I finally got through my Adv. Nitrox class this weekend. First,... a little of my history on this course. I started this course in March of 2006. I went through the classroom & pool. I tried to use a recreational set- up (as can be done) & it proved to be not very user friendly. the instructor then suggested I move over into doubles. My first dive in them was almost a disaster, when I got into a run away descent at the quarry to 95 ft. That scared the living day lights out of me. I decided to wait to finish the course until I got familiar & comfortable with the new equipment configuration. That took a little over a year for me. I then joined another class, but scheduling became a problem after a couple of sessions. This last class started & I asked if I could join so I could finish up. the instructor agreed & so here's the story,...
Well,... On Fri. I came in, after getting off work that morning & catching a couple of hours of sleep. We went through class & pool. I got home about 9:30pm & went to bed. I got up at 4:30am Sat. to write out dive plans & deco schedules before leaving for the quarry. We got there & was it miserable. It was cold, rainy & windy. We did the first dive & the instructor gave us a taste of what we would go through, not too much though. I managed to get my manifold tangled up in my reel line when I deployed my lift bag & after trying to free myself unsuccessfully, I went to one of my team members to help me out. I did have some trouble with some minor leg cramps. When I got out of he water, I managed to tear my right calf muscle a little (fun
) We came up after doing our deco stop & stayed out for a couple of hours. The next dive was much more intense. We dove down along the west wall (below the office). Man was it dark! Almost night dark in that corner. While down there, the instructor started to put us through our skills. Mine was to switch to my back- up regulator & do an emergency shutdown of the primary regulator. I went to my secondary &, after some struggle (gloves & stiffness from the cold), I shutdown the primary & then my secondary decides to freeze up & free flow (not planned). That was my first regulator freeze up ever. Now,... here I'm stuck with a free flowing regulator & no primary (it's shut off & hard for me to get to). As I was breathing off the free flowing regulator, the instructor tried to give me his regulator, but I couldn't see it at all. I could just barely make out that he was even there. He took my harness & took me to the surface. After quickly getting things back under control, he & I went back down to do the required deco. That was probably, to date, the most terrifying situation I've ever been through. Now, I know, personally, why the instructor wants that skill taught in OW class. I did have some problems with my buoyancy after going back down (still stressed, I assume) & yo- yo'd a bit. We then debriefed the dive. We're not sure why the regulator free flowed like it did. I had the settings set to where it should not have happened. He also said he was surprised I didn't panic & bolt. Only because I had done the free flowing regulator skill recently in my instructor course, did I manage to keep my head in that situation. I went home & soon went to bed. After a full night's sleep I went back to the quarry. It was still cold, but sunny & at least looked warmer. On the first dive the instructor drilled us some more & things went better, generally. I had a failure, real, of my 1st stage on my deco bottle- the DIN valve was loose, so I had to do deco off the air on my back (about 6 min longer). Once on the surface, I discovered that somehow that my left post was shut off & That I was going to have to orally inflate my BC. At that time I also found out that my BC hose is too short to come around. I basically flopped over on my belly & opened the valve to inflate the BC at the surface. At the briefing for the final dive, the instructor said I was to be an Out of Air diver. I then explained my problem I had discovered with my inflater hose (BIG MISTAKE). He told one of the guys that they would be the OOA diver. OK,... so on to the dive. We do more skills. At the mask removal at depth, I took mine off & tried to get my back- up, but my hands were so cold I couldn't feel what I was doing. After 30 seconds or so... no success, I just put my primary mask back on. At the end of the dive as we were preparing to go to our stops, the instructor then points at me giving me the OOA signal. DARN! He nailed me. So I then have to struggle through our deco to keep myself neutral with oral inflation. What a pain! After getting out & resting for a few minutes, we were told that we had succeeded. Yea!!!!!! After going through all that, I'm soooo thankful I waited as long as I did to finish up. I would not have made it 1- 1/2yrs ago. I just didn't have the skills, comfort & knowledge I have now, not that it's a great deal, but it's more than I had then. Besides the classroom & practical stuff I did learn many things,
* NEVER, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never take anything for granted
* Things can go very wrong very quickly
* Stay clam & work the problems through
*There is almost always more than 1 solution to a problem (not absolutely every time, but most), find out what is best. Done by experience & skills practice.
* How better to work as a team member (there was 3 of us)
* How to depend on my team for assistance, yet how to be independent if I have to be.
*How to have more confidence in my skills & to execute those skills proficiently
* When push comes to shove, I can manage even difficult situations, it just may be a pain.
* & did I say NEVER take anything for granted? Murphy is waiting right around the corner.
So with that, I have accomplished 1 more of my goals for this year!
Well,... On Fri. I came in, after getting off work that morning & catching a couple of hours of sleep. We went through class & pool. I got home about 9:30pm & went to bed. I got up at 4:30am Sat. to write out dive plans & deco schedules before leaving for the quarry. We got there & was it miserable. It was cold, rainy & windy. We did the first dive & the instructor gave us a taste of what we would go through, not too much though. I managed to get my manifold tangled up in my reel line when I deployed my lift bag & after trying to free myself unsuccessfully, I went to one of my team members to help me out. I did have some trouble with some minor leg cramps. When I got out of he water, I managed to tear my right calf muscle a little (fun
) We came up after doing our deco stop & stayed out for a couple of hours. The next dive was much more intense. We dove down along the west wall (below the office). Man was it dark! Almost night dark in that corner. While down there, the instructor started to put us through our skills. Mine was to switch to my back- up regulator & do an emergency shutdown of the primary regulator. I went to my secondary &, after some struggle (gloves & stiffness from the cold), I shutdown the primary & then my secondary decides to freeze up & free flow (not planned). That was my first regulator freeze up ever. Now,... here I'm stuck with a free flowing regulator & no primary (it's shut off & hard for me to get to). As I was breathing off the free flowing regulator, the instructor tried to give me his regulator, but I couldn't see it at all. I could just barely make out that he was even there. He took my harness & took me to the surface. After quickly getting things back under control, he & I went back down to do the required deco. That was probably, to date, the most terrifying situation I've ever been through. Now, I know, personally, why the instructor wants that skill taught in OW class. I did have some problems with my buoyancy after going back down (still stressed, I assume) & yo- yo'd a bit. We then debriefed the dive. We're not sure why the regulator free flowed like it did. I had the settings set to where it should not have happened. He also said he was surprised I didn't panic & bolt. Only because I had done the free flowing regulator skill recently in my instructor course, did I manage to keep my head in that situation. I went home & soon went to bed. After a full night's sleep I went back to the quarry. It was still cold, but sunny & at least looked warmer. On the first dive the instructor drilled us some more & things went better, generally. I had a failure, real, of my 1st stage on my deco bottle- the DIN valve was loose, so I had to do deco off the air on my back (about 6 min longer). Once on the surface, I discovered that somehow that my left post was shut off & That I was going to have to orally inflate my BC. At that time I also found out that my BC hose is too short to come around. I basically flopped over on my belly & opened the valve to inflate the BC at the surface. At the briefing for the final dive, the instructor said I was to be an Out of Air diver. I then explained my problem I had discovered with my inflater hose (BIG MISTAKE). He told one of the guys that they would be the OOA diver. OK,... so on to the dive. We do more skills. At the mask removal at depth, I took mine off & tried to get my back- up, but my hands were so cold I couldn't feel what I was doing. After 30 seconds or so... no success, I just put my primary mask back on. At the end of the dive as we were preparing to go to our stops, the instructor then points at me giving me the OOA signal. DARN! He nailed me. So I then have to struggle through our deco to keep myself neutral with oral inflation. What a pain! After getting out & resting for a few minutes, we were told that we had succeeded. Yea!!!!!! After going through all that, I'm soooo thankful I waited as long as I did to finish up. I would not have made it 1- 1/2yrs ago. I just didn't have the skills, comfort & knowledge I have now, not that it's a great deal, but it's more than I had then. Besides the classroom & practical stuff I did learn many things,* NEVER, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never take anything for granted
* Things can go very wrong very quickly
* Stay clam & work the problems through
*There is almost always more than 1 solution to a problem (not absolutely every time, but most), find out what is best. Done by experience & skills practice.
* How better to work as a team member (there was 3 of us)
* How to depend on my team for assistance, yet how to be independent if I have to be.
*How to have more confidence in my skills & to execute those skills proficiently
* When push comes to shove, I can manage even difficult situations, it just may be a pain.
* & did I say NEVER take anything for granted? Murphy is waiting right around the corner.
So with that, I have accomplished 1 more of my goals for this year!
