Novice needs help

[Booty Salvage]

No vis diving that is

 

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[Petrie502]

I definatley would never go under water especially in a place like the OHIO without the proper training. I just can't find an instructor....

 

[ropesfish]

It's not that you need a license, per se. They are certifications, proof of training so when you get your dive tanks filled the shop filling your tanks has some legal cover when/if you die while diving. If someone fills your tanks without proof of certification and you die, your heirs will soon be receiving mail from ambulance chasing lawyers advising them that they are entitle to one dive shop and all the dive shop owner's assets.
If you have medical issues that stop you from diving, enlist some help. Split the find with a couple of guys that can do this dive safely. My friend Leonard Johnson was a pile driver and diver in the Chicago area for 30 years and passed away Wednesday @ 88 years of age. He likened diving in black water to operating like a crab...."you just feel around until you find somethin' and you better be good at visualizing what your hands are on, cause you sure as hell can't see it".
In clear water without obstructions, you should be able to do a free ascent from 60' just in case...The scary thing in black water (no viz) is that as unlikely as it sounds, it's sometimes hard to figure out which way UP is. One good 90 second panic from an entanglement and you won't ever find that treasure.
I'm no safety Nazi, but we'd like to see you keep posting, rather than just that one last news clipping. Get some experienced help.

 

[maipenrai]

You need a buddy on the surface, connected with a rope. Always start downstream, and work your way up, so the silt isnt making it worse, and you can control your speed better. Black water diving is NOT for everyone. It takes time, and still not everyone can take the black, and if its cold, its even worse. A buddy on the bottom with you is no help, both are just in the others way, but you need the buddy on the surface. Start in the shallow, and work your way into deeper water, or if you go down in the middle of the river, use a anchor, and go down the anchor line. With black water diving, there is always a chance of getting tangled up in junk, and there is usually plenty of it. Everything you do, has to be slow and thought out. There is usually always a bit of light, so you can go slowly, while your eyes get adjusted to the light, then you have two hands to work with, not one holding a light and another trying to hold on to a rope.
Good luck, but slooooowly

 

[hoosierguy]

There's a dive shop right on the Ohio River (New Albany, IN) that's been there a long time...I'm not into diving, but been around it a lot after being stationed in Hawaii, Japan, etc. These guys are PADI certified instructors:

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[Red_desert]

I've had one person on T-Net tell me they had to cut the anchor rope on the Ohio river, just to keep the boat from going under. It must only be certain spots, but sounds scary none the less.