Jump to content

  • These forums are for "after booking" trip communications, socializing, and/or trip questions ONLY.
  • You will NOT be able to book a trip, buy add-ons, or manage your trip by logging in here. Please login HERE to do any of those things.

Photo

OK, now I'm jealous. . . .


  • Please log in to reply
5 replies to this topic

#1 C-Food

C-Food

    On a roll now.....

  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 98 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:in training (beginner)

Posted 30 July 2007 - 08:00 AM

I just met up with some friends of mine that I haven't seen in more than a year, and the topic came up about upcoming vacations.

A married couple I have known for over 20 yrs - I watched all their kids grow up - announced that they had just been certified for diving. Want to guess where their first big dive trip is going to be? Australia. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I thought the Great Barrier Reef was a little challenging for a brand new diver. More power to them though, it'll be one of those lifetime trips!

It's an interesting couple - the husband is extremely gung-ho about diving, and the wife is interested too, but I consider her the more cautious (and somewhat timid) of the two of them - I'm laying bets that in the years to come, she'll be the better diver! She's not real thrillled with sharks, so I'm sure her post-vacation stories will be colorful!

#2 drbill

drbill

    I spend too much time on line

  • SD Partners
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 4,486 posts
  • Location:10-200 feet under, Santa Catalina Island
  • Gender:Male
  • Cert Level:Rescue
  • Logged Dives:who's counting, definitely four digits

Posted 30 July 2007 - 10:09 AM

I'm not sure why the Great Barrier Reef would be a challenging first dive trip. There certainly are plenty of sites where I experienced conditions quite suitable for new divers when I dove there in 2001. Now if you said the Galapagos or Antarctica or Aliwal Shoals, I'd understand!

#3 Fordan

Fordan

    Tech Admin

  • Member
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 419 posts
  • Location:Southern NJ
  • Gender:Male
  • Cert Level:Rescue/Nitrox
  • Logged Dives:70

Posted 30 July 2007 - 11:29 AM

A married couple I have known for over 20 yrs - I watched all their kids grow up - announced that they had just been certified for diving. Want to guess where their first big dive trip is going to be? Australia. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I thought the Great Barrier Reef was a little challenging for a brand new diver. More power to them though, it'll be one of those lifetime trips!


Eh. The Great Barrier Reef, at least where I've been, is fairly mild. Did my Discover Scuba there that got me into diving, and went back for a 3 day liveaboard on my next trip which was my first post-certification diving. The sites we hit were had bottoms around 70-75' or so (and not all of them were that deep). I understand that some of the stuff out in the Coral Sea is a little more challenging; I may try one of the liveaboards that go out there next time I'm down there (have family down there, so I get to visit more than most. Airfare really isn't as bad as people might think, especially on an Aussie Air Pass including flights there, and the flights aren't that painful)

Biggest thing I had an issue with was renting gear, and dealing with metric vs imperial measurements. I could handle bar ok, but depth in meters threw me, and I was often a bit deeper than I meant to, since after all, the numbers are smaller! :birthday:

come, she'll be the better diver! She's not real thrillled with sharks, so I'm sure her post-vacation stories will be colorful!


Yeah, hopefully she gets over this. Saw a number of reef sharks when I was down there. :birthday:

#4 secretsea18

secretsea18

    I spend too much time on line

  • Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,007 posts
  • Location:NYC when not diving!
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:AOW
  • Logged Dives:1062

Posted 30 July 2007 - 06:47 PM

Interesting. My trip to GBR was in June and we had moderate currents, and 3-6 foot swells. Not exactly, Discover Scuba conditions.

One night on the boat, I was glad that there was netting on the edge of my bunk, because I was levitating with the rise and fall of the boat over the swells as we motored to the next place. I probably would have fallen out if not for the mesh.
Overall it was not EASY diving, but not exactly an extreme challenge either.

On the plus side, there were minke whales that allowed me to get about 15 feet from them! :birthday:

#5 Fordan

Fordan

    Tech Admin

  • Member
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 419 posts
  • Location:Southern NJ
  • Gender:Male
  • Cert Level:Rescue/Nitrox
  • Logged Dives:70

Posted 31 July 2007 - 01:19 AM

Interesting. My trip to GBR was in June and we had moderate currents, and 3-6 foot swells. Not exactly, Discover Scuba conditions.


I did the Discover Scuba on the Silverswift out of Cairns (fast dayboat), and when I went back, did a 3 day liveaboard with ProDive. They both went to roughly the same sites, none of which were particularly challenging. A little current sometimes, generally not much. There was one late afternoon dive on the liveaboard where the surface conditions had me using using the reg on the surface, but I remember it as the exception.

The ProDive liveaboard was good for someone just out of their certification; actually, a decent number of the people on board were doing their certification dives after having done the classroom/pool work with ProDive earlier. Not sure I'd recommend it for someone with more diving experience. Not bad, just not great.

Which liveaboard were you on?

#6 C-Food

C-Food

    On a roll now.....

  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 98 posts
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:in training (beginner)

Posted 31 July 2007 - 09:49 AM

Good to hear that about Cairns since I believe that's where their diving has been planned! I know they are going to come back with some great memories (and pictures!)



Interesting. My trip to GBR was in June and we had moderate currents, and 3-6 foot swells. Not exactly, Discover Scuba conditions.


I did the Discover Scuba on the Silverswift out of Cairns (fast dayboat), and when I went back, did a 3 day liveaboard with ProDive. They both went to roughly the same sites, none of which were particularly challenging. A little current sometimes, generally not much. There was one late afternoon dive on the liveaboard where the surface conditions had me using using the reg on the surface, but I remember it as the exception.

The ProDive liveaboard was good for someone just out of their certification; actually, a decent number of the people on board were doing their certification dives after having done the classroom/pool work with ProDive earlier. Not sure I'd recommend it for someone with more diving experience. Not bad, just not great.

Which liveaboard were you on?






0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users