confined water dive skills

[_no_one]

Okay im new to diving, and working on getting the padi Ow1 certification, and i was doing good, i completed all the paper/book work quizzes and stuff. (brag=i did good too, (missed two questions out of all the quizzes.) but i guess that wont help me if i drown.) I did okay on on confined water dive 1. But confined water dive two was really bad.

I had problems with: breathing underwater without a mask and switching from snorkel to regulator. I looked around and found that other people had these same problems, but didnt really find anything helpful for me.

I think one of my problems was that i messed up the snorkel/ regulator skill and got kind of frazzled. I got to the regulator just fine, but i had trouble with snorkel clearing.. i did it semi-okay, but i always had like an inch of water left at the bottom of my snorkel. Is there anything i can do for this... someone suggested getting a snorkel with a self drain valve, so would that actually help or were they just trying to sell me stuff?

then on breathing without a mask and mask replacement, i did fine in the shallow end but when i went to the deep end i cough/ choked and just kind of freaked out and went to the surface. (which was very dumb, at least i know what i did was wrong.)
Anyway i tried it a couple more times, and couldnt do it again after that, even in the shallow end.

Pool sessions are two weeks apart, and the more i think about it, the more i get freaked out: (. I really want to finish thisand i wanted to do this all my life , but now that i messed up i dont trust my self and it seems scurier. and the more i think about it, the less i wanna do it again.

I was considering going to a local pool and just paracticing snorkel clearing, and mask replacement at/near surface with a snorkel. would that help or just be a waste of time?

So does anyone have any advice on how to fix these problems? I know part of it is just something i need to work out in my head, but are there any tips for making this easier, or being more relaxed?

Also, are these really common or am i just freakishly bad at this?

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Brandon]

Okay im new to diving, and working on getting the padi Ow1 certification, and i was doing good, i completed all the paper/book work quizzes and stuff. (brag=i did good too, (missed two questions out of all the quizzes.) but i guess that wont help me if i drown.) I did okay on on confined water dive 1. But confined water dive two was really bad.

Welcome to Scubaboard!

I had problems with: breathing underwater without a mask and switching from snorkel to regulator. I looked around and found that other people had these same problems, but didnt really find anything helpful for me.

Lots of people I've talked to have these problems... it's a new experience, and it takes a little getting used to. For me, I just try to concentrate on breathing in/out through my mouth, and that seems to make breathing without the mask pretty easy. Newer divers still have a tendancy to breath in (even if just a little bit) through the nose, and as soon as you inhale water... you'll run into problems. You might practice this on dry land too... just slowly inhaling and exhaling using your mouth only.

I think one of my problems was that i messed up the snorkel/ regulator skill and got kind of frazzled. I got to the regulator just fine, but i had trouble with snorkel clearing.. i did it semi-okay, but i always had like an inch of water left at the bottom of my snorkel. Is there anything i can do for this... someone suggested getting a snorkel with a self drain valve, so would that actually help or were they just trying to sell me stuff?

A snorkel purge valve would probably help, but if you already have a low volume snorkel, it might not be necessary. What you might try doing is giving it a good hefty purge, hoping to get most of the air out, then carefully suck in a breath (which might be a little wet), then try purging again.

then on breathing without a mask and mask replacement, i did fine in the shallow end but when i went to the deep end i cough/ choked and just kind of freaked out and went to the surface. (which was very dumb, at least i know what i did was wrong.)
Anyway i tried it a couple more times, and couldnt do it again after that, even in the shallow end.

I think if you try focusing your attention on breathing only through your mouth, you'll make it through this one. It sounds like you're inhaling a little through your nose. Remember if you start choking/coughing underwater... to do it through your mouth/regulator, and inhale through your mouth when you're done. For me, thinking of it as breathing with an extremely stuffed nose is a good way to visualize it.

Pool sessions are two weeks apart, and the more i think about it, the more i get freaked out: (. I really want to finish thisand i wanted to do this all my life , but now that i messed up i dont trust my self and it seems scurier. and the more i think about it, the less i wanna do it again.
I was considering going to a local pool and just paracticing snorkel clearing, and mask replacement at/near surface with a snorkel. would that help or just be a waste of time?

Diving, like any other sport, has a learning curve. You're learning how to survive in an underwater environment that your body wasn't built to handle. It's going to seem unnatural and weird at first. Over time, you'll get more and more comfortable with it. The mask/snorkel practice is a good idea. With your mask on, you'll be forced to inhale through your mouth. Try not to exhale through your nose unless you're purging your mask. An hour or so in the pool should help get you a little more comfortable.

Tons of new divers have these problems, myself included. It fades away quickly, and you'll soon adjust to being underwater.

Welcome to the sport! Good luck finishing up, feel free to ask more questions of us.
-B.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Welcome to the 'Board _no_one.

Brandon gave some good advice. Here are a few more pointers:

Make sure you take in a full breath from your reg before switching to your snorkel. This will ensure you have plenty of air to purge. For practice you might want to try purging your reg with a breath of air instead of the purge button. This will get you in practice of always taking a big breath of air before switching.

As for the mask - take it in steps. As Brandon said, practice on land. The next step is to get in the pool with just your snorkel. Leave the mask on your towel. Stand in the pool breathing through your snorkel. Yeah, you'll look funny, but so what. Next bend down so your mouth is in the water and your nose is just above it but keep breathing through your mouth/snorkel. Then bend down a little more, submerging your nose but don't stop breathing. Just keep breathing through your mouth/snorkel. Once you've done this for a while and feel comfortable with it, put your mask on, submerge your head keeping the snorkel above the surface. Flood your mask and clear it, all while breathing through your mouth/snorkel. If you freak out again, stop, put the mask back on the towel and practice breathing through the snorkel with your nose submerged again. You will get it with enough practice. Good luck and let us know how things go.

 

[ScubaFreak]

Hey no-one

welcome along to the board.

Don't worry bout how you feel, its normal. Just rest assured that you're not alone here!
As mentioned above, many people have trouble with no mask breathing so don't fret it!
Remember, learning scuba is no different than learning anything else. You will have your good days, and you will have your "Oh my God what am i doing here" days.
So dont fret, or over analyse what you think you did wrong. You'll get it in no time!

Scubafreak

 

[Diver0001]

Welcome to scubaboard. I'll just preface what I'm about to say with the comment that you're not in training for no reason. Scuba lessons exist for the simple reason that it doesn't come automatically to most people. Rest assured that your instructor has seen people struggle with these problems a great many times before. You are not the first or only person to have this happen and in fact there is nothing at all unusual about it.

So, take a deep breath, relax and try again. You've had a learning experience. Nothing more, nothing less.

....snip....

I think one of my problems was that i messed up the snorkel/ regulator skill and got kind of frazzled. I got to the regulator just fine, but i had trouble with snorkel clearing.. i did it semi-okay, but i always had like an inch of water left at the bottom of my snorkel. Is there anything i can do for this... someone suggested getting a snorkel with a self drain valve, so would that actually help or were they just trying to sell me stuff?

Getting a snorkel with a purge valve on it will certainly make it easier to clear but you shouldn't *need* it. To clear the snorkel make your last breath off of the regulator a deep one. Then blow fairly hard, especially if you don't have a snorkel with a purge, and when you inhale again do so slowly. You can actually breathe "past" a fair amount of water in your snorkel if you do so slowly. It will gurgle but you'll be able to take another deep breath and blow again. The most common problems people have with the snorkel are not taking a deep enough last breath, blowing too softly and inhaling too quickly.

....snip....
then on breathing without a mask and mask replacement, i did fine in the shallow end but when i went to the deep end i cough/ choked and just kind of freaked out and went to the surface. (which was very dumb, at least i know what i did was wrong.)
Anyway i tried it a couple more times, and couldnt do it again after that, even in the shallow end.

How did you take on water? Through your nose? One thing you can try to get the first step is to take a breath before you remove your mask and breathe out gently through your nose as you remove the mask. That will stop any water from getting in. If you do feel water getting in your nose then blow it back out again. Just exhale. It does take a little practice but it will come.

Pool sessions are two weeks apart, and the more i think about it, the more i get freaked out: (. I really want to finish thisand i wanted to do this all my life , but now that i messed up i dont trust my self and it seems scurier. and the more i think about it, the less i wanna do it again.

You're winding yourself up. Try not to visualise yourself failing at it. Try to visualize yourself nailing it. What you *believe* you can do has a huge impact on your performance. If I were you then I would call your instructor and ask for a remedial lesson this week. It will proabably cost you extra but if it makes the difference between becoming a diver or giving up then it's worth every cent.

I was considering going to a local pool and just paracticing snorkel clearing, and mask replacement at/near surface with a snorkel. would that help or just be a waste of time?

Yes, this will help. What will also help is to start with mask clearing by putting your face in the water first without the mask on (or on your forhead so you can still use the snorkel). Just breathe in and out through the snorkel with your face in the water until it feels ok. You obviously have to breathe in through your mouth but you can exhale through your nose if you want to. There's no rule against that if it's easier for you.

Once breathing feels ok then put the mask in teh water and let it fill up, then place it against your face (still full of water) and then breathe in and out of the snorkel for a couple of minutes like that before you try clearing teh mask. This is all about training the way you need to breathe for this skill.

Once that feels ok then paractice clearing the mask. You'll proably find it easier now and when you're ready put the last step in, which is to put the mask on first and then let it flood once your face is in the water.

What you're shooting for is nailing the feeling of breathing in and out through your mouth while your nose is exposed to water. It's hard for a lot of people to do that and it's often the root of the kind of problem you're having.

R..

 

[Snowbear]

Click here to read a great post from a ScubaBoard member who outlines a great way to get comfortable with these skills. It involves getting completely comfortable with one step before moving on to the next....

 

[oklahomajack]

That is a nice find Snowbear. Also welcome to the board no-one. while changing mask to snorkel what I do is remember what the number 1 rule is. Always breath and never hold your breath. So I will blow small bubbles out saving enough to blast my snorkel but the slow exhaling while changing seems to keep me relaxed while changing.Remember the worst part and most dangerous part of diving is stress related. Everyone has this in the onset then it will come natural. The first summer I got certified I spent endless hours in my pool in the back yard practiceing on my own. Just doing anything to stay underwater (needless to say I had the cleanest pool in the neighborhood). Be confident, relax and the fun will follow. Your problem happens to everyone in everything new. A pilot on his first solo! a scary thought huh?

 

[Walter]

Unfortunately, the others are correct when they tell you this is common. I say "unfortunately," because it doesn't have to be common. These are not problems I encounter regularly because my approach is different. Follow the link Snowbear porvided, read it carefully, understand it then work on it. It is a process that will help you get past this fairly quickly. After you're a certified diver, come back and practice these (and other) skills from time to time, you'll be a better diver as a result.

 

[rainmaker]

I'm a recently certified diver who also had problems in the pool with mask clearing. I didn't clear the mask properly, then inhaled through my nose. I choked underwater and came to the surface. Right then and there, I came very close to taking off all my gear, getting in my car and leaving.

At that point, my instructor told me take off my mask, lie face down in the water and breathe through my snorkel. Basically, I got used to breathing through my mouth ONLY.

Concerning the failed mask clearing, the problem was that I was exhaling through my mouth at the same time I was trying to clear the mask.

Basically, the instructor allowed me some extra time and I practiced (kneeling down in about 5 ft. of water) until I could do it without thinking.

I mastered this skill in the pool, and then had no problem with it in the open water dive. It really helped me after I figured out there was not a "one strike and you fail" policy, that the instructor would keep working with me until I could perform this skill to his satisfaction.

First piece of gear I bought after I got certified? Mask with purge (though I now have confidence that I can clear a non-purge mask).

Hang in there and stick with it. I don't have enough diving experience to give you (or anyone else) any technical advice. However, I had to overcome an actual fear of being underwater to become certified, because I've always dreamed of diving on coral reefs and shallow-water wrecks. Basically, if I can do it, anyone can.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[pt40fathoms]

A lot of very good advice so far on this topic, so I'll try and not be too long winded.

First off remember you are absolutely not alone with what you are going through, and what you are going through will seem simple or even silly a year from now. You are learning how to survive in an environment that requires you to carry life support equipment with you. This is not normal, and you need time to teach your brain that what you are doing is OK.

Hang in there, and think of all the neat stuff you will get to see and do once you are certified. Less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the worlds population will get to see and do what you will be able to do. So focus on the reward and you will not regret it at all.