Doing 4 open water dives.

[herman]

Be prepared for the salt water to sting your eyes. Some times it does not bother me and other times is stings like crazy for a minute or 2 then goes away. It's not harmful but if you are expecting it not to sting and it does I would hate to have that rattle you. If it stings, tough it out for a minute or 2 and it will go away.

And a comment on Trip Advisor. Take whatever you read there with a large grain of salt. Unhappy, often times unreasonable people tend to be a lot more likely to post bad comments than happy, easy going folks. And it’s not unheard of for businesses to post glowing reports about themselves. Not saying not to look at it but just don't put too much faith in the reports, both glowing and bad. This is in not way intended to be a negative comment on Conch Republic, I always heard good things about them here (which by the way I put more faith in) but rather a generic comment on Trip Advisor and similar on line rating sites.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

You might enjoy and find helpful my blog post "So Now You are Doing Your Open Water Dives, and also another post: Student Divers: Don't Think too Much. Go to the blog page and click most popular and I think they are both there. Have a great time diving in Florida!
DivemasterDennis

 

[TheHalocline]

Not sure if I will be able to open my eyes in salt water however....seems not..?

No reason to open your eyes if you don't want to. Unlike TMHeimer, I really dislike saltwater in my eyes, so I just keep my eyes shut when the mask comes off (rarely and only when intentional!). Might want to practice doing it in a pool with your eyes closed first, though.

 

[nimoh]

I agree that opening your eyes is not necessary for the skill, but if you can, you should try it. You may be in a situation where your mask is bumped off by another diver, and although you can't focus very well without a mask, you may be able to spot your mask and grab it before it sinks to the bottom.

 

[TheHalocline]

I agree that opening your eyes is not necessary for the skill, but if you can, you should try it. You may be in a situation where your mask is bumped off by another diver, and although you can't focus very well without a mask, you may be able to spot your mask and grab it before it sinks to the bottom.

Certainly a good idea. I've had this happen twice and my buddy managed to show up a few seconds later with my mask in hand while I waited patiently in the water column.:cool2: I guess I'm too trusting

 

[Splitlip]

Be prepared for the salt water to sting your eyes. Some times it does not bother me and other times is stings like crazy for a minute or 2 then goes away. It's not harmful but if you are expecting it not to sting and it does I would hate to have that rattle you. If it stings, tough it out for a minute or 2 and it will go away.

And a comment on Trip Advisor. Take whatever you read there with a large grain of salt. Unhappy, often times unreasonable people tend to be a lot more likely to post bad comments than happy, easy going folks. And it’s not unheard of for businesses to post glowing reports about themselves. Not saying not to look at it but just don't put too much faith in the reports, both glowing and bad. This is in not way intended to be a negative comment on Conch Republic, I always heard good things about them here (which by the way I put more faith in) but rather a generic comment on Trip Advisor and similar on line rating sites.

I find a little salt water in my mask hitting my eyes a bit uncomfortable, but never when I remove the mask.

However, my daughter wears contacts and when she did here mask removals she closed her eyes.

Tip for op: most sunblocks sting. Wet face with sunblock in mask can mean stinging eyes.

 

[LowDrag]

I used to swim in the Gulf and was able to open my eyes under water. It does bother some people and not others, you never know until you try it. Good advice on the sunblock to, I can attest to it stinging the eyes pretty good. I took my mask off in the pool with my eyes open and had zero problem. Although for some reason when I did my OW dives I kept my eyes closed. Next month when I go back up for certification again I definitely plan to try to open my eyes.

Good luck on your dives. I did not pass mine the first time. The reasoning I found was because the water temp was a whopping 38°, on top of having breathing issues. Prior to diving I was advised to take Sudafed before diving to keep my sinuses clear but later found out from TSandM that Sudafed has an active ingredient that amplifies any emotions your feeling. So the DON'T take Sudafed...LOL.

 

[j yaeger]

welcome aboard!!!!!!
enthusiasm and wonder!!!!!
keep 'em both!!!!!!
it only gets better after checkout dives
have fun
yaeg

 

[Planeguy]

I finished my lessons and took my written exam on Wednesday passing it with 97%. I am going to Jamaica on business in two weeks and have set aside two days to do my open water certification. Can hardly wait!

 

[richiesgonedivin]

Good luck with your open water dives .. Maybe youll end up like the rest of us old saltys .. Broke , divorced , but own every piece of dive gear made and will dive in a muddy puddle at any time .