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First OW class, lots of gear questions!
- Thread starter Aloha Joe
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@Marie 13
Snorkel and long hose primary don't go together. You've discovered why. Get rid of the darned snorkel after class.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So says a true professional with less than 100 dives none of them in Laguna Beach
There is a diving ordinance in effect in Laguna beach- it has been in effect since early 1960s... If you have on fins you are a body surfer it you have on fins and a mask you are a snorkeler or a free diver and you must have a snorkel
If you have donned the SCUBA costume you still need a snorkel
It is a city ordinance..
SDM
Snorkel and long hose primary don't go together. You've discovered why. Get rid of the darned snorkel after class.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So says a true professional with less than 100 dives none of them in Laguna Beach
There is a diving ordinance in effect in Laguna beach- it has been in effect since early 1960s... If you have on fins you are a body surfer it you have on fins and a mask you are a snorkeler or a free diver and you must have a snorkel
If you have donned the SCUBA costume you still need a snorkel
It is a city ordinance..
SDM
Aaaaaannnd one more reason to stay far away from CA.
OP
Aloha Joe
Contributor
Yeah it really sucks here. I'm getting tired of having to play outside all the time.
OP
Aloha Joe
Contributor
Well, holy smokes!!!
First ocean dives today, what an experience! As we descended I actually wondered what I got myself into, and if I should really have bought all this gear. The whole first dive was pretty much chaos (or so it seemed) but the instructor told us beforehand to expect something like that. The swells were supposedly pretty good and we were surrounded by (covered in) kelp. It was hard to kneel or stay in one spot near the bottom due to the swells and rocks/coral and everyone bumping into each other (too much kelp and too low visibility to spread out). Having a bunch of weight on my harness belt was different, plus having a slate and the SMB/spool dangling didn't make it any easier.
On the second dive it seemed like there must have been 10-20 dives in between. I was so much more comfortable, ebbing/flowing with the swells hovering more instead of kneeling. It seemed like my buoyancy would change based on what position I was in - if more vertical I needed less air in my wing? But I was able to make adjustments and keep it in control, never getting more than a few feet above where I wanted to be.
I got a little sick (my buddy got very sick) and we called it after 2 dives, so 2 more tomorrow. Bonine sucks! We both took it, everyone else had Dramamine.
Being a new diver with a buddy who's puking in the water was pretty stressful. He was kind of quiet (disconnected) and drifted off a few times and it was hard to keep an eye on him and another one on the instructor. But we had a dive master who was behind all of us and keeping a pretty good eye on him too, it seemed. I got sick/sicker just looking at him being sick and turning white. I felt bad they had to call the dives early but I think it was the right call.
18lbs lead on first dive was too much (they guessed high since my wetsuit was brand new). 14lbs in second dive was better but probably still too much.
My weights shifted too much. The wetsuit made it hard to breathe fully which I think is partly why I felt as crappy as I did.
First ocean dives today, what an experience! As we descended I actually wondered what I got myself into, and if I should really have bought all this gear. The whole first dive was pretty much chaos (or so it seemed) but the instructor told us beforehand to expect something like that. The swells were supposedly pretty good and we were surrounded by (covered in) kelp. It was hard to kneel or stay in one spot near the bottom due to the swells and rocks/coral and everyone bumping into each other (too much kelp and too low visibility to spread out). Having a bunch of weight on my harness belt was different, plus having a slate and the SMB/spool dangling didn't make it any easier.
On the second dive it seemed like there must have been 10-20 dives in between. I was so much more comfortable, ebbing/flowing with the swells hovering more instead of kneeling. It seemed like my buoyancy would change based on what position I was in - if more vertical I needed less air in my wing? But I was able to make adjustments and keep it in control, never getting more than a few feet above where I wanted to be.
I got a little sick (my buddy got very sick) and we called it after 2 dives, so 2 more tomorrow. Bonine sucks! We both took it, everyone else had Dramamine.
Being a new diver with a buddy who's puking in the water was pretty stressful. He was kind of quiet (disconnected) and drifted off a few times and it was hard to keep an eye on him and another one on the instructor. But we had a dive master who was behind all of us and keeping a pretty good eye on him too, it seemed. I got sick/sicker just looking at him being sick and turning white. I felt bad they had to call the dives early but I think it was the right call.
18lbs lead on first dive was too much (they guessed high since my wetsuit was brand new). 14lbs in second dive was better but probably still too much.
My weights shifted too much. The wetsuit made it hard to breathe fully which I think is partly why I felt as crappy as I did.
Last edited:
MichaelMc
Working toward Cenotes
I'm glad you got in the water!! Sorry it was personally rather rough, even if the water itself was apparently not too bad.
Breathing is key. Lung emptying breaths, maybe belly breathing, keep CO2 down which reduces stress.
Usually it is easier to just let the surge move you back and forth instead of fighting it, if you can in the group. Sometimes you can snag a kelp stalk with a hand to just anchor yourself lightly. Staying in one place, and more kneeling, in surge is kind of pointless... Speaking delicately. I dive northern California with folks that try to count things on the bottom even in surge, our students are all advanced divers, so it can be done, but is tough. And forget the kneeling part, hover just off the bottom if you need to. Also depressions in the reef can help cut down the surge.
Edit: It sounds is if you were more comfortable the second dive. Do you have pool sessions before the next dives? Doing the pool in the suit and gear for the ocean can make you more comfortable when you switch to the ocean. Not that it sounds it was the main challenge. 7mm in the pool is rather warm, but you can unzip the suit and flush it.
Breathing is key. Lung emptying breaths, maybe belly breathing, keep CO2 down which reduces stress.
Usually it is easier to just let the surge move you back and forth instead of fighting it, if you can in the group. Sometimes you can snag a kelp stalk with a hand to just anchor yourself lightly. Staying in one place, and more kneeling, in surge is kind of pointless... Speaking delicately. I dive northern California with folks that try to count things on the bottom even in surge, our students are all advanced divers, so it can be done, but is tough. And forget the kneeling part, hover just off the bottom if you need to. Also depressions in the reef can help cut down the surge.
Edit: It sounds is if you were more comfortable the second dive. Do you have pool sessions before the next dives? Doing the pool in the suit and gear for the ocean can make you more comfortable when you switch to the ocean. Not that it sounds it was the main challenge. 7mm in the pool is rather warm, but you can unzip the suit and flush it.
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Were/are these your checkout dives for your OW certification?
If so, you'll tough it out for the last two and then it will all be downhill. Diving in those conditions is a lot tougher when you are in a group that has to stay all together, in sight of an instructor, and demonstrate skills.
Once you are free to just dive, it will be a lot easier and more fun.
If so, you'll tough it out for the last two and then it will all be downhill. Diving in those conditions is a lot tougher when you are in a group that has to stay all together, in sight of an instructor, and demonstrate skills.
Once you are free to just dive, it will be a lot easier and more fun.
OP
Aloha Joe
Contributor
Yeah, first 2 ocean dives in OW certification class. I'm looking forward to more dives and becoming more relaxed and comfortable 
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