Brand new diver

[CathyS]

Hi folks. I posted on the Introduction & Greets forum and a couple of people pointed me in this direction.

I just completed my PADI OW certification about a week ago, along with my boyfriend and a couple of our friends. We went through Sea-Side Dive Shop in St. Clair Shores. The instructors/DMs were very nice people and were especially patient with me when I was displaying my obvious fear.

Quite honestly, though, I don't feel like I learned anywhere near enough about buoyancy control in the class. It was something that was talked about a bit, but we didn't practice it to any great degree. So I still feel like a wrecking ball underwater, prone to crash into the bottom and stir up a load of silt rather than achieve neutral buoyancy before I reach that point. It didn't help that our OW dives were done at Spring Mill Pond at Island Lake Recreation Area, with such poor visibility that I didn't see the bottom until I was pretty much on it.

Anyway, the point is that I need to go diving someplace sort of wimpy and shallow where a nervous newbie can practice buoyancy control and not cause ecological disaster. Someplace within easy driving distance of the Detroit area would be swell. Right now I think I just need to go someplace I feel safe floundering around while I figure out what the heck I'm doing. (Lack of boat traffic would be a plus.)

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Cathy

 

[scuba_frog]

Did you take your class with a dive club? I did. And after passing my OW test, I joined the club and helped out at future classes. While the class was going on, they let me (and anyone else who wanted) get into the water with the class and practice some of the things I needed help with. This helped with the buoyancy issue and mask clearing tremendously. Just something to consider.

 

[jkennedy]

Practice and dives will give you the confidence. Choose an experienced buddy and go diving. Welcome to the board........

 

[CathyS]

Did you take your class with a dive club? I did. And after passing my OW test, I joined the club and helped out at future classes. While the class was going on, they let me (and anyone else who wanted) get into the water with the class and practice some of the things I needed help with. This helped with the buoyancy issue and mask clearing tremendously. Just something to consider.

Hmmm. I took the class through a local dive shop, not a club. (Although the shop does appear to have a club.) I think they're doing more classes in August; perhaps I could see if they'd let me use the deep end of the pool while they're doing the class in the shallower portions.

 

[CathyS]

Practice and dives will give you the confidence. Choose an experienced buddy and go diving. Welcome to the board........

Thanks for the welcome.

My intention is for my boyfriend to be my buddy, although he's a newbie like me. At this stage I would feel really awkward diving with someone who is experienced and displaying my lack of skills. :newbie:

 

[Mitten Diver]

So I still feel like a wrecking ball underwater, prone to crash into the bottom and stir up a load of silt rather than achieve neutral buoyancy before I reach that point.

Cathy,

Welcome to the wonderfull world of recreational diving, you will have great amounts of fun with our hobby. You may want to try diving at one of the local quarries as they won't have any boat traffic and the quarry offers a fairly safe enviromnet for diving. I find Gilboa to be a pretty nice place to dive as is Whitestar quarry in Ohio. There are several divers from your area that you should be able to link up with.

While we are the Great Lakes Wrecking Crew, we do not swing around and crash into anything under water. It refers to our preference to dive the ship wrecks of the Great Lakes. One piece of advice is to avoid any bouyancy training from Frankenmuth_Tom as I have heard in past diving experiences that he has had an issue with impacting the bottom as well. This may have been a fabricated story by other divers to try and rub off some of the shine though. Some divers will stop at nothing to knock a guy down a notch or two if they think that they can get away with it.

I hope that you and you significant other will be able to join us at the next Meet and Greet wherever we decide to have it. Many a level of skilled diver will be there for diving and fun. I hear Diver Brian will have a new vehicle with a mixing/gas fill station in his new trailer. You really have to befriend a guy who will be able to provide you with nitrox fills and E-grade air at all of your dive parties. Besides Cyril should be there to provide entertainment along with a host of others.

Mitten Diver

 

[CathyS]

One piece of advice is to avoid any bouyancy training from Frankenmuth_Tom as I have heard in past diving experiences that he has had an issue with impacting the bottom as well. This may have been a fabricated story by other divers to try and rub off some of the shine though. Some divers will stop at nothing to knock a guy down a notch or two if they think that they can get away with it.

Hehe, thanks for the advice. Now why do I think Frankenmuth_Tom will be along eventually to prevent you from getting away with trying to knock him down a notch or two?

Cathy

 

[Mitten Diver]

Hehe, thanks for the advice. Now why do I think Frankenmuth_Tom will be along eventually to prevent you from getting away with trying to knock him down a notch or two?

Cathy

Like I said the story "may" have been fabricated as I was not able to dive with the group on that trip. If it wasn't fabricated it may have been more like a good fishing story as we do spend some time around the fishes.

Mitten Diver

 

[netmage]

Hehe, thanks for the advice. Now why do I think Frankenmuth_Tom will be along eventually to prevent you from getting away with trying to knock him down a notch or two?

Cathy

Maybe not. Karmacally speaking, I believe he's about due for some payback.....

Welcome to the board, its very refreshing to see a new diver acknowledge the bouyancy learning curve vs. thinking being a "dirt dart" is normal. Don't become discouraged & keep at it, it can take 30+ dives under your belt to really get your SAC and bouyancy under nailed.

 

[CathyS]

Welcome to the board, its very refreshing to see a new diver acknowledge the bouyancy learning curve vs. thinking being a "dirt dart" is normal.

Unfortunately, the way we learn in class is not really conducive to people thinking being a "dirt dart" isn't the way to be. Confined water dives = go to the bottom and demonstrate some skills. Open water dives = go to the platform (which was pretty much on the bottom) and demonstrate some skills. We spent much more time trying to prevent ourselves from floating away from the bottom than we did practicing hovering or working on any midwater skills. When all you learn is "go to the bottom and then do something" I guess it's pretty natural to have an inclination to head for the bottom on those first post-class dives. But yeah, I would hope people would realize that's not the way it's supposed to be!