Introduction to Northeast Diving
Divers in the New York area are lucky to have an incredible marine environment right in our backyard. Not only are there hundreds of shipwrecks of historical significance, our local waters are a vibrant ecosystem with thriving populations of marine life - including sharks, rays, dolphins, and even whales!
Our Intro program is geared towards people who love diving but who haven’t dived in NY/NJ waters. Why limit your diving to when you go to the tropics, when you can get in the ocean here every weekend during the season? No air travel, no baggage restrictions, no hotels, and no need to take days off from work. Yes, it requires some special considerations for the conditions, but that’s what the Intro program is about - helping you get ready for local diving.
While some of the club members who sign up for the program are relatively new to diving, we welcome divers of all levels who would like to try diving in our area. In the 10+ years that the Intro program has been offered we’ve helped many warm water tech divers, as well as dive professionals, get started diving locally. Experience in one environment doesn’t necessarily translate to familiarity in another, so we encourage all members considering diving in these waters to sign up for our program. It’s also a great way to meet new dive buddies!
Mentors and Mentees usually spend a day diving at a local lake or quarry to get some in-water practice with the required gear and other customs necessary for local ocean diving - both shore and boat. 2025 dates coming soon
The program also includes an opportunity to dive from a local charter boat to one of the shallower wrecks off the New Jersey shore*. Mentors will discuss local boat procedures and etiquette with their Mentees, then buddy with them for 1 or 2 dives on the trip. There is a charge for a spot on the boat, and these trips fill up quickly, so be sure to secure your place early. For date and time, see our schedule. If the trip is sold out, feel free to send in your name to be added to the waitlist, and to let us know if you would be interested in another introductory dive, if one can be arranged.
A few notes:
- You must be a current member of Big Apple Divers to participate in our Introduction to Northeast Diving program - to join, click here.
- There are admission fees for all of the local lakes & quarries - these are paid directly to the dive site.
- To dive from any local charter boat (including our Intro boat) the minimum certification required is AOW.
- You can participate in this mentorship program and only do the dives at a local lake or quarry - you are not obligated to join the boat dive. However, if you want to join the boat dive, you should dive with your Mentor at a lake or quarry prior to the charter.
If you’d like to sign up for this year's program or would like more information, please send an email to intro@bigappledivers.com - we are happy to answer any questions you have.
Finally, we have an extensive resource on this website that details the special gear, culture, and procedures used for boat diving in our area. If you haven't dived here before, be sure to check it out.
See you in the water!
Tracy Cloherty
Dive Chair
This is a video of our 2022 Introduction to Northeast Diving boat charters.
This is a video of one of our 2021 Introduction to Northeast Diving boat charters.
This is the Zoom session that we did prior to our 2024 Introduction to Northeast Diving Program
This video is of our 2021 Introduction to Northeast Diving weekend at Dutch Springs.
Here is a video of one of our club dive charters.