Anyone here ever been Scuba Diving? I am currently taking a class at my college, and we take a trip to Ginnie Springs in April to get fully certified. So far we have just done the swim test and everything, but this Friday we start doing the actual scuba diving. I am looking forward to doing it, it should be fun. It is something I have always wanted to try, and it is a lot cheaper doing it at college.

Technically not certified, but I've used the equipment several times before. A friend of mine teaches Scuba lessons at a pool I used to frequent, and a couple of friends and I would don the gear (she knew and permitted us to) and we'd go down to the diving well and stay down for extended periods of time. It's one of the best ways to play "Don't let the brick we're throwing into the pool hit you on the head" and to hide from your coaches.

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I always thought that it would e fun to do, but I get claustrophobic and don't think I'd be able to handle it. I had a hard enough time the first few times I snorkeled and panicked a bit trying to breathe out of the tube, I doubt I'd be able to do it.

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I do just fine not wandering around in the ocean thank you. I like terra-firma, where things like Great White harks and Giant Squid can't kill me.

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I'm horribly claustrophobic and hate snorkeling. But I LOVE scuba diving! It's always worth a try - most dive shops offer a "discover scuba" class where you basically just get in the pool with the gear after short explanations, to see if you'd be interested in going for more.

To the OP - I got my cert at Blue Grotto and Devil's Den outside Gainesville, right at a year ago. I've done diving in Ft Lauderdale, Orlando and northern Ohio since then. It's tons of fun and if you enjoy it, be sure to keep taking classes. I took OW, AOW and rescue through my college. I highly recommend taking stress & rescue, it makes you way more comfortable in the water and makes you a better buddy. If you're ever in the area during the summer and want to hit the cold waters of Gilboa (below the thermocline at 35 feet it never gets above 55°), feel free to hit me up.

You'll have tons and tons of fun. While you're in Florida, see if you can do DiveQuest at Epcot. It's a 40 minute dive in the Living Seas salt water aquarium. It's on the pricey side but completely worth it.

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They have something at the Georgia aquarium I want to do where you get to swim with whale sharks. Way to expensive though at $290 to scuba dive I think the one at epcot though is cheaper, but you still have to buy an admission fee to get in to the park (which I can probably find someone to get me in for free)

What's a Great White hark?

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No, you don't have to buy admission, but you don't get admission in the price. You can show up just for the dive, and then afterwards they release you into the park to do whatever you want until closed. I'd recommend going for the earlier time so you get more free time in the park.

It's $150 for the Epcot dive, includes all equipment, though you can get it for cheaper if you've got AAA or go with a group. The only thing you can bring into the tank of your own is your mask. It's nice not having to set up everything though, that's for sure! When you leave the locker room and go to the tank, they've got your BC, tank, regs and weights already assembled and all you have to do is put your fins on and get in.

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2009 Diamondback laps: 41

We just got to start actual scuba diving in the pool. It is a lot of fun, but very tiring. It is really neat to be able to just lay on the bottom of the pool and still be able to breathe. I did not find it difficult at all to do as long as you just relaxed and breathe normally. I never though did have any problems with anything like claustrophobia or breathing out of something like a snorkel. It's always worth a try. You will enjoy it.

It is the descendant of the Great White Shark, or, distant cousin if you will, albeit, far sluttier.

Harlot and Shark were mended together to make the Great White Hark. THe only difference to it's ancestor, the Great White SHARK, is that while it's ripping your torso into pieces, it's also stealing your monies.

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Start practicing your bouyancy now! With everything else you're learning, you forget to learn how to hover, but if you start it early, you won't be fighting against bad habits later. It's really easy to overweight yourself or over-inflate your BC and have problems with bouyancy. The skills that you're practicing (mask off, reg recovery, buddy breathing) will become second nature by the end of class, so don't stress if you're having troubles with any of them right now. You've got plenty of time to work on them. That's one of the advantages to taking it in a college format - way more pool time than a standard class would get.

And remember - JUST BREATHE!

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06.18.09: Holiday World
2009 Diamondback laps: 41

I just got back from the trip, and I am now officially certified. It was so much fun, and its awesome to be able to do it. We went to Ginnie Springs, and went into one of the small caves at night (it was blocked off so you cant go deep into it). They put on a light show, and basically made the whole place light up with millions of little white dot things that looked like stars. It felt like being in space, and was the coolest thing ever. If you are in college, I suggest taking that class. You will enjoy it, and it is something nice to have for the rest of your life. Now I just need to get to Epcot and do the dive in the aquarium.

The best place to scuba dive is without a doubt the Florida Keys

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