Worries when diving

[SangP]

hmmm is there any good instructor in singapore?
i did heard a lot of instructors in singapore are mostly out for the money instead of teaching the student correctly or correcting their mistake. like for my OW and AOW. i did not learn how to do basic recuse during my OW and did not learn how to use SMB during my AOW. and for the wreck dive, it's just bring us down to take a look at the wreck...

Either you've had the bad luck to find one of the less instructional groups or cus you've chosen the cheapest options and gotten a low cost operation. Either way get a new group for yourself.

For your wife, get her to do swimming more often as the more time she spends in the water the better, get a patient and good instructor (price isn't an issue here, safety is). Gideon Liew or Alan from livingseas are very respected instructors.

 

[tracydr]

I would also ask Alan Lee to check out her mask. Proper fit is very important.

Breathing out her nose is ok, provided she has the proper mask for it. I have a one way valve in my my mask. This is how I learned. Breathing out my mouth requires I think about how I breath. Weird, but that was how I learned.

I had a mask with a valve early on when I first started diving. The valve blew out and I had a total mask failure/flood at 95 feet with a pretty strong current on a wreck. ( basically a no-mask situation) it was no-fun finding the anchor/up line on the other end of the large wreck and getting back up the line, even with my buddy's help. I quickly learned that I didn't ever want a valve type mask ever again. I don't recommend them, especially for new divers who might panic in this type of situation.

 

[SangP]

I had a mask with a valve early on when I first started diving. The valve blew out and I had a total mask failure/flood at 95 feet with a pretty strong current on a wreck. ( basically a no-mask situation) it was no-fun finding the anchor/up line on the other end of the large wreck and getting back up the line, even with my buddy's help. I quickly learned that I didn't ever want a valve type mask ever again. I don't recommend them, especially for new divers who might panic in this type of situation.

Exactly why from day 1 I avoided masks with valves and I always carry a backup mask in my pouch should my primary be knocked off and lost.

 

[cool79]

We did snorkeling before and she is ok with it. She done her OW cause I wanted to bring her to Maldives. So would be better to don't let her dive?

 

[SangP]

I would say that till she get more comfortable and proficient in the water... no diving.

 

[eelnoraa]

training with good instructo aside, I think you should not persuade her into more training if she is not comfortable with water. Get comfortable with water can take sometime, especially when the person gets exposed to water activies in later in their life. She can get more training, but at the end of the day, she should be comfortable enough to, if say some one kick her mask off in water or kick her regulator off, handle this kind of thing calmly.

Also consider if she can really get comfortable with diving even without you being her buddy. If the answer is no, she is probably doing the "trust you" dive. I am NOT saying she should stop diving, but she should go with her pace. Start shallow, nice and easy, once she gets comfortable and see the need to do "bigger" dive, you can suggest more training at that time. It may take sometime, but diving involve some risk, better be on the safe side. BTW, I am in the very similar situation.

 

[chillyinCanada]

In the first couple of years of diving, before each trip away, I went to a dive op's pool and hired a DM to go over my skills with me again. This always enhanced my trips once I'd arrived. You've seen all kinds of advice in this thread, most of it is good. As for never letting her dive again, that should be her decision. One of my thoughts is that you guys should train separately for a bit and then train more together. You need to trust each other, not just her trusting you. If she likes diving and becomes more confident there's a chance she could exceed you in skills. Have fun and stay safe.

 

[CT-Rich]

We did snorkeling before and she is ok with it. She done her OW cause I wanted to bring her to Maldives. So would be better to don't let her dive?

Whether to dive or not should be up to her, a series of confidence building activities and dives that are more fun than stressfful would be a good start. shallow water with minimum gear would be best. don't overload her with tasks. Wetsuits can freak some people out, you might want to have in a pool in the wetsuit, just so she gets used to the restricted mobility in a low stress environment. It is also a good place to fiddle with the mask to get is so she is happy with the fit. Some people like a mask that is almost loosie-goosie, others like a snug fit. Make sure she is comfortable with the mask she uses.

Practice different types of entries. Rolling over the side or the giant stride can be dis-orienting. The idea behind signalling OK after entry puts her at the surface to check out that all her rig is where it aught to be. this is an opportunity for her to relax, float and compose herself. Have her lead, let her decide when to descend. That way she works within her comfort zone. Calm water shore dives would be very easy to enter and exit. no rolling boats, not ladders with heavy gear.

If she doesn't want to go to the maldives... IM me with her ticket, I'll go....

 

[Deftfox]

Certainly working with an instructor would be help for your wife. In the mean time though, learning to cope with the distress when the mask is flooded/dislodged would be my focus. Another poster has already eluded to one such exercise, mentally picturing yourself clearing the mask and continuing the dive calmly (this activity actually aids muscle memory).

The next would be learning to deal with the distress, being able to coach ones self through. So taking a breath, telling ones self mentally to relax and that you can cope/deal with the situation and complete the task as previously practiced.

Examine the panicked thinking and challenging it.

Diving, being in a foreign environment is as much a mental game as it is physical and skill based. If you can't keep your head, the best skills in world won't help you. That's one of the challenges with diving I enjoy most.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

If you should go to the Maldives, be very selective about which dive sites you choose. A significant attraction there are channel dives, which can have bottomless walls and strong currents. You do NOT want to take any beginner to one of those sites ... particularly not one who is apprehensive about basic skills.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)