Scuba Diving?

[8jimi8]

im an owd cert, but i've got more than enough dives to be a dive masters.... i just never documented anything. All of my dives are in exotic places, so i'm pretty bored whenever i go under now lol. I actually just went diving yesterday to help my buddy install a lake pump.

 

[NorCal]

I got scuba certified back in 2003 by Scuba Schools International (SSI).

After I got certified, everyone who hounded me to get certified, all of a sudden had every excuse in the book as to why they couldn't go diving. After my initial certification of five dives, I never dove again.

:glare:

 

[JMG]

I just got open water certified with PADI this summer. I love it, I've gone on a few ocean dives, swam with some sharks ^_^ it's always fun.

 

[skivail]

Been diving since 05. If I hadn't have had a job at a dive shop there is no way I could have afforded any of it.

 

[Harvey]

Functionality?

I'm interested in eventually becoming a rescue diver. what are some different things rescue divers do? it seems to me mostly search for drowning victims. is there a different aspect? sorry its vague but I'm just getting started

 

[MidwestFF]

Rescue, or Search and Recovery Divers do quite a bit. We will do water rescues, search for drowning victims, and recover objects from underwater; that could be anything from the size of a dump trunk to a person, to a weapon of some type. The scope of what you do depends on your training, the parent organization, whether it is fire or law based, and what else is available in the area. Our team is fire based but we respond to scenes for the local law enforcement agencies as well.

This is not something you can just go through a recreational scuba class and decide to do one day. There is a myriad of laws, rules, and regulations to contend with. Most scenes are considered to be HazMat scenes on way or another, if you have a vehicle in the water your scene is contaminated with petroleum based contaminates, if you are recovering a body you have biological contamination just for example.

You need to be extremely confident in your skills as a scuba diver to the point that they are second nature before even thinking about proceeding to this level. 99.99999% of the time you will be working by feel, in zero visibility, by yourself, in a HazMat scene. This is a extremely hazardous endeavor even with proper training, and done correctly following all applicable rules and regulations. Anything less is just suicide.

If you have any specific questions I will do my best to answer.

 

[NorCal]

I logged a few new dives this week.

I dove the great corral reef wall off Grand Turk in Turks & Cacaos. Two dives both at about 85-90 feet depth, water conditions were great; I sat at the bottom at bout 85 feet and looked straight up and I could see the bottom of the boat. Just awesome diving at Turks & Cacaos, and I ran into a few small reef sharks (about 4 Feet+/-) and I got into a tug-of-war with an Octopus I was trying to persuade out behind a rock. (I won't be attempting that ever again, those puppies are super strong, lol)

I dove the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas) and that was also a nice dive. Visibility wasn't as good as Grand Turk, maybe 20 feet+/- before things got blurry. The wreak we dove was kinda lame thou, its seen better days and the condition of the wreak was pretty poor.

I would choose a reef dive over a wreak dive, but thats just me, there was just way more to see on the reef.

 

[canuck_downunder05]

This is a little older.

I've been a dive instructor for almost 6 years now. I actually got into indirectly through EMS. I was offered a full time position as an EMT when I passed all my exams. I was 20 years old and the condition of this employment was a one year contract... Kinda freaked me out so I kindly declined and moved to Australia for a work/travel holiday. I ended up working on a dive boat cooking which lead to me working towards my Instructors! probably the best thing I could have done.

So for the past 5 years I've been working the winters in Alberta working as an EMT, saving up money so that I can travel overseas to work in the dive industry.

Best of both worlds, thus far. Although I would like to eventually combine more of a dive/rescue/emt gig.

Anyone know of anything like this?

 

[CodyHolt83]

For those of us who have NEVER been around the sport, what is the best way to get into it? I'd love to get certified, but have no idea where to start. Obviously a class, but how do I find the right class? What things should I look for in a teaching facility for diving?

 

[canuck_downunder05]

I'm interested in eventually becoming a rescue diver. what are some different things rescue divers do? it seems to me mostly search for drowning victims. is there a different aspect? sorry its vague but I'm just getting started

As mentioned by midwest, it sounds like he is involved in more techinical resuces. As for recreational rescue courses by SSI, PADI, NAUI ect, this is a course more designed towards preparing divers for emergencies that possible to happen. We teach things like recognizing potential risk for diving before they happen (prediver stress, equipment problems, poor dive conditions), how to deal with these things that can happen. You will also learn self rescue techniques like cramp removal, or how to give your buddy air if they run out of air. You are also trained how to perform in water rescues for panicked divers and unconscious divers at the surface or underwater. We also review how to remove the victims and how to provide rescue breaths and cpr and initiate 911.

It was probably my favorite course and especially if you dive often, it is great to be aware of the possibilities out there to keep yourself safe, and of course your buddy. Plus it makes you feel a lot more confident in what you are doing,

 

[canuck_downunder05]

For those of us who have NEVER been around the sport, what is the best way to get into it? I'd love to get certified, but have no idea where to start. Obviously a class, but how do I find the right class? What things should I look for in a teaching facility for diving?

My suggestion would be to find a forum online similar to this where you could seek advice on good dive shops in your area. Word of mouth is usually pretty good. So if you hear that they have good service, safe instructors, hold a good reputation, then stop in and say hello. Ask a few questions, talk about their courses they offer, what their time frame is ect and see how you feel when you talk to them. I find how they present themselves often helps me determine if that is the type of person you would enjoy taking you somewhere you have never been before.

Things to discuss would be costs, hours, equipment in terms of whether it is included or additional cost, additional fees for park fees if your open water dives are in a national park. And some people do care which organization they go for, although, I'm both a PADI and NAUI instructor and they are relatively similar. Prices can vary though.

Shop around, see how you feel and just go blow some bubbles!

You can also look on the PADI website, as they do offer online E-Learning to avoid classroom time. I think it takes a couple hours. You can take that with you to your local dive shop and they will give you an E-Learning review to go over with you and then your pool sessions will begin and after that you'll do your open water dives to certification!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Good luck!

 

[CodyHolt83]

Thanks alot for the information. I hope to get certified so that I can add that to my resume to become more marketable when I start applying for fire department positions. Right now, I'm just waiting on the great state of Texas to send me my paperwork and certification stuff.

 

[Akulahawk]

NAUI and PADI are primarily for recreational divers. It's a good way to find out if you're "into" diving. Once I find the time, I'm going to try to join the Dive Accident Response Team (D.A.R.T) out here. They're an all-volunteer group run through the Sheriff's Department that responds to all drowning calls where the victim has not been found yet. The Divers are trained as public safety divers. These folks have been deployed to find a LOT of things over the years. They find bodies, guns, cars, knives, and pretty much anything else that can be used as evidence at trial. I've seen them work in rescue mode and I've seen them work in recovery mode. Very different ways of working...

 

[boingo]

A knife found during a 0 visibility dive in a swamp.

 

[micosabeh]

me I'm CMAS open water scuba diver and.............



Scuba diver between 2 feet

 

[Outbac1]

I received my diving cert in 1974 from the YMCA. Did some local diving and a couple in the carribean. Then I seemed to drift away from it. A couple of weeks ago my son and I took an introduction to scuba program at a nearby pool. We both had a good time and are considering taking the course later.
You need some serious equipment and backup to go diving here this time of year.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

I am a NAUI and SSI Instructor. I dive both open circuit and rebreather and I am also on an international underwater cave exploration team. I'm also the president of a foundation that sponsors cave exploration (admfoundation.org).

In the summer, I dive most days and do a couple of technical dives a week. During the colder months I still dive here in Maine, but I also travel a bit to get in some warmer diving. I just got back from a cave expedition in Mexico and I'm headed to Palau in March.

I think diving is a great match for EMS personnel because it is relaxing and you can usually do it on whatever schedule you want.

If anyone has any questions on diving, please feel free to give me a shout.

Jeff

 

[EMS/LEO505]

I'm a Padi certified open water/high altitude/rescue diver

 

[kermit]

I took the open water course in Hawaii when I was In the army back in 89 or 90 but only did 12 or so dives in water with great visibility. I did do some night snorkeling ONCE. Not being able to see anything except what was in the beam of my light on the reef at night was well.......freakin terrifying to be honest about it. especially when a moray would lunge out from a hole at you.

I suppose that with a lot more experience I might work my way up to being able to rescue dive one day. I'm glad I read this post before I bit off way more than I care to chew. I guess it goes without saying that poor visibility sucks but searching for a bloated dead body in zero visibility probably isn't my bag. Thanks guys! LOL guess I watch too much TV. I might take some of the PADI courses including the rescue course for CEU's but don't see myself being gung ho enough to rescue dive any time soon. My hat is off to the guys who do tho.