View Full Version : Hellooooo!
Evenin' all.
I'm new to the world of scuba and snorkeling and I'm after a bit of advice (mainly snorkeling fins/boots) , so I thought I'd better say hi before I start with all the questions!
My name's Scott, I'm 27 and I'm off to the Maldives in a few weeks on honeymoon. I've tried diving once before and absolutely loved it despite being terrified of sharks, but my girlfriend didn't like it (think it was the pressure in her ear) so I'll be sticking to snorkeling for now probably.
Anyway, I'll head off to the snorkeling section now - hopefully someone can help with my fin/boots problem!:)
See ya,
Scott.
NickBCotswold
02-04-2009, 08:14
welcome!!! lucky so-and-so going to the maldives! enjoy!
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 08:19
Hi Scott,
Hope you have a lovely wedding and honeymoon.
best wishes,
Maria
Thanks! 2 weeks to go - aggggghhhhhhhhh!
Evenin' all.
I'm new to the world of scuba and snorkeling and I'm after a bit of advice (mainly snorkeling fins/boots) , so I thought I'd better say hi before I start with all the questions!
My name's Scott, I'm 27 and I'm off to the Maldives in a few weeks on honeymoon. I've tried diving once before and absolutely loved it despite being terrified of sharks, but my girlfriend didn't like it (think it was the pressure in her ear) so I'll be sticking to snorkeling for now probably.
Anyway, I'll head off to the snorkeling section now - hopefully someone can help with my fin/boots problem!:)
See ya,
Scott.
Sharks are rare...
And you can dive without your missus you know.
Hope you have a good time.
NickBCotswold
02-04-2009, 11:18
^EDIT^ - this should be addressed to the OP!
i did my first ever try dive whilst on honeymoon in st lucia back in 98....
loved it and always intended to learn to dive "proper-loike!" when i got back to the uk..... i never did! always found reasons not to contact the local club!
eventually two years ago (and some 8 years after that first try dive) i did! Never looked back and consider it one of the best things i have ever done!
made so many more new friends and travelled with these friends to places I wouldnt have gone to before "diving!".
if you have already experienced a dive, hope you also take just a few hours out of your honeymoon (send the new missus to get pampered/massaged for a morning) to try another dive!
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 11:37
Sharks are rare...
And you can dive without your missus you know.
Hope you have a good time.
My word Gary - IT'S A HONEYMOON:eek: - he can hardly spend his honeymoon diving without his very own new wife! He should at least wait for holiday number two as a married man to start all that:D :rolleyes:
.... well..... perhaps one or two dives just to break it up a bit.... and it would be somewhat sacreligious not to dive at least once in the Maldives if you are there....
best wishes,
Maria
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 11:38
send the new missus to get pampered/massaged for a morning) to try another dive!
Good plan!
You say sharks are rare - but they're not when you type 'Maldives' into Youtube!:)
Actually, when I did the try dive in Rhodes I was nervous about sharks (don't even think there are any there? but at the time I was convinced Jaws would be taking a holiday there!) until I got into the water and was amazed about how calm I was and how much I enjoyed it. I think I will sneak off for a dive (if I can sort it out while I'm out there) while she's getting a massage or something. She roped me into going to a spa with her in Mexico last year - never again! She might want to try another dive too cos it was a few years ago now. I assume it'll be easy enough to book a try dive thing while I'm there?
You say sharks are rare - but they're not when you type 'Maldives' into Youtube!:)
Actually, when I did the try dive in Rhodes I was nervous about sharks (don't even think there are any there? but at the time I was convinced Jaws would be taking a holiday there!) until I got into the water and was amazed about how calm I was and how much I enjoyed it. I think I will sneak off for a dive (if I can sort it out while I'm out there) while she's getting a massage or something. She roped me into going to a spa with her in Mexico last year - never again! She might want to try another dive too cos it was a few years ago now. I assume it'll be easy enough to book a try dive thing while I'm there?
If I were you, I would get some training here and then you can get some more adventourous diving in when you sneak off. Or at least a referal (do theory and pool stuff here). You then aught to be able to do something a bit more adventourous. i.e make your sneak off dives count.
If you carry on going to nice places, you are eventually going to wish you had started divin earlier. (if you take it up)
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 13:00
If I were you, I would get some training here and then you can get some more adventourous diving in when you sneak off. Or at least a referal (do theory and pool stuff here). You then aught to be able to do something a bit more adventourous. i.e make your sneak off dives count.
If you carry on going to nice places, you are eventually going to wish you had started divin earlier. (if you take it up)
Gary - I'm really starting to worry about you;) :rolleyes: Poor fellow has two weeks of trauma, speech-writing etc before his wedding and you think he can fit in a dive course:eek:
It could be a lovely experience and a really memorable honeymoon to learn to dive together while on honeymoon. In fact, I'd book it for the two of you while you are there as the start of being 'buddies' together for life as a honeymoon surprise present ( no yukking anyone - it's a romantic time:D ).
That way you get to do it, your fiancee gets proper tuition about ear clearing so can do it comfortably and then you get brownie points too. If you can manage to pull a flower or lily or something out of your BC to give her on your first dive as a married couple, you could really pull off a coup that would make her the envy of her friends for years and therefore major brownie points for you.
best wishes,
Maria
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 13:08
You say sharks are rare - but they're not when you type 'Maldives' into Youtube!:)
I was 'Jaws' generation and was really worried before my first diving holiday.
Bigger sharks are likely to be much deeper, in current, and off in the blue. You are likely to be fairly shallow, not in current and near the reef.
I found it a bit hard to be scared in retrospect when excited divers would say 'I saw a shark'. I would ask where and the comment would be ' I only saw it for a few seconds and then it was gone.
By the time this had happened to me about 10 times I was just starting to get irritated that I had never seen the blasted things.
Other thing is that videos do not give a feeling of scale most of the time. You are probably seeing little reef sharks which are really so small it is impossible to be scared of them.
You'll get all the videos because those are the ones that divers are proud that they got, because it is harder to do so of a shark than get a vid of a cutesie little nemo fish which are there in abundance.
best wishes,
maria
I have no idea what my BC is but I'll do my best to pull a flower out of it! If there are Nemo fish then I won't have any trouble persuading her to try again! We're hoping to have a water bungalow and at first I had visions of there being a load of sharks waiting for me (their breakfast!) at the bottom of the steps each morning! Hopefully it won't be quite like that! Can't wait now! It's almost worth getting married for!
I'll probably look into joining a club when I'm back too.
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 14:40
I have no idea what my BC is but I'll do my best to pull a flower out of it! If there are Nemo fish then I won't have any trouble persuading her to try again! We're hoping to have a water bungalow and at first I had visions of there being a load of sharks waiting for me (their breakfast!) at the bottom of the steps each morning! Hopefully it won't be quite like that! Can't wait now! It's almost worth getting married for!
I'll probably look into joining a club when I'm back too.
LOL - I'm sure you can improvise on pulling flowers out, but a BC is a buoyancy control jacket - the thingy that you wear and puff air in and out of if you are diving.
There should be loads of cutesie and pretty fish :) :) :)
best wishes,
Maria
NickBCotswold
02-04-2009, 14:53
I have no idea what my BC is but I'll do my best to pull a flower out of it! If there are Nemo fish then I won't have any trouble persuading her to try again! We're hoping to have a water bungalow and at first I had visions of there being a load of sharks waiting for me (their breakfast!) at the bottom of the steps each morning! Hopefully it won't be quite like that! Can't wait now! It's almost worth getting married for!
I'll probably look into joining a club when I'm back too.
like maria says, worth having a go at a try dive together...
if you enjoy, as i did, dont do what i did and wait 8 years before joining a club in the uk! number of decent holidays i went on but couldnt/didnt dive which i would now, unbelievable! aint gonna waste another day!
What happens at these clubs? Do you regularly go to a pool or UK dive sites etc?
What happens at these clubs? Do you regularly go to a pool or UK dive sites etc?
Most clubs have access to a pool. We have ours every week apart from some school holidays.
Also they will run the lectures on a weekly basis usually.
Different clubs have different venues that they use for training.
We use Capernwray quarry for training. (so do a lot of other people and it can be like piccadilly circus in the Summer)
Most clubs will get you through to Ocean Diver in about 2 3 months.
If you are interested, then pick your local club and and call them and go see what their facilities are. And ask them how long it will take you to get through the training. But see a few if you can.
And take your mrs or Maria will shout at me again.
Gary
Maria CM
02-04-2009, 16:45
And take your mrs or Maria will shout at me again.
Gary
LOL - 'mrs-to-be' might be warm water only;)
best wishes,
Maria
LOL - 'mrs-to-be' might be warm water only;)
Yeh, I think that's highly likely! I'll have to persuade someone else to tag along!
What happens at these clubs? Do you regularly go to a pool or UK dive sites etc?
In addition to what Gary describes most clubs also regularly organise dive trips, mine has a trip going most weekends during the summer. If you want to dive lots then it is the easiest way to arrange it.
And contrary to what I guess you imagine the UK has some of the best diving in the world
Nigel Hewitt
03-04-2009, 08:55
And contrary to what I guess you imagine the UK has some of the best diving in the world
That's because we're not very nice people so for most of history we've been at war with somebody so we have lots of nice wrecks.
So everybody dives wrecks because on a silty/sandy bottom that's where the wildlife gathers so both the wreckie and the nature buff are happy.
There is only so much interest you can generate in coloured coral and pretty fish but every wreck is different and has a different story plus a different population.
In addition to what Gary describes most clubs also regularly organise dive trips, mine has a trip going most weekends during the summer. If you want to dive lots then it is the easiest way to arrange it.
And contrary to what I guess you imagine the UK has some of the best diving in the world
Very True...
We try and keep up the diving all year. The club is just back from a weekend diving in the lakes. Its not so much about the dives (although they were quite good this year) but about getting together and having a good time.
The diving in the UK is up there with the best. It's just a shame the weather isnt.
NickBCotswold
03-04-2009, 13:47
That's because we're not very nice people so for most of history we've been at war with somebody so we have lots of nice wrecks.
WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY DIVING!
lol!
sorry!
*it IS friday!
Sounds good! I do have to admit that I'm a bit apprehensive about diving in the uk - but I think that's because I get the 'ferry cross the mersey' to work every day and the mersey would put anyone off diving! :eek:
Might have to steal 'WAR! HUH! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY DIVING!' as my new signature!:)
Sounds good! I do have to admit that I'm a bit apprehensive about diving in the uk - but I think that's because I get the 'ferry cross the mersey' to work every day and the mersey would put anyone off diving! :eek:
Yes but that is hardly typical. I've dived all over the world and the best two places for visibility were Malta (Polynesian fantastic dive over 40m viz) and Hand Deeps off Plymouth which was 35m
Mike Halligan
03-04-2009, 17:55
I think that's because I get the 'ferry cross the mersey' to work every day
Then get yourself down to Merseyside Branch (the fifth ever BSAC branch IIRC) at Guinea Gap and stop missing out :D :D :D
There's a diving club at Guinea Gap baths?! I'd promised myself I wasn't going to look into any of this until the wedding was out of the way, but I'm going to have to now!
my missus is very much a warm water diver despite me bugging her to dive at every opertunity.
have a chat to the betrothed and honestly say what you want to do. you should atleast get the honeymoon to think your in an equal relationship before she stops you doing everything ;)
but also if she realy doesnt want to do something like diving dont make her. just ask het to join you on the boat and snorkle for a bit
She's already said no to going for a try dive at the Merseyside club, but I'll keep working on diving in the Maldives! I'm hoping once she's seen a few clownfish she'll give it another go.
I like the look of the Merseyside club from their website so I'll have to see if I can persuade one of my mates to come along.
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