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

[archer1960]

As everybody else here said, definitely let the DM know. In my particular case, for my first non-training dive in New England (cold, low-vis) water after 16 tropical dives, the DM wanted to be my buddy so he could keep an eye on me. After the dive he said I did great and was a great buddy since I stuck to him like glue. When I dove with him again later in the summer, he was much more relaxed and buddied me with one of the less-experienced divers, and was not concerned about me at all, so he could lead the group on a better dive.

 

[jsarche]

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

The Aquarium dives were the first two for OW certification. Then seven more, all at Blue Hole in N.M. - total of nine.

---------- Post added November 3rd, 2015 at 05:41 AM ----------

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.

I haven't booked anything yet - most likely a boat dive to the Catalinas. I was looking at the Pacific Coast Dive Center. It's gotten good reviews, and runs boat trips for snorkeling, which I'll probably book for our sons.

 

[Badge353]

Tell the Divemaster, he won't cut the dive short he will let sure remaining in the cylinder dictate that.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[tursiops]

The Aquarium dives were the first two for OW certification. Then seven more, all at Blue Hole in N.M. - total of nine.

Was this a PADI class?

 

[DivemasterDennis]

You will find that ocean diving is something that is easier than the Blue Hole, and more comfortable and more fun. As to disclosure of your credentials and experience, I like to know both things about divers I lead, but I always observe their skills and comfort level in the water to get a true picture. There is no reason not to be honest with a dive concessionaire about you level of certification, level of actual dive experience, and most recent diving.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Doby45]

As someone that just got back from Panama City Beach and having also done my first boat dive down there, you need to communicate with the DM. I was down there finalizing my Advanced Diver for SDI and the DMs were extremely helpful and very encouraging. I explained how it was my first boat dive but I had 26 previous dives. The DM simply broke the briefing down for me a bit more than the rest of the people on the boat. He explained where the anchor line would be attached, currents were strong until you got below 30', lay out of the wreck and then general "boat" stuff, like when to get your butt back on and how they would signal if it was necessary to cut the dive early. Needless to say it was amazing, currents were an absolute pain in the neck until you dropped below 30', so much so that you had to literally pull yourself down the anchor line. As soon as I was below 30' it was like another world, calm and very relaxing. Sand bottomed out at 75' and myself and my partner went down as far as the sand let us. It was awesome.

 

[Akimbo]

…I haven't booked anything yet - most likely a boat dive to the Catalinas. I was looking at the Pacific Coast Dive Center. ...

Although diving off a boat is generally considered easier than shore dives, it is not quite that simple. Brushing up on some of the differences will improve your personal safety and increase confidence. You might find this thread useful: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/485101-diving-seamanship.html

Have a good time.

 

[islanddream]

Here goes: Safety Sausage. I was looking at my dive log and at 34 dives I had never used a safety sausage. We were in Cozumel where there's drift diving and lots of dive boats in the water. My husband and I were the only two people on the boat without a SMB. We started talking with the experienced divers and they all suggested getting one. After getting off the boat we went to the dive shop and each purchased one. Wow! In our training we never even saw a safety sausage let alone learn how to work one. Do you own one and have you been trained on how to deploy it? If not, please purchase one and get an instructor or DM (or someone with experience) to teach you how to use it. My first few attempts were not very successful but with practice I've gotten much better. Have fun!

 

[jsarche]

Was this a PADI class?

Yes, this was a PADI class. When I signed up, I was in a bit of a hurry to get started on certification because my brother and I were planning a dive trip, and I didn't want to use a whole bunch of time to finish certification. I was going to do a referral to a shop at our destination. Unfortunately, that trip fell through. I've since learned there's a bit of controversy about using the aquarium for part of the OW certification. In my very inexperienced opinion, the quality of the instructors (really good in this case) is more important than the environment that early in the certification process. In any case, it was kind of fun being able to wave at the little kids while I was waiting for my turn to demonstrate skills.

---------- Post added November 3rd, 2015 at 03:35 PM ----------

Do you own one and have you been trained on how to deploy it? If not, please purchase one and get an instructor or DM (or someone with experience) to teach you how to use it. My first few attempts were not very successful but with practice I've gotten much better. Have fun!

Good advice - I was told a safety sausage was required for my classes, and we trained with them beginning with the first dive in the dive shop's indoor pool. If I remember correctly, I was asked to demonstrate using the safety sausage in each of my open water certification dives.

 

[pdubois64]

I'm at the same point as you. All my 9 logged dives have been certification dives and I got my advanced OW last month in Mexico. Going back in 5 weeks for 12 dives looking forward to just being able to dive and not having to demo skills for a change.