DreamingOfScuba
Guest
My wife and I arrived at the High School pool building about 15 minutes early and waited outside until another diver arrived. He was very social and we had a chat until more people arrived and the dive truck pulled up, slightly late. They apologised and asked if people there could help unload the kit and put it poolside. Everybody helped and we soon got it done, then off to the changing room and I chatted with other divers.
Once I came out I noticed my wife already in the pool swimming back, on length number 2 of 8 and was advised to do 8 lengths at my own leisure. Got in the pool and started on playing catch up with the Mrs who was just starting length 3. Other divers were out of the pool getting kitted up and I guess waiting for us to finish in the pool. I caught upto my wife but was told to take it easy by one of the dive masters. Once I finished the 8 lengths I was exhausted and my wife then told me we had to tread water for ten minutes so we did that and just relaxed.
I was then approached by our instructor who is a number of years younger than myself and my wife. We only had 90 minutes for this confined dive number one, and we got on the side and the instructor talked us through the various equipment (fast). He set up is and then let us do ours. I struggled with this and he ended up doing most of it. He then gave us out wetsuits to get into, they were very tight, mine especially round the crotch region - not that my region is that big or anything. We then put the fins on and got into the pool. The kit was lowered into the pool and the instructor helped put the kit on us. Once everything was clipped on he told us what would be happening.
We then deflated the BCD and dropped to our knees. I really struggled to get down and after being dragged down and loosing my control I did a 360 turn on one and then the instructor signalled to go back up. I mentioned I couldn't go down so he got some more weight and put it in the BCD pocket. We tried it again and this time I was fine.
He signalled for me to watch him and he took out his regulator, through it behind him and it started free flowing, which he did not see so when he went for the recovery it didn't work and he had to use the method were you find your 1st stage and then follow the lead down to the regulator. He tried it again and this time it worked. My turn, I took out the regulator and performed the regulator recovery no problems all the time exhaling. He signalled okay and my wife performed it no problem.
Next he showed the regulator clear method by exhaling into the regulator. My turn, and I performed it okay. It felt kind of uncomfortable, kind of weird but there was no problem. Again my wife did the skill no problem. We then did the purge regulator clear, I performed this no problem although again it felt uncomfortable. It felt like a blast of air into my throat, next time I'll put my tongue there. My wife did it no worries. Next came the mask clearance and I messed it up. By the time I came to do it my mask already had water in anyway. I'm definatly letting too much water in when I do it because my mask floods. I looked right down, opened the bottom as slightly as I could and started exhaling through my nose and at the same lift up my head so I'm looking upwards, like an arc movement. First time, no good, mask was flooded, I kept my eyes closed and tried the movement again. No good, so I tried a third time and no good at this point I think I pointed to my mask and the instructor signalled up. So we went back up. He talked me through the move again and we went back down. I'm sure I did the exact same thing only this time it worked and my mask was clear. It surprised me but made me happy that I'd achieved it. My wife messed up also on this and we surfaced and went down again before she again got it right on the first attempt.
The divemaster then told the instructor about the time and he said we were going for a little swim. We went back down and started off to the deep end, 3 metres. I was having a real hard time swimming, the kit felt really heavy and in retrospect I should have pumped some air in my BCD but I didn't think so I carried on. We knelt down on the bottom of the pool and circled and held hands before heading back. The instructor signalled to surface but I wasn't sure about using my BCD to surface, he seemed to signalling to press it but I read you surface on your own steam, I got near the surface and then pressed it to go up the rest of the way. We then swam on our backs to the side of the pool.
Once out we were told to wash the kit with the fresh water hose. I was doing okay taking the kit apart until it came to the first stage and the tank. I turned off the air, unscrewed it (As I write this I have troubling remember all that I did). The instructor was doing his own, away from us, probably because we were late and he was in a rush. He used the tank air to dry the dust cap and I tried screwing it on but it wouldn't stay on. I forgot about the valves on top which pushed down on the dustcap to prevent it from moving. I thought it was fine and started heading over to the hose. The divemaster shouted to the instructor, "Learner dust cap not on" quite loud and I felt like a plonker in front of a few people. He came over and uttered something about telling me to do this, to the divemaster. After this I carried on and rinsed off the kit, before trying to take off my wetsuit. This proved a lot of trouble and my wife had already gone into the changing room. After struggling for a minute the instructor came over and pulled it off quite hard and muttered something about letting other guys take off your wetsuit. I then showered and we left.
It all seemed to happen so fast and with it being a Thursday night 19:30 - 21:00. I was tired and although I remember how to do the skills, I could hit the water now and perform them. I am struggling to remember how to setup the kit. I'm a bit nervous about the next session and setting up the kit but my wife has drawn some diagrams which I will study. Next session is on Monday night at 19:00 - 21:00. So we have longer and don't have to do the swimming, hopefully I don't take all night fiddling with the kit.
Once I came out I noticed my wife already in the pool swimming back, on length number 2 of 8 and was advised to do 8 lengths at my own leisure. Got in the pool and started on playing catch up with the Mrs who was just starting length 3. Other divers were out of the pool getting kitted up and I guess waiting for us to finish in the pool. I caught upto my wife but was told to take it easy by one of the dive masters. Once I finished the 8 lengths I was exhausted and my wife then told me we had to tread water for ten minutes so we did that and just relaxed.
I was then approached by our instructor who is a number of years younger than myself and my wife. We only had 90 minutes for this confined dive number one, and we got on the side and the instructor talked us through the various equipment (fast). He set up is and then let us do ours. I struggled with this and he ended up doing most of it. He then gave us out wetsuits to get into, they were very tight, mine especially round the crotch region - not that my region is that big or anything. We then put the fins on and got into the pool. The kit was lowered into the pool and the instructor helped put the kit on us. Once everything was clipped on he told us what would be happening.
We then deflated the BCD and dropped to our knees. I really struggled to get down and after being dragged down and loosing my control I did a 360 turn on one and then the instructor signalled to go back up. I mentioned I couldn't go down so he got some more weight and put it in the BCD pocket. We tried it again and this time I was fine.
He signalled for me to watch him and he took out his regulator, through it behind him and it started free flowing, which he did not see so when he went for the recovery it didn't work and he had to use the method were you find your 1st stage and then follow the lead down to the regulator. He tried it again and this time it worked. My turn, I took out the regulator and performed the regulator recovery no problems all the time exhaling. He signalled okay and my wife performed it no problem.
Next he showed the regulator clear method by exhaling into the regulator. My turn, and I performed it okay. It felt kind of uncomfortable, kind of weird but there was no problem. Again my wife did the skill no problem. We then did the purge regulator clear, I performed this no problem although again it felt uncomfortable. It felt like a blast of air into my throat, next time I'll put my tongue there. My wife did it no worries. Next came the mask clearance and I messed it up. By the time I came to do it my mask already had water in anyway. I'm definatly letting too much water in when I do it because my mask floods. I looked right down, opened the bottom as slightly as I could and started exhaling through my nose and at the same lift up my head so I'm looking upwards, like an arc movement. First time, no good, mask was flooded, I kept my eyes closed and tried the movement again. No good, so I tried a third time and no good at this point I think I pointed to my mask and the instructor signalled up. So we went back up. He talked me through the move again and we went back down. I'm sure I did the exact same thing only this time it worked and my mask was clear. It surprised me but made me happy that I'd achieved it. My wife messed up also on this and we surfaced and went down again before she again got it right on the first attempt.
The divemaster then told the instructor about the time and he said we were going for a little swim. We went back down and started off to the deep end, 3 metres. I was having a real hard time swimming, the kit felt really heavy and in retrospect I should have pumped some air in my BCD but I didn't think so I carried on. We knelt down on the bottom of the pool and circled and held hands before heading back. The instructor signalled to surface but I wasn't sure about using my BCD to surface, he seemed to signalling to press it but I read you surface on your own steam, I got near the surface and then pressed it to go up the rest of the way. We then swam on our backs to the side of the pool.
Once out we were told to wash the kit with the fresh water hose. I was doing okay taking the kit apart until it came to the first stage and the tank. I turned off the air, unscrewed it (As I write this I have troubling remember all that I did). The instructor was doing his own, away from us, probably because we were late and he was in a rush. He used the tank air to dry the dust cap and I tried screwing it on but it wouldn't stay on. I forgot about the valves on top which pushed down on the dustcap to prevent it from moving. I thought it was fine and started heading over to the hose. The divemaster shouted to the instructor, "Learner dust cap not on" quite loud and I felt like a plonker in front of a few people. He came over and uttered something about telling me to do this, to the divemaster. After this I carried on and rinsed off the kit, before trying to take off my wetsuit. This proved a lot of trouble and my wife had already gone into the changing room. After struggling for a minute the instructor came over and pulled it off quite hard and muttered something about letting other guys take off your wetsuit. I then showered and we left.
It all seemed to happen so fast and with it being a Thursday night 19:30 - 21:00. I was tired and although I remember how to do the skills, I could hit the water now and perform them. I am struggling to remember how to setup the kit. I'm a bit nervous about the next session and setting up the kit but my wife has drawn some diagrams which I will study. Next session is on Monday night at 19:00 - 21:00. So we have longer and don't have to do the swimming, hopefully I don't take all night fiddling with the kit.
