Excited – and intimidated – for my first non-training dive

[nolatom]

I, at about 80-odd dives a few years ago, got instabuddied with a guy from Colorado who had gotten certified in some spring in New Mexico. Might have been the one you mentioned?
It was his first boat dive, first ocean dive, and maybe his 6th post-cert dive. I recall he hadn't been deeper than about 50 feet. And this particular trip was to a submerged rig that topped at maybe 85 feet and bottomed at 130? (Chevron Platforms off Pensacola).

But conditions were perfect, good viz, no current, warm water. He did great, we went to 100 feet, he was a cool cat and a good communicator. Kudos to his instructor, whoever it was!

You're a former competitive swimmer? I have a feeling you too will do just fine. Enjoy it.

 

[islanddream]

You might consider hiring your own Divemaster for your first ocean dive. I know many people on SB recommend doing so, and I think it's a great idea if you are diving without a (known) buddy. Having the personalized attention could get you off on the right foot at the beginning of your trip. Have fun and be safe!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Hello everyone,
I’ve been lurking here for some time, reading, learning and contracting serious cases of “gotta-get-back-in-the-water-itis” and thin-wallet syndrome, a complication of looking at all the cool and necessary scuba gear I suddenly "need." I’ve pretty much got them under control, but I have to admit a little nervousness at the prospect of making my first non-training dives, and this really seems to be a friendly place to talk about stuff like this.

They're coming up soon: My family and I will be in northwestern Costa Rica (Playa Grande area) in December, and I'll be with my wife when she goes to Kauai in April for a business trip. I’m the only diver in the group. I’m a former competitive swimmer and consider myself a pretty good diver. I’ve demonstrated enough capability to have recently earned my Advanced Open Water certification, and I feel comfortable in the water and with using the gear.

My nervousness comes from the fact I’m landlocked in Denver with few chances to dive other than on vacations. All my dive experience comes from two “discover scuba” dives (one in Maui, one in the Dominican Republic) and the various dives I completed to obtain my Open Water and AOW certifications. Two of those were in the Denver Downtown Aquarium and all the others were at the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, N.M., an 85-foot-deep, 62-degree Fahrenheit freshwater spring.

I completely understand that while I have these certifications, I’m inexperienced. I’ve felt comfortable and confident in all my training dives, but diving with strangers, at least one of whom will be relying on me as his/her buddy, and without an instructor watching the whole time, is kind of daunting. I don’t want to let anybody down, I don’t want to endanger myself or anybody else, I don’t want to mess up somehow - and I want to have a great time.

My brother, who's been certified for years, suggested I don't share any of this with the divemaster when I get out there in case it leads to less bottom time or independence during a dive. I'm not so sure. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Jon

Your brother sounds like a perfect example of why women are very often, better divers than men. A women who is unsure of herself, knows she's rusty and somewhat nervous WILL TELL the DM what's up. Macho men on the other hand, will do a good job of hiding their fear and then when the slightest things goes wrong, they freak and have to be drug back to the boat ladder.

I'm only half kidding.

Be honest with the DM, ask him (or her) to check your gear after you set it up and in most situations, a professional staff will give you the additional attention that will make your dive safer and enjoyable. If your first few dives are selected to be less challenging due to your inexperience, it is not the end of the world.

 

[tursiops]

All my dive experience comes from two “discover scuba” dives (one in Maui, one in the Dominican Republic) and the various dives I completed to obtain my Open Water and AOW certifications. Two of those were in the Denver Downtown Aquarium and all the others were at the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, N.M., an 85-foot-deep, 62-degree Fahrenheit freshwater spring.

What were the two dives you did in the Denver Aquarium? How many total dives have you done, not including the Discovers?

 

[scoobydrew]

The advice so far is conclusive - talk to the DM first and let them know where you are and what is on your mind. I am a full time DM and always appreciate peoples honesty, it helps me provide the best dive I can for the group as a whole, it certainly does not result in the dive being compromised in any way.

While you're at it you could even mention that you are keen to develop your independence in a non training environment so that the DM does not feel he/she has to stick to you like glue, that then leads nicely in to asking if he/she has any feedback at the end of the day as to how you did and what you could do to assist your improvement moving forward.

Islanddream mentions the idea of hiring a private guide which is an option. Sometimes when I get divers who request a private guide it is because they don't feel comfortable with their ability to safely enjoy the dive. If they are diving with us for more than a day then I like to suggest that we use the first day to kinda teach them how to dive as part of a group in a real world situation and then if at the end of the day they feel comfortable doing the next day without the private guide then awesome, its a nice safety net and a good stepping stone in the direction you want to go in.

Beyond that, make sure before you get on the boat (ideally before the dive day) that the center knows that you want a nice, easy confidence building dive day so no crazy depths or currents etc.

Relax, listen to the briefings and have fun

 

[Littlerayray]

Just remember your training young grasshopper and you will do fine

 

[Akimbo]

Will you be diving off, or aboard, a boat for the first time or off the beach? How much diving do you think you will be able to do in Costa Rica?

A lot of boats in Hawaii and the Caribbean run guided dives and watch you like a baby hen until you prove it isn't necessary. I get the impression that you wouldn't mind that for a while. I think my goal would be to build up my confidence in Costa Rica in hope of feeling more comfortable by Kauai.

 

[spectrum]

I agree that giving the DM a heads up about your experience is the way to go. You won't be the first.

As for it being daunting... A diver friend told me while we were training that diving is nothing like dive training and he was right. Dive training is almost solely disaster mitigation. Those are very important skills but with any luck most of that stuff will stay in your back pocket just in case.

The most important thing is to dive within your training. Even though you have attained AOW I would not make any deep dives until you get comfortable on the reefs and in the shallows.

You did your training, it's not rocket science and millions of mere mortals have done it before you, some without training! Just take it slow and have a great time.

Pete

 

[Bob DBF]

You got a lot of good advise from the posters, I want to add that come next summer do some local diving. Now it isn't warm clear water, but you do get to use and keep up all your skills and you might end up enjoying it.

Just saying...

Bob

 

[Neilwood]

Your feelings are understandable. We've been there. Some of us had more help than others. One of my early (and now former) dive buddies was a former instructor with thousands of dives. But don't put too much value on some people's experience. Take their attitude into account. It helped a lot to go on some easy dives with this guy, but it didn't last. Why? He could be very pushy for dives that required a bit more experience. I backed out last minute of a dive that I just wasn't comfortable (high currents, out in the Puget Sound, only boat accessible, with no one staying in the boat) when I had not been certified all that long. I had never experienced any strong currents up until that point. Also, it was winter, had just snowed (yes, I know the water is warmer than the air then). I did the right thing. He did the wrong thing. A good dive buddy will never push you into a stressful situation that you may be feel is beyond your expertise. Today that dive would be no big deal for me. So, just take things in steps where you are comfortable and having fun. Before you know it, you'll be doing some fun, challenging dives.

This is so important I felt it was worth emphasising. There is nothing wrong with doing difficult dives but the thing is to build up to these with baby steps.

A deep ocean dive with strong currents could easily put a newer diver of diving permanently however with a bit of experience and a progression to this it becomes far less intimidating and could even be fun! If you have only ever dived in still water and a current hits, it could easily be scary enough to push someone to the edge of panic.

A friend of mine with a number of dives under his belt did one which the dive itself was quite easy but they ended up in an air share situation so had to surface early further out than had been the plan. They ended up coming up in quite strong conditions facing a longish swim to shore (wouldn't have been a problem with the original plan) with waves 2-3 feet high. Due to the waves hitting them at face height (none had snorkels so were having to swim head up) for an extended period he ended up with the feeling of impending doom "I've got to get out of here damn quick" and it has now put him off diving completely.