Don't Smile With A Regulator!

[Jaci]

I totally agree with you guys. Now that I am certified, I see how stupid it was for us to let her take us down like that. I didn't have the first idea of what I was supposed to be doing and neither did my dad. I could've died!

You really didn't know the risks, even though I'm sure someone signed a "waiver". Your instuctor would have known. When I was taking a cert class in a pool, one of the newbies I was paired with had trouble with one of the skills, I think it was a mask flooding, all I can remember was she had eyes the size of saucers and shot to the surface, fortunately we were only sitting in about 6' of water.

It's hard to blame newbies, I'm sure they succumb to the "trust me" syndrome.

 

[yeehawherb]

It is truly amazing how someone can start a thread on going to 40ft with basically no training and it some how goes into Michael Moore....LOLOL

Arent' thsoe two essentially the same thing and summed up in one common coloquialism...

"In over your head"

 

[divergalinla]

Last year on my 13th Birthday my dad took me to an inland dive spot, because he knew how much I wanted to learn to dive. It wasn't really a certification class we just kinda took a crash corse and got in the water. On my first dive ever we went down with our instructor about 40ft to the bottom of the spring to see if we could find the four, eight foot nurse sharks that dwell there. Well, we did and proceeded to pet and stroke them. It was incredible, I grinned and felt my regulator start to fill up with water! I didn't know that pressing the dumb button on the front would clear it out, so I panicked. I signalled the instructor that there was an emergency and that I needed to go up. She grabbed me face and we shot to the surface. I was sure that my lungs had exploaded. (You know those beginning dive videos, they totally freak you out.) Luckilly the instructor didn't take me up until she was sure I had fully exhailed. Needless to say I was a little lerry to go down again right away.

I never got water in my reg by smiling - but it does usually flood my mask! I try to remember not to smile now...lol

 

[Hop Devil]

There are numerous stories of divers that made the mistake of petting nurse sharks and Morays. First, if your going to learn to dive, go through the proper course with a certified instructor. Second, the instructor should be intelligent enought to tell you not to touch sea creatures. He should lose his cert. It a wondeful world down there and you will enjoy diving a lot more after completing the proper training and having a healty respect for the marine environment

 

[jva]

never mind what was in this post..

 

[dbg40]

I totally agree about the complete disregard for the consequences of mindless interaction with unknown species, and how it upsets them beyond what the violater could ever imagine! That said, Youre violating ME! Leave the kid alone, and me for that matter. No one said he was molesting aquatic life into migration or extinction, He simply had a good time at a dive camp. Get your dives in now people, before long only the whacko's that know better than the rest of the ignorant masses will be allowed into the water so that they may save the world from itself! Take a vallium and try not to over react to everything.... oh yeah,

 

[dbg40]

Pardon me "SHE" oops.

 

[Web Monkey]

There are numerous stories of divers that made the mistake of petting nurse sharks and Morays. First, if your going to learn to dive, go through the proper course with a certified instructor. Second, the instructor should be intelligent enought to tell you not to touch sea creatures. He should lose his cert. It a wondeful world down there and you will enjoy diving a lot more after completing the proper training and having a healty respect for the marine environment

Everything underwater has the potential to either hurt you or be hurt by you, so look, but don't touch.

Terry

 

[shaggie]

OK I agree with most of not "molesting" any of the underwater wildlife. But then why are there so many shark dives, manta dives, ray dives, etc.? True, on some dives the DM tells you not to touch, but usualy they ring the dinner bell to bring the animals into view. It is apparent to me that interfering with the wildlife is condoned as long as it is a $$$ maker. I really enjoy diving, but everytime that you enter an underwater enviroment (or for that matter any enviroment, I'm a backpacker also) you are going to disturb something, and it's usualy not for the better of the indigenous occupants. The best we can accomplish is minimal impact.

 

[pete v]

I totally agree with you guys. Now that I am certified, I see how stupid it was for us to let her take us down like that. I didn't have the first idea of what I was supposed to be doing and neither did my dad. I could've died!

there is a old saying "what dosent kill you, will make you stronger" or smarter in this case..... glad you are ok