First California dive after OW cert and I shot to the surface! What went wrong?

[Minnerd]

SO, I'll start off by giving some background information. I'm the type of person to panic a bit and I was definitely apprehensive about getting my OW certification. However, with the help of an excellent DM and friend, I was certified in Hawaii two months ago. I was really excited about my first dive in CA and since the conditions were very different, hired a DM from a company in Catalina.

I told him that I was really nervous because this would be my first dive in colder waters. All together, we had a group of 3 newly certified divers and the DM. The other two had been certified in California, so they were semi used to the conditions. The DM told me that I would probably have a lot of buoyancy issues as this was my first time in cold water gear.

For some reason, my BCD wasn't properly functioning as the button to release the air in the BCD would only empty half of the air bladder. (My friend and I figured this out later during our second dive). Instead of trying to figure out the problem, the DM just dumped a bunch of weights in my BCD pockets, uneven at that so my balance was way off. I started sinking right away and was distressed as I kept hitting the bottom. I tried to signal to the DM that I was having buoyancy problems but he was several feet in front of me. In order to compensate for constantly hitting the ground, I added some extra air to the BCD and did fine until we hit shallow waters of 20 feet. I immediately ascended to the surface despite me trying to swim downwards and trying to get the DM's attention.

The DM brought everyone to the surface when realizing I was gone and just released the air in my BCD via dump valves. This time I was having trouble equalizing my left ear. So I took my time going down. The DM disappeared with the group while I was slowly descending. Luckily, it was evaluation day and the evaluating DM realized I wasn't with the group, found me, and slowly descended with me until I was down with the rest of the group. I had the exact same problems as before but this time, one person in our group was low on air and we just ascended. I was feeling a bit nauseous so I sat outside with my gear spread out all over me. The divemaster collected my gear, settled it near me and quickly drove off.

Determined to dive in CA waters, I sat outside for an hour and a half to let the nausea pass. (I've been getting nauseous everytime I dive...perhaps from tension or breathing too fast?) My friends sat out with me until I felt better. We tried to venture out ourselves this time, taking it very slow. My buddy kept an eye on me and released my dump valves everytime I started to ascend a tiny bit. Unfortunately, when we got near shallow waters, I went up again. This time a lot slower, due to my buddy trying to swim down with me.

SO, my friends are now planning a trip to the Coronados and I'm kind of freaked out. I don't want to let one negative experience scare me away from CA diving but I also want to know what went wrong. I know I definitely need to rent gear that works better and hire a DM that is a bit more alert. Perhaps a private tour. After doing some research, I'm assuming I was overweighted? I'm 5'6" 113 pounds and wore a 7mm with hood, gloves, and booties. I originally had 16 pounds on me but was added an unknown number while on the surface of the water.

Also, if anyone can direct me to a fantastic DM that will be patient with my apprehension in the Coronados would be great!
Thanks for hearing out my long story.

 

[scubadobadoo]

I WAS A HOT MESS WHEN I FIRST STARTED DIVING AND I ADMIT IT IN PUBLIC!

Honestly, I am surprised I didn't kill myself looking back on it. I was prone to panic, out of shape, lacking in skills, always sea sick and just plain way over my head. So what am I saying?

With all respect, it will get better TRUST ME as long as you don't rush it but I honestly think you need more time with an instructor and not just a DM. Making that transition to cold water diving is not an easy thing when your past experience is in Hawaii and is very limited at that. I humbly suggest you put in some pool time and practice time in a place like Catalina Island on the shore dive with an instructor or at least in a more relaxed setting where task loading can be limited before you go jumping back in the deep end.

Maybe you should consider doing an AOW class. I don't think an AOW class is for "advanced students" but rather I think of it as a way to continue learning and "advancing" upon what you already know. I used it that way and it helped me big time!

Just relax and slow down. If you think you are going to panic then don't go diving. Panic is a deal breaker as far as I am concerned. Panic must be the LAST thing you do.

But again...IT WILL GET BETTER! Just don't force it and be realistic cuz the consequences of panic while diving aren't so good. Fear is okay but panic is a killer.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Some food for thought written by Jim Lapenta in a sticky in this forum pasted below...

I hope to convey to new divers and those considering taking up this activity just what it is you are getting into. This post is the result of reading and participating in a number of recent threads where new divers have died. I am giving careful thought to this as I write it in order to not be overly alarmist but still convey the seriousness of dive training and the sport of scuba diving.

First of all I sincerely hope that it makes one think and ask questions of their instructor, dive master, boat operator, resort, and fellow divers. It, in my opinion, can not be overemphasized how easy it is to become so enamored withthe idea of diving that things can be overlooked that can and has resulted in the deaths of many new divers over the years. It is also my opinion that a great many of these deaths could have been prevented. This post's purpose is to look at how that could have been accomplished.

First of all we need to look at where these incidents actually began. Many times it began before the diver even entered the water. Perhaps as soon as the decision to begin training was made. At this point the divers chose a shop or instructor to train with. At this point we should look at why they chose this shop/instructor. It could have been because of a friend, relative, ad in the yellow pages etc. But in any case it is likely that until that time they had not done any research regarding agency, training method, time required, etc. In short they did not know what they didn't know.

Everything they know or knew about diving most likely came from that one person or business. As such it is all too common for a new diver to be astonished to find out just how many agencies, training methods, and programs there are. I myself had no idea what was available to me and my instructor was careful to avoid discussing the subject of different methods of training. I was clueless. Had I known what I know now my path to instructor would most likely have been very different.

But in any case it came down to, that in my early training, believing that someone other than myself was ultimately responsible for my own safety. Nothing could be further from the truth. Up until I recieved my c card it is true that the instructor was responsible for my safety. And during training, even to this day, that is somewhat true when undertaking a new course that involves new risks and challenges. Once that card is received however it is an entirely different story. At that point it is the divers responsibility to look out for their own safety. As certified divers we should be capable of diving with a buddy of equal skill in conditions similar to or better than what the training was conducted in without the assistance of a DM, A/I, or Instructor.

If this is not the case then that diver should not have received a c card. The diver should be fully capable of planning the dive, doing all the necessary pre dive checks, executing the dive, and exiting safely from the water. This is the responsibility of the diver along with being able to make the decision to NOT DIVE should conditions or the dive plan be beyond the skill, training, or comfort level of the diver. In cases where a Divemaster or other guide is employed it still falls ultimately to the diver to dive or not. Many times this is not conveyed to the new diver by his/her instructor. As a result the divers again do not know what they do not know. They end up doing what are known as "trust me dives". Many times nothing untoward happens on these dives. But unfortunately the odds are against this being the case every time. And when something does go wrong it may go so wrong as to result in serious injury or death.

Now we enter into a realm where the lines of responsibility may become blurred. Perhaps the DM should not have let the person dive or taken them on the dive? Perhaps the op should not have let them on the boat? Perhaps the divers buddy should have said something or maybe other divers on the boat who may have known of the lack of training or skill level of the diver? In any case the results do not change. A diver is hurt or dead.

This sport is fun, exciting, educational, relaxing, and if practiced within the limits of one's training and experience- SAFE. BUT to go beyond one's experience level, training, and even comfort level too fast or too far is inviting disaster. Every instructor should impart to their student that this sport can kill and do it in some very nasty ways. You were told or will be told to not hold your breath. But was it stressed as to why and what could happen if you did. Terms like lung overexpansion injury or pneumothorax or embolism were or will be used.

But do you really know how serious these things are? Do you realize what happens when a lung rips and air rushes into the chest cavity or sack around the heart and bloody froth comes out of the mouth. Or an air bubble enters the blood stream and travels to the brain resulting in a condtion similar to a stroke with all the after affects of a stroke such as paralysis, loss of memory, loss of muscle control, and death.

Who is responsible for an occurence like this? The diver is! They were told not to hold their breath but did anyway, why? Maybe they panicked. But if they panicked why did they panic? Most likely they were in a situation they were not ready for. Who is responsible for that?

If on an OW training dive the instructor should have realized the diver was not ready and postponed it in lieu of more time in the pool or classroom or both. But maybe the diver was ok until they hit OW and became nervous. But if they said nothing of their apprehension then that was the divers fault. If they communicated their nervousness and the instructor did the dive anyway then that still falls on the instructor. But once out of training it is the divers responsibility to dive or not dive.

When a diver for whatever reason elects to do a dive beyond their level of training and experience and this is known to the op, DM, boat captain, or instructor who may be guiding but not instructing on the dive they should not let the diver dive or insist that they be accompanied by a DM or other pro. But even then had the diver received proper training it is likely they would have enough sense to follow that training and not do the dive without making arrangements for further instruction or a guide.

It falls to the diver to insist on training that will allow them to do the dive. This mindset should have been instilled in them during OW training. If it was not then the fault lies with one of two people. The instructor or the diver. The instructor is responsible for making sure that the diver knows exactly what could happen to him/her regardless if it results in a diver perhaps electing not to continue training. If the diver does elect to go on then it should be made clear to them that they are responsible for all aspects of their diving from the time they receive their card.

The Dm on the boat does not plan your dives. They give a briefing on the site, emergency procedures, boat etiquette, and times allotted for the dive. They may even get in the water. many times they do not. In any case no matter what you may hear or assume, THE DM IS NOT RESPONSIBLE for keeping you safe! Neither is your buddy! You are.

If you are not comfortable with this stay out of the water! If you are not comfortable with being responsible for yourself your training was seriously lacking, you were not paying attention in class, or you need more time in the pool and should not be diving in open water. At this point it is your responsibility to go to the instructor and communicate your concerns.

It is my contention that once a diver is certified he/she is responsible for their own safety. The task then of the instructor is to instill this sense of personal responsibility in his/her students. If this is not done the class needs to be reevaluated to insure this is the end result. To turn students loose in the water less than capable with the idea that they will find out they need more training and come back to learn what should be basic skills is a disgrace and a clear demonstration of greed.

Dive ops that allow unqualified divers to do dives beyond their ability are a disgrace to the industry. It would be better to choose more benign sites or require the divers pay for a personal guide or instructor than risk the headache of a coroners inquest or police investigation. Not to mention the two bit shysters that seem to come out of the woodwork looking to make a quick buck from others tragedies. Being that there really is no governing body that regulates the industry, and should not be, it is up to the industry itself to insure that ONLY properly trained and qualified people are in the water.

This unfortunately is not the case. Programs based in profit or marketing and designed to get people in the water as fast as possible are the norm. There are still though, programs which offer a more comprehensive and thorough training program to divers. It is up to the diver to decide which they wish to enroll in. It is up to them to decide how much training they wish to get. It is up to them to do some research to find the best fit for them. They should spend at least as much time as they would choosing a new car. It really does come down to the potential diver to decide what their life is worth. And decide just how much training they feel is needed to preserve their safety.

And what are we doing when we dive? Playing in the water? Swimming around underwater without having to surface as often? Seeing cool new stuff? Doing something different than alot of other people? Yes to all of this. But we are also doing this. We are entering an alien environment that is normally hostile to human life without mechanical means. We cannot breathe underwater. We rely on a few pieces of metal and plastic to keep us alive by allowing us to breath a finite amount of air that we must also carry. Sounds a little more serious that way doesn't it. Did your instructor point it out that way to you? Chances are they did not. Why not? It might have caused you to rethink this whole business. If so, GOOD!

This is not a game. Your life depends on the training you receive, the decsions you make based on that training, and the decisions you make after training. You, the diver are responsible for your own safety regardless of what anyone else says. Your buddy could get lost, the DM may get hurt, lost, or busy with another diver. If an issue occurs, no one but you will be there to save your ass. Think about that. You may need to save your own life. If that does not make you rethink the idea of who is responsible for your safety you might want think about finding another activity. It is not fair to your buddy, the DM, the captain, the op, or the resort to make them responsible for your life. You don't pay them for that.

The boat is a taxi to get you to and from the site safely. The driver is no more responsible for you when you step off than the taxi driver who drops you at a hotel. You would not sue the taxi company if you exited the cab, walked into your destination, and fell down a flight of steps.

The op has no way of determining your comfort level in the water if they did not train you. They assume since you have a card or a referral that you are ready to dive or do your checkouts. If they want to take you to 100 feet on your first dives and you say ok and then die who is at fault? Did they hold a gun to your head and force you to dive? Did you exercise the option to say no that you can do at anytime.

The cave community has rule that any diver can end a dive at any time with no explanation given. Once the signal is given the dive is over. period. end of discussion. Too bad this is not passed on in many OW classes. Peer pressure, money, wishing to not look bad, all seem to take the place of intelligence and common sense. Divers not realizing how a new environment or type of dive can change things. It has not been adequately instilled in them that this is serious business and not as easy as many of us make it appear. Years of training and experience have taught us that nothing should be taken for granted.

Good instructors make sure that this is part of the training of new divers. Skills are done over and over until they become as much instinct as anything else. My greatest reward as an instructor is to task a student and see them react to a distraction or outside stimulus as a minor inconvenience instead of a big problem to the skill they are doing. I have recently had a student go from being unable to breathe from a reg with their mask off without water going up their nose to doing a no mask swim two lengths of the pool and then do a bailout with absolutley no issues at all. This did not happen overnight and was the result of much hard work, a clear understanding of the skill to be done, and WHAT COULD HAPPEN if they were to have their mask kicked off at 50 feet and they freaked. The last had the biggest effect in them working through the urge to freak and finding out it's not that bad.

More to come tomorrow. I'm tired and need to go to bed.

 

[fisheater]

I must salute you on your determination to dive in California, even though you got certified in tropical waters. The vast majority of Californians who get certified in the tropics NEVER dive in California and are terrified of it. (Conversely, those of us who got certified here enjoy diving here and, having mastered buoyancy here, are overjoyed with the ease of tropical diving.)

Before you go to the Coronados, you should get your weighting and buoyancy under control. Find a local instructor to work with you, doing a proper weight check and showing you how to deal with the large buoyancy shifts involved with diving while wearing a bunch of neoprene.

It's harder and takes a while to get used to, especially at about 15', where your neoprene appears to go from puffy to compressed, and visa-vera, all at once.

 

[Colliam7]

As several have said, you are not alone. Be patient, be careful, keep diving.

The DM told me that I would probably have a lot of buoyancy issues as this was my first time in cold water gear.

That appears to be one right thing the DM did.

Instead of trying to figure out the problem, the DM just dumped a bunch of weights in my BCD pockets, uneven at that so my balance was way off. I started sinking right away and was distressed as I kept hitting the bottom. In order to compensate for constantly hitting the ground, I added some extra air to the BCD and did fine until we hit shallow waters of 20 feet.

It was possibly expedient to add weight, rather than taking time to surface and start from the beginning with a proper weight check, given that there were others in the group.

I tried to signal to the DM that I was having buoyancy problems but he was several feet in front of me.

I immediately ascended to the surface despite me trying to swim downwards and trying to get the DM's attention.

The DM disappeared with the group while I was slowly descending.

It does appear that you were in a situation where you needed perhaps a bit more personal attention and assistance than was available. In fairness to the DM, and not having 'been there', it could be that the DM was also focusing on the other 3 divers in the group, and was not able to balance their needs with yours.

(I've been getting nauseous everytime I dive...perhaps from tension or breathing too fast?)

Quite possibly. You are anxious / nervous, you are probably hyperventilating a bit, and you are physically exerting yourself UW - fighting with a rig that may or may not be optimally functioning, fighting a degree of overweigthing, etc., requires considerable physical effort, in addition to being mentally stressful.

I also want to know what went wrong. I know I definitely need to rent gear that works better and hire a DM that is a bit more alert. Perhaps a private tour.

Find a local instructor to work with you, doing a proper weight check and showing you how to deal with the large buoyancy shifts involved with diving while wearing a bunch of neoprene. It's harder and takes a while to get used to, especially at about 15', where your neoprene appears to go from puffy to compressed, and visa-vera, all at once.

Very true. You describe a situation where you were probably improperly wegihted, you were probably breathing hard which added to your positive buoyancy, and you reached the shallow depth zone where changes in buoyancy appear to be more abrupt. This is not an insurmountable obstacle, but does require practice, patience and attention to detail, including determination of optimal weighting, and weight distribution.

I definitely agree with the suggestion that you pursue working with an instructor on a dive where s/he helps you do a proper weight check before the dive, works with you on slow descents and ascents, works with you on achieving neutral buoyancy at depth (practicing hovers, even fin pivots as appropriate) - basically, you would benefit from an instructional OW dive before putting yourself in the same situation again. There is nothing wrong with that, by the way. Many of us, on our first few post-certification dives, experience stress, encounter buoyancy problems, don't enjoy the experience. And, unfortunately, more than a few simply stop diving as a result. Find a local instructor to work with, so you don't become part of that latter group.

 

[D_B]

Commendable that you want to dive here.

As has been said, you need more practice before venturing out , with weighting, buoyancy, breathing normally ... that could be with an instructor, or with a very good mentor ... but do take care of it

It does get easier, especially when you've got a handle on the basics and can then just enjoy the dive

 

[drbill]

For some reason, my BCD wasn't properly functioning as the button to release the air in the BCD would only empty half of the air bladder.

Interested in what style BCD you were using (jacket most likely if it was rental). Some BCDs and horseshoe wings are difficult to completely evacuate using only the button on the inflater (at least in my experience). I abandoned jackets years ago (although still use them when renting equipment abroad) and avoid horseshoe shaped wings, greatly preferring the control of a donut-shaped wing in evacuating air. I find that using jackets or horseshoe wings one may need to use the purge valves as well as the inflater button to achieve proper evacuation of the wing. Of course as a newly certified diver, you may not be looking at the option of a BP or soft harness and wing yet (or even ever!).

 

[fnfalman]

Let's identify the issues:

1. Newbie
2. Not familiar with SoCal dive condition
3. Rental Equipment probably not working properly and/or ill-fitting

Let's try some solutions:

1. Forget about hiring DMs - get down to the SoCal subforum and get in touch with highly experienced local divers who are more than glad to take a determined newbie under their wings. A personal service DM isn't there to teach you or refine your techniques. That DM will keep you companied and keep you out of trouble and that's about it, unless you've made it clear to him or her that you need to learn more about diving techniques. Your best bet is to get down to the SoCal subforum and befriend the local divers. They'll be a lot more attentive towards your needs than a paid service individual.

2. Dive often. Exposure to the condition is the only way to get used to it.

3. Buy your own gears, or at least rent from a shop that has good condition gears (Hollywood Divers rents out backplate/wing - great for SoCal diving). Practice with the same gears all the time. Every BC is different even though they are of the same basic configuration. A jacket BC from Mares is slightly different than a jacket BC from Aqualung. You as a newbie are currently information overloaded and task loaded when you enter the water. You don't need to learn where everything is each time you go diving because you keep renting different equipment. Also, practice with these gears in the pool where there are no surges or currents to affect you. Put on all your SoCal duds and get into a pool, practice descension/ascension techniques, practice buoyancy techniques, practice swimming techniques, practice emergency drills. That way when you go out to the ocean, you're enjoying yourself instead of worrying.

I love diving at the Coronados, but at this stage, I'd recommend against it for you. Go to somewhere more innocuous like Casino Point at Catalina again. Or go on a boat dive to Anacapa with the Spectre boat. The Spectre tends to go to dive sites at Anacapa that are very beginner friendly - which sometimes frustrate the more experienced divers.

 

[TSandM]

Well, kudos to you for sticking with it! (It's worth it -- the diving off Southern California is some of the best diving I've done anywhere in the world.)

The search for neutral buoyancy is a constant balancing of weight against air-filled spaces. It begins with a proper weight check -- did you do one? Unless you do that, you really don't know how much weight you NEED in order to dive. Your initial descent will tell you whether you are carrying enough weight to sink, with a full tank; but it won't tell you if you are carrying weight you don't need, which is going to complicate your life. And it won't tell you whether you are carrying enough weight to stay underwater at the end of the dive, when your tank is almost empty. The only thing that will answer those questions is a real weight check. You can do this at the beginning of a dive, by weighting yourself neutral at the surface, and then adding one pound for every 13 cf of gas you intend to use from your tank.

Buoyancy problems in the shallows are very common for new divers in thick exposure protection. Remember, you are balancing ballast against air spaces -- and the air spaces in your neoprene, which compress at depth, rebound in the shallows. In addition, any air in your BC is expanding at that point, too, which is of course why you have to vent as you come up. In my experience, new divers are rarely proactive enough in venting -- they're so busy surviving underwater that they fail to note they are ascending, and fail to recognize they are getting light until it's difficult to do anything about it. I tell all of our students to stick to sites with a hard bottom at a safe depth (which Casino Point certainly is), and if they are going to make a buoyancy mistake, make it in the direction of venting too much. That kind of error will result in the embarrassment of splatting, but nobody ever got injured going splat in a safe depth. On the other hand, uncontrolled ascents put you at risk for gas embolism, which is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to a diver, so better to sink than to do a ballistic missile impersonation!

Some BCs definitely vent more easily and more completely than others, but if you go into a vertical position and raise that inflator hose, the air in the BC really has no choice but to leave. What I commonly see is people who really don't get the inflator orifice up to being the highest point, and especially if they are light, people who are trying to vent the BC when they are head-down, where the air is all up by their bottom, and the inflator outlet is below it. I make all our students learn to find and use their alternate dumps on their BCs -- almost all BCs have a way to vent air from the bottom of the bladder somewhere, and it's important to know where that place is, and be able to reach it.

The fact that your buddy was venting for you and unable to keep you underwater may indicate that you were underweighted, or may indicate that the air wasn't where the dump your buddy was using was located. Only a weight check will sort that out.

A final note: One great, big air space we all take into the water with us is our lungs! How much volume you are holding there has a very big effect on your buoyancy, and one thing that happens to people who have had buoyancy issues is that they can get anxious as the ascent portion of the dive approaches, and change their breathing so their lungs are fuller (ask me how I know this!). This, of course, has the effect of making them more buoyant and worsening their problems, which leads to increased anxiety on the next dive, and a vicious cycle of poor buoyancy control. The solution is awareness, and the deliberate USE of the lung volume to help control things. When you feel light, EXHALE! And then exhale some more . . . and then take a somewhat shallower breath than usual, and exhale again. This is your fastest "BC" to vent, and while you are keeping your lungs a little empty, you can be working on venting your BC (or dry suit) to make a more lasting correction.

The nausea you are having after your dives suggests to me that you may be using an inefficient breathing pattern, keeping your lungs very full and more or less shallowly panting, rather than cycling a good, slow breath around a reasonable midpoint volume. This is a common new diver fault, and leads to retention of carbon dioxide in the blood, which increases anxiety (here's that mental part of buoyancy again) and can lead to post-dive headaches and nausea.

So, some of this gets better with experience, but some of it can get worse, particularly if you have repeated bad experiences. I'd STRONGLY second the recommendation to look for a buddy/mentor who is experienced, and willing to go do a day of Casino Point diving with you, and give you some tips.

 

[Hawkwood]

... In my experience, new divers are rarely proactive enough in venting -- they're so busy surviving underwater that they fail to note they are ascending, and fail to recognize they are getting light until it's difficult to do anything about it. ...

This is something I have been very conscious of when working with, or leading new divers, especially those new to dry suits. New folks need to learn to anticipate when they may have to vent. When leading a tour with them, I will often turn to them before we go over a rise or obstacle and "remind" them to be ready to vent.....point to my head ("remember") and then point to the deflate button or exhaust valve.

The best value I can give while diving with a student or new diver is to work with them on weight and buoyancy throughout the dive.