Just got certified!

[Tfriend]

My family and our friends go to tablerock every year. We have a group of about 10 family that go down. My Aunt and Uncle just bought a house next to port of kimberling. I dove for the first time at the state park marina and loved it. So after going back for a few year i decided to get certified. Well here am I, ready to go and man do I wanna get down there. I havent had much experence diving so I dont know where to go. my dad got certified with me so I can have someone to go with. My question is where should a beginning diver go. My limit is about 50 feet right now and thats pushing it. Where can I go to do some nice diving. Again I have been to tablerock about a 100 times and know it like the back of my hand, I just dont know where to dive. Slim, do you work at the dive shop at the SPM? Any tips on where to go and conditions would be great. I think my first trip out will be in the middle of April. I gotta let it warm up a little first!

[theskull]

Congrats.

SLIM is in Mexico diving right now (he likes it warmed up a little, too).

To give you a couple starters:
At Kimberling City that whole North bank at the bridge is an excellent dive site. It is a terraced wall, so you can pick how deep you want to go and swim along the wall. And the cove just to the East is a nice dive site, too.

At Branson there is excellent diving at the dam and at Moonshine Beach on the other side of the dam.

With a boat, there are literally thousands of places to dive. Best visibility is typically in the main channel, especially on the inside of the bends. Lots of nice coves, too.

Get out on a boat with SLIM, or just start picking spots. It won't take long to get a feel for where the better spots are.

Also, the website for the TRL Marina has a page that lists some of the more popular sites.

See ya down there,
theskull

[skdvr]

Welcome to the board, and to the wonderful underwater world... As TheSkull says there are lots of places at TRL to dive. You can pretty much just pick out a spot and get in the water. It would not hurt to get out a few times with someone that knows some good spots if you are going by boat. Just becareful of crazy boaters and seadooers in the summer time down there. Keep up with this board and let us know when you are going to be down there. There are plenty of us on here that dive TRL. If I ever happen to be down there at the same time you are, you are more than welcome to dive with me...

Phil

[Tfriend]

Awesome that we be cool! My uncle has house down there and he goes down about two weekends out of the month. So I could go down there anytime for a long weekend. He is certified to so im sure he would be down for going anytime. Our family goes down for ten days starting July 3rd. I know its a super busy time around that weekend, but hopefully I can find a couple calm coves to dive in! I dont think I will be buying my own gear for awhile...maybe rent the first year or two. But I am going to buy a wetsuit, any brands in particular you guys are fond of? I was thinking about 5mm wetsuit? what do you think

[theskull]

. . . I dont think I will be buying my own gear for awhile...maybe rent the first year or two. But I am going to buy a wetsuit, any brands in particular you guys are fond of? I was thinking about 5mm wetsuit? what do you think

How old are you? If you're still growing, buy the cheapest suit you can find. A 5mm full suit would be a great start. Get a hooded vest, too. Brand doesn't matter too much.

theskull

[skdvr]

I generally go down for a week, just after the 4th of July so we will see if we happen to be down there at the same time this year or not.

As for gear, the first thing that I bought was a 7mm wetsuit and a hooded vest. My thinking is that most of the lake down there is cold enough once espically you get past the thermocline that a 7mm is not going to be to hot. Once you start going a little deeper, or diving a little later in the year, you will like that extra insulation that the 7mm will offer. Then I also have a 3mm suit that I will use down at TRL in the summer time if I am going to be doing a shallow dive. It very nice to get into the 3mm after trying to push myself into a 7mm. Don't be in a huge rush to get out and buy all your gear (sounds like you are not). I hurried up and bought all my own gear pretty quickly after getting certified and there were things that I bought that I probably would not have if I had only taken a little bit more time to figure out what I really wanted. So take your time, rent some gear, check out what other divers that are doing the same type of dives you will be doing are wearing and using. Ask opinions of other people that you are diving with, or on this board. Just remember that opinions are just that. There may be something that I really like for one reason, and someone else may have a reason why they do not like it.

So take your time. Take more classes. Your Open Water class is just the begining. Dive Safe....

Phil

[Tfriend]

I am 20 years old. I think I'm done growing lengh wise but I probably have a few more pounds to gain...I'm 6'3 170 pounds, I haven't grown in a couple years....my local dive shop has a used body glove 7mm wet suit on sale for 50 bucks so I might just snag that, it looks to be in good conditon, just a little faded. If I remember right its a bib suit with a jacket...no hood. I think I will just rent my gear from Slim the first year while I'm down there, they probably bone you on the price though. we leave the 3rd and come home the 14th. nice long ger away. Is anyone a member of the dive club at slims place? I think I'm going to join that later in the year, I think you get 10 free air fills which is like 70 bucks anyway so its a pretty good deal. I am just itching to get in that water!!! sorry about gramatical errors I'm typing this on my phone in a super boring class

[skdvr]

Here is my OPINION on farmer john suits (bib). I think that a 1 piece 7mm will be warmer, as there are not 2 pieces of neoprene for the water to move through. If the suits fits you just right you may not have that water moving around, but then you also have 14mm of neoprene on your core, that can make mobility a bit of a challenge. Remember what I said about opinions though, this one just happens to be mine...

Phil

[b1gcountry]

A 5mm with a good hooded vest is a very versatile combination. If you really get into diving, you will get a drysuit for around here, and the 7mm will collect dust. I still use my 5mm/hooded vest for a lot of stuff.

Tom

[skdvr]

My 7mm is collecting dust as Tom says.... The only wetsuit I use now is my 3mm...

Phil

[theskull]

I am 20 years old. I think I'm done growing lengh wise but I probably have a few more pounds to gain...I'm 6'3 170 pounds, I haven't grown in a couple years....my local dive shop has a used body glove 7mm wet suit on sale for 50 bucks so I might just snag that, it looks to be in good conditon, just a little faded. If I remember right its a bib suit with a jacket...no hood. I think I will just rent my gear from Slim the first year while I'm down there, they probably bone you on the price though. we leave the 3rd and come home the 14th. nice long ger away. Is anyone a member of the dive club at slims place? I think I'm going to join that later in the year, I think you get 10 free air fills which is like 70 bucks anyway so its a pretty good deal. I am just itching to get in that water!!! sorry about gramatical errors I'm typing this on my phone in a super boring class

I bought my first wetsuit at a local shop closeout, and then in the next couple years I grew more "muscular" and couldn't breathe when I wore it. Sounds like you may be in a similar situation. Buy something that is on sale. I agree with skdvr to stay away from the 2-piece "michelin man" suits, and get a 1-piece 5mm or 7mm full suit, depending on how well you tolerate the cold. The hooded vest is an additional piece that is one of the best buys in SCUBA insulation.

SLIM won't hose you on gear rental--his shop realizes the value of getting people in the water often so they will develop their skills and really learn to love diving. And I have been a member of the State Park Marina Dive Club for many years--it is an excellent buy, so good that they don't advertise it, you need to ask for it or be one of the regular customers who get it offered to them. Once you've been around awhile you'll develop some gear preferences and come across either a great sale at the local shop or get a good buy on some lightly used gear from someone who lost interest or upgraded to more expensive models. If you do dive regularly, in addition to owning a good-fitting wetsuit, you will want your own BC and regulator. These will last many years and you won't outgrow them.

Looking forward to diving with you on the lake this summer.

theskull

[chris_thompson98]

The first time we got certified on TRL we used 7mm's, It was late october and the water temp was 68* and below the thermocline it was around 54* I belive. They were just fine in the water and Really Really hot outside of the water. My wife uses a 5mm and I have a 2.5. We dove in late August and even below the thermocline, the 2.5 was just fine. Any later in the year id want at least a 5mm.

Im in the same boat, I cant wait to get back down there and dive. Since Laurie is pregnat, it might not be easy to get down there. But I will make it down one way or another.

Also, we rented our gear for the first 10 or so dives we did. It was just fine, Till you get over the crest and realize that you want to do it more then just a couple times a year. We just bought all of our gear. Its really nice to have your own.

Renting your gear down with slim, you wont get bad junk gear that you will get when you go to mexico or somewhere like that. The stuff down there still holds up failry good. We rented down there probably 5 times before we got our own gear.