Today was finally my first day of class.   My wife and I are getting a free open water class from her brother's best friend who's a master instructor.   We did the book stuff and studied prior to getting to FL, and today got into the pool pretty quickly after setting up our gear.

The first thing was do a 10min float, which I don't do.  Somehow I stayed up and on my back for the 10min and didn't panick.  My wife layed out stiff as a board and barely moved, and kept laughing at me moving around and banging into stuff.  But I made it.  

We started the basic beginning stuff, and we both had some trouble not breathing through our noses.  She managed to try to drink the pool, several times.   I figured she would give it up after the first time, but she gathered her self up, and tried again.  She got some skills done, and others kicked her butt because she'd get a bunch of water in her mask and suck it up her nose.    A storm blew in so we stopped and took a lunch and did our written tests and she was done.  

I went back after lunch and had to do laps, 12 down and back in a 30ft pool.  I haven't ever swam that far, cumulatively in years.  Somehow I doggie paddled my way slowly down and back, and had my triceps try and lock up on me about the 4th trip.  That sucked a fat one.  But slow and steady is how the fat boy did it.  

We were going to do the open water lesson somewhere around Cocoa Beach in a lake near the instructor, but the decided to head to Ft Lauderdale a day early.  We planned to go down Tuesday and be there for lobster opening at midnight.  They decided we will go tomorrow, and do the open water lesson somewhere down there.   So I'm pretty pumped about it.  I'm proud of my wife for trying several times and not giving up after the first issue.  He checker her off on what she accomplished and said she can go back at it whenever she's ready.

I've got my fishing and lobster license ready, even though I won't eat them.  My brother in law and his wife do, and I can bring some back for other people.  So here's to my first outing.  The best part is my BIL has the gear, and we are staying at his place, and I'll throw the instructor a hundred bucks even though he said he will do the class for free. The BIL is retiring in 4 mo ths, so whenever we want to come down and hit the water, he's ready.  I know I probably won't do much diving at home due to costs, but I see us coming to FL more often in the future.

Nice! Where is home?

I dive the Great Lakes, which are in my backyard, but I'm a crazy diver chick who loves cold water diving! See my diving experiences thread. It chronicles my OW class and all my diving experiences through my Advanced course (just got the card) and my trying out side mount at a gear demo day yesterday.

I learned to dive in a quarry with arm's length visibility. I was shocked when I had 25ft+ viz on Lake Michigan earlier this month!

Have fun! Stay safe!

ETA: that swim kicked my butt. I did it on my back!

Home is in SW Virginia.  Luckily we have a discount airline Allegiant Air that flys from our city to FL where my in laws live.

I only know one or 2 people that have dived for rescue, so I may need to hit them up sometime.  Our closest lake is probably only arms length visibility,

There are many former quarries converted into diving spots. You might have something like that within a few hours.

This would be the closest quarry for diving for the OP.  http://www.lake-phoenix.com/

I've never been but the local shop (in NOVA) used to do some mid-week training there, but this year they've been going to Hyde's Quarry in MD (I think cost is the reason).  The rest of the non-pool training is done at Dutch Springs.  I just got back from Dutch Springs a few hours ago, heading back again next month.

Interesting, thanks.  We have 2 dive shops in town, and I know they do lessons in a pool 5 minutes from my house.  Obviously I'd need to go poke around some, kind of like hanging at the LGS.    The probability of doing too many adventures has likely decreased due to wife's participation, so I have a feeling most further diving will be done with her brother.    Plus his Cuban wife makes some banging food.  I've eaten on some crock pot goulash type dish.  Ground beef, some noodles, carrots, don't know what else.  But that was THE BEST crock pot mash up chili type dish I've ever had.

If you have 2 dive shops, you most likely have diving within an hour or so.

So it looks like we are going to Lauderdale-by-the-sea to shore dive to finish my classes.   Tomorrow am will be my last lesson dive. Then Wednesday early am head out for lobsters after the first wave of divers have come back in.  I'm pretty stoked.  I just hope I keep my cool as good as I did in the pool.

I am there a lot...it's a great site. Hopefully they'll take you to the second reef [from shore]....there's a bit more to see there.  
Turtles, morays, reef squid, tarpon, tropicals, nurse sharks, good times.  Good food at Athenas too.

Have fun.

I am fairly certain that I am the only diver in  FL that doesn't participate in mini-season.  It's a freakin zoo, but a good time to sell off you old dive gear

We ended up about 150 yards past the end of the pier, on the southside.   We are going to try the north side this morning.  We are planning on going out about 3am after the first wave comes back in.

No- you're not. here's 2 of us.

1 mini-season frolic was enough to convince me to stay in bed.

If I'm right with the above info, you really need to check out Gray Quarry.

ETA: Made my inline text red...

Smith Mountain Lake. And yes Allegiant flies from my hometown to Sanford FL where her brother lives.

So this am, we went out and did my last training dive for 20 minutes then surfaced for 10.  Went back down and stayes down for 44 minutes.  Saw the canons and anchor near the pier, small shark, small stingray. Saw about 6 keeper lo stern also.   Overall today was better than yesterday.  I had issues with my trim yesterday, so more weight today helped.  Yesterday, the first open water dive I was a mess at the beginning on the surface.  Couldn't relax and settle down.  But once under water, I seemed fine.  Being down has been much easier for me than I thought.  The surface ocean swimming I have some issues with, but that's always been the case.   Today I was much more relaxed getting started at the surface.   We started north of the pier and swam south of it to get out.  Hiking with the gear on sucks, but my guys didn't bring a sand worthy wagon.  

I feel bad because my wife didn't do too well in the pool the other day.  She has this fear of being down deep, because of a kid that held her under water when she was young.  Even though she grew up swimming, and swims like a fish on the surface, when we settled in the 9ft end of the pool, she only lasted a minute or two and she was done.  I figured she was done after she kept swallowing water, but that wasn't her issue.  Buy now she feels like the 5th wheel, and doesn't like the fact my instructor is a single horn dog that is always talking about getting a piece.  For a guy in his 50's, he's jacked and in great shape, but would rather surf and dive then have a wife.  Best part is, he would only take $100 from me for his time, even thought I gave him more.  I'm beyond appreciative for that.  

Let's see how tonight goes for my first night dive.

Our shop here is open till midnight....

Please don't give up on your wife right now. I had some water fears myself. When you get back home, find a patient instructor and have your wife do some one-on-one time with instructor. It made a huge difference in my case.

Not much structure on North side of pier...South is much better
Google maps is your friend
I have posted this on other sites.



I have bee here a lot.  Also ongoing plan to do 3rd reef (mooring balls) but bailed during dive due to condittions.  One attempt with doubles a pirates of the carribean storm blew in while I was on 2nd reef...lightening too.  That was a long dive waiting it out.

Enjoy the mahem

Which shop?  We've been going to Gold Coast since it's close to where we are at and the two guys I am with have been going there for a few years.

Did my first night dive this AM.  We got up at 2am to give the midnight lobster crowd a chance to get out of the water.  I was down for about 40-45 minutes, which I felt good about being fat and out of shape. I helped my instructor grab one, our other 2 divers got 5 more.   I had 4lbs less on me, because I forgot them, but I felt like my trim was better and more consistent.  With 14lbs, earlier in the day, I didn't do a good job with my BC, so any deep breaths I took I rose more than I wanted.  I didn't have that issue this am with 10lbs.    I surfaced to the flag first, and waited on the pros.  But I couldn't keep up holding on to the flag, so I headed to shore instead of having my instructor drag me.  I got a bit of an ass chewing for it.   Those guys did a tank change and went back out, but I didnt.  That 300 yard swim on the surface kicked my ass.  Plus walking back up the beach with jello legs.  I was more worried about getting back in after the second dive, not so much the dive.  Those guys didn't score any, but I felt like I was holding them up on their hunting mission, so didn't want to the second time.    

Overall I felt pretty good about the dive.  Vis was pretty decent, about like it was in daytime.  I suck wind, but never felt out of breath or struggled.  My mask worked good, borrowed flippers are eating tops of my toes.  I'm wearing some thin booties, as well as some harder soled shoes.    

Getting ready to head back out in a bit.  Looks like I should be able to get in 8 total dives, from pool work to now before we go home.  

Not sure which is going to cost more, guns or scuba.

Scuba

Well I survived.  I'm thankful for the experience.  I hope to continue on.  These guys want me to come back down to FL and go diving soon.  My instructor is retired and my BIL will be in 4 months.  

That was the most ass kicking I have taken in a long time.  My instructor said I got the best experience, because now going to a lake or somewhere similar will be easy after having to deal with rough surf for every dive.  My go pro footage sucked, luckily the other guys got good pics and footage.  My wife got some good long distance pics of me dragging ass out of the water and up the beach. My face says "dont stop moving or my legs are going to collapse".  

Today's final dive was better.  We walked in "upstream" of the current, and hung out over the reef.  Waves were the worst today and swimming out was brutal.  We hung out and saw a shark, and we only found 1 lobster today.    Today was the first time I didn't feel like I was going to die walking in.  

Now tomorrow's adventure is driving a nascar around Daytona Speedway.

Glad you had a good time.
The shop I was referring to is 80 miles due North.  We are blessed with an abundance of diving opportunities here, starting where I am at and heading South.  I have no problem travelling in my shitbox [40mpg] to any of them, it's diving, not work.  I dive every weekend, with rare exceptions.  My car smells like whale puke most times.
Get nitrox certified before you come down next time and you can enjoy some of the deeper stuff.   The best shore dives are in Broward county though.  I have hit just about all of them.   There is Blue Heron Bridge [there today] in Palm Beach Cty.  This maybe a good spot for your wife.  I don't really count this as shore diving as it is a fairly naturally controlled site. This is a tide dependent site, high tide.  Yes there is current, sometimes a lot, but if you stay in certain spots, you won't notice.  The area I am referring to is about 10-12' [snorkel trail].  I spend most of my time there under the bridges though.  Current is mild to strong.
LMK if you have any questions.

ETA:  forgot to ask, what fins were you using?  The wrong fins will wear you out in a shore dive.  I have been using full foot Mares Avanti's for a few years and haven't looked back.  I swim as much as 1.5 miles on some dives.  That's swimming, not drifting.  I have drifted further.

Don't know what kind of fins they were, I borrowed them.  They wore a nasty hole in the tops of 2 of my toes, even after doubling up on socks and booties.

Overall, I had a great time.  Part of me wishes we could have done some diving in a place that didn't require SO MUCH work, but the other part sees the value in having gone through it.  We didn't find very deep water, as those of you know that have been in that area.  But it was an awesome experience.  I'm shocked I made it through it honestly, so I'm excited to work on it more.

Dug the fins out and looked.  They are Tusa Tri EX fins that I used.