Friends and Family

[Mark Y]

I would not take family and/or friends open water diving if they we not certified. Most dive shops offer some form of 'discover scuba' class. My little brother wanted me to take him out, just to see if he'd like it . . . no way. He took a discover scuba class then finished his junior open-water certification last year. Since then we've dove Florida and plan on Northshore this summer.

I must admit, though, that I've let my mother, father and a few friends use my 30 cu. ft. & regulator set in a pool (5 ft. max depth) last year. They enjoyed it, hopefully they'll get certified this summer . . . who knows . . .

Last year while diving Ore-be-gone, I saw something that still scares me today: 'Joe' briefed 'Frank' on 'how to dive', then 'Frank' when out on a solo dive. He had never dove before! And here he was making his first dive solo! Well, I think he survived, never did see him return. I've still mixed feelings of whether or not I should have made an 'intervention' . . . oh well.

In short : let dive instructors do their job: instruct people how to dive safely. That's all I have to say about that . . .