Hi all.

I've recently took my PADI open water and the advanced course in Colombia and am interested in continuing diving in Ireland. I'm not sure if it's best to join a club or go on fun dives with a dive centre, any recommendations? I see that the reg fee for one dive club is 600 euro, this seems expensive no? Can anyone tell me what the membership fee covers? What other costs should I expect to get started? I have no gear yet, any suggestions on what I should invest in to start out?

All help greatly appreciated.

Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,

Welcome to Divelocker !

I had the same dilemma just a few years ago. I was certified in OW en AOW. I decided to join a club (Dundalk SAC) and I really like it.
You have to ask yourself a few questions, one of them (could be) is how many dives you want to make a year/season. If it is just a few, than it would make less sense to join a club. If you want to dive a lot ...
The same would be valid for equipment, it would be cheaper to rent if you want to do just a few dives. Anyway, i like to dive with my own equipment because you get use to it and you know how well it is serviced etc. I started with fin and mask, than wetsuit, than dive computer, than BCD, weights, regs, tanks.

Cheers
Dragstar

Hi Suzanne

Dragster is on the right track there

I used to be in a club and was the PR officer for a bit (too much politics for my liking) I was also diving and working in PADI centres at the same time so was basically doing a lot of diving

I would prob recommend diving a few times with a dive centre - this will allow you to see if you like diving in Ireland, It will work out more expensive per dive but you will be able to hire equipment also while you identify your love for the sport (as dont forget that diving in Ireland is completely different than abroad in some areas)
whereas diving in a club can work out cheaper per dive if you are diving alot but you need to be diving alot to get the most from them. This will also require a down payment of membership fees up front. Most clubs fees also only cover you up to the year end which is usually the end of sept.
In addition to the club fees some also charge a fee per dive to cover fuel etc. so this must be verified. You will also need all your own gear usually for a club dive so again adding to the total cost of starting up.


Taking all this into consideratiomn - again I would recommend trying diving first with a centre then if you do like you can think more about this.
I hope this helps

Tom

Hi Suzanne,

I agree with everything the others have said, likewise I dived with various centres for a season or two paying as I went, I switched to club diving as I really wanted to have regular dive buddies and cut the cost of diving. While the E500-600 clubs ask for seems steep if you are going to regularly dive it is an affordable way to do so. Don;t forget this also covers training, insurance, and dives for the year.

I certainly agree with the idea of spending some time trying Irish diving to see how you like it. Bear in mind that while the temperature is fairly consistent the conditions particularly the visibility in Ireland is really varied between locations, seasons, and weather.

Some clubs will also take out trained divers from other qualifications so they can meet people and 'try' the club out. Its also important to recognise that different clubs can have different atmospheres, interests, and membership profiles. Currently I dive with Atlantis for me this suits (good gender balance, range of qualifications, small enough to know everyone), some clubs I have met are very much aimed at the technical diver (deep, wreck penetration etc) and as Tom alluded to some are a little political.

Looking for dive gear can be daunting, some pieces of kit can be picked up second hand (ebay, divegear.ie) but I would always suggest your key pieces such as regulators/bcd's should be owned from new. I know what I have done to my kit, I know its service history and I am not willing to try to save 50 euro and to compromise my ability to breathe!

What ever you decide I hope that you enjoy diving as much as the rest of us do here.

Aaron

Thanks guys for the help, it's great to have some starting points. I popped into the dive shop in Ringsend over the weekend and one of the lads was very helpful too.

Can you tell if divers usually dive in dry suits here in Ireland? I haven't had training for that yet and wonder will I need a dry suit if I go dining sometime next month?

Thnaks
Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,

I have dived till October (2009) in a wetsuit 7mm. I know a lot of people diving in wet suits in Ireland. Just protect yourself after the cold wind after a dive and you will be fine.

However, I would advise training before diving in a drysuit otherwise you might end a dive with 2 feet up (air in your boots). And proper advise in how to control your buoyancy (BCD vs Drysuit). To know what to do with a freeflowing inflator hose ...

Cheers
D.

Yep it depends on the individual with relation to wet suit or drysuit
I dived for years all through the year winter included in just a 7mm undersuit as I couldnt wear a shorty over it and to be honest was grand - never knew any better.

I would also advise training before a drysuit also if you have not dived in cold water before your wetsuit will be thicker than you have before meaning you will require more weight - this alone means a bit of getting used to - but with a dry suit you will need even more

Best regards
Tom

Hi Suzanne

All the above mentioned points are wel made. I joined the club scene so as to get access to regular buddies who would have as much of an interest in making sure I used safe diving practices as I would expect of them. Yes you do get the politics and yes you do meet some a**holes but not many of them and you can usually avoid or compensate for them - most folk are just fine.

Th club I'm with is in the Blanch area and fees at the moment are approx 500 p.a all-in so if you ever want to pay a visit we are at Coolmine Sports Centre every Wed night from 9pm.

No matter which route you choose I hope you enjoy the experience.

Chris