Take A Liveaboard Dive Vacation! I got certified in March 06, and immediately signed up for a week on a liveaboard in June. You meet likeminded people, all scuba divers. You are in a total "diving" enviroment all week. There are certified divemasters and instructors onboard and on every dive. You can do each dive as the divemaster`s buddy if you really want to. You can try out several different divers as a "buddy" for one dive or more. Safety First is a big issue with the company I signed on with. They will take your inexperience into consideration and be especially helpful. You can also take Advanced Open Water training, or many other courses they offer including Nitrox, Night Diver, etc. So your week becomes a learning vacation. The biggest advantage for me on that first week was the ability to really work on and dial in my buoyancy control. Mine was vastly improved after 25 dives in 5 days!