Failed CESA in OW

[Jim Lapenta]

@Searcaigh Many thanks for kind-of reassuring me that I was thinking along the right lines...I wasn't going to argue with the Instructors, as theyre the professionals, but after a couple of good breaths into the oral inflator, I still had no buoyancy...options were reg in, or inflate bcd via the button...
Really not sure where to go next with this.. feel completely gutted, but want to continue...

Doing what they did clearly indicates they are not professionals. They are dangerous.

 

[berndo]

I desperately tried not to panic...(although snatching my reg out earlier didn't do me the world of good) but as i was re-descending, grabbed reg purged & took breath.... that was the FAIL... to me, it was a case of.... I'm going underwater with no means of breathing... need reg!

What you've described in the OP is a major red flag. It's not normal. You did not fail, your instructor failed. It's the instructor's job to make this a fun and safe experience for you.
You probably were massively overweight, not just a little. You need to be able to stay afloat easily and also to kick up easily at all times, without having to drop weights.
Go with your gut. If you felt unsafe with this instructor, get somebody else.

 

[apedai]

Were you in fresh water? Its been rubbish viz in the sea lately and might explain why you were overweighted, although they should know better.

I dove in a fresh water lake last year with thick wetsuit and too much lead, they killed my buoyancy like OP, and I "stone-rocket" twice, luckily not get DCS.

 

[berndo]

I dove in a fresh water lake last year with thick wetsuit and too much lead, they killed my buoyancy like OP, and I "stone-rocket" twice, luckily not get DCS.
View attachment 777368

Is this 20 feet or 20 meters?

Eitherway, you should really get some more training. This is dangerous, man. Shooting up randomly during a dive can really hurt you. Please go and look for more training.

 

[Mosizely]

What you've described in the OP is a major red flag. It's not normal. You did not fail, your instructor failed. It's the instructor's job to make this a fun and safe experience for you.

Definitely wasn't fun... feel like abandoning the dream...!

 

[dlofting]

It sounds to me like you asked your instructors the right questions and correctly suggested things that you thought were causing problems. Given that these were your first open water dives, I think you did very well. It sounds to me like you'll be a good diver with practice. You'll also be one who questions things, researches and continues to learn.

Don't give it up, but maybe look for an instructor who is patient and listens to you. There are probably UK divers on this board who can point you in the right direction.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Definitely wasn't fun... feel like abandoning the dream...!

Just as a matter of interest, do you remember how much weight you used?

Most instructors can make a reasonable estimate, but still no substitute for a properly weight check. I prefer to estimate a couple of kgs less than I think a student needs, then take time doing a proper weight check, adding small trim weights as necessary.

 

[Edward3c]

Pl

Definitely wasn't fun... feel like abandoning the dream...!

Please don't.

As others have said; your instructor should have made sure you were correctly weighted. When I get a new student I'll spend the first dive just getting their buoyancy sorted. This includes qualified divers experiencing UK waters, its too easy just to overweight someone.

I'm based in West Scotland.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

Definitely wasn't fun... feel like abandoning the dream...!

Don’t give up. Ask for a different instructor, your current one sounds like a &*^%ing idiot.

 

[apedai]

Is this 20 feet or 20 meters?

Eitherway, you should really get some more training. This is dangerous, man. Shooting up randomly during a dive can really hurt you. Please go and look for more training.

Meters, this is 2nd dive at that day, first dive I carry 4 lead, but it a bit light for 8.5mm (7+1.5) wetsuit, I forced myself descent by kicking, and the water compressed my volume, reduced buoyancy so 4-5 pack is good for me I think.

Then the weight belt become loose and sliding down to my butt, DM let me grab the training platform under water and take off my belt, put lead in bcd pocket.

After dive, DM said 4 pack is light, then add 2 pack (each pocket 3 pack for balance ), Then my buoyancy disaster began...the visibility is SHlT, I lost DM , the depth number up down crazy, it out of control.

The 3rd dive I remove extra weight and grab DM's arm, complated a normal dive.

After that day, I bought my own BCD with weight pocket and swore never wear 2 layer wetsuit, never dive SHlT visibility lake, never overweighted again.