North West Florida dive spots for new diver?

Hi everyone, my name is Gilbert and I currently live in Navarre,
Florida. I plan on taking and completing my dive lessons and need
ideas on common do's and don'ts or anything that could make the
experiance better. I will start diving this summer in the Pensacola,
Fort Walton Beach area, and I was wondering if anyone out there can
tell me of a few spots where a beginner can get started. I don't plan
on buying my own equipment yet since i'm just getting started, but
what would be a good suggestion on things to have that i will need all
the time. I have a mask and set of fins, is that all I should worry
about and rent the rest? Any advise would be great. Thanks and I'm
looking foward to your help and the dive.
-Gilbert

On Feb 19, 12:13*pm, "Gilbert S." <ba25maver...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi everyone, my name is Gilbert and I currently live in Navarre,
> Florida. I plan on taking and completing my dive lessons and need
> ideas on common do's and don'ts or anything that could make the
> experiance better. I will start diving this summer in the Pensacola,
> Fort Walton Beach area, and I was wondering if anyone out there can
> tell me of a few spots where a beginner can get started. I don't plan
> on buying my own equipment yet since i'm just getting started, but
> what would be a good suggestion on things to have that i will need all
> the time. I have a mask and set of fins, is that all I should worry
> about and rent the rest? Any advise would be great. Thanks and I'm
> looking foward to your help and the dive.
> -Gilbert

The mask and fins are all you need to start (well, you'll need a
snorkel too for your class, but any old cheapie will do). Don't buy
until you know what you want to buy, not what someone else tells you
to buy.

First you need an instructor, most often found associated with a dive
shop. Try to get a good recommendation from word of mouth.
Otherwise, check out a few shops before you decide, talk to the
people, avoid the pushy sellers who just want to dump gear on a newbie
and throw in a class for free. While the one-weekend class might be
all that some people need to get them started, there's definitely no
harm in getting the most out of your tuition by opting for the longer
class schedule. Repetition breeds perfection.

At the same time, try to find divers or dive clubs not associated with
a dive shop so you can a balanced perspective from someone who's not
trying to make a buck off you. This will also lead to buddies for
your future dives who can mentor you into the diver that a single
class can't hope to produce.

That's the general info. Someone here might have more particulars on
your area.

Good luck.

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:13:11 -0800, Gilbert S. wrote:

> Hi everyone, my name is Gilbert and I currently live in Navarre, Florida.
> I plan on taking and completing my dive lessons and need ideas on common
> do's and don'ts or anything that could make the experiance better.

http://grumman581.googlepages.com/scuba-certification

--
See NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email.

On Feb 20, 2:27*am, Grumman-581 <grumman581-usenet-2...@spambob.net>
wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:13:11 -0800, Gilbert S. wrote:
> > Hi everyone, my name is Gilbert and I currently live in Navarre, Florida..
> > I plan on taking and completing my dive lessons and need ideas on common
> > do's and don'ts or anything that could make the experiance better.
>
> http://grumman581.googlepages.com/scuba-certification
>
> --
> See NNTP header field "X-Real-Email-Address" to reply by email.

Thanks Greg, and Grumman for the information. I will make sure to look
around and ask locals about where they suggest I take the classes. I
know of a couple of places, and now I need to do some research on each
to find the best one. I will make sure to look around for good prices
on gear; I know of at least 2 dive groups in the area and one on base
here in Florida. Thanks again for the ideas and helpful information.