoiding panic which will kill you down there)

Also, guides tend to take more advanced divers to better (more difficult) diving sites.

(2) Skills

2-3 times a year will not get you acclimatized to Nitrogen narcosis. So don't go too deep, listen to the instructor and you will be fine. As with everything, safe scuba diving is staying inside your comfort zone. If you want to learn / do new things, always take someone with you who has experience in a similar type of situation (a no brainer really).

(3) Health

Anybody of your age will be able to scuba dive, especially at low depts (above 30 meters). If you want to go deeper and are not fit you need to adjust your decompression profile. The sore in your leg is most likely because they gave you too much lead and you strained your muscle.

Congrats on your newfound love. It is an intoxicating one.

04-12-2011, 11:51 AM	#7
TravelMan Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 421 Senior Member	I went on one of those intro "Discover Scuba" things while I was on vacation last week in Puerto Rico. Un***ingbelievable. It's definitely an experience I'd like to repeat. I live in NYC, so the options for local diving are limited. However, I can certainly see myself diving twice during each vacation 1-2 tropical vacations per year Are there any experienced divers here? Is it worth it to get certified for this level of involvement? With 2-4 dives a year will my skills be good enough that I can manage to not be a hazard to myself or others? It's not that money is no object, but a few hundred/thousand dollars here or there doesn't matter that much. If it matters, I'm 31 and in better than average health. The only ill effect I had after the two dives was a mildly sore left ear for 5-6 hours. I felt quite comfortable down there. The deepest I got was probably 13 meters/40 feet or so. (1) Diving certificate In general I would strongly suggest you to get the basic certificate: knowing why certain things happen to you when you are diving is very helpfull because it places you in a position of understanding (which is in my opinion the first step in avoiding panic which will kill you down there) Also, guides tend to take more advanced divers to better (more difficult) diving sites. (2) Skills 2-3 times a year will not get you acclimatized to Nitrogen narcosis. So don't go too deep, listen to the instructor and you will be fine. As with everything, safe scuba diving is staying inside your comfort zone. If you want to learn / do new things, always take someone with you who has experience in a similar type of situation (a no brainer really). (3) Health Anybody of your age will be able to scuba dive, especially at low depts (above 30 meters). If you want to go deeper and are not fit you need to adjust your decompression profile. The sore in your leg is most likely because they gave you too much lead and you strained your muscle. Congrats on your newfound love. It is an intoxicating one.
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