Challenges in your first 100 dives?

[ystrout]

I dropped my mask when rubbing in the Sea Gold on the way out. I then proceeded to pick it up and continue walking out towards the dive site.
That was a pretty close call. But this next one is really bad......

My first time using a wrist dive computer, I accidently left it in the car. I realized after I had walked 30 feet away. That gear is heavy so walking back is no fun!

 

[divinh]

Just before my very first open water dive, a part fell off my prescription mask as I was tighten it (probably too tight). Luckily my instructor found it on the deck and we popped it back.

Almost 100 dives in, I left my mask (without case) with the rest of the rental gear at the shop. The frame cracked and a few dives later, one of the lenses popped inward upon entry. I kinda knew this was going to happen at some point, so had the DM carry an extra mask for me. All my years of clearing my mask, due to a mustache, prepared me well for mask swapping underwater.

Very early on, less than 20 dives, I completely lost buoyancy control twice and started to float toward the surface and no amount of purging air, while spinning around to shift the air, would help. I learned I needed to actively swim down and work out the problem.

On a dive, we had unexpected current on the way back (hard swim) to the boat and by the time I surfaced, I was down to 5 bar.

Another diver kicked the reg out of my mouth after he pushed me aside to take a photo of a seahorse the DM pointed out. He ended up being separated from us, though it meant he got his own DM.

Just before a second dive, after going through 7-10 ft swells to get to the dive site, I puked just as the DM's were coming to help me to the back of the boat. They had me jump in, without gear so I could clean myself up, and dropped the gear for me to don in the water. It was the first time I learned how to do that. (Straddle the tank and strap myself into the BC while still on the surface.)

I was floating over a wreck at around 30m and some current pushed me into some mussels. I was in shorts and the slight touch caused some black stuff to come from my leg. I first thought it was some algae, but I couldn't wipe it away. I soon discovered it was likely blood and it was black because of no red light.

I was asked if I was familiar with the drift dive we were going to do through a pass. I had been through the pass several days in a row and said I was familiar. In this dive, though, we were going down the middle, not along the wall, and the washing machine current was pretty scary.

On a dive in strong current, we had to hang onto a line and remove our fins as quickly as possible when we got to the ladder to climb up it. I removed my fins too soon and just couldn't hold onto both of them. The current took one of the fins.

 

[rabe]

let me think...

- got lost
- drifted away, in the middle of a thunderstorm
- lost a fin because my "buddy" pulled it away while "joking"
- forgot my towel in winter
- my computer was set for nitrox, but I was on air (I realised while I was diving, but luckily was a very shallow dive)

...I'm pretty sure I have more, but I need to think

 

[АлександрД]

Wow! I had remember my most amazing!
I used selfmade FFM with specific 2nd stage from gas mask, that haves not exhaust valve. and it have very big round hole with thread around.
We had dive in the very nice sand quarry, surrounded by pine forest.
When I went into the water, and connected 2nd stage on side of my mask - I start to felt something strange, sometimes air was not go, sometimes it has not stopped...
I`d disconnected 2nd stage and found there small pine-cone
When our equipment was on the surface one of them felt down just into my regulator!
It was not dangerous, (depth there is less 10m), but not comfortable...

pictures from that dive

 

[rabe]

Wow! I had remember my most amazing!
I used selfmade FFM with specific 2nd stage from gas mask, that haves not exhaust valve. and it have very big round hole with thread around.
We had dive in the very nice sand quarry, surrounded by pine forest.
When I went into the water, and connected 2nd stage on side of my mask - I start to felt something strange, sometimes air was not go, sometimes it has not stopped...
I`d disconnected 2nd stage and found there small pine-cone
When our equipment was on the surface one of them felt down just into my regulator!
It was not dangerous, (depth there is less 10m), but not comfortable...
View attachment 459097View attachment 459096
pictures from that dive

you're lucky: I know one guy that had the same problem, but instead of a pine cone it was a living cockroach

 

[Scuba Doobie Do]

My girlfriend was very concerned about getting certified for a couple of reasons.

1. She's had many problems with her ears when younger, and a problem equalizing in one of the pool sessions (before we tried the ppr plugs). She thought she'd have trouble equalizing.

2. She gets seasick... I've never had a problem.

Our second day of open water dives, and our first ever boat dives, we're in West Palm Beach for a couple drift dives. I giant stride, I start descending, but I can't for the life of me equalize! I went up and kept trying and was about to call the dive when I finally equalize. Then when we ascend it was so choppy that I got seasick. Uhg.

I felt horrible on the boat but they fed me goldfish and water and told me I'd feel fine once back underwater, and boy were they right. When we got back up to our safety stop with our instructor, my girlfriend, and I all face to face I proceeded to feed the fishes (goldfish). The instructor watched calmly to see how I'd handle it. Remembering that my training taught me to hurl through the regulator, I went ahead and did that on the next go but still rinsed it before breathing.

I learned a valuable lesson on seasickness, and what not to eat pre-dive. I learned I could handle myself comfortably throwing up underwater while maintaining depth, at my safety stop... And I learned that I absolutely wanted to stop using rental regulators.

 

[Neilwood]

Similar to @Scuba Doobie Do I had a seasickness problem on one trip right before entering the water (despite never normally being affected despite the sea conditions).

Reasons for it:
1) Sat on the bench doubled over donning a wetsuit is not a good position while the boat is pitching and rolling.
2) Strong coffee is also not a good idea on an empty stomach.
3) The neck on my hood was pretty tight so as soon as it hit my throat, I felt the gag reflex.

Solution - preplanning. Kit up before the boat leaves and no strong drinks especially if the seas look iffy

 

[kmarks]

The worst I ever had was in Roatan when a dive master, at the end of the dive, came up and "helped" unclip my fin so I could get back on the boat. I was having no trouble unclipping and have no idea why he did that because it cost me a fin strap since we both unclipped at the same time from opposite sides. My mistake? Not kicking him in the face for touching me.

Swam up current with buddy. Underestimated current and overshot anchored dinghy on way back. Had to dump weightbelt (permanently lost).

Shark swimming straight at me on night dive seriously frightened me.

Inadvertantly pulled regulator out of wife's mouth on a scallop dive. Couldn't figure out why she was playing with her regulator out of her mouth.

Accidently kicked regulator out of wife's mouth who was swimming too close behind. (We're still married).

Surfaced over a hundred meter's from dive boat - long surface swim back with wife (we're still married).

Largish lobster wrapped around my face 30 feet underwater. Attached to my hoodie.

Are you and the lobster still married?

Inflator valve stuck open on descent - sand. Should have known to just disconect the inflator hose.
Not an incident but took my leather wallet to 80 feet. Plastice and money survived but nothing else.

I did this twice while snorkeling (sort of). First time was in St. Thomas. My brother and I went out into a little bay and were swimming around, getting to about 10-15 feet maybe, when I felt something shift in my pocket and realized I had my wallet with me still. Most things dried out. The second time was my first time in Cozumel, not certified to dive yet. We had gone to Money Bar for the day (arrived via Carnival Triumph) for snorkeling and drinks and nachos. I had our passports, cash, and a few other items in a waterproof pouch in a moneybelt under my suit. Turns out, that waterproof pouch wasn't. Passports are surprisingly water safe, though; just a few stamps bled.

 

[divinh]

I just remembered another one... I jumped out of a longtail boat and one foot landed on the anchor that was hidden due to all the sand being kicked up by other divers disembarking. The anchor punctured one foot right in the middle. Since I still had another week of diving, I just kept on going, only cleaning it with fresh water and putting a bandage over it when not diving. Over the course of a few days, it swelled up (to where it hurt to walk due to contact with the ground) and another diver suggested I go to the clinic and get some antibiotics because it looked infected. I heeded his warning and the clinic fixed me up with saline solution (eye contact solution) and antibiotics gel. I kept on diving, but cleaned the wound carefully each night with saline solution, applied the gel, and bandaged it. The swelling was noticeably less within a couple of days.

 

[wildbill9]

Last dive of my open water check out. Had problems equalizing and got separated from group. Cleared my ear and purged my bc to catch up with them, total blackness at 50 ft, hit bottom but couldn't see where was up, tried to swim up but up was down and got tangled in fishing line. Tried to inflate bc but was stuck on bottom. Started to panic ( no buddy, could not see where was up, stuck on bottom and thought I was going to die on my 4th dive). Calmed down, thankfully had a dive knife, cut the line, knew if I put air in my bc I would go up and when I had light to see followed up my smallest bubbles to the surface. This happened in 1977 and I still remember the fear i felt. Many lessons i learned on that dive. Bill