Posted by brianc on August 15, 2001 at 11:58:48:
In Reply to: What?! Are you being serious? posted by Wayne on August 15, 2001 at 11:21:03:
is that he did his certification and only dives to date in warm water. "Warm water diver" sets off all sorts of alarms in my head. Not only have I worked with more warm water transplants than I can remember, I have personal experience similar to Duff's. I grew up on SoCal beaches, my mom was a swimming instructor, all of my family certified, I was a Jr. Lifeguard in Manhattan Beach. I got my scuba certs through Rescue in Florida though. My first cold water dives were a shock!
I would strongly recommend to Duff that he dive initially with someone who has experience introducing divers to cold water, low viz, surge and surf. That may be through a class, a formal tour, or informally with another diver, regardless of that diver's cert. level. A DM who has only worked on boats and not with new students for some time may not be as good a choice as another diver who has experience introducing new divers to local conditions through a group like Sandeaters, etc.