Most dangerous newbie mistakes

[Ben_Ayers]

Greetings,
I was certified approx. 25 years ago - back when I was bullet-proof. During my last check-out dive I had a block and perfed an eardrum. Between the ear probs and the fact that I didn't have any diving friends or family, I never dove again.
Since my nephew is newly certified, I would love to give it another go if cleared by an ENT.
Now that I'm no longer bullet-proof (48yo), I'm more that a little anxious about the safety of the sport especially since my wife may give it a go also! We are both starting to have some memory problems which is scary! Is seems OOA, uncontrolled ascent/decents are big issues. But I'm also worried about panic. Do people actually rip their reg out and bolt for the surface?
What do you all feel are the most dangerous newbie mistakes, and how can one mitigate the chance of same happening? Does anyone have any info on the panic cycle? All comments welcome...

Thanks,
Ben

 

[D_B]

I would guess that not having your buddy close (really close and in view of each other at all times) this would go a long way to the easing of any anxiety's and heading off any problems that could lead to panic .. and taking a rescue class would help as well ( I did not think about rescue, especially with so few dives under my belt (18) but I had a warm water vacation diver friend that would be doing her first dive in cold water, with me .. It was a wonderful way to feel more confident, and the training was fun and rewarding)

 

[tep]

Welcome back to diving! I'm also a "born again" diver, and had a lot of the same questions.

*I* don't have the answer, but you'll sure get an ear full around here.

If it was me, I'd check with my doc, or a local diving doc, and completely re-certify. The gear, procedures and training have changed, as well as our understanding of diving physiology.

The only thing that's the same is Boyle's Law

 

[spectrum]

1. The biggest newbie mistakes are diving beyond ones comfort zone.

2. Believing that you will learn all that you need to know in your class. While this may not always be a risk some level of independent study (SB counts) can serve to close gaps.

All of the risks and perils you mentioned will be mitigated with good training and frequent diving.

My wife and I certified at 48 and never looked back, dive in!

Pete

 

[TSandM]

From reading this board, and from diving with new divers, I'd say the two biggest problems people have (and they're somewhat related) are buoyancy issues and problems with equalization.

Especially in view of your history, I would highly recommend you spend the time to watch THIS video before starting again.

Buoyancy issues are a little harder to ensure against. Learning to interpret the signals from your body and your gear that let you know how your depth is changing, and learning to control your breathing when you are distracted, are things that come with experience diving. This is a big part of the reason that new divers are recommended to remain within shallow depth ranges until they are sure of their stability.

Do a search on "panic" with author "Walter" -- Walter has written several excellent posts about the panic cycle, and learning to control it. But the most powerful thing you can do about panic is to build your skills to where very little bothers you. Spend the time to be comfortable without a mask, learn to air-share smoothly in the water column, get really familiar with your equipment so you can reach and use everything easily. If you dive enough, you WILL have a thing or two go wrong. Virtually everything is survivable without injury if the diver remains calm and thinks things through (and has a buddy within reach).

 

[lowviz]

Hi Ben,

First, don't try to keep up with your nephew. The fact that he can dive with you is good enough. Start over. Find an instructor (from any agency) that is willing to take extra time with you and your wife. Private lessons sound ideal if you can afford 'em. Take it slowly, build confidence on practiced skills. Dive the lagoon at Bainbridge.

 

[BKP]

My wife and I certified at 48 and never looked back, dive in!

Pete

As did *my* wife and I...
Can't get me out of the water, now...

(and at 53, I *am* bulletproof (or in denial -- take your pick!)

I agree with Pete -- stick to your comfort zone. You'll find that zone expands with every dive...

 

[don Francisco]

I would say that the single newbie mistake is failure to manage their own dive. Lacking both confidence & experience newbies often play "follow the leader". They descend too quickly despite equalization problems beacuse everyone else has, they enter swim throughs even they feel very uncomfortable beacuse nobody said they could swim over or around them, they don't manage their air because no one else seems to. The list goes on, & when newbies find they're in over their head (figuratively) they panic & get injured.
Whenever a friend takes up diving or asks, I give the same advice: Listen to instructors, learn all you can on the surface, develope your skills in the pool sessions, do whatever you can to be ready to dive, but once you're in the water use the internal computer stored between your ears, listen to your body, remember your training, stay within your limits, & manage your own dive.
Diving is safe, it's divers who aren't. df

 

[HowDidIGetIntoThis?]

Finding the balance between sticking rigidly to what we've been taught versus following the lead of various DMs or other divers in the group was, for me, the most likely problem that could have lead to a variety of mistakes. Without experience, it is very difficult to quickly judge whether whatever they are doing differently is better (perhaps because of local conditions), worse, or simply different.

There are lots of specific mistakes a newbie can make, but most of those also get made by experienced divers. The difference being an experienced diver is more likely to be able to correct it (or hide it).

 

[Ben_Ayers]

Appreciate the excellent feedback! I know "a thing or two" will eventually go wrong (Mr.Murphy is alive and well), I just hope I'm trained for it, and don't panic. I'm usually a calm person during emergencies (old ICU nurse) topside, but that's my comfort zone.
Bainbridge Quarry will be the place for our check out dives. How deep is the lagoon? My potential instructor says the visibility is around 45ft. - I bet it's cold in May.
Off to do a Walter search on panic!
Thanks again,
Ben