A note about equipment. Now that extra bags on airlines costs so much, renting most equipment at the vacation site is even more economical.
A caution about renting: When I first got certified and was all set to start doing dive trips, my original plan was to rent at the resorts to save money. It took talking to only a small number of experienced divers to hear horror stories of defective rental gear not only ruining dives (and increased stress during each dive), but also life-threatening failures.
I actually witnessed such a failure on one of my trips: a gal in our group noticed her dive computer “clipped”- stopped working below a certain depth. Once we figured out what was going on, I lent her my backup computer, she made sure she was always at the same depth as the group.
ONLY if you know for sure that a given resort updates and maintains their rental gear should you consider renting at the resort (renting at a local, reputable dive shop and bringing your gear is another story). But for most resorts you will not be able to know for sure. This is what convinced me to buy my own gear when it came time to start taking dive trips.
Another factor is familiarity: you will likely not be able to get the same regulator and/or BCD that you rented locally, at a dive resort. You will get something similar, but there may be some “learning period” to get used to the unfamiliar gear. If you’re just starting out, you probably don’t need this additional stress.
Lastly, safety: since it is your own gear, not only are you most familiar with it, but you will fully know when it was last serviced. Rental gear may be serviced, but you don’t know how much use it’s had (or conversely how idle it may have been). With gear that your life depends on, you have to decide if the risk of that unknown is worth the savings.
I would NOT rent regulators or masks. If either of those act up, it will either ruin your dive or risk your life. Those are small enough that traveling with them ain’t a big deal.
And I know computers are all the rage (old man mode on), but if you really can’t keep track of your time and depth without a computer holding your hand IMO you shouldnt be diving.
I was PADI certified over thirty years ago and at that time lived on a fairly clear water lake. The lake was a private community and the divers there had banded together and bought a diver’s air compressor and a large tank cascade. So with a big tub of water just outside of my back door and free air I dove around the lake just about three or four times each week during two summer seasons.
The bad part was that, while the lake had a number of very experienced divers, the county we lived in had very few. We got called out about three or four times a year to recover drowning victims from the local rivers and lakes.
After working more of those than I want to remember I grew tired of diving in general.
Still, I didn’t find much in the way of strenuous activity while pleasure diving. In fact I remember it as some of the most peaceful and restful moments of my life. At the time my biggest concern was that I would automatically slow my breathing (each breath contained 2 to 4 times the oxygen since it was denser at low depths) and I would almost go into a trance as it took very little effort to move through still water using fins.
These are great answers. Many thanks to all for the thought and care taken in giving a wide variety of opinions.
Will do a few things:
- Consult with Dr. who did my vertebroplasty.
- Find a course in NYC.
- Dive not off of Long Island. Why go through all of this to settle into silt with 5 feet of visibility?
- Find very well-respected local dive shops to rent gear from. I cannot see ( at this point ) getting into this and being able to afford, maintain and regularly use a kit. OTOH, unsafe and poorly maintained gear doesn’t sound good either. I’m used to finding gear in unknown areas- camera gear. Gotta think this will be the same process. I find experienced locals who know which shops they would trust with their lives, and after asking around a lot, go with one frequently recommended.
If I do get into it and am able to afford to dive frequently enough, then I’d look at gear for myself. ( Past the items mentioned which I understand now I must buy to get going ).
I’ve been a diver since 1997, and it sounds like you’ve got a good plan there.
However, I’d caution you about #3 - don’t be too ready to write off places just because they sometimes have low visibility. Northern California, for example, can have terrible visibility but can also have great diving. You may be able to find some good seasons to go in if you follow turbidity over time. (OK, 5 ft is really bad, but don’t write off a great place with only 10 ft vis)
I’ve got this idea that if you learn to dive in a difficult place, it’s easy to visit both the tough and easy places to dive. But if you learn to dive in the calm, beautiful tropics, then you never want to go somewhere cold or turbid. You might miss out on some great spots.
You’re probably right about the gear. Dive gear is expensive, and needs to be well-maintained. No one really wants to compromise on the former at the expense of the latter.
Good luck! 
I was certified in 2001, and have only had a couple of dives since then, but I do have two things to add…
Make sure you are a strong swimmer, and are comfortable in the water already. It makes dealing with an emergency much easier.*
Dive with someone you really trust, and can actually depend upon if something happens.
On my 2nd dive after certification, I ran out of air on the way up (during a very brief safety stop at 15’) with 700lb of air still showing on the gauge. One hard pull on the regulator, then nothing. I quickly signaled to my partner that I was out of air (actual hand sign sequence: Something’s wrong, out of air, heading up), and moved fairly quickly to the surface. I had to manually inflate my BC at the surface, then swim back to the boat. The surface had begun to get a bit choppy, and my navigation was bad, so the swim was longer on the surface than it should have been if I had done a better job navigating under water.
Thankfully, during the emergency, my training kicked in, and I did what I had been instructed. My instructor did a great job IMO, and I made sure to go back to the shop after that set of dives to let the owner know what happened, and how happy I was with the immediate recall of his instructor’s instructions. He was pleased to hear that my training kicked in so well!
My buddy swam back without making sure that I was ok. :rolleyes: (He is no longer a friend, for a multitude of reasons, selfishness chief among these, but I had let this slide at the time)
*My father a few years ago told me his “water philosophy” for his children. He said “I made sure that you kids were around the water so much, that you had no choice but to be comfortable in any situation you may get yourself into.” I’m very glad he had that line of thinking, as I’ve certainly done a few things in my time that I shouldn’t have, but my experience, comfort level, and lessons saved the day every time, including rescuing another friend in the middle of Lake Umbagog, when he tipped the canoe over, THEN announced that he wasn’t a very good swimmer. :mad: I’ve already begun teaching the 3yo Butlerette some of the things my father taught me, and plan to follow his plan of exposure.
I did the Padi Open Water diver in the Caribbean a few years ago during an extended summer holiday. Although I really enjoyed it and several of my friends have completed their advanced and rescue diver certifications since I just can’t motivate myself to go diving where I live. I would have to do the altitude diver training because many of the lakes in Switzerland are at or above 600m a.s.l. and I would have to learn to use a dry suit as well. The barriers I already mentioned as well along with the costs and the utter lack of anything interesting to see (if there is any visibility at all) led me to abandon the sport and pursue other hobbies which are more suitable to the terrain around here.
I was certified in 1991 through the YMCA and my wife did PADI in 1999. She has a variety of back problems but as others have said, it’s the getting in and out of the water (especially out) that is the only problem. I feel the only piece of equipment you must own is the mask, especially if you have any vision problems, in which case they make prescription masks. We both prefer warm water dives in shallower water, and serve as each other’s buddies, so we never face any of the issue others have stated. I have never had a problem with rental equipment, including dives in third world countries, because I always research the operations online first - you really need to do that anyway since it gives you an idea of costs, and what dives there are in the area. You may want to do a certain one on a certain day and may find that only dive operator X is going there that day. I have never gone on a dive that required a dive computer, and don’t even know how to operate one.
The only problems I have ever seen on a dive have always been people related. I find that younger divers (always male, often current or former military), somehow feel that it is an activity where they have to ‘prove’ themselves. So they HAVE to be the first ones in the water, rush everyone else, act like jerks on the boat, etc. Your mileage may vary. Anyone who wants to tell you about how they dove the Andrea Doria or other macho measure of how deep they’ve gone is NOT someone you want to dive with in my opinion.
I got my PADI Open Water cert. in 1990, my Advanced Open Water in 1991, Nitrox in 2003, and Rescue Diver last summer. I’ve got somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 dives to my name.
Your doctor will be able to best advise you regarding your back. Everyone above who noted that entries and exits are the hardest parts are spot on, but things can be done to mitigate some of the stresses and strains of this part, particularly if you make your instructor and/or divemaster aware of your limitations. If your doctor clears you to dive, have him write a note to that effect, laminate it and carry it with you. You will have medical waivers to complete and sign both for instruction and for diving post-instruction, and a note from your physician should smooth those things out.
I, personally, took to SCUBA quickly and easily. I’ve never been the strongest swimmer in the world, but I’m comfortable in the water, not prone to panic, and not at all afraid to say, “not today.” My wife did not take to it quite so easily (particularly the drill where you remove and replace your mask underwater), but she practiced and practiced until she was comfortable. Today, she’s my favorite and best buddy.
Certainly the first few times you dive you will rent gear, but if you find that you like it, and you’re doing it more than once or twice a year, I would recommend you start buying your own gear. Doing that could be a thread all it’s own, but there really is nothing like knowing your kit inside and out. All in all, I don’t think it’s any more expensive a hobby than golf. Yes, golf can be pretty expensive, but lots of people do that, so there are ways to make it work for you.
It’s not overly difficult to learn physically, and even intellectually I don’t think it’s outrageously hard. The physics and chemistry involved are at worst freshman-high-school level. The rest is just practice, practice, practice and thinking logically.
I love it, and plan on doing it as long as I possibly can. It’s the only time I can be a completely three-dimensional creature, I see parts of the world that relatively few people do, and for the hour or so I’m down I am away from cell phones, car horns, and all of the stress of topside life. I highly recommend it to anyone so inclined.
When I did my PADI numpty course one of the girls in my group had a bad back - she had a lot of trouble with the cylinder (big clunky old steel 232s at that school) when doing the various exercises, particularly when putting it on.
However, even if you find you have some trouble with this then once you’re qualified then depending on where you dive this shouldn’t be an issue (get someone else to carry it, and just inflate the BCD and kick the whole rig in before putting it on in the water). I believe nowadays there is a fair amount of support for people with quite serious physical difficulties who wish to dive, so I think you should be just fine providing you don’t wish to take up cave diving or something equally extreme. Swimming styles can be varied according to what you find easiest, and unless in strong currents you don’t need to exert significant force.
If you can manage to snorkel you can manage to scuba - I actually found it easier because you no longer need to worry about your air pipe. My advice would be to give snorkelling a go, and if you like that you’ll probably love scuba.
I got my PADI open water cert around 93’ or 4. Northern California water if fucking cold though. I don’t do cold well. I also have ear/sinus problems that make it hard for me to equalize at too much depth.
If I ever move someplace warm, I’ll take it up again. One of my dreams is Costa Rica.
Our instructor required we be able to swim four laps of an olympic-sized pool. Not hard for me, as I grew up on the swim team. Ocean swimming is a little different than pool swimming though, and some experience and comfort swimming in the ocean would be good. Getting a mouthful of saltwater is kinda gag-worthy the first time.
I’ve been certified since 1975. Mostly warm-water destinations.
If your back doesn’t bother you when walking, and if you can swim well without discomfort, then you should be fine. The weight of the gear comes into play with you’re donning or doffing it, carrying it to your dive site or exiting the water (curse you Archimedes!).
Like most divers, my best story is about my worst dive.
On a cruise with my wife. On the way to our first port, I find that the cruise line is offering a dive to certified divers. Two dives, the deepest at 90 ft on a shipwreck for seventy bucks; all equipment included.
Wife says “Go, have fun!” She’d attended a wine&cheese tasting the night before and met a woman with whom she’d struck up an instant friendship. They were going together into port.
When we reach port, we’re to report to the muster area and be escorted right to the dive-boat.
There are six of us. Two married couples, me and another guy. Be default, the other guy and I are assigned to be dive-buddies. On the way to the dive-site, I chat with the guy about his dive experiences. He’s very vague with his answers. I figure that we’re diving as a group and I probably won’t need to babysit this guy.
We get the gear in order, arrive at the site with the wreck, suit up, enter the water and descend the line to the (inverted) wreck. The dive master escorts the group from the stern along the starboard side of the wreck. My buddy takes off on the port side. I know I shouldn’t leave him alone so I follow along behind him. Upon reaching the bow, he peers around it and something appears to startle him. I was looking up from checking my depth gauge, we had just reached 90ft, and saw him back-peddling. He kicked the left side of my face and knocked off my mask and regulator.
Great… nine stores underwater…now I’m blind and can’t breathe. Okay…basic skills kick in. Lean right, sweep right arm in a wide circle back to front and retrieve my regulator. Grasp hose… regulator is at the end of it… regulator goes in the mouth. Hit the purge button… ahhhhh… sweet sweet air!!
Now for the mask. Don’t want to open my eyes in the salt-water if I don’t have to. Just then, a hand grasps mine and puts my mask into it. Mask goes on… clear the water from my mask and get it seated properly on my face. I open my eyes to thank my buddy…only it’s not my buddy. It’s the Dive Master.
He gestures “where’s your buddy?”
I gesture “I don’t know!” …then gesture “can I borrow your knife?”
He gestures “why?”
I respond by drawing my finger across my throat and signing “buddy”.
Dive Master shakes his head and wags his finger.
Somewhere along the way, we find my buddy and the Dive Master scolds him for not paying attention. then points to me and brings his two index fingers together (“this is your buddy… STAY WITH HIM!”)
We finish the dive, surface and climb on the boat.
sitting next to my buddy, I tell him that if he pulls something like that on the next dive, I’ll cut him up for chum.
Well, something wan’t right with him on the way to the next dive. He got seasick and barfed on me. The captain stopped the boat long enough for me to dive in the water and wash that off. My buddy managed to pull it together for the next dive and he was much better behaved.
Back on board ship, I told my wife about the dive.
Oh… and the woman that my wife met at the wine&cheese tasting?.. She was my dive-buddy’s wife. Guess who our dining companions were for the rest of the cruise?
Ha.
I dive too. PADI. Certified a Long long time ago.
My Wife and I where in Belize when I noticed somebody else’s ‘buddy’ was in a bit of trouble.
The tank had slipped out of the backpack/bc and was trailing behind them. But they didn’t know. A little bit of under water ballet and we got things straightened out.
I don’t know where that guys buddy was. I have this on video tape. I’ve been planning on getting it put on a DVD. If I find a place to do the conversion I’ll YouTube it.