r/scuba

I’m doing my open water certification next weekend and my dad really wants to go with me just to watch from afar/accompany me. He won’t be diving or touching the water at all due to him recovering from surgery with his arm in a sling. He asked me if I’m okay with him coming because he wants to be there and he’s so happy that I’m doing my cert and just wants to support me. He would be out of the way, driving me there, and just wants to be present. Is this something that people do during open water, is have a friend or family member come along to support/accompany a diver? I am worried it’ll offend the instructors but I wouldn’t think it would be a big deal, because they probably have seen it before. I’m not sure if I’ll sound like a goofball asking them at my ripe age of 28 if my dad can come watch. He just really really wants to watch me get certified. What are some thoughts/opinions?

I'm looking to get the PADI Wreck Diving certification in California, the closer to San Francisco the better, but willing to go elsewhere.

The problem is that every website I find, and there are a lot, they advertise they do the wreck certification, but then "Call us to book!" only to find "sorry, we don't have anything on our calendar, but check back..."

Anyone have any recommendations for places that do this certification somewhat regularly such that I'm not putting more effort in booking than the course itself?

Also, is anyone else interested in teaming up with me on this so we have 2 or more and they might be willing to make a scheduled class for us?

I'm making this post to ask for equipment recommendations after a "bad" experience recently. Me and my wife are both quite new to diving, with slightly less than 100 dives each.

My wife has a slight asthma, and during our last diving trip, at the fifth dive, about 40min into the dive, she started to cough a lot because she felt like her throat was super dry. As the dive was a shallow dive, we decided to cut it short, abort the dive and slowly ascent.

Just to be safe, we didn't dive at all anymore during the trip, once home, we just visited the pneumologist and he told us everything is OK and adjusted a bit the medicine, especially for diving days. We will make another appointment with a underwater medicine specialist just to have a second opinion and be safe.

Our pneumologist recommended us to figure any way to humidify a bit the air during the dives, and I think we have several options:

- Metal regulators: I have read that they do a better job at conserving the humidity.

- Small water pouch

- Apollo bio filter: This seems like the most interesting one, anyone has experience with it??

Any recommendations?

Maybe Im overthinking. Or my dive shop does not care that much. This is my 1st drift drive. I was told I should be okay. But there could be strong currents. Any tips? Next, how do I learn how to use a DSMB for the future?

Hi all. I'll be diving for 3 days during the labor day weekend in the Jupiter area. I don't have my own gear yet, and gear rentals in that area seem very expensive. e.g., Jupiter dive center costs $80 for a full set of gear per trip where a trip is defined as one back and forth boat ride, so if you do a morning 1 tank dive and an afternoon 1 tank dive, it's $160 total for gear rental.

Are there more economical ways to rent gear in that area?

I'll be investing in my own gear eventually, but I don't think I'll be ready to invest in a few grand worth of gear before labor day weekend.

​I read that Raja Ampat has pretty warm waters (maybe a little colder in some areas), and I was thinking of diving only with my 2.5 mm shorty, thin leggings, and a 1.5 mm neoprene jacket (which is almost like a full wetsuit, but in separate pieces). I usually wear that combination in warm waters like the Caribbean or the Philippines; in Bali, I did have to rent a full wetsuit, though. However, I notice that almost everyone wears a full suit in Raja Ampat. Will I be okay with my gear? Or should I buy or rent the wetsuit at the liveaboard?

I was talking to shops, I think the conclusion is Manta are visible all year round and not too uncommon, will likely see them if you dive a few times. But sunfish are rare and you need to be lucky despite it being the season for them?

noticed komodo liveaboard prices jump a lot on certain dates on some booking sites, like double on weekends/holidays. is that just normal seasonal pricing or should i be suspicious

I'm really struggling with buying a first regulator. On one hand, I want to "buy nice or buy twice" but I'm also trying to be practical.

I doubt I will ever dive far beyond 130 feet, I have no interest in technical diving and just feel like splurging on the MK25 is beyond what I'll ever need, plus for a full MK25/G260 with hoses, etc. is going to be around $1,500.

Otherwise, I'm looking at an Apeks XTX50 complete kit for roughly $1,200; Atomic Z3 for $1,000; or Diverite XT1 for $1,000.

Am I going to regret not getting the MK25/G260 or will I never notice the difference (as it appears from reading reviews online) and be fine spending less?

Sorry, I know the title is confusing.

I (28F) recently went to Koh Tao for a day to do a one day "discover scuba" course. In a classic fashion, I ended up staying several weeks and pushing back all my other travels. I left with my advanced and enriched air cert, having done a little over 30 dives.

I'm back in my home country now and want to do my divemaster, and eventually to get my search and rescue cert. I want to start planning now so I can start saving and have a set goal.

Here's where I need help. I love diving, and I liked Koh Tao, but much like Bali the costs are rocketing and it is filled with families, children, tourists with rolling suitcases, and new developments of luxury hotels and brunch spots. It was very hard to make friends because everyone around me spent all their time on their phones looking at Instagram, or drinking expensive cocktails in nearby beachfront bars with western food. Even at hostels most people didn't want to socialize and the ones who did just asked for my social media accounts (which I don't have, much to the shock of everyone around me; one girl even asked me "how I survive without social media," and those comments were really common). I even saw someone getting upset at the hostel staff when there was no hot water for less than one day, on an island with a clean water shortage. I went to three dive centers until I found one that was safe and competent and all the dive centers on the island are more factory-like than community-based, which I guess is to be expected. It all just felt so .... commercialized, mass-tourism oriented, and, ... soulless, maybe? I can't find the word I'm looking for, but hopefully someone understands what I mean.

I'm looking for somewhere that's more for backpackers and adventurers, and has a good community feel. I'm okay with places that are less developed and have less western amenities. I have solo traveled over 30 countries as a woman in my 20s, including India and Ghana, so I'm familiar with roughing it a bit. Safety is important, but I just really want to be somewhere calm and beautiful where I can get my divemaster cheap, look at a beach, dive all day without breaking the bank, and meet other people who want to socialize, that has more of an identity and a real community feel.

Costs and sense of community are important to me, but I'm not sure the place I'm looking for exists, so I wanted to reach out to other divers and ask if anyone has any recommendations.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Hey guys, I’m looking to get a new pair of fins after mine had a slight disagreement with my dog.

I’ve done some research and narrowed it down to the Apeos RK3 and the Deep 6 Eddy.

Or just getting another pair of Scubapro Jet Fins, which served me well for years.

I’ve already tried the RK3s and liked them a lot, but I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with the Deep 6 Eddys. How do they compare in terms of stiffness, propulsion, control, and overall feel?
Also, I could use some help with sizing. I wear a US size 9 and dive with Fourth Element Amphibian boots, which have a fairly thick, hard sole.

For anyone using a similar setup, what size did you go with?
Appreciate any firsthand experience.

I'm 6'0" / 182cm and around 160lbs / 72kg, and I'm in the market for a semi-dry suit for cold German waters as well as the Mediterranean (a drysuit isn't feasible for me). All the different brands, sizes, seals and approaches are confusing the hell out of me.

I visited an LDS and the guy basically told me that "semi-dry" is just marketing, and that I should focus on getting a really good fit instead. Would you all second this?

I tried a 7mm Waterproof W7 in S, which was too small, and a W7 in ST, where the torso was too long( I could fit a hand between my shoulder and the neoprene sitting on top of it). With a hooded vest underneath it filled the gap and the fit was okay, but still not great as it still feelt squeezing and not comfortable. Seems like I fall right between the two sizes.

I also tried a Bare 7mm that fit perfectly or at least felt nice. Squeezing and tight but not to mutch. Wearing it hasn't bothered me at all. but I'm bothered by the lack of pockets, and I'm not sure whether its small internal flip seals will work as well as the proper double arm and leg seals on the W7.

On top of that, when I checked the Bare and Waterproof product pages, neither suit is even marketed as a semi-dry in the first place.

Am I overthinking this? Should I just buy whatever 7mm suit fits me best? And realistically, how much of a difference do proper arm and leg seals actually make, and how much does a true semi-dry gain over something like the W7/Bare Velocity?

Can anyone recommend a good drysuit bag? I’m look8ng for something that can carry the suit, two undergarments, base layer, extra gloves and seals, and all the little Knick knacks. I’m thinking about either the dui backpack or the whites military duffel, but hoping to hear from someone who’s solved the problem.

Edit: my aim is to find a single bag, with wet and dry and small item compartments, specifically designed for drysuit use.