Diving

[Andy4707]

I want to get my diving license really bad, cuz it looks like u can find better condition bottles. Does anybody know where the best place in Wisconsin would be to dive?

 

[mrbottles]

Hi Andy,

Yep i can tell you where the best place in Wisconsin to get certified is. Where do you live though. If you're in Hurley it's going to be a long drive.

If you look under collector chat COLD WATER you will see pictures of Wisconsin divers out yesterday in Fort Atkinson Wisconsin.

Steven

P.S. We have a site for Wisconsin collectors with tons of info and pictures of many Wisconsin bottles at www.mrbottles.com

 

[Andy4707]

I live about 10 min south of fond du lac

 

[Andy4707]

also, about how much does it cost?
what lake would be the best to dive in?

 

[ronvae]

It's a few hundred to start, getting certified & renting your gear. BUT, in the long run, you can entertain yourself all weekend long on $6 worth of air. Pays for itself quickly! Sometimes you can find gear to rent for a whole summer to figure out what you like. If not, my approach to saving money is this: Buy the regulator, BC, and drysuit (if you get a drysuit at all), new, from a reputable shop, after researching it all over the place & asking people. Everything else can be purchased cheap and/or used (a used tank will need to be tested at a shop--VIP+ HYDRO). The point is, spend money on training & life support, and save money on fashion/convenience/comfort.

We do find really mint bottles, but obviously, you give up the label end of the hobby. You'll love it![sm=lol.gif]

 

[capsoda]

Hey Pat, You put it the best I'e heard. A six buck weekend of fun can't be beat.

 

[mrbottles]

Fondulac hey?

Well the single best place to go in Wisconsin to get certified is The Underwater Connection. They have a location in Menomonee Falls. While it's a bit of a drive for you it will be worth the trip. (half hour to forty five minutes) If you go there tell Mike that you know Steve and Bob Libbey. That should either get you a discount or kicked out. They have the best certification program around. You will take a class for three or four hours on Friday, a whole day on Saturday then pool instruction of Sunday. you will take a written test then have a certification dive at a local quarry. It's teh fastest best program around. Other shops do it over many weeks or even months. That gets old really fast.

If you want to dive for bottles you can come with us some time. If you get on the ball it could be just a few weeks from now. Bottle diving is fairly simple yet requires some skill. We do a great deal of research in order to find early spots" Historical research does a great deal to improve your odds. Lake Winnebago has turned up some great stuff. An old time diver has a box of early and extremely rare bottles. If we can track him down I may bring the dive boat out your way to find bottles.

We have dived teh river in Fondulac. It was for shizzel but that may only be because we were ten feet off the right spot. If i were you i would hit as many places as possible. If you do you will find great spots!

Get certified and look us up at mrbottles.com. You are about to enter into the coolest sport/hobby you can in Wisconsin. I guaranty you are going to love it!

Steven

 

[southern Maine diver]

Capsoda...

Hey Warren, Pat said six-buck weekend... not six-pack weekend! []

Anyway, you can get two six-packs of Milwaukees Best for six bucks and have double your week-end fun...

Wayne

 

[DiggerBryan]

I have one more question about diving. Say I get certified and everything, do you have to have a boat to dive?

 

[southern Maine diver]

Hey Bryan...

You can do a lot of shore dives for bottles, cause that's where a lot of them are. A boat is nice, but not absolutely necessary. If you are getting a boat, start off with something small, easy to trailer, easy to put in and out, easy to get into and out of and light enough for a couple of divers to carry to the waters edge. Maybe a nice inflatable with just enough room for a couple of divers and some gear.[]

Wayne