completion

[scubagirl1024]

i am 12 years old and i just recently completed my ssi diving coarse this past saterday and sunday . on saterday we went to hathaway pond ,i had a hard time equalizing so i popped a blood vessel in my nose on sunday we were going to go to sandwich town beach but it was to choppy so we headed to hathaway pond for our second dive i did not have a hard time equalizing but i still popped a blood vessel in my nose . if you are familar with hathaways pond then you know that there is a deck/platform that is 18' undre water and at about there i started getting this awful pain on the right side of my head and to be specific it was around my right eye brow and if you know what that is caused from then please let me know . the thermo clines were crazy one minute i could not even feel like i was in the water and the next i sericiously thought that i was going to get hypothermia . but on the bright side i had an awesome time i saw about a hundred fish i saw stripped bass, blue gill, sun, and perch my instructor was hopeing that we would see some eels but we didnt . and when i was taking my diving classes i was the only one in my class who knew the dive tables . i had an awesome time and i hope that i can go diving with my parents before diving season is over

thanxx
-miranda

 

[TimK]

Congrats Miranda! You have a lot of years of wonderful diving ahead of you. I'm not a medical person so can't comment on your equlization issue but glad you completed your dives just the same.

Dive safe!

 

[scubagirl1024]

thank you

 

[ScubaSarus]

Sounds to me one of a few things:

Obviously you have some sinus congestion as most of us do in NE

You may have not equalized before descent and during descent

You may have gone down head first allowing fluids to rush into your head and interfering with your sinuses

You went down too fast or you just needed to go slower so you can equalize calmly.

You came up and went back down

I hate coming when things are going well and then to find I cant go back down due to my not being able to equalize a second time.

We had a divemaster escort us in RI 4 yrs ago and I was paired with a great diver, he ruptured a vessel because the dive master kept going up-down and descending too fast.

Its happened to me and I have had blood in the mask on 2 occasions. Let your buddies know you need to go down slow.

 

[spectrum]

Congratulations Miranda! Let me wish you a lifetime of wonderful experiences as a diver, you got a 36 year head start on me!

With the excitement of certification behind you work on making an orderly descent and equalize before you sense the need to do so. One good rule of thumb you can start with is to equalize with each breath while you drop. Equalize several times daily, while gearing up and just before you start down. Experience is your friend here and odds are with regular equalization your ears will respond much better of time.

Those thermoclines at the pond are probably more severe than any ocean shore dive in your area at this time of the year. Enjoy the next few months of mild water!

Pete

 

[scubagirl1024]

thank you that was some good advise and i will keep that in mind for next time

 

[pdive]

Equalize several times daily, while gearing up and just before you start down.

Some one on my last dive said he chews gum on the boat trip to the site. Maybe that could help?

Congrats!
:yelclap:

 

[MSilvia]

Congratulations Miranda. It sounds like you got some good advice on equalizing, so I'll just add one note about the fish.

There are bass in Hathaway's pond, but not stripped bass. Stripers are an ocean fish.

 

[scubagirl1024]

oh ya that would make sence

 

[RIOceanographer]

That's awesome!

I was certified when I was 14, and I am 32 now and still diving. This is one hobby you'll never outgrow, in fact, diving keeps the kid in you alive forever. It is great that you got an early start!