Hello!

[knfmn]

Hello, all! I completed my PADI OW certification earlier this month and stumbled across this website while killing time waiting for the weather to warm up so I can get in the water again. I finished my certification while my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Mexico and got to do some amazing dives while were there. I spent a day diving on Cozumel and got in 4 cenote dives. I'm back home in Massachusetts and looking forward to seeing what our cold waters have to offer.

Kristopher

[The Publisher]

Cold waters in Massachusetts ought to offer some big tasty lobster! lol

Welcome to the SMN Community, how was Coz diving?

[knfmn]

There's tons of lobsters around here. They're probably wasted on me, though....I'm funny about food and won't kill any animals. I'm trying to figure out if I'll collect any for my mother in law and sister in law, who LOVE lobster. Gonna have to figure that one out.

Cozumel was awesome. I really loved it. I got to do a couple of dives on paradise reef and saw some awesome fish. Really nice good sized Rainbow parrot fish, some nice-sized barracuda, one really cool crab. It was a good time. The cenotes were amazing. It was just really great to be able to see them and explore them. Good time all around.

Kristopher

[The Publisher]

Ok, so if you thought Coz was awesome, and the Caribbean has an average of about 50 different species of hard and soft corals, try the Philippines, which has an average of about 450 different species of hard and soft corals. :)

[knfmn]

Ok, so if you thought Coz was awesome, and the Caribbean has an average of about 50 different species of hard and soft corals, try the Philippines, which has an average of about 450 different species of hard and soft corals. :)

That sounds really awesome, but Cozumel is a 5 hour flight for me, whereas to travel to the Phillipines is a 25 hour trip. Having spent 6 years of my life living overseas when I was younger, I think I'd rather dive nails through my hand than spend 25 hours on an airplane....lol. I might do it one day, but for now I think my upper limit is about an 8 hour plane trip. Maybe Tahiti some day soon.....

Kristopher

[The Publisher]

drive nails, lol.....if you're on the east coast, yes, it can be a bear...but I sleep most of the flight...it is a 16 hour flight for me.

For the North/Central American region, I am interested in the Domincan Republic and diving with and filming the sperm whales.....

[knfmn]

Diving with and filming the Sperm whales sounds awesome. Whales and sharks are just cool in general. Being able to dive with them is even cooler.

I got so excited while we were in Mexico when I was hearing about/seeing pictures of people swimming with the whale sharks. Unfortunately, they're only around during the summer months. Maybe I can squeeze in another week trip in August. One of the ladies I was diving with was talking about going out to dive with the whale sharks and the guide telling her she was going to have to roll in as soon as he told her to. He told her to go, she rolled in and dropped down only to realize that she was RIGHT in front of the whale sharks mouth...lol. Scared the crap out of her, even though she did remember that there was no way it could eat her.

Kristopher

[The Publisher]

Yeah, their throats are only about 6" wide I hear....

[acelockco]

Almost the entire East Coast of the US is amazing for diving. You have lots of wrecks in the North Atlantic and as you head south there are wrecks to dive all the way down to Key West and beyond.

From the Carolinas south you get wrecks and reef fish as well as lots of sharks.

The South East Coast of Florida holds one of the best kept secrets in diving. There is an abundance of wrecks there as well as three reef lines up the entire coast. The Gulf Stream comes closest to land there and brings with it warm Caribbean waters teaming with life. The reef is close enough to the shore that shore diving is an option any time the waves are calm.