# Anyone go SCUBA diving?



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Yup, hellO!
So I think I'll make another trip in Vietnam before goin' Some of the my dad's friends(they're the Vietnamese that live in the states) will come here in the beginning of Jul and I may join with them for a trip to some islands near Nha Trang. I was there once but I only had snorkel at my disposal that time but still, I could enjoy the beauty of the reef there. about 100 km away from the bank lays shallow zones (only about 1m deep) and go further more away from the back there're great diving spaces with the marince fish as well as other creatures. It's a really cool place for scuba diving. 
I wonder if any of you have experiences with scuba diving. Please tell me. About the gear. I think I gotta rent it though it's costy ( Ouch costs me several bucks for an hour) but I think it's worth.
So any idea? 
Thanks.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

i have never been, but want to!! enjoy yourself


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

We will be going to Florida for christmas this year and i so cannot wait to see the reef's and everything, am going to have to get a underwater cam before going as well(hmm b-day coming up lol) I can only imagine how beautiful it must be under there.


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## fishboy (Feb 26, 2005)

i snorkled in hawaii but that sas close as i got


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## Pareeeee (Jan 22, 2005)

I took a beginner's Scuba course once a few months ago. It was reallllly fun, just in a huge swimming pool though 

Would love to go sea diving


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I'm a diver. What do you want to know?


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2005)

I scuba. hence the name: SCUBA KID!


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

scuba so can u catch cool SW fishies for me and send them my way?


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2005)

NO! tHEY'RE ALL MINE! MUA HAHAHA!

i could MP but they're mostely northern fish but in the summer some tropicals (mostely babies) come up from the gulf of mexico and i catch some. this will be my third year of trying to raise baby spotfin butterfly fish. and i know i will succeed! ive caught a filefish and many spotfins and a bicolor damselfish. hwoever, a book i has says that highhats and triggers also come up this way.

(little note: im not taking wild fish and killing them by trying to raise the butterflies because they die when late fall hits. they cant get back to tropical waters. just didnt want to seem like a fish killer)


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well he he thanks...
For the OldSalt and Scuba Kid... do you buy the equipment yourself or you rent? Well what to say? Well, is diving really hard? where can I learn the hadn signal?
Thanks,,,


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

maxpayne_lhp said:


> I wonder if any of you have experiences with scuba diving. Please tell me. About the gear.


The closest I have come is to stick my head in my fishtank. No gear necessary.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Scuba Kid, the Spotfins will survive if you feed them live blackworms and chopped up aiptasia anemones.

I own my equipment. 

Diving isn't hard at all. It's just a matter of paying attention.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

[email protected] fish_doc... a ha ha ha
Well OldSalt, if it's ok to ask. Does it cost you an arm and a leg and do you need to spend for improvements, 'upgrades' later?
Thanks


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2005)

i rent my gear.

Oldsalt:
are anemones neccesary in their diet? id assume that this would become and expensive food....

also, these spotfins are dime sized. will they be able to handle blackworms?


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## elmaxxx (Jun 28, 2005)

come dive in mediterranean my advice =0)


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, SCUBA gear is not cheap. As it happens, yes, you have to buy more stuff later, since your airtank only lasts a few years, and your BC will eventually wear out, and valves get corroded. However, this stuff will last for a pretty good while, so it's not that big a problem.
As for upgrades and improvements, well, if you WANT them, you can buy them. You don't NEED them though. A regulator, a BC, a tank, and you're good to go.

Scubakid, those little brown aiptasia anemones are usually easy to get for free, since they're considered an aquarium pest. Just hit the LFS on new rock day with a pair of scissors. It's also possible to set up a tank just for growing them in great number. As for the blackworms, just chop them up into little tiny bits. The fish will eat them much more readily anyway when they can smell their yummy innards.
Please note that the worms will NOT sustain them forever. They will need anemones and anything else you can get them to eat. It will take several months before they decide to eat "fishfood" assuming that they EVER do.


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## Jonno (May 22, 2005)

I have been diving for a year now, if you want to know anything i would be pleased to help !


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Thanks for the info OldSalt, maybe I'll rent it anyway. I don't know if it's good to purchase for my next trip... cause brining to the states is another problem and ya... don;t know if it's great to buy one here. Hmmm and I don;t think they provide us any service to check the security of the wquipment... 
Thanks Jonno too! I'll ask when I need 
Elmaxxx: I'll come there later, I love the Mediterranean and the girls there lol jk.


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Some good diving/snorkeling in florida is in the keys. My grandma has a home there and there are so many reefs its ridiculous. If anyone goes down try Alligator Reef,Hens and chickens(weird name for a reef)or you can take a tour to a good reef at Penne Kamp they take you out on a boat and you snorkel our scuba. Thats the touristy one though.....I am plannin on getting my scuba licscense when i turn 13....


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Oh so you gotta have lisences to dive? Do we gotta learn much before have a kinda test or something?
I'll be glad if they set me to FL. However, are sharks a menace for divers?


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## Fishboy93 (Jun 11, 2005)

Yeah you need a liscense they teach you to acclimate and how the equipment functions. Down here you go for 2 hrs. for 3 day i think i dunno. The requirements may be different in Vietnam.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Ya they dun ask us about anything. That's a definition that Vietnamese don't know: safety.


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

Well, at least in the U.S., you do need to be a liscensed diver to scuba. The first certificate you get after passing your training course allows you to dive to a depth of 12 meters (40 ft.).


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2005)

really pac-man? my license doesnt say anything about depth. it's a junior open water diver license and all it says is that i need to go with a licensed adult until i am 16.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Does it cost much? I think I'll apply for one...


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

maxpayne_lhp said:


> Oh so you gotta have lisences to dive? Do we gotta learn much before have a kinda test or something?
> I'll be glad if they set me to FL. However, are sharks a menace for divers?



ive never even seen any around here....every once in a while there is a freak attack (i think there have been 3 on the news recently) but its not as common as one would think


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## Guest (Jul 6, 2005)

Lydia's right. sharks generally stay away from divers.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Cha cool! That shoudl be scary if a shark sneaks towards you... Hmmm
Thanks very much


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

There are about 30 shark attacks per year in florida waters, but most of them are against ordinary swimmers, not divers. Swimmers just give off that "eat me" vibe that divers don't.

As for depths, your C-card ( diving license ) has no depth limit on it. However, when in training, you'll learn that 130 is the maximum you can go with ordinary compressed air, and since the standard C-card is no good for the mixed gases diving, 130 feet is the default depth limit. That's okay; most of the good stuff is WAY shallower than that.


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