Scuba is something I have wanted to do since I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau. So finally I signed up for a certification course, and went through the pool sessions, etc. with no problems.
Last week I had 4 OW dives scheduled for certification. I had problems right away, on the very first dive, when the mask I had been using all along just didn't seem to fit anymore with the hood on. It repeatedly filled with water and though I didn't have any problem with clearing it, there was no way I could get through the dive with that kind of distraction. So my instructor traded masks with me and that issue was solved.
We started out in waist deep water- this was a lake, by the way, and soon were in water about 10' deep. My buddy was close by, but I was having trouble keeping up with the rest of the group because I just could not seem to maintain a consistent depth. I was making adjustments to the air in my bc but was constantly going up and down.
Finally, we were out in water that was maybe 20-25' deep, swimming at a depth of about 15'. The water was kind of cloudy, which meant no reference points to judge whether I was rising or sinking. All of a sudden, I realize that I am leaving everybody behind- below me. I'm rising higher and higher, looking down at my buddy just below, and everybody else much further below. He's looking up at me and has no idea what is going on. I popped up on the surface and realized then that my bc had completely filled with air. I had not touched the fill valve- all I can come up with is that it must have somehow gotten wedged into my chest, or under my arm pit, causing the fill button to get depressed.
Now the real problems start. My buddy signalled me to dump air from my bc, which I did. I didn't seem to be sinking at all at first, so I let out more air- all of it, apparently. And then I let go of the bc fill valve- don't ask, I have no idea why, too many distractions, I guess. I started sinking like a stone, and the pressure started building up on my ears. At that point I could only think to grab the inflator valve again and put some air back in. Only I couldn't find the thing. My line of vision was restricted with the mask and I couldn't actually see where the valve was, so I was trying to locate the valve with gloves on, by feel, while trying to fin up and at least slow my descent. I just couldn't find the valve. The pressure went higher and higher until there was a sudden high squeaking noise in my right ear as the ear drum let go.
I lost my equilibrium with that, and started tumbling around in the water. Fortunately my buddy was there and caught my hand. He was looking at me as if to ask what was going on. I pointed to my ear and made some gesture that was supposed to mean that it was shot, and pointed my thumb up. So he got me to the surface and towed me in to shore. End of dive.
Now I'm thinking about all this and trying to figure out what went wrong. Quite frankly, I feel like a screwup, because 12 or so people went out that day, and I was the only one to have an issue. Believe it or not, though I was definitely stressed while this was all happening, I did not panic. But now, the thought of strapping on all that gear and getting back in the water again has me scared. I don't know if I can do it. And I have a ready out if I say I can't dive anymore because of my ears. Yet I'm still not sure I want to walk away from it.
For anybody who cares to answer, I have these questions:
Should we have worked on buoyancy skills before going into the open water?
What exactly were the mistakes I made, and would any new diver have made them in my place?
Does it make sense to practice the skill- in the pool- of being able to locate any piece of equipment, such as the bc fill valve, with gloves on and without being able to see it, over and over and over until it is automatic?
Both of my eardrums had been ruptured before, more than once on different occasions in the past. Should I even consider diving, as I have heard that ruptures get easier and easier each time they occur?
I would really appreciate some input on this so I can be set straight. I'm going to have about 6 weeks while my ear heals to figure out what I am going to do.
Last week I had 4 OW dives scheduled for certification. I had problems right away, on the very first dive, when the mask I had been using all along just didn't seem to fit anymore with the hood on. It repeatedly filled with water and though I didn't have any problem with clearing it, there was no way I could get through the dive with that kind of distraction. So my instructor traded masks with me and that issue was solved.
We started out in waist deep water- this was a lake, by the way, and soon were in water about 10' deep. My buddy was close by, but I was having trouble keeping up with the rest of the group because I just could not seem to maintain a consistent depth. I was making adjustments to the air in my bc but was constantly going up and down.
Finally, we were out in water that was maybe 20-25' deep, swimming at a depth of about 15'. The water was kind of cloudy, which meant no reference points to judge whether I was rising or sinking. All of a sudden, I realize that I am leaving everybody behind- below me. I'm rising higher and higher, looking down at my buddy just below, and everybody else much further below. He's looking up at me and has no idea what is going on. I popped up on the surface and realized then that my bc had completely filled with air. I had not touched the fill valve- all I can come up with is that it must have somehow gotten wedged into my chest, or under my arm pit, causing the fill button to get depressed.
Now the real problems start. My buddy signalled me to dump air from my bc, which I did. I didn't seem to be sinking at all at first, so I let out more air- all of it, apparently. And then I let go of the bc fill valve- don't ask, I have no idea why, too many distractions, I guess. I started sinking like a stone, and the pressure started building up on my ears. At that point I could only think to grab the inflator valve again and put some air back in. Only I couldn't find the thing. My line of vision was restricted with the mask and I couldn't actually see where the valve was, so I was trying to locate the valve with gloves on, by feel, while trying to fin up and at least slow my descent. I just couldn't find the valve. The pressure went higher and higher until there was a sudden high squeaking noise in my right ear as the ear drum let go.
I lost my equilibrium with that, and started tumbling around in the water. Fortunately my buddy was there and caught my hand. He was looking at me as if to ask what was going on. I pointed to my ear and made some gesture that was supposed to mean that it was shot, and pointed my thumb up. So he got me to the surface and towed me in to shore. End of dive.
Now I'm thinking about all this and trying to figure out what went wrong. Quite frankly, I feel like a screwup, because 12 or so people went out that day, and I was the only one to have an issue. Believe it or not, though I was definitely stressed while this was all happening, I did not panic. But now, the thought of strapping on all that gear and getting back in the water again has me scared. I don't know if I can do it. And I have a ready out if I say I can't dive anymore because of my ears. Yet I'm still not sure I want to walk away from it.
For anybody who cares to answer, I have these questions:
Should we have worked on buoyancy skills before going into the open water?
What exactly were the mistakes I made, and would any new diver have made them in my place?
Does it make sense to practice the skill- in the pool- of being able to locate any piece of equipment, such as the bc fill valve, with gloves on and without being able to see it, over and over and over until it is automatic?
Both of my eardrums had been ruptured before, more than once on different occasions in the past. Should I even consider diving, as I have heard that ruptures get easier and easier each time they occur?
I would really appreciate some input on this so I can be set straight. I'm going to have about 6 weeks while my ear heals to figure out what I am going to do.