Big dissapointment failed my Last 2 OW dives.
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Groundhog246
Contributor
Excellent call David. You'll be the type of buddy I look for. I'll paraphrase a sailing guideline (I've sailed many more years than I've been diving) that has stood many in good stead: If the wind has picked up and you think to yourself "Should I take a reef in the sails?", the correct answer will always be YES!!.
If you wonder if you should call a dive, before or during, the correct answer is yes. If you're at the start and lots of air, you can discuss, sort out and descend again. But even if that's it for the day, you can dive another day.
If that's it for the winter, ask your instructor about getting in the pool a couple of times over the winter. It'd be especially good if you could join up with a class doing their last pool session before doing the rest of your OW dives. Even after 100 dives in 2 years, last spring I got into the pool twice in the spring for a "tune up" before heading for OW, and my first couple of OW dives were shallow ones in a local quarry, before heading of for deeper ones. Anyone will get a bit rusty after 5 or 6 months of not diving. If you check the injury statistics from DAN, quite a percentage of dive injuries occur in the first day or two of diving, after an extended period of not diving.
If you wonder if you should call a dive, before or during, the correct answer is yes. If you're at the start and lots of air, you can discuss, sort out and descend again. But even if that's it for the day, you can dive another day.
If that's it for the winter, ask your instructor about getting in the pool a couple of times over the winter. It'd be especially good if you could join up with a class doing their last pool session before doing the rest of your OW dives. Even after 100 dives in 2 years, last spring I got into the pool twice in the spring for a "tune up" before heading for OW, and my first couple of OW dives were shallow ones in a local quarry, before heading of for deeper ones. Anyone will get a bit rusty after 5 or 6 months of not diving. If you check the injury statistics from DAN, quite a percentage of dive injuries occur in the first day or two of diving, after an extended period of not diving.
Kayla
Contributor
I had to call my last two certification dives when I got certified due to ear problems as well. I finished them with the class the next month, but it sucks. You're going to make a good diver when you get there though, you know your limits. Good luck to you!
Kayla :dazzler1:
Kayla :dazzler1:
Damselfish
Contributor
you didn't "fail" anything, you're just not done yet. Stuff happens and you did the right thing.
RonDawg
Contributor
DavidHickey:
If you have the financial means to do so, you may not have to wait until spring to finish your OW cert. Ask your instructor for a "referral" and do your checkout dives in a warmer climate.
It doesn't have to be anywhere exotic like Hawaii or the Caribbean...Florida or Southern California would suffice. I would still check with a physician to make sure there's nothing that would preclude you from diving, whether temporarily or permanently.
I agree with everybody else here, it would not have been wise to continue diving. I know someone who ruptured his eardrum while learning to scuba dive and now cannot dive at all :sad:
You sound like a diver I would be proud to certify. Knowing your limits is absolutely essential.
Fly to Saipan, and I'll finish your class for ya. Or go to the Caymans or some other warm place that's closer. You owe yourself a vacation as a reward for your good judgment.
Fly to Saipan, and I'll finish your class for ya. Or go to the Caymans or some other warm place that's closer. You owe yourself a vacation as a reward for your good judgment.
mindseye20
Registered
"I understand but its just depressing so close and now so far away. Just keep thinking I should have just went ahead but I realize that would have been stupid. "
Hey there David-
Just depressing, eh? I'll tell you what's more depressing. I picked up a bad ear infection from a dive trip to the Bahamas. I didn't even notice it for about a week and a half after returning to my allergy-prone hometown. Then I tried to go diving two weeks later and warned my buddy (my ex by that time) that my ears had been feeling a little wierd. I didn't think much of it but I thought I would give him a warning because it crossed my mind. Sure enough, I got less than 2 feet underwater when my ears started hurting. I called the dive off and snorkeled on the surface as my dive buddy wanted to stick around 15 feet and scuba- to say the least I haven't dove with him since nor will I. I went to the doctors and was prescribed antibiotics which did nothing, and then to an ENT. This was throughout the month of June. My ENT surgically placed tubes in my ears the day I went to see him to drain the fluid and release some of the pressure. I haven't been diving since. I got the tubes taken out about 5 weeks ago and am still not ready to go in the water because it hurts to pop my ears on the surface. I haven't even been swimming. I'm hoping to get back in the water in about a month, but have no plans to push it. I am surrounded by divers every day as I work with divers at both my jobs and am in charge of our university scuba club. When I am able to dive I'll have an extra strong decongestant to take prior to diving and prescription ear drops with acid for afterwards. Good job calling the dive off. Learning the hard way is much, much worse (not to mention more expensive).
Below is an excerpt from "Surviving the Extremes," about water pressure on the ears describing the effects of what happens when you can't equalize the air in your head. I read this after my experience and it described it pretty much exactly.
"Sinuses, being entirely encased in skill bones, are somewhat resistant to pressure changes, but ears, only partially enclosed by the skull, are much more vulnerable... With a descent of only 3 feet, outside pressure makes the eardrum bulge inward and cases pain unless more air enters the chamber and provides counterpressure. Adding another foot or so of depth will contract the air space enough to make the soft lining of the Eustachian tube flutter closed. When the tube is blocked, the chamber is sealed. Should the diver ignore the pain and continue downward, the pressure would be relieved within another 10 to 12 feet and the pain would disappear- replaced by a loss of hearing and severe vertigo, as cold seawater floods into the ear through the ruptured eardrum. Humans are able to prevent the dam from bursting by utilizing the valsalva maneuver..." ~Kenneth Kamler, M.D.
Hey there David-
Just depressing, eh? I'll tell you what's more depressing. I picked up a bad ear infection from a dive trip to the Bahamas. I didn't even notice it for about a week and a half after returning to my allergy-prone hometown. Then I tried to go diving two weeks later and warned my buddy (my ex by that time) that my ears had been feeling a little wierd. I didn't think much of it but I thought I would give him a warning because it crossed my mind. Sure enough, I got less than 2 feet underwater when my ears started hurting. I called the dive off and snorkeled on the surface as my dive buddy wanted to stick around 15 feet and scuba- to say the least I haven't dove with him since nor will I. I went to the doctors and was prescribed antibiotics which did nothing, and then to an ENT. This was throughout the month of June. My ENT surgically placed tubes in my ears the day I went to see him to drain the fluid and release some of the pressure. I haven't been diving since. I got the tubes taken out about 5 weeks ago and am still not ready to go in the water because it hurts to pop my ears on the surface. I haven't even been swimming. I'm hoping to get back in the water in about a month, but have no plans to push it. I am surrounded by divers every day as I work with divers at both my jobs and am in charge of our university scuba club. When I am able to dive I'll have an extra strong decongestant to take prior to diving and prescription ear drops with acid for afterwards. Good job calling the dive off. Learning the hard way is much, much worse (not to mention more expensive).
Below is an excerpt from "Surviving the Extremes," about water pressure on the ears describing the effects of what happens when you can't equalize the air in your head. I read this after my experience and it described it pretty much exactly.
"Sinuses, being entirely encased in skill bones, are somewhat resistant to pressure changes, but ears, only partially enclosed by the skull, are much more vulnerable... With a descent of only 3 feet, outside pressure makes the eardrum bulge inward and cases pain unless more air enters the chamber and provides counterpressure. Adding another foot or so of depth will contract the air space enough to make the soft lining of the Eustachian tube flutter closed. When the tube is blocked, the chamber is sealed. Should the diver ignore the pain and continue downward, the pressure would be relieved within another 10 to 12 feet and the pain would disappear- replaced by a loss of hearing and severe vertigo, as cold seawater floods into the ear through the ruptured eardrum. Humans are able to prevent the dam from bursting by utilizing the valsalva maneuver..." ~Kenneth Kamler, M.D.
I feel for you, but agree with the other posters. I have a question that a couple might not have asked. Where do you plan on diving? Personally, I recommend that check-outs be done in the environment that you plan to dive. In short, get the instructors to allow you some pool time to keep in practice and see about doing the OW check-outs in the spring or maybe another shop in the general area can do them on a referral. I say this because if you plan to dive cold water, it would probably be best if you did your skills in that environment and the Caymans, Fl. (well maybe some of the springs/lakes), etc. really don't suffice for this.
Having said that, you show the makings of a good diver. Additional things to try:
If you can, descend as slowly as circumstances will allow. That will allow you to hover at depth the minute that you feel discomfort and come up a tad and re-equalize. Try to equalize all of the way down, especially the first thirty ft. of the water column where the pressure change is the most notable. As the one post said, try to equalize about early and often. You will be fine when you get used to it.
Great call to question the wisdom of diving in that situation. You don't want to aggravate an already bad situation with the ears and that is one of the most common issues with divers that I know of!
Having said that, you show the makings of a good diver. Additional things to try:
If you can, descend as slowly as circumstances will allow. That will allow you to hover at depth the minute that you feel discomfort and come up a tad and re-equalize. Try to equalize all of the way down, especially the first thirty ft. of the water column where the pressure change is the most notable. As the one post said, try to equalize about early and often. You will be fine when you get used to it.
Great call to question the wisdom of diving in that situation. You don't want to aggravate an already bad situation with the ears and that is one of the most common issues with divers that I know of!
DavidHickey:
David, isn't it possible to do the checkout dives in a drysuit? It takes a couple extra pool sessions to get you ramped up for that but around here it's standard practice in the winter. Also, maybe it's worth your while to fill in some basic information in your profile. People don't need to see your life story but it helps to know where you live and which agency trained you.
R..
OP
DavidHickey
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Thanks for all the encouragement. I feel alot better about it today. I'm going to try to get a doctors release this week, and call the dive shop and see if I can pay one of the instructors a 100.00 or so extra to meet me for my final 2 dives privately since they have no more group sessions this year. If I can't do that I will just wait till spring or do a refferal. Not a big deal will just take a little longer, but I will get there!
Thanks
David
Thanks
David
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