Newly Qualified Diver Looking for buddy

[Matthew]

Hi im Matthew im a newly qualified Advanced open water diver with limited experience. I have only done the dives nessecary to get the Qualifications which i have (Open Water, Advanced Open Water and Nitrox)

I live in North West London and i'm looking for a buddy with some higher experience.

as i said im newly qualified and very eager to do as many dives as i can i have however onlt dived in a confine lake in holland (Dive College De Kempervennen, http://www.divecollege.com its in dutch) and im looking to expand my knoledge and passion for diving.

Ps. im also looking for some cheep 2nd hand gear, if any one has some?

[SteveJ]

Hi Mathew, I'm another YD newbie. Only been diving myself for 2 years but have fallen into most of the pitfalls of a beginner. it's an addictive hobby tho' innit.

Have you thought about joining a club? There are loads of BSAC or SAA clubs in your part of the world http://www.bsac.co.uk/ or http://www.saa.org.uk/ .

If you join the right club you'll get loads of buddies and will be able to develop your experience incrementally.

Also, a word to the wise, buying cheap, second hand kit is rarely a bargain in the long term. I made this mistake and had to replace much of it after a few months. If you do get second hand kit, especially regs, you must get them serviced properly and by the time you've paid for that, it is rarely such a bargain.

Take care, its cold and wet out there!

Steve

[Phoenix]

Hi Mathew,

There is a diving boot sale at Vobster next weekend (10th/11th) where a lot of gear will be for sale (some of it from my boot). Have a look at the personal ads section on YD, there's a lot of stuff on there.

Ian

[RichieG]

We are a london based BSAC club always looking for enthusiatic divers!

http://www.londondiver.com

We also hire out kit - so there is no need to rush out and buy everything before you know what you really want!

[Howard Payne]

I belong to the Dive Wimbledon diving club down in SW London. We have regular trips down to the south coast (Swanage, Plymouth & Shoreham in the last 6 weeks) and regular trips abroad (12 of us are off to Marsa Alam in 3 weeks time). Might be a good option for you because we have a Dutch guy in his late twenties with a similar level of experience to you who is very active in the club. Would be great to see you, e-mail me if you would like further details

All the best

[Tricky]

Originally Posted by SteveJ

Also, a word to the wise, buying cheap, second hand kit is rarely a bargain in the long term. I made this mistake and had to replace much of it after a few months. If you do get second hand kit, especially regs, you must get them serviced properly and by the time you've paid for that, it is rarely such a bargain.

I have to disagree with this. Yes, buying second hand kit can be risky, but it's actually a very good way for a beginner to build up their kit if you're careful (and research your prices). Almost all of my kit was bought second hand, this includes regs, cylinders and wing. Much of it came from eBay, although I some of it came from here. When my dive kit insurance was valid, the total coverage was somewhere in the region of twice what I payed for the kit - not a bad saving as far as I'm concerned.

[Matthew]

thanks for all your help im going to check all the sites and think about what you have said

matt

[Mr T.]

A warm welcome to you Mat!

Any questions, please just ask. Read the boards and get an opinion on most subjects - there are plenty and they will all either prove or disprove your theories on your present 'how do I...?' methodology.

Join us when you're ready for a wet - see the Planned Trips section for details and get your name down on a trip as and when it suits ya

Cheers and enjoy.