I want to get certified to scuba dive. Does anyone here have any recommendations on where to get certified? Preferably reasonably close to the 610 and 290 area but I'm okay with going somewhere in town. I'm looking for someplace where you had a good experience and any "do's and don'ts" type advice. Thanks.
I used: www.gigglinmarlin.com They are near shepard near 59. They use the bellaire pool for your learning dives. Classy shop, excellent training. Scuba is a really expensive sport. You only really need to buy fins, mask, snorkel and a weight belt. Don't buy a BCD, computer or octo. You won't need these unless you plan to dive alot which is really feasible if you live in houston. My advice is don't buy equipment from the shop. Go to a different shop and try on some masks and see which one fits (take note of the model number). Also try on some fins to get a basic idea of what to get. Then go to www.leisurepro.com or even amazon and get it for about half the price. You will also need dive boots and a snorkel (just get the cheapest one thats on sale or clearance). Feel free to ask any other questions.
Thanks a lot for the info! I will check out Gigglin Marlin and see what they have to offer. I have a mask, fins and snorkel already (although I might need a new mask). I want to dive because I love to snorkel and just want "more". Also, I work for an airline so getting to Belize or wherever is not that hard or expensive. I was in Palau for work in January and was killing myself because I wasn't certified to dive in one of the scuba hotspots of the world. The snorkling was really cool; but diving would have been so much better.
