Are there people who just CANNOT dive?

[Colombo]

Call the scuba-shop and postpone your OWD course.

Yes, of course I did that, even before sending my posting here. Even if I had been crazy enough to consider the possibility of attending (and I'm not), I couldn't move at all. As the doctor foresaw, the pills aren't as effective as the injection, and there's pain all of the time. I cannot move my neck, but even if I don't try, it hurts. But what hurts the most is my arm, then the forearm and wrist, and then the neck. At least it's bearable, not like on the day I went to hospital. I'll go and have some physiotherapy, or osteopahy, or something like that (they do everything at the clinic and I don't know what they'll choose) on Monday, so I expect to improve at least a bit. But in the end, it seems I'm lucky there's no available course for what remains of July and August. I don't know how much this is going to last, but it looks like it's going to be quite a bit.

I've just bought a Cressi Gringo snorkel and a Cressi F1 mask (there's not much to choose from at the local sports shop, so making up my mind was easy) with a view to start practising at home, but you can imagine how poorly I still feel when you hear I don't really feel like trying yet. All I want is to sit down in an armchair and do nothing.

 

[DogDiver]

There are some folks out there that for some physiological reason just can’t dive. Just call it luck if the draw. However there are a whole lot of divers that shouldn’t be diving if ya get my drift.

 

[Colombo]

Hello guys,

I thought I'd come and update on my diving situation. After the aborted course, which would have been my third, I waited for almost three weeks until my stiff neck improved, and two days ago I spent a three-hour session in a swimming pool with an instructor who agreed to give a one-to-one lesson for as long as I needed. I found him browsing the internet; I couldn't find any review, but I read that he had worked with many types of people, including physically and mentally handicapped ones, and I decided to call on him. It was expensive, but worth every penny.

It was a completely different situation. Knowing that I would have all the time I needed, and that no one would be waiting for me, made all the difference. The instructor very patiently suggested many exercises so I could get used little by little to having water inside my mask, and to breathing with water inside my mask covering my nostrils before doing the same underwater. It took some time for me to get the knack of blocking my nose while inhaling, but I managed to do it. I removed my mask underwater several times, and I was delighted to see I didn't feel in a hurry to replace it. A couple of times I wasn't able to empty my mask correctly, but I didn't panic at all. And then we dived the length of the swimming pool without my mask on a couple of times. Afterwards, the instructor said he hadn't noticed any problem as far as my coordination or my trim were concerned, and he complimented me on being able to keep a reasonably good buoyancy by filling or emptying my lugs without using the BCD all the time. Of course, my buoyancy was affected when removing my mask and all that, but he said it was good enough for a beginner.

I can really say I've almost come to like the feeling of diving without the mask, and I can't wait to practise it more. The only thing which I'm not so sure about is whether I'd panic in a situation where it's kicked off unexpectedly, but I'm sure there'll be ways to practise that after I become an OWD.

Now I'm sure I'll get my OWD certificate one day, probably in my next course. I told this instructor how I'd like to carry on with the dive school I was already in, because I've already paid for the course and because I'd like to show them that I really can do it without their thinking I've taken the easy way out and gone somewhere where they certify you only because you've paid. I'm looking forward to the course; all they have in August are complete, but I'll enrol in the first one in September or whenever I can.

I couldn't be happier now!

 

[Belzelbub]

I couldn't be happier now!

Awesome. That’s great to hear. Some people just need to learn in a more relaxed environment than the typical OW class can provide. At least now, you know that you can do the skills. So they should be easier to complete during the checkout dives.

 

[johndiver999]

Hello guys,

I thought I'd come and update ...
I can really say I've almost come to like the feeling of diving without the mask, and I can't wait to practise it more. The only thing which I'm not so sure about is whether I'd panic in a situation where it's kicked off unexpectedly, but I'm sure there'll be ways to practise that after I become an OWD.
I couldn't be happier now!

Congratulations! Keep practicing the no mask stuff. You made incredible progress in one session - so don't worry about freaking out if/when the mask gets kicked off your face. You just need a bunch more practice and your confidence and skill will continue to progress - no doubt.

Also as an FYI, I've had the mask knocked off or partially off causing a complete flood a few times. It is startling, even after hundreds of dives. It is a natural reaction to be startled by something like that, but if you have practiced many times in the pool and run through the scenario in your mind, you are not going to freak out. Just practice in the pool until it is no big deal, then do it 20 more times in openwater when you have a chance.

 

[SlugLife]

Hello guys,

I thought I'd come and update on my diving situation. After the aborted course, which would have been my third, I waited for almost three weeks until my stiff neck improved, and two days ago I spent a three-hour session in a swimming pool with an instructor who agreed to give a one-to-one lesson for as long as I needed. I found him browsing the internet; I couldn't find any review, but I read that he had worked with many types of people, including physically and mentally handicapped ones, and I decided to call on him. It was expensive, but worth every penny.

It was a completely different situation. Knowing that I would have all the time I needed, and that no one would be waiting for me, made all the difference. The instructor very patiently suggested many exercises so I could get used little by little to having water inside my mask, and to breathing with water inside my mask covering my nostrils before doing the same underwater. It took some time for me to get the knack of blocking my nose while inhaling, but I managed to do it. I removed my mask underwater several times, and I was delighted to see I didn't feel in a hurry to replace it. A couple of times I wasn't able to empty my mask correctly, but I didn't panic at all. And then we dived the length of the swimming pool without my mask on a couple of times. Afterwards, the instructor said he hadn't noticed any problem as far as my coordination or my trim were concerned, and he complimented me on being able to keep a reasonably good buoyancy by filling or emptying my lugs without using the BCD all the time. Of course, my buoyancy was affected when removing my mask and all that, but he said it was good enough for a beginner.

I can really say I've almost come to like the feeling of diving without the mask, and I can't wait to practise it more. The only thing which I'm not so sure about is whether I'd panic in a situation where it's kicked off unexpectedly, but I'm sure there'll be ways to practise that after I become an OWD.

Now I'm sure I'll get my OWD certificate one day, probably in my next course. I told this instructor how I'd like to carry on with the dive school I was already in, because I've already paid for the course and because I'd like to show them that I really can do it without their thinking I've taken the easy way out and gone somewhere where they certify you only because you've paid. I'm looking forward to the course; all they have in August are complete, but I'll enrol in the first one in September or whenever I can.

I couldn't be happier now!

That's amazing. I know you were very frustrated and stressed.

Some advice regarding "The only thing which I'm not so sure about is whether I'd panic in a situation where it's kicked off unexpectedly"

There are two components here:

• Panic
• Regulator location

The regulator-location is fairly easy to solve: Regulator Necklace on Primary

Essentially:

1. Determine which regulator you would donate. For your initial open-water scuba-class, they'll probably tell you to donate your primary or secondary. After that it's your choice. The main reason for this decision, is you want your donate-regulator to be on a "breakaway" retainer, one where you could pull the regulator free quickly with a sharp tug, without needing to mess with a clip.
2. Retainers: Use some form of clip, retainer, or bungee-necklace to hold both your primary and secondary ("octo") regulators.
3. Consistent-Location: Always have the regulators consistently in the same location. For example, primary is on a necklace & secondary is always clipped to the right chest at your shoulder.
4. Practice: Practice being able to find either regulator by feel. Have your mask on for this practice, as the mask greatly restricts your peripheral vision. You don't want to be "looking" for your regulator. Also practice switching regulators. You can do this in shallow-water if you're really nervous. First grab the secondary (without looking), grab primary, swap regulators, and press purge button and breathe. Then follow the same procedure switching back, except clip the regulator to your usual location (chest-d-ring).

For panic, I gave advice earlier in this thread that you should NEVER rush. There is never a reason to rush, even in an emergency.

1. Stop/Pause: There's no need to rush. You have time.
2. Think: What are you supposed to do in this situation?
3. Decide: Make a decision. I doesn't have to be the perfect one, but make one.
4. Act: Follow through with the decision.
5. Repeat: If needed, go back to step 1.

For example, if your regulator is knocked out of your mouth.

1. Stop: We're in no rush. Assuming we remain clam, we probably have a good minute worth of air, if we haven't been swimming hard.
2. Think: We have 2 options (a) retrieve primary or (b) retrieve secondary. If your primary is on a necklace, it's right below your chin. If your secondary is on the chest d-ring, it's right at your shoulder. If neither is clipped, standard procedure is an arm-sweep.
3. Decide: Lets pretend secondary is clipped and easier & primary isn't on a necklace. So lets go for the secondary.
4. Act: Reach for secondary, place it in mouth, hit the purge button, and breathe.
5. Repeat: Lets pretend secondary wasn't clipped where we thought. We go back to step 1, stop, 2 think: our training was to arm-sweep for a dangling regulator 3: decide: arm sweep 4: act: retrieve primary with an arm-sweep.

If we remembered our training, and took our time, the above would take maybe 30 seconds to attempt both retrievals mentioned.

If something makes you nervous (and believe me, the idea of losing a regulator made me nervous) it's a great reason to (1) practice relevant skills and (2) ask here about better ways to handle those scenarios. We should never panic, but sometimes the things that make us uncomfortable are a sign of things we should address.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Hello guys,

I thought I'd come and update on my diving situation. After the aborted course, which would have been my third, I waited for almost three weeks until my stiff neck improved, and two days ago I spent a three-hour session in a swimming pool with an instructor who agreed to give a one-to-one lesson for as long as I needed. I found him browsing the internet; I couldn't find any review, but I read that he had worked with many types of people, including physically and mentally handicapped ones, and I decided to call on him. It was expensive, but worth every penny.

It was a completely different situation. Knowing that I would have all the time I needed, and that no one would be waiting for me, made all the difference. The instructor very patiently suggested many exercises so I could get used little by little to having water inside my mask, and to breathing with water inside my mask covering my nostrils before doing the same underwater. It took some time for me to get the knack of blocking my nose while inhaling, but I managed to do it. I removed my mask underwater several times, and I was delighted to see I didn't feel in a hurry to replace it. A couple of times I wasn't able to empty my mask correctly, but I didn't panic at all. And then we dived the length of the swimming pool without my mask on a couple of times. Afterwards, the instructor said he hadn't noticed any problem as far as my coordination or my trim were concerned, and he complimented me on being able to keep a reasonably good buoyancy by filling or emptying my lugs without using the BCD all the time. Of course, my buoyancy was affected when removing my mask and all that, but he said it was good enough for a beginner.

I can really say I've almost come to like the feeling of diving without the mask, and I can't wait to practise it more. The only thing which I'm not so sure about is whether I'd panic in a situation where it's kicked off unexpectedly, but I'm sure there'll be ways to practise that after I become an OWD.

Now I'm sure I'll get my OWD certificate one day, probably in my next course. I told this instructor how I'd like to carry on with the dive school I was already in, because I've already paid for the course and because I'd like to show them that I really can do it without their thinking I've taken the easy way out and gone somewhere where they certify you only because you've paid. I'm looking forward to the course; all they have in August are complete, but I'll enrol in the first one in September or whenever I can.

I couldn't be happier now!

So pleased for you!