Encourage me as I learn to dive

[Debra@DivingMuseum]

I'm anxiously anticipating my next dive tomorrow morning. It will be my first dive after getting my certification. It's been near three weeks since I last dove. Will I remember everything? (Like my wetsuit that I had to run back home for just minutes before my checkout dives.) But I really mean, will I remember how to set up my gear? All of the safety checks? The hand signals? Buoyancy controls? My kick? To breathe???

You know what I am really looking forward to? It is diving, diving and more diving. Practice, practice, practice so I can feel at ease and genuinely "enjoy the ride". Is that the experience most of you more experienced divers have had?

Every day I talk to people from all over the world who are passionate about diving. I want to experience the magic!

I think I'll go back online to my SDI course tonight and review some things. Call me a diving nerd:geek:, or newbie, but I know the better informed I am, the more comfortable I'll be and the safer too.

Oh, and by the way, my dive buddy tomorrow none other than my instructor, NetDoc. So I know I'll be in good hands. Looking forward to continuing this education. Sure beats the classes I was taking to get my MBA this time last year!
:d

 

[PacificNWdiver]

I grew up looking at the ocean every day. My dad dove(skin and scuba) almost daily when he was younger in SoCal(He won the pacific coast skin diving championship one year). But, somehow the sport didn't take it's hold on me until recently. I just got certified at age 48.

I can relate to forgetting things(I'm a list person), as well as the initial feeling that I pose a potential hazard to a more experienced diver. But, I am finding the dive community to be very welcoming. Thanks to those of you who make this sport enjoyable and to Debra@divingmuseum Congrats. It sounds like you are being welcomed and trained by very skilled people.

 

[Debra@DivingMuseum]

Yeah for those of us willing to learn something new and challenging at this time in our lives! You won't grow old as long as you keep on growing!

 

[300bar]

I'm anxiously anticipating my next dive tomorrow morning.

Don't be anxious,just be inpatient.After checking him, it seems your instructor is OK.
So just enjoy the ride and have some major FUN.

 

[--tom--]

I hope your dive went well. FYI, the diving continues to get better. It is just as much (if not more) fun hundreds of dives later. Happy B'day. Congratulations. Welcome to our world.

 

[tsays]

Debra -
I can think of no more wonderful gift than to give yourself the gift of a whole new life filled with passion and wonder.

I am a new diver myself, but for all the fears I faced down to dive (claustrophobia, sharks, being out of control), I have been richly rewarded with experiences so breathtaking that I can no longer imagine a life without diving.

Congrats on the birthday, the new job, and an adventure that you will never forget.

 

[llqwyd]

agree with tsays...and your life will never be the same once you become a diver. every vacation becomes a dive destination. and remember, any day you can blow bubbles, is a good day.

 

[sharkl]

Hope your diving lessons are going well!
I still remember my first "embarrassing" dive. I had gone through lessons with my step son and we both did fine in the pool. But then when we went for the first open water dive I panicked. Every one else followed the instructor down and I was still on top of the water. We weren't even away from shore yet!! My step son came back up to check on me and the instructor soon followed. I still don't know why I all of a sudden panicked. Some how the idea of being "out there" got scary. My step son kept saying, "Come on you can do it" "It will be fine". Then my instructor took my hand and held it all the way out to the lesson area. Once I was down and buoyant my breathing eased, then after the first sting ray sighting I was thrilled!! Now I wish I could spend every minute of everyday down in that blue paradise with my fishy friends.

 

[Debra@DivingMuseum]

WOW! I had a great dive on Friday. I was anxious about the cool air and water temps and remembering everything, but I didn't need to be. I was very comfortable and relaxed for my third and fourth dives. My Bare Arctic 7mm wetsuit kept me warm and cozy even when my diving buddy was chilled. (Thanks to Diver's Direct for setting me up with an awesome wetsuit!) The water temp was 68 on the first dive at City of Washington and 63 at Mike's Wreck. We went down about 30 feet at both locations.

NetDoc and I dove with Capt. Slate in Key Largo, for the Creature Feature dive. It was awe inspiring to see the 8 ft. eel (that's no fish story) come out of the rock crevice and take fish from Capt. Slate. I got to touch its smooth, green skin. (Looked and felt like the inside of a ripe avocado!) Capt. Slate and his crew were great. I really appreciated their help getting back to my seat when my legs are rubbery from the combination of being tired from the swim and bobbing in the water for a few minutes before boarding. They helped unload my tank immediately upon getting back on the boat, which was really a "weight off my back" and much safer than sending me to my seat all loaded up.

My biggest challenge of the day was getting below the surface on the first dive. After falling backwards into the water and taking a few deep breaths and some positive self-talk, I was ready to descend...at least mentally. I tried emptying my BC with the BC control but I kept floating on the surface. I knew I needed to hold the control above the level of the BC, but it wasn't working. After several tries and a little frustration, I managed to sink myself. Before the next dive I reviewed with Pete what I needed to do and he reminded me; "left shoulder up, right shoulder down" to make emptying the BC more efficient. It worked great on my second dive and I went right down.

Each time I dive I see more. I become more aware of my surroundings and less focused on the practice of diving. It gets better all the time!

 

[Debra@DivingMuseum]

I did my 12th dive yesterday! I hate to admit it, but you know you're getting comfortable with diving when your mind starts to drift back to life above water - work, home, shopping lists! I had to laugh at myself when I caught myself thinking about these things while diving. As much as it is a shame to let these thoughts crowd into my mind while I am in the elational underwater realm, I realized that it was a sign of my level of comfort with the sport. I am relaxed, comfortable and just confident enough to be able to let my mind wander.

I am loving diving. Each dive I learn something new, some little tweak to my technique that makes it even better. For this reason, I suggest newbies dive with many different dive operators and partners, then you are learning from people with all sorts of different experiences.

I'd also like to pass along to others: Don't be afraid to book a dive without a buddy. My experiences have generally been very good with meeting up with someone and having a great dive. More times than not, I've been buddied up with an experienced dive master who has helped me learn and perfect my skills even more.

And fortunately for me, each time I dive, I get better at my job; helping people to understand and appreciate the history of the exploration of the undersea world at the History of Diving Museum.