NJ Scuba Divers Message Board:  http://members3.boardhost.com/Modiver/

You will probably get flamed like mad here, but unless your open water
dives included a dry suit, don't rent one.  Its not hard to learn how to
dive in one, but if/when the air shifts to your legs and you're hanging
upside down you're in trouble.  Actually, no one will rent you one
without training on how to use one.

Depending on how much time you have for the dive trip, look at Delaware
or further south.  You can do practically Carribean (or at least Gulf
Stream) dives in Morehead, NC.  I know its far, but take a couple of
days off.  Don't try to do it in a day or weekend.

For your first dives since certification, I'd probably recommend *not*
going for a dive offshore.  Instead, probably do a couple of dives at
your own pace over at Dutch Springs or Willow Springs over in PA.

Once you're pretty comfortable with being on your own, you can then
look for a mentor buddy for a NJ wreck dive...and by then, the offshore
bottom temperature should be in the mid-50's, so you won't need to
worry about messing around with a drysuit.

-hh