Question

Did you get certified in a Lake, Quarry, or Ocean?

Answer 1

Having grown up in Florida my friends had dive shops and I didn't get certified until I moved to California. I was certified in Monterey in cold water. Big change from Florida wearing a bathing suits to 7mm wetsuit. After two years I switched to a drysuit.

Answer 2

Ocean for me! A lot of new divers around my area get certified in a spring-fed lake (brrr!), but I already had a trip planned to the Bahamas just three weeks after my classes ended, so I got a referral to do my checkout dives there. The vis was amazing and the water was warm, so I was completely comfortable. It felt just like the swimming pool I'd trained in, only with much more interesting sights than tiled walls!

I've been out to the lake where new divers train, and while it's a fun place to go diving with lots of purpose-sunk wrecks to explore, it's still a lake in the Northeast, so it's cold pretty much any time of year. I'm glad I was able to get my first full experience of diving in the ocean instead!

Answer 3

None of the above! I got certified in a Spring ;-)

Ginnie Springs, FL to be specific. Also got to dive Devil's Den (neat dive experience but not something I would go back for multiple times lol).

Good times.

Answer 4

A really cold, really cloudy lake!  My first ocean dive was like an epiphany!

Answer 5

I got certified in the freshwater springs of North florida...in November. I prefer the warm waters of the ocean now!

Answer 6

I was lucky and got certified in Dominica, if you can go dive there it is so beautiful and the local people are very nice. I got lucky and my sister was going to medical school down there and she needed a extra few people for luggage, so me and the family went down there and I got certified down there. How and where did you start out on?

Comments

I originally got certified in Lake Ouachita located in southern Ark. We have been taking students to Vortex and Morison Springs in Florida for cert dives. The water is clear and cold.
Lake Ouachita is cold too but it has about 10 feet of vis on a good day. Lake Quachita is closer but not as clear. Students are more at ease when they can see.

Answer 7

Ocean, on a two day trip at the Channel Islands - I did it right!

Answer 8

Prepped in quarry but certified in ocean.

Answer 9

In a cold, mucky quarry.  I remember a bass or perch kept trying to eat my earlobe during one of my test dives

Answer 10

We made our certification dives in a very cold, dark quarry. It was a hot summer day which made the water temp more appealing, but the walk up and down the hill to get to the water and back up for the surface interval with gear and weights on was terrible.