Anyone else really nervous in the beginning?

[PEDiver]

I think other people have already said this, but being nervous isn't a bad thing in my opinion (unless, of course, it keeps you out of the water).

I've been diving for almost 15 years with a resurgence over the last 5 years as I decided to go down the tech/cave diving path. 5 years later, and a couple hundred dives (most of those in caves or overhead environments with deco), I still get a little nervous before almost every dive. But instead of allowing that feeling to overwhelm me, I try and use it to focus my thoughts and energy on dive planning and execution. And 95% of the time, once I submerge and "lock in" to the dive plan, that feeling goes away and my brainpower is dedicated to the dive itself and my team.

Being nervous is just your brain and body trying to keep you alive in the face of the unknown. And that's a good thing.

 

[scubadada]

I had a pressure gauge and a watch but no depth gauge. I really didn't want to know my depth this dive because if I saw we were going below 40 feet, I think I wold have gotten nervous and said, NO WAY!! This way, I knew we were deeper than 25 or 30 feet because the surface looked different, but I didn't know we went 56 feet down.
I will be getting one to have for my next trip here in April with my daughter.

You should not delegate monitoring of your dive to others, I assume you know that. I would suggest that you have at least a basic computer and SPG for your next diving and work toward becoming an independent diver.

Best of luck

 

[Edward3c]

I had a pressure gauge and a watch but no depth gauge. I really didn't want to know my depth this dive because if I saw we were going below 40 feet, I think I wold have gotten nervous and said, NO WAY!! This way, I knew we were deeper than 25 or 30 feet because the surface looked different, but I didn't know we went 56 feet down.
I will be getting one to have for my next trip here in April with my daughter.

If you weren’t diving with your own computer. Tell us you planned the dives using tables before getting in the water. Ideally, you had a slate with max depth and times on it.

 

[nldunn]

You should not delegate monitoring of your dive to others, I assume you know that. I would suggest that you have at least a basic computer and SPG for your next diving and work toward becoming an independent diver.

Best of luck

I do know that. I plan to buy a computer before I come back here with my daughter in April. Thank you for your honesty.

 

[nldunn]

I think other people have already said this, but being nervous isn't a bad thing in my opinion (unless, of course, it keeps you out of the water).

I've been diving for almost 15 years with a resurgence over the last 5 years as I decided to go down the tech/cave diving path. 5 years later, and a couple hundred dives (most of those in caves or overhead environments with deco), I still get a little nervous before almost every dive. But instead of allowing that feeling to overwhelm me, I try and use it to focus my thoughts and energy on dive planning and execution. And 95% of the time, once I submerge and "lock in" to the dive plan, that feeling goes away and my brainpower is dedicated to the dive itself and my team.

Being nervous is just your brain and body trying to keep you alive in the face of the unknown. And that's a good thing.

Being nervous has kept me out of the water on my last trip here because my sister in law didn't dive and I didn't trust a stranger to be my buddy at this point.
I didn't do a boat dive yesterday and I don't know if it was due to nerves or good sense. 30 knots wind, whitecaps and waves breaking out in the sea. I thought I would be over my head in skill level. I wouldn't have snorkeled in those conditions and I'm very confident snorkeling and swimming in the ocean. But I thought, "Don't make my last dive a bad one so I won't want to dive again." I'm not sure if I should have bailed or not. Ugh.

 

[nldunn]

If you weren’t diving with your own computer. Tell us you planned the dives using tables before getting in the water. Ideally, you had a slate with max depth and times on it.

I was with a guide who had done an informal refresher with us. Did I trust her rather than stress about depth, which I would have done? Yup. And it was a good plan for me that day. There is no way I'm diving without a guide any time soon but I get that I am in charge of my own safety. I had a mental block I was trying to get over.

 

[therookie]

I'm not sure if I should have bailed or not. Ugh.

Don't beat yourself up over it, @nldunn. For some on ScubaBoard that may not be too far off of "normal" , but I won't dive in those conditions either. And also, depending on the direction a 30 knot wind is coming from, the dive shop I use on Roatan would cancel everyone's dives in those conditions. Frankly that's one of the reasons I dive with them.

We are recreational divers. By definition it's supposed to be fun. It sounds like you had fun on this trip, and learned a number of lessons that will serve you well on your next one in a few months. That's a win all the way around.

 

[nldunn]

T

Don't beat yourself up over it, @nldunn. For some on ScubaBoard that may not be too far off of "normal" , but I won't dive in those conditions either. And also, depending on the direction a 30 knot wind is coming from, the dive shop I use on Roatan would cancel everyone's dives in those conditions. Frankly that's one of the reasons I dive with them.

We are recreational divers. By definition it's supposed to be fun. It sounds like you had fun on this trip, and learned a number of lessons that will serve you well on your next one in a few months. That's a win all the way around.

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it's true that this should be fun and my husband puking and me terrified would not have been fun.
And if in Roatan, I would want to dive with your shop!!

 

[Edward3c]

I was with a guide who had done an informal refresher with us. Did I trust her rather than stress about depth, which I would have done? Yup. And it was a good plan for me that day. There is no way I'm diving without a guide any time soon but I get that I am in charge of my own safety. I had a mental block I was trying to get over.

Even though you’re with a guide/instructor you should get into the habit of planning your own dive profiles. I confirm that my students have gone through the planning cycle for each dive. That way they are better prepared for the day they’re not with a competent guide/instructor or even diving as an ordinary buddy pair.

 

[NothingClever]

I had a pressure gauge and a watch but no depth gauge. I really didn't want to know my depth this dive because if I saw we were going below 40 feet, I think I wold have gotten nervous and said, NO WAY!! This way, I knew we were deeper than 25 or 30 feet because the surface looked different, but I didn't know we went 56 feet down.
I will be getting one to have for my next trip here in April with my daughter.

Well, dagnabbit.

Hard NO on the camera. You have other skills that require your attention first.

I can’t encourage you enough to get a computer or at the very least a depth gauge alongside your watch.

Hiring a guide to fulfill a basic individual responsibility (tracking one’s depth) is just silly.

What basic pilot training allows for outsourcing monitoring the altimeter? Yeah, I get the same answer - none.

If Janette hasn’t stomped her foot about this basic individual task, I won’t deny that she’s a kind soul that’s comforting and encouraging you but I will question her competency and duty to truly care. She’s tacitly endorsing dependency and I think that’s a DISservice rather than good customer service.

I’m glad you’re getting a computer. Please commit to learning to use it.