Tell me your experiences with scuba diving. How long have you done it? Are you an instructor? How expensive is it? Is it physically difficult to learn?
I have a broken L-3. Entirely stable. I’d love to learn to dive. Will the motion of swimming with fins be a source of torque on the lumbar region? What is the most taxing part of scuba diving?
Cartooniverse
I was certified in 1998 or so, but because of the cost, I don’t dive all that often.
I didn’t find it very difficult to learn, physically. It’s pretty natural. The mental part, the math, safety procedures, was a little harder, but not much.
The only time I’ve ever been particularly spent was the time I did 7 dives in three days. My wife was more tired than I was.
I’ll note, because I know you’re a photographer and videographer, that when I shoot video underwater, I burn through air much faster than normal, and usually have to surface before the rest of the group. Still worth it, though.
SCUBA is a money-intensive sport. Diving equipment above the most basic level costs money; travel to warm water dive sites costs more money; specialty equipment costs even more.
As one example, I figure that a regulator, BC, and dive computer would cost me close to $1000 combined; another $1500 for a digital SLR, underwater housing, and strobe; and another $2k to $3k for a week on a live-aboard dive boat.
As garygnu said, it’s totally worth it every time.
I suggest you talk to a doctor who is familiar with diving medicine about your lumbar issue. If the doctor gives you the okay, I then suggest going to a Caribbean resort and taking their “resort course” introduction.
I was certified (open water) in '98 or '99. I also got my advanced open water and rescue diver certifications, but not dive master (nor instructor). I try to go on a good, week long dive trip each year. Some years I’ve done a couple trips, but there are a few years that I didn’t go (like last year ;-( ).
I think if you can swim (without fins) with your back not bothering you, you can probably dive. Unless you really seek out challenging diving (strong current), diving is not very taxing physically. Except to chase to see something, you usually swim at a very slow pace. You strive to achieve neutral bouyancy, so you’re generally not fighting much gravity underwater.
In my experience, the most taxing parts of diving have been entering and exitting. Entering through surf can be a bitch, and can be exhausting. Prolonged surface swimming to get to your descent point can also be taxing. Long hikes across the sand with your dive gear can also get rough (your back may be an issue here).
Boat diving is generally much easier, but climbing ladders in rough seas can be challenging. More strain on your arms and legs, than back per se.
Dive instruction is not all that expensive. There are usually packages to get your basic open water, with rental gear for about $200. You will need to buy some basic personal gear even if you are renting: mask, fins, gloves, booties. This will also run you around $200 for a decent set.
If you find you like it, and want to start going on dive trips, then you need to make a pretty big initial investment in the rest of the gear: regulator, computer, BCD. Prices vary greatly, but I would expect to pay around $2000 for a decent set. This may seem steep, but the good news is that this stuff will last for many years. Unless you feel the need to keep up with the latest gear, this stuff can last 10+ years.
Depending on where you plan to dive, you can also buy a wetsuit (around $250) or a drysuit for cold water ($1500+). But if you plan to dive in warm, tropical waters, you can get by with just a shortie or a dive skin (around $100).
Where the expense comes in (after buying all your initial gear) is in dive travel. There are lots of great places I can recommend in the carribean and south pacific. I usually expect to pay around $2000 for a 1 week dive trip (maybe more depending on airfare). But dive trips are a great way to spend a vacation. Instead of just hanging out on a beach every day, diving provides a great activity to do during the day - and then you can hang out on the beach !
I would agree with this.
The worst dive I ever had was a climb down the cliffs in Palos Verdes and then 10’ surf. By the time I got out, I was wiped. By the time I got back to the top of the cliff, I was even more wiped.
FTR I got certified in 1967, and from then until 1971 I dove damn near every weekend. (Get off my lawn you damn kids!)(Yes I own and use a double hose regulator)
One of these days, I may go back and start doing it again.
The hardest part of SCUBA diving is the paying for it. 
Perhaps my experience of diving is soley in the tropics, with white sandy beaches and people to haul my equipment to the boat for me, but I wouldn’t really call diving strenous at all. You just kind of… paddle along, underwater, unless there’s a strong current, which you can avoid by asking the dive master to pick easy sites.
Really, just breath in and out slowly, fin along slowly, don’t panic, and take in the sights. There’s nothing else to stress about, actually.
I am a PADI Master Diver, but I haven’t been in the water in nearly 15 years. Just don’t have the time any more.
I learned to dive while I was on Kwajalein and I got spoiled. Beautiful water and coral and tons of shipwrecks from WW2. I’ve dived most of the wrecks. Here’s a sample:
http://www.rickandkendra.com/Diving%20Pics/Shipwrecks/Shipwrecks.html
I think the biggest problem would be the weight of the gear before you get in the water. Between the tanks, the weight belts, and assorted gear, you’re probably hauling 60-80 extra pounds around with you.
Certified NAUI diver here. I got my certification back around 1980. Back then, the course was quite a bit more difficult, as the dive industry hadn’t developed quite so much and divers often were on their own. Nowadays, the dive industry has adapted to the reality that most people who dive never go deeper than 30-50 ft, and always in the company of a dive master in a resort area. So the courses have been broken up such that the more difficult things are in more advanced courses, but if you just want to dive some resorts, the training is actually very minimal. My course was 8 weeks, with two hours of classroom instruction and two hours of pool time each week. My wife’s PADI course was done in a weekend. I think the physical requirement for her course was that you simply had to demonstrate proficiency in swimming by swimming a length of the pool. If you can do that now, you’re probably okay, but check with your doctor and the dive instructor if you sign up for a course.
SCUBA diving is a hoot. We haven’t been out for a few years, but we’re thinking of doing a dive trip this year and getting our daughter certified. Kids can be certified as young as 10 years old, which surprised me.
Aside: Anybody interested in chartering a week on an Aggressor boat, all SDMB people?
I was certified in September of last year to go on a diving vacation in October.
Like most people, I did my classes in a swimming pool and my certification dives in a quarry lake. The visibility was five feet, it was windy and pelting rain, the instructor was a jerk, and I nearly had a panic attack every time I had to descend.
The dive trip was in Bonaire, and we walked-in for every dive (rather than doing boat dives). My first dive in Bonaire was an absolute joy–a wondrous experience. Everyone was relaxed and happy, the water was crystal-clear, the reef was breathtaking. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to do that (and just a week before Hurricane Omar hit and destroyed a lot of the soft coral.) I went as deep as 120 feet.
My fiance was with me on that trip. He has back, knee, and ear problems. Of those three, the only one that gave him trouble was his ears. SCUBA swimming isn’t a bendy-flexy kind of thing, and you are supposed to take it easy and not stress yourself, in order to conserve air. The less you move, the better. So I would think your back would be okay.
The points at which you might have trouble are (1) getting out of the water–we walked in and out, and the surf made it hard to get on your feet, just when you were in the middle of sea urchins and fire coral too :smack: (2) carrying the weight of your gear before and after you’re in the water. It’s darn heavy.
Qualified in 2005. Made about 20 dives since, in Thailand, the Cook Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. Got my Advanced Open Water in 2007.
It is the best best best best best best best thing I have ever done. Ever. Ever ever ever. I love it. Etc.
All Dopers on board?
You’re gonna need a bigger boat.
I have been diving actively since 1991 both professionally as a marine biologist and recreationally as a photographer, and I still always find something exciting on each dive 
When it comes to how expensive it is, it depends. If you are going to “buy” all your dives, its going to cost you. If you on the other hand intend to join a diving club, put the diving gear in the trunk of your car and and go down to the shore with your buddies, diving is cheap - and a lot of times the evenings are spent enjoying eating the catch
I’ve been diving since ‘82 and have about 1500 dives. I’m a SSI Master Diver and PADI Dive Master. Up until last year I got paid for research diving. You’ll like diving, just watch the entries, exits and when luggin’ jugs around.
PADI Open Water here, since I was 11 years old. Owned the equipment originally, now I only dive every now and then so I rent.
I dive like I ski - I do it at best once per year someplace perfect - and I rent the top of the line gear rather than buy it. My last dive was in Cabo San Lucas, my last ski run was Mammoth. Both times I was using over $1,000 worth of gear for $100 for the run. Not too bad of a way to do it.
I LOVE diving - it is just time. Here in SoCal the water can be cold - I prefer the Bahamas or other warm water diving if I can.
I will be helping run the SCUBA zone at the National Boy Scout Jamboree in 2010!
PADI in 1967. It is a blast. One reason to live near clear water.
Safety starts between the ears. You really need to be able to say, “Not today.”
Thew absolutely best day under water was with a snorkel in water never over 10’ deep.
Absolutely worst day was at night, in poor visibility at 157 feet and the air stopped. Short version, I found buddy breathing works. ( I won’t go below my personal (I can get there from here depth) with rented or ‘others’ equipment ever again. Unless I really know and trust my buddy.
Who am I kidding, I’m too old to go that deep anymore. Nice shallow reef in warm water is much better than ‘adventure’ for me…
I would have done a lot more diving if I was rich…
I may be able to offer some insight, especially with the back troubles. I have all of my thoracic and lumbar vertebrae fused. Needless to say, it limits my range of motion and causes me some issues.
I got certified last April and I absolutely LOVE LOVE it. To answer your questions:
Are you an instructor? No, I am not. My husband is a Divemaster and guides dives, however. I get to dive pretty frequently, as I go for free and live in one of the best dive places anywhere. ETA: I just realized I don’t have my location listed. I live in Key Largo, FL
How expensive is it? For me it is not expensive, but really it depends on what kind of diving you want to do. If you own your gear and want to jump in and so some quarry diving somewhere, it’s just the cost of air. If you want to come down here and dive, it’s about $85 for a 2 tank dive plus crew tip. The certification itself varies, but down here it’s around $450 to get fully certified.
Is it physically difficult to learn? As mentioned, it was certainly a challenge for me. I did all of the skills successfully, though, and have not felt that it puts an undue stress on my spine. I get assistance in getting up when I have gear on, and I usually tell my boat mate that I’ll be taking my gear off in the water, which allows me to climb the ladder without the weight of the gear on.
I have a broken L-3. Entirely stable. I’d love to learn to dive. Will the motion of swimming with fins be a source of torque on the lumbar region?
I think this depends on your exact situation. You can get a good idea of what it will feel like by buying/borrowing some fins and using them in a pool for a good period of time (my average dive is about 30 minutes per tank, so about 60 minutes per day). At the end of the day I am DAMNED tired, but not usually in pain.
What is the most taxing part of scuba diving? Probably transporting gear/ gearing up, things like that. I find the actual diving very tiring, but in a good way. The carrying of the gear is really my most taxing thing, and I tip my mates really well so I rarely have to do it Hey, I CAN, but if they’ll help out, I’ll take the help and save my energy for diving.
If you’re concerned about how your body will react, you’ll have plenty of pool time during the certification process to get a sense for how you’ll be impacted. You can also talk with both your dive master and your doctor.
Like others have mentioned, humping your gear (not like that, you pervs) to the boat or beach is usually the most tiring part.
I wish I could afford to dive more often. I don’t own my own regulator and renting every time gets so very expensive, but I fall in love with it all over again when I do go.
A. Rent. Rent it all, but but your own mouthpiece and wetsuit. When you’re more into diving, you can buy your own stuff.
B. You’re in NY, so much of your diving is going to be pretty low-visibility. It’s not a problem in the slightest, and when you go to other locations and tell them you learned off Long Island, you get the free pass. Mostly because “Great Visibility” to you will be 10-20 feet ahead of you.
C. Talk to the instructor BEFORE signing up to take the classes. Make sure they’re going to take you through the process, and not rush you. Also, the class should be in a 2:1 ratio, students to instructors. It can be higher, but you lose something without that much attention.
PADI qualified two decades back with this guy, Strykowski, an ex-navy Seal and full time douche. Nevertheless, he did know his stuff and our month long training was excellent. I find it astounding that qualification standards have dropped to what some here say is now the norm.
I originally dove around 50 days a year and, dangerous environment that it can be, still felt comfortable and safe because everything remained familiar. Then after a long lull, around 7 years, went out again and was completely ill at ease. You’ve got to stay current or get some refreshers/re-certified.
It can be one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. Enjoy!
