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David,
The best advice from any diver will be "just do it". Your basic swim requirements for your open water certification are:
200 yard swim - No time limit 10 minutes tread water
You will need to have your own mask/fins and booties/snorkel for the class, but all the SCUBA gear will be provided. Most dive shops will offer a gear package that you can purchase during/after your training for a discount. My personal recommendation is to get through your training before purchasing your gear so you have a better idea of what you want before spending the money.
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Awesome advice. Thank you so very much. I thought it was a 300 yard swim no time limit no stop. But either way it’s going down and I’m going to accomplish the open water dive certificate. The wet suit is included as well for the class? That’s pretty awesome. Going to get a mask, fins, snorkel and some booties. Then right into the class. so thank you very much. hopefully by late June I’ll have my certificate and be diving by then! Open heal/strap fins of full foot fins which would you prefer for beginner open water dive? thank you for the advice very much appreciated!
Fun diving, -David
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Open heel SCUBA fins and booties always for SCUBA. The full foot fins are designed for snorkeling; Yes, the dive shop you are certifying through should provide the wet suit if the water is cold enough to need it.
I cited the swim requirements for PADI, 200 yards no time/no stop, but it may be 300 yards for a different organization.
I got certified many years ago, so I remember Divemaster was timed 400 yards and a 15 minute tread, arms out of the water for the last two minutes. :-)
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Awesome thanks again! yeah I definitely want to try and certify for dive master in the future and rescue diver so definitely going to have to work on my swimming :) how does it feel swimming with the tank and gear on? do you feel it at all? does it weight you down? do you have to swim harder? I know the fins help a lot but I’m not sure if it’s an endurance ability or just a motion you have to get down with the gear on. but super excited about it all :D
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You’ll get to rescue diver before Divemaster, and you’ll love it. Rescue diver is the hardest and most rewarding class there is, in my opinion.
One of the things you’ll go over in class is buoyancy: Positive = going up Negative = sinking Neutral = stationary
When you get underwater to your dive depth, say 50 feet, you’ll want to put just enough air in your BCD to achieve neutral buoyancy so you can swim without fighting to stay down or keep from sinking.
This is a skill that it takes a lot of work to master, but once you do then diving become easy. If you’re fighting your gear, or fighting to stay where you want in the water, then you burn through a lot more air and diving is a lot less enjoyable.
On dive boats now I am usually the first one in and the last one out because I have learned how to maximize my air usage and get as much bottom time as possible. After all, that’s why we dive, to be underwater seeing all the cool stuff. :-)
Fitness and endurance definitely pay a part in it, but some of that is hauling all your gear around to get to the water. LOL
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I seeeeee, buoyancy control has a lot to do with where you’d want to go! Awesome. I appreciate all your feedback and can’t wait for the class. I’m also interested in any dive jobs available maybe my dive shop/school will help me with figuring that all out. But again thanks and I really do appreciate all the feedback! I definitely can see me trying to maximize as much air as possibly to stay underwater longer as well! Funny thing :) I really hope I’m not fighting my equipment and feel comfortable with it, it’s going to take some time but I wont give up til it feels right.
Happy diving!
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Yes, I love Scuba Diving. I love to explore different places all around the world for diving. According to my personal experience, I will share some tips for you.
1. Always go with the current when diving in currents 2.Clearing your ears on descent 3.Prevent scuba diver mask squeeze 4.Build up your experience and dive as much as you can 5.Practice recovering your regulator 6. Keep a log of your scuba dives
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