Been busy diving

[azstinger11]

Today was totally challenging and stressful. Hopefully next weekend is better. I was beat. 4.5 hours total underwater this weekend and I had a hard time getting my brain 100% into it.

Two local guys were tagging along. One rebreather, one not. After seeing the horrid first dive I had this morning, the open circuit guy thought he would be Mr Funny. Asked me how much I wanted for my rebreather. Said he didn’t want to wait for months like I had. I could have hit the prick. I told him to his face to eff off multiple times. He said it was just a joke but after the difficult dives today, I was not in the mood to joke about this.

You got this! At least you didn’t have to bail out 30 seconds into your first dive like me! Although you are up one flood on me .

Have you had the “a ha” moment? Where you are neutral, PPO2 is good, loop volume is good, and you just get that all is quiet and good sensation ? I think it was dives 5 & 6 where I started getting small glimpses at it.

 

[Marie13]

You got this! At least you didn’t have to bail out 30 seconds into your first dive like me! Although you are up one flood on me .

Have you had the “a ha” moment? Where you are neutral, PPO2 is good, loop volume is good, and you just get that all is quiet and good sensation ? I think it was dives 5 & 6 where I started getting small glimpses at it.

Didn’t fully close the loop after a BO drill, and I had bubbles coming from DSV and gurgles. So I got extra practice at flood drill. Sorb will have to be pitched.

A ha moment? Just the occasional half second here or there.

 

[azstinger11]

Didn’t fully close the loop after a BO drill, and I had bubbles coming from DSV and gurgles. So I got extra practice at flood drill. Sorb will have to be pitched.

A ha moment? Just the occasional half second here or there.

Yeah that sounds familiar. Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[Marie13]

Yeah that sounds familiar. Best of luck and keep us updated!

Thanks! So why did you have to BO 30 seconds into your first dive?

 

[azstinger11]

@Marie13

Honestly, just sort of freaked out. I had done a try dive on the rEvo so had a primitive idea of managing the loop. I went from max loop volume to minimum loop volume a few times, rapidly. Both of which made breathing difficult. I really don’t get why, instructor re-explained everything really well prior to the dive. Just had a really bad reaction at first, like I know why I had an hard time breathing, I don’t understand why I acted that way. I was sitting on a rock in crystal clear visibility in all of 10ft of water. Instructor handled it great. Made sure I was safe on my bailout reg, then let me get collected, and let me continue the dive. I knew both those extremes were bad, and after I got my collective poop together, I was able to handle it, but good experience honestly.

 

[Marie13]

@Marie13

Honestly, just sort of freaked out. I had done a try dive on the rEvo so had a primitive idea of managing the loop. I went from max loop volume to minimum loop volume a few times, rapidly. Both of which made breathing difficult. I really don’t get why, instructor re-explained everything really well prior to the dive. Just had a really bad reaction at first, like I know why I had an hard time breathing, I don’t understand why I acted that way. I was sitting on a rock in crystal clear visibility in all of 10ft of water. Instructor handled it great. Made sure I was safe on my bailout reg, then let me get collected, and let me continue the dive. I knew both those extremes were bad, and after I got my collective poop together, I was able to handle it, but good experience honestly.

Yikes. My breathing was jacked up today which didn’t help at all. Short breaths, not longer ones. The only times I felt I actually got good full breaths was when I had BO to OC. We had one drill where we BO at 60ft and went up the slope to 30ft (between platforms). I didn’t get all the gas out of my counterlung before BO and had a difficult time with my buoyancy. Oy vey!

 

[stretchthepenn]

A ha moment? Just the occasional half second here or there.

Sounds familiar. According to absolutely everyone who's ever written or spoken about rebreather training, the first day or two of class suuuuuuucks. Hang in there. Things get better.

 

[Marie13]

Sounds familiar. According to absolutely everyone who's ever written or spoken about rebreather training, the first day or two of class suuuuuuucks. Hang in there. Things get better.

4.5 hours underwater this weekend. I don’t dive that much myself hardly ever. Maybe when I was on a wreck diving trip a couple of times, but that’s it. I hurt all over.

This coming weekend, I’ll be doing Sat am dive with instructor and classmate. They’ll do a dive Sat pm, when he could finish up. Instructor and I will do what’s hopefully my final class dive Sunday am. She could see I was beat and flagging yesterday afternoon. I am so glad she only teaches on weekends. I couldn’t do a week of this. OMG.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I couldn’t do a week of this. OMG.

@Rollin Bonz and I did our training this past summer in a full-week format. It was a good week...but yeah, OMG, it was challenging and tiring.

 

[Marie13]

@Rollin Bonz and I did our training this past summer in a full-week format. It was a good week...but yeah, OMG, it was challenging and tiring.

I’m not a spring chicken. MX cave instructor even did days of 2 shorter dives alternated with days of one longer dive. My knees are killing me from the unaccustomed weight. I’d been SM only for two years. The entry point has a nice slope to it, but this is the one we had to use. It’s brutal. Can’t wait to get to home quarry where the entry point will be much easier.