Beginner to Diving outside of Club

[warmwaterdiver]

Originally Posted by recurve

You may find one or two trips posted for 'virgins', they are great fun and a great intro both to the dives and the divers.

Popped my cherry last year in Swanage. Deep joy, first UK sea dives, loved it to bits, great helpful people on hand to help you as much as you need. Hopefully up in Scapa later this year with YDers too, and I believe there is a Scapa virgins trip too.

Get yer name down

PS Stoney is my second home due to non-proximity of decent diveable water on the coasts round here, and I actually quite enjoy that too!

Oh, I've never joined a club, YD has kindly provided me with a whole host of great buddies.

one space just become available on week 2 Phil if your interested

[resting rifleman]

ian, you should find hardboat diving pretty straightforward, and relaxed, particularely midweek! get a buddy with a similar goal and get out there and do it.
there are a fair few hardboats who do training dives for students through a school or private instructors, and a couple of extra divers may make the difference between running a trip at a profit or a loss, so you will be welcomed and looked after!
hth.
mike.

[Ian@1904]

You will find that many of us are members of clubs where the club is not as active as we would like. So we use YD to arrange the diving fixes that we need.
Most of us are harmless, although you will be exposed to strange kit like twinsets, rebreathers, and then you can learn more about other agencies and contribute to the PADI v BSAC v SAA v DIR debate, bungy or not, inverted cylinders, Salvo v Greenforce, and how to make you own weights
At first it is a bit like going on a blind date, so I have heard, after that you will accept it as the norm. Joined about 2 years ago 140 dives in that time about 100 through YD.
Relax and enjoy

[DecoWarrior]

i was nervous about leaving my club at first however now i have made so many friends and have done spo many amazing dives its wicked if i hadnt have left the club that wouldnt have happend i may be a nerve wrackin experience but when you have a bit more confidence and you have done it a few times you will find that you learn a lot of positives and negatives and it will open your eyes to some amazing and not so amazing people

do it and dont look back treat every dive and everytrip as a new experience and learning curve

your diving will progress with expanding your skills and experience and learning from so many more people than you would in a club

do it and dont look back i for one didnt

[MATTBIN]

Dropped out of my club after the first year and since then all my diving has been done via YD, great bunch of people. Expect a new buddy to maybe want to do a checkout dive rather than straight into a 35m dive with someone unknown. I would exopect someone to want that from me and vice versa. You wont regret diving with YDers. I started diving with people from here when we were all on singles, since then we have progressed to twins so you are bound to fit in as we would all be happy to buddy up and help out less experienced.

Matt

[pieater]

What i did to start off with was to post a few, very specific, requests in the Buddies forum. That way I knew I was in control of what was happening on the trip.

That allowed me to build up confidence in the whole process...as well as being rabidly keen - stage 1.

When I'd done a couple of those, had met a few YD'ers and discovered they weren't all mad teccy nutters I started to respond to other people's posts in the buddies forum. That was stage two.

As a result of friendships made I've joined a BSAC club (was previously PADI), doing as many dives as I want and six months later have just finished SD. I'm looking at starting DL, and am considering starting instructing.

Starting interacting with the people that populate these forums and not being a spectator has changed my diving totally - and for the better.

Oh yeah, and I've bought some twins. They're ace! As are stainless fin straps, long hose regs, necklaced back-ups, V weights and all the other things I've picked up from YD that I wouldn't otherwise have known about. Now, when I meet up with the people I PADI trained with for a dive, it's ME that looks like the mad teccy nutter

[Ian@1904]

Originally Posted by pieater

Oh yeah, and I've bought some twins. They're ace! As are stainless fin straps, long hose regs, necklaced back-ups, V weights and all the other things I've picked up from YD that I wouldn't otherwise have known about. Now, when I meet up with the people I PADI trained with for a dive, it's ME that looks like the mad teccy nutter

You just need a Salvo or Greenforce light system for the complete set.

[Ian@1904]

Originally Posted by MATTBIN

You wont regret diving with YDers.
Matt

Although your bank manager might

[kath2407]

We are a lovely bunch!!! My new club which i only joined in Jan of this year have most of their trips sorted. Not a problem I can just get to know them over aperiod of time. This year, I have 9 trips booked all of which are YD in some shape or form. Last year I took the plunge and ended up in Egypt on a liveaboard for a week.

Everyone elses advice seems sound. Start with a one dayer (if you are near the sea and can do single days) or a weekend.

PM the organiser and they should explain the likely profiles, depths, boat type etc etc.

If you want to try it, PM other people on the trip (from the trip list).

I don't think I have met ANYONE on YD who I don't like. Some have turned into best mates but I've never met anyone horrid!!!!

And just remember as per someones sig - the only silly question is the one you don't ask. No one should berate you for asking ANYTHING!

Best of luck. Theres three spaces on a trip to Skye for a week and spaces on an Eyemouth June trip!!! I'll be diving single and pony .

K XX

[pieater]

Originally Posted by Ian@1904

You just need a Salvo or Greenforce light system for the complete set.

That's next after I get my new Protec drysuit...