OW DPV sites

[tbone1004]

hasn't been said, but I would recommend against trying to get trigger time before the class. You may very well develop bad habits in technique that can take a while to correct. Law of Primacy.... Stay off the trigger until the instructor or good mentor that knows what they're doing can get the DPV positioned correctly for you that way instead of having the Law of Recency fighting Primacy, you have Primacy, Recency, and Intensity working together to make sure that you are developing good habits. Practice makes permanent, only perfect practice makes perfect.

[Nitrogenius]

Add the Mill pond to that list. Just stay out of the main channel.

and the hydrilla


And a little research by myself on that topic due to my last trip there. You can use the DPV, no apparent restriction on that..


BUT


Submerging in any area of the pond you apparently need a buoy with a Divers Flag..
Not having one apparently can be fined.. If I read the ordinance correctly it should be somewhere in the $50 range..


Arguable grey area would be scootering on the surface not being submerged, then you should be treated as a vessel..

[Sludge]

I would recommend against trying to get trigger time before the class.

Gotta disagree with you on this one. Get with an experienced (competent) scooter diver and figure out the type of knot, weighting, and just "getting the feel of it." Especially tight turns and all.

I hear too much "you can't learn how to do anything without a certified instructor."

[LMN]

I'd say time on the scooter before class is essential. I tried my scooter first time ever during the class, lets just say it did not go as planned. I was also told that running it through the eel grass will turn my Silent Submersion into a Salad Shredder �� That turned out to be true.

[tbone1004]

Gotta disagree with you on this one. Get with an experienced (competent) scooter diver and figure out the type of knot, weighting, and just "getting the feel of it." Especially tight turns and all.

I hear too much "you can't learn how to do anything without a certified instructor."

note I also said good mentor. Those just tend to be hard to find and if you are planning on taking the class anyway, that's what you are paying the instructor for, is teaching you how to use that piece of equipment properly, no sense in risking developing bad habits early. Just my opinion, so take it for what you want. I didn't have any real trigger time before class *had some a few years ago but that is long lost muscle memory* and most of the class was tweaking how to "feel' the scooter properly, tight turns, balance, etc. You know I'm a huge advocate of mentoring, and if you feel you have a good mentor, then by all means, learn there, but if you have a good mentor and are going to use them for instruction, why are you taking the class?

[Jack Hammer]

I think one should be proficient in OW with a scooter before taking it into a cave.

- Jeff

[Six Feet Under]

The Rainbow River would be a nice to do it, provided there are no dive shops doing check-outs with their open water students at the same time you're there. The flat sandy bottom right upriver from the KP hole should be big enough that you can practice turns, and has the benefit of having the waist/chest deep shallow water near the woodline on shore to allow you to make adjustments. That's where I test new stuff out if I don't feel like paying money to go somewhere like Blue Grotto or Ginnie.

[jason]

Thanks everyone for your input. It sounds like Rainbow is going to be a winner for the Tampa area....

[DMoore]

Morrison Springs

[MarkR]

Seems like I saw a group practicing with scooters at Fanning a few months back. That sure would be a convenient options for some.