Faced the fear, got my 1 star CMAS certification...but...now what?

[kimbalabala]

I am really, really impressed with your refusal to bow to peer pressure and not go into the swim-thru! My advice is to get very comfortable with the skills you have learned before you go on to the next course. Some people (my husband included) think that taking courses is a good way to stay in the water, work on your current skills and learn new ones. I am PADI certified and we have "open water" and then "advanced open water" - I was NOT comfortable taking a class that would certify me as "advanced" when I wasn't confident that I was remotely competent yet! I waited until I felt I had enough dives that I was a good candidate for AOW.

Go at your own pace - look at some fish - get comfortable - have loads of fun!!

 

[TMHeimer]

BellDive, Congratulations for finishing/getting through the maskless stuff. I had no fears going in as I did a lifetime's worth of snorkelling first. Except that maybe my ears would hurt at depth--Guess I never equalized snorkelling (and wore ear plugs--not the ones designed for equalizing). It seems the no mask drills are hardest for a lot of students. I found these a piece of cake--I just breathed through the reg and sealed off my nose passages, and bore the sting of chlorine in the eyes (hate that--salt water no problem). BUT, my toughest skill to master was taking the unit on and off. This to me is by far the most complicated of the whole bunch--many steps. It still ticks me off when I see a complete newbie do this with relative ease.

 

[Islandheart]

Good Job Belldive !

Many good suggestions above and don't get into to big of a hurry to push yourself. As others have said, practice mask clearing skills in shallow water til it almost becomes boring.

Then when you're a little deeper, again work on it.

As others have said, S-L-O-W does it, getting in a rush to remove, replace and clear causes the heart to pound and that little fear to rise.

Thanks for the post, others will learn from you.

 

[BellDive]

Thank you, and also for the links!
I'm going to wait with 2nd star course until i have a few dives under my belt, as i think taking in more information and new skills when i'm still not feeling comfortable enough will definitely be going ahead too fast.

I'm in touch with my dive center and they apparently do arrange dives with an instructor for divers my level in order to keep going on dives and practice drills etc. This sounds good to me as another thing i realize now is, that during the long course, you do tend to get used to being with same people and instructor for several hours of the day, going through the same process as you etc. but now everyone has gone their separate ways. I realize that even though it is a social sport, its also a bit frustrating to not have that one dive buddy or group you are used to in a way and i am back to being just myself and feel a little like on first day...

Hi BellDive,

just go diving for a while, don't rush through courses before you feel comfortable.

Finding diving buddies can seem daunting when you start out. At first I only went diving with my girlfriend, but I asked others in the club and found that most divers are very friendly and only too happy to go diving, even with complete beginners. You will learn lots of little tricks by observing more experienced divers and see that everybody has their own style. I started to put a message on facebook whenever I go diving and even in winter 4 or 5 people show up. There is a Red Sea forum here on ScubaBoard where you could look for buddies as well, it covers both Israel and Egypt, and Eilat seems to be an ideal weekend destination for you!

Finally, some of the SB regulars have written interesting stuff to read during your surface intervals, for example NWGratefulDiver and DevonDiver. More here as well.

---------- Post added April 7th, 2012 at 10:00 AM ----------

yea i was very happy that i did not just push myself there as i was already nervous about having to do the swimming without mask down there, no need to add more pressure!
This is also why i, like you, don't feel that i'm ready for the advanced course and i sorta frown at the thought that I in theory could probably pass it, and then i would be an AOW diver on record, but i rather be "just" an OW diver and FEEL that i'm advanced enough to enter training for another level. I am sure many people have the same feeling that they are not yet comfortable but still they go ahead with AOW or 2 star courses and...well i just don't get that. But as your husband says, sometimes maybe it's what it takes to continute being in water, and maybe "easier" to just sign up for another course, it's a little harder i think to actually arrange a dive as one would "normally". But that's just what i think right now from the amount of limited knowledge i have of diving and diving community/life.

I am really, really impressed with your refusal to bow to peer pressure and not go into the swim-thru! My advice is to get very comfortable with the skills you have learned before you go on to the next course. Some people (my husband included) think that taking courses is a good way to stay in the water, work on your current skills and learn new ones. I am PADI certified and we have "open water" and then "advanced open water" - I was NOT comfortable taking a class that would certify me as "advanced" when I wasn't confident that I was remotely competent yet! I waited until I felt I had enough dives that I was a good candidate for AOW.

Go at your own pace - look at some fish - get comfortable - have loads of fun!!

---------- Post added April 7th, 2012 at 10:10 AM ----------

Thank you! ) Maskless stuff was definitely hard for me. I guess i could practice snorkling in the pool and taking it off and on, i will do this! What unit did you have trouble with? Do you mean the vest /BC ? (sorry just not sure what unit you refer to lol, plus i admit i still have to google all the scuba acronyms...maybe there is a dictionary somewhere haha?)

I had difficulty also with putting on weight belt in the water, it's not easy!

BellDive, Congratulations for finishing/getting through the maskless stuff. I had no fears going in as I did a lifetime's worth of snorkelling first. Except that maybe my ears would hurt at depth--Guess I never equalized snorkelling (and wore ear plugs--not the ones designed for equalizing). It seems the no mask drills are hardest for a lot of students. I found these a piece of cake--I just breathed through the reg and sealed off my nose passages, and bore the sting of chlorine in the eyes (hate that--salt water no problem). BUT, my toughest skill to master was taking the unit on and off. This to me is by far the most complicated of the whole bunch--many steps. It still ticks me off when I see a complete newbie do this with relative ease.

---------- Post added April 7th, 2012 at 10:13 AM ----------

Thank you!
Yes, slow works for me right now

Looking forward to learn from all of you, i'm already wiser since i found this board 2 days ago...

Good Job Belldive !

Many good suggestions above and don't get into to big of a hurry to push yourself. As others have said, practice mask clearing skills in shallow water til it almost becomes boring.

Then when you're a little deeper, again work on it.

As others have said, S-L-O-W does it, getting in a rush to remove, replace and clear causes the heart to pound and that little fear to rise.

Thanks for the post, others will learn from you.

 

[jm]

Congratulations on achieving your CMAS One Star, Belldive! Your posts illustrate that you have a good attitude and wish to learn. There is a wealth of information here on ScubaBoard. Welcome!

 

[BellDive]

) Thanks, and yes i've been reading posts on 'n off the last few days and rather overwhelmed by the amount of info here.
Respect!

Congratulations on achieving your CMAS One Star, Belldive! Your posts illustrate that you have a good attitude and wish to learn. There is a wealth of information here on ScubaBoard. Welcome!

 

[Phil_C]

Hi BellDive, congratulations on your CMAS 1* - I completed my CMAS 1 and 2 star last year not far from you in Cyprus, but I almost gave up at one point. Early last year I did a single lesson (similar to a try dive) and decided to get certified again (I dived 30 years ago). So I booked a CMAS 1 star course with a Russian School. All the lessons were completed in the sea - there was no pool available, and my second lesson was a bit of a disaster for me.

For some reason I could not keep my mask clear, it kept flooding, and I felt very panicky about the regulator. About 10 minutes in decided I wasn't enjoying it and was going to tell the instructor that it wasn't for me after all. We were only shallow - probably 2m at most and I conciously reassured myself that I could reach the surface without any problem if I needed to, so I decided to see the lesson out rather than give up.

I'm glad I did because somewhere in the next 20 minutes or so the bug bit big style. I still don't enjoy getting a flooded mask, but I have thought it through and decided that it is not a reason to panic and that it is a situation I know how to manage. I got my 1 star and then spent a couple of months diving 4 or 5 times a week (end)and then signed up for the 2 star.

I would suggest you do the same, get some fun dives in where there is no pressure to perform skills and so on then if you want to go on do the CMAS 2 star, but don't rush in to it.

I have started my CMAS 3 star now, but in the last six months have done a lot of courses with other agencies - BSAC (the British SUb Acqua Club) and PADI and also done some cold water diving in the UK (water temp down to 4 degrees c).

But don't worry if you feel apprehensive about skills, I would be more worried if you were not - what you will find with time is that although you may still not like taking your mask off, or removing your regulator, you will not be panicked by it. You will grow to realise you have trained for the eventuality, practised it, and know you can cope if you have to.

My own mentality is to keep pushing myself to learn more, but if that doesn't inspire you just get out there and dive, in time you will find out what floats your boat and what style of diving you want to follow. Then do that. Don't feel you have to do something because it is 'next on the tick list' not everyone want or needs to be a tech or cave diver.

Most importantly have fun and be safe. P

 

[dfx]

I had one similar experience during my SSI OWD course. I was lucky to take the course with a dive shop that had a 10 meters (33 feet) tall tower filled with water available for training. The first classes were done in the shallow pool (upstairs) and all the basic exercises were no problem there. Then they went to the full depth without doing any funny stuff - no problem so far. The next class, I had forgotten my mask and had to borrow one from them. With my eyes being at a whopping -7 and them obviously not having a mask with prescription lenses, I was pretty much blind under water. They went down to the full depth again and proceeded to do some exercises with the rest of the class. I couldn't make out any details, didn't see what was going on, but I knew it would be my turn soon without knowing what to do. Being 10 meters down, I suddenly got this panicky "****, I have to get out of here" feeling. But I managed to calm myself down, knowing that there was no danger around. When I noticed that the instructor was signalling me to do the exercise (whatever it was, I didn't know), I signalled back that I couldn't see anything (we did learn that beforehand), and he just proceeded to the next student.

And then there was the first time of doing the regulator out/in exercise at the full depth, as well as the mask clearing. The regulator was never a big problem for me, but the mask clearing was. When it was my turn to do it, my first thought was "what if it doesn't work?" But I knew that I did it many times in the shallower pool and it always worked, so I just went for it... It didn't work perfectly right away, but I did get it after a bit of correction. After that, I knew I could do it anywhere and any time.

 

[safeTstop]

Fear came upon me when I was last in line the first day of open water. I was the last to descend and by that point 9 other students silted up the spring and water rushed in through my mask at the same time. Training kicked in then, stopped, took a breath, cleared my mask, stopped then I heard the DM rapping his tank to signal us over. All was well after that.


The best thing for me was to go right back to the place I did my open water dives the following weekend with my buddy and practiced there. Being in a familiar place while practicing is a huge confidence builder in itself.

 

[BellDive]

Hi BellDive, congratulations on your CMAS 1* - I completed my CMAS 1 and 2 star last year not far from you in Cyprus, but I almost gave up at one point. Early last year I did a single lesson (similar to a try dive) and decided to get certified again (I dived 30 years ago). So I booked a CMAS 1 star course with a Russian School. All the lessons were completed in the sea - there was no pool available, and my second lesson was a bit of a disaster for me.

For some reason I could not keep my mask clear, it kept flooding, and I felt very panicky about the regulator. About 10 minutes in decided I wasn't enjoying it and was going to tell the instructor that it wasn't for me after all. We were only shallow - probably 2m at most and I conciously reassured myself that I could reach the surface without any problem if I needed to, so I decided to see the lesson out rather than give up.

I'm glad I did because somewhere in the next 20 minutes or so the bug bit big style. I still don't enjoy getting a flooded mask, but I have thought it through and decided that it is not a reason to panic and that it is a situation I know how to manage. I got my 1 star and then spent a couple of months diving 4 or 5 times a week (end)and then signed up for the 2 star.

I would suggest you do the same, get some fun dives in where there is no pressure to perform skills and so on then if you want to go on do the CMAS 2 star, but don't rush in to it.

I have started my CMAS 3 star now, but in the last six months have done a lot of courses with other agencies - BSAC (the British SUb Acqua Club) and PADI and also done some cold water diving in the UK (water temp down to 4 degrees c).

But don't worry if you feel apprehensive about skills, I would be more worried if you were not - what you will find with time is that although you may still not like taking your mask off, or removing your regulator, you will not be panicked by it. You will grow to realise you have trained for the eventuality, practised it, and know you can cope if you have to.

My own mentality is to keep pushing myself to learn more, but if that doesn't inspire you just get out there and dive, in time you will find out what floats your boat and what style of diving you want to follow. Then do that. Don't feel you have to do something because it is 'next on the tick list' not everyone want or needs to be a tech or cave diver.

Most importantly have fun and be safe. P

That's a great story, and i do agree not to rush into the 2 star! I really find myself fascinated and curious about diving now, and have read an insane amount of posts on the forum, from newbies, oldies, techies, and in accident sections too (learned a lot there also, food for thought for sure) ever since i got my one star. I felt i didn't know anything (besides of course what was part of the course) and now i just want to absorb everything!
I am definitely keen on learning more.
I am a full time student though and also realized this is not the cheapest sport around...and going on a dive with instructor incl gear rental etc. well..it will add up. So also trying to make some financial adjustments right now so i can allow myself to get out there before too much time passes...

---------- Post added April 11th, 2012 at 12:07 AM ----------

I had one similar experience during my SSI OWD course. I was lucky to take the course with a dive shop that had a 10 meters (33 feet) tall tower filled with water available for training. The first classes were done in the shallow pool (upstairs) and all the basic exercises were no problem there. Then they went to the full depth without doing any funny stuff - no problem so far. The next class, I had forgotten my mask and had to borrow one from them. With my eyes being at a whopping -7 and them obviously not having a mask with prescription lenses, I was pretty much blind under water. They went down to the full depth again and proceeded to do some exercises with the rest of the class. I couldn't make out any details, didn't see what was going on, but I knew it would be my turn soon without knowing what to do. Being 10 meters down, I suddenly got this panicky "****, I have to get out of here" feeling. But I managed to calm myself down, knowing that there was no danger around. When I noticed that the instructor was signalling me to do the exercise (whatever it was, I didn't know), I signalled back that I couldn't see anything (we did learn that beforehand), and he just proceeded to the next student.

And then there was the first time of doing the regulator out/in exercise at the full depth, as well as the mask clearing. The regulator was never a big problem for me, but the mask clearing was. When it was my turn to do it, my first thought was "what if it doesn't work?" But I knew that I did it many times in the shallower pool and it always worked, so I just went for it... It didn't work perfectly right away, but I did get it after a bit of correction. After that, I knew I could do it anywhere and any time.

Mask clearing and regulator in/out was just hard for me. It's odd though cause i'm used to swimming 'n being in water etc and swimming just with regular goggles where the nose is clear, but the whole transition of breathing through regulator which was also an odd sensation for me, combined with mask clearing and having to control the breath and "locking" of breathing through the nose, just messed up my entire system. ALso i didn't quite know how to put the regulator back in, press the button and all that, it was just not very controlled at first and i think that's why i definitely panicked. Later on i did it slower and more controlled, and less panicky with the regulator. I was more afraid of taking off the mask than taking out the regulator but i think definitely with a bit more practice i will gain the confidence for these basic skills. I'm glad you also overcame it, it seems a lot of people just have issues with these types of drills at first and it requires some conscious effort and mental adjustment, can be a bit difficult and especially the thought of doing it in depth just adds to the anxiousness. I still don't feel 100% so i will do some mask practise in the pool, and regulator practise as soon as i come in contact with one!

---------- Post added April 11th, 2012 at 12:09 AM ----------

Fear came upon me when I was last in line the first day of open water. I was the last to descend and by that point 9 other students silted up the spring and water rushed in through my mask at the same time. Training kicked in then, stopped, took a breath, cleared my mask, stopped then I heard the DM rapping his tank to signal us over. All was well after that.


The best thing for me was to go right back to the place I did my open water dives the following weekend with my buddy and practiced there. Being in a familiar place while practicing is a huge confidence builder in itself.

nice! ) Yeah i want to go back to the "crime scene" lol - i think it's a good idea for a few dives, same dive-center and they already know me etc. So working on finding a day/time now for that )