[TotalPower]

SCUBA is great-especially when you have a buddy to go with. I've gone diving in Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico, San Diego, CA,...never done a lake...always ocean. Boat diving is where it's at!

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by TotalPower

SCUBA is great-especially when you have a buddy to go with. I've gone diving in Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico, San Diego, CA,...never done a lake...always ocean. Boat diving is where it's at!

????

Have you done any shore diving? Bonaire, Cruacao and Cayman are AWESOME places to just walk into the water. Boat diving isn't always where it's at.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by matthewk

????

Have you done any shore diving? Bonaire, Cruacao and Cayman are AWESOME places to just walk into the water. Boat diving isn't always where it's at.

+1

Same in Oki. The best diving I did there was shore-based.

[TotalPower]

I've done some shore diving La jolla, ca and in the carribean- i just hate having to swim out....it's nice to just plop down, and have the boat pick you up when you're done

[MDamman003]

well i finished my pool dives and exam so now I am ready to go ahead and do the open water testing which will be done down in the keys but not until March now due to my family situation that will be going on until then. So pumped to go down there and finish it. I have been taking everybody's advice and me and my dad and brothers are going to start looking around for great vacation places over Christmas break. Thank you for the great ideas.

[drewh130]

Originally Posted by matthewk

????

Have you done any shore diving? Bonaire, Cruacao and Cayman are AWESOME places to just walk into the water. Boat diving isn't always where it's at.

Oahu is also a great place for shore dives...done about 50-60 on the North Shore and west side alone

[TunedM2C]

OK, I'll ask....any shark (reef & nurse sharks need not apply) encounters or other hairy moments you guys care to share? The deep sea intrigues me yet there's still so much we don't even know yet.

[The Ghost of Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by Tuned1

OK, I'll ask....any shark (reef & nurse sharks need not apply) encounters or other hairy moments you guys care to share? The deep sea intrigues me yet there's still so much we don't even know yet.

i wouldn't call shark encounters 'hairy moments'. they're pretty harmless and will just check you out and keep moving most of the time. you rarely ever hear stories of shark biting divers. nurse sharks are mostly docile and just sit on the bottom motionless. reefs are a bit more active, but like i said, usually just check you out and swim on by. even seeing a shark active during the day is pretty rare at most dive sites anyway.

i'm more concerned with barracuda personally. those guys really like to get up close and personal. those teeth in your face don't play! they're way more likely to take a nip at you than a shark. my first night dive on the vandenberg was pretty much dodging barracuda the whole time. they really want to check out your light and will nip at just about anything shiny on your gear. you hear stories all the time about barracuda biting earrings or watches...basically anything shiny with a reflection. sharks very rarely do that stuff.

[TunedM2C]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of Tom Joad

i wouldn't call shark encounters 'hairy moments'. they're pretty harmless and will just check you out and keep moving most of the time. you rarely ever hear stories of shark biting divers. nurse sharks are mostly docile and just sit on the bottom motionless. reefs are a bit more active, but like i said, usually just check you out and swim on by. even seeing a shark active during the day is pretty rare at most dive sites anyway.

i'm more concerned with barracuda personally. those guys really like to get up close and personal. those teeth in your face don't play! they're way more likely to take a nip at you than a shark. my first night dive on the vandenberg was pretty much dodging barracuda the whole time. they really want to check out your light and will nip at just about anything shiny on your gear. you hear stories all the time about barracuda biting earrings or watches...basically anything shiny with a reflection. sharks very rarely do that stuff.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've snorkeled with 'cudas before and they are intimidating for sure. They're not shy by any means.

[Mahmood07]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of Tom Joad

i wouldn't call shark encounters 'hairy moments'. they're pretty harmless and will just check you out and keep moving most of the time. you rarely ever hear stories of shark biting divers. nurse sharks are mostly docile and just sit on the bottom motionless. reefs are a bit more active, but like i said, usually just check you out and swim on by. even seeing a shark active during the day is pretty rare at most dive sites anyway.

i'm more concerned with barracuda personally. those guys really like to get up close and personal. those teeth in your face don't play! they're way more likely to take a nip at you than a shark. my first night dive on the vandenberg was pretty much dodging barracuda the whole time. they really want to check out your light and will nip at just about anything shiny on your gear. you hear stories all the time about barracuda biting earrings or watches...basically anything shiny with a reflection. sharks very rarely do that stuff.

I agree. I encountered a school of hammerheads which kept circling us for 10 - 15 minutes then left. As soon as we jumped in they sensed us and came to check us out, but since we are not on their menu its a beautiful sight to watch. Also +1 on the barracudas.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by Tuned1

OK, I'll ask....any shark (reef & nurse sharks need not apply) encounters or other hairy moments you guys care to share? The deep sea intrigues me yet there's still so much we don't even know yet.

Florida, swimming under a ledge in a reef at about 70ft, come out from under the ledge and no more than 10ft above me there it is. Thing was about 15ft long and its belly was white as coconut flesh. Just swam on by, I was basically frozen. I have never seen anything like it, first and hopefully last run in with a great white. It was pretty terrifying, likely because of the stigma with that 2000+ pound beast, but it was BIG.

Lots of other shark run ins but that was the one that I would call hairy.