new and scared diver!

diver-claire

hi my name is Claire. i am VERY new to diving and havent yet got my padi open water diver cert. i have completed my first open water dive but i didn't like it. Now i have 2 questions, Firstly is this normal? i mean i expected to be nervous but i didnt expect to not really like it. Did ye have first day nerves?

And my second question is for the skills you have to perform how did ye manage the complete mask removal? i usually panic pretty badly. Any tips????? do i sound like completely hopeless and should just stay on dry land?????????????????????????////

Please help a sad beginner!

Evil Phil

I was nervous but I enjoyed it. My sister was very nervous when she started but she got over it. She practiced the complete mask removal with just a snorkel and mask in the swimming pool until she was confident enough to do it on a dive.

daveg

It's funny... some people panic, some people don't. Last place I worked in I ran the sports and social scubadiving club. There were 3 of us who ran the group and we had planned to learn to dive together. One of the lads was nearly half human half fish. He surfed, swam etc. All his free time was spent at the beach. He totally freaked when learning how to dive. Had to give it up half way through the training.

Anyway imo the key to success in diving is experience. Do your OW and then do your advanced open water and then, if you enjoy it, try to get as much diving under your belt as possible.

The mask removal is scary but it is very necessary. Try not to panic and remember your in a control environment (or at least you should be - swimming pool etc). Try to relax even though, at the start, breathing under water seems very alien.

Best of luck Claire and stick with it.

bigfeller

As Phil said, practice your skills in a pool. A lot of people don't like getting water on their face but with a few goes you should be comfortable enough to replace the mask. Just remember to give a good blow to clear the water!

Where are you diving? In the sea if you are not used to it the cold it can be a bit daunting. I could be worth giving it another go but remember that diving is a hobby, not an endurance and if you don't enjoy it then try something else!!

Einstein

Hi Claire,

Where are you doing your OW course as a matter of interest? I teach in dublin, so just checking if I've met you before or not!
So firstly, you say you didn't like the 1st OW dive, is that because you were nervous? Or because you were too cold? Felt unconfortable in the gear?
I wouldn't say that its normal not to enjoy it, but its perfectly normal to be nervous.

The mask removal is normally the most hated skill during the OW course too, so again, don't be worried about it. the only thing I can say at this stage is to take your time, do it real slowly. And concentrate on breathing through your mouth only! your instructor will be right next to you, so you'll be in safe hands. As Phil mentioned, to be able to practice this in a pool would be really beneficial, but if all the confined stuff is finished, it might be a little tricky to get more pol time.

Dave

Borzoi

diver-claire wrote:

Firstly is this normal? i mean i expected to be nervous but i didnt expect to not really like it. Did ye have first day nerves?

And my second question is for the skills you have to perform how did ye manage the complete mask removal? i usually panic pretty badly. Any tips?????

Rememebring my own first OW dive, we didn't do any skills at all. Our instrutor figured, rightly too, that we'd have too much on our minds with nerves, getting used to OW etc

And I must confess my first dive I was uncomfortable too busy checking bouyancy air depth etc, yet still awestruck to be in a different world.

As for the mask removal, if you're having difficulty, go back to the pool, and practice, practice, practice. Do partial removals, clear them, then do full removal, then take the mask off altogether and fling it down the poool so you have to swim and get it. It's all about building your confidance and ability si that in OW you don't panic.

For what it's worth, saltwater isn't as hard on the eyes as chlorinated pool water so mask remival is easier in OW

Best of luck - but a little extra perserverance should get you through

Evil Phil

Yeah, everybody goes through this, I still hate the backward roll (always will), much prefer stepping into the water. Keep at it and it will be worth it

dublinbay

Claire, in the pool put your face in the water in the shallow end without mask and breathe through snorkel or dv keeping your eyes open. Remember, pool will be warmer than the sea, so repeat at surface before diving. Do this on every dive, you will actually like it after a time.It also helps slow down your breathing rate. Activates the mamallian reflex I believe
Above all, go at your pace, not the instructors, not the rest of the class, your pace. And dont be shy about saying slow down, wait, I`m not ready, I dont want to dive here.
Take it slow and easy Claire.
best
Jack.

diver-claire wrote:

hi my name is Claire. i am VERY new to diving and havent yet got my padi open water diver cert. i have completed my first open water dive but i didn't like it. Now i have 2 questions, Firstly is this normal? i mean i expected to be nervous but i didnt expect to not really like it. Did ye have first day nerves?

And my second question is for the skills you have to perform how did ye manage the complete mask removal? i usually panic pretty badly. Any tips????? do i sound like completely hopeless and should just stay on dry land?????????????????????????////

Please help a sad beginner!

gjim

It's a completely natural reaction (to feel anxiety) when you're in an environment that would kill you without appropriate equiptment. In addition, many of the sensations (hovering, weightlessness, the feel of cold water, the feel of the equipment) and movements (propelling yourself with fins, controlling buoyancy by breathing, etc.) will be alien to you which creates stress. After a little more experience these sensations will lose their novelty for you and your stress will lessen or go away completely. I certainly remember having feeling very uncomfortable during some of the first dives I did in the sea.

The problem with the full mask removal is that you will have had no prior experience of continuing to breath while your face is submerged in water. You can get used to this sensation without being in a pool or practicing in the sea; just take your snorkle and fill a sink/bath with water and submerge your face while breathing through the snorkle.

Evil Phil

gjim wrote:

It's a completely natural reaction (to feel anxiety) when you're in an environment that would kill you without appropriate equiptment.

Yes, death and destruction await you. Should you make even the simplest mistake you'll drown, drown I tells ya. Not to mention the pressure that will crush you like a tin can should you not be able to do a tidy and efficent full mask removal first time at a depth of less than 12 metres. A cold, lonely, watery grave awaits you at the end of an agonising death.

Doom

DOOOOM

So, hope this builds your confidence and welcome to diving

Peace

Evil Phil wrote:

Doom

DOOOOM

So, hope this builds your confidence and welcome to diving

There is always the potential for death and destruction in diving EP!

Another option claire, that noone mentioned, is to not dive. :eek: There is no point in forcing yourself into a sport that you are not enjoying. Afterall if you did panic on a dive there there is the potential for the outcome that EP is talking about.

My girlfriend gave it a go, she wasn't 100% comfortable in the water but sure she had a go anyway. She decided after a couple of pool sessions that it wasn't for her, she wasn't happy in the equipment, not happy in the water... not happy. And it was a smart decision.

If you find your reaction is getting better and you are getting more comfortable in the water then absolutely keep at it. I have met divers that had this problem at the start and overcame it.

I'm not an instructor but i would imagine that the best thing to do is relax. You have more chance of catching a bad case of dead crossing the road on the way to work in the morning. You can overcome the fight/flight reflex given time.

You can be assured you are not the first diver this has happened to

Evil Phil

Just so everyone knows I was taking the piss in my post above.

nitroboy

what u need is to know why ur going diving in the first place, what really attracts you to it.

it could be that you want to be able to tell ur friends about it,
that you love seeing the fish and stuff,
that the weightless feeling is nice etc.there are loads of reasons
for me its the chance of finding good quality pruc(one mans waste is another mans treasure!!), and believe me theres loads of it!

once you know what you want out of diving you can aim to fulfill those objectives. dont worry about the skills( mask clearing and stuff) they are very important but you will get them eventually.try on each dive to do one skill, dont overload urself.also practice it on dryland a few times during the day before you go diving. its a good idea to do ur practice stuff at the start of the dive whether it works or not you can then take it handy lookin under rocks and playin with the little sea creatures.

take it handy and stay in ur comfort zone,
nitroboy

daveg

Evil Phil wrote:

Yes, death and destruction await you. Should you make even the simplest mistake you'll drown, drown I tells ya. Not to mention the pressure that will crush you like a tin can should you not be able to do a tidy and efficent full mask removal first time at a depth of less than 12 metres. A cold, lonely, watery grave awaits you at the end of an agonising death.

Doom

DOOOOM

So, hope this builds your confidence and welcome to diving

There is a flip side to that coin Claire. If you survive you may get flashed in the "communal" showers.

Peace

daveg wrote:

There is a flip side to that coin Claire. If you survive you may get flashed in the "communal" showers.

We've been there. There's a survivors club. Don't worry, there is help.

Evil Phil

If there's a better reason to go diving I don't know it

diver-claire

Aww you guys!

THanks SOOOOOOOOOOOO much for the helpful suggestions and support. if all divers are like ye it then thats a good reason to continue!

I will try again when the water and the weathter is a bit friendlier! But i will try again thaks to all of ye!

Special thanks to Evil Phil for making me laugh about it finally!

Happy Diving

Peace

diver-claire wrote:

Special thanks to Evil Phil for making me laugh about it finally!

You know, now that you mention it i think thats what the rest of the women were doing in Scuba Dive Wests showers as well. It was very cold water that weekend.

donny

harsh...

Evil Phil

donny wrote:

harsh...

I'm more worried about him looking than anything else :eek: