First OW after certification

[CindyMac]

I did my first open water after my certification in June. I am ashamed to admit that I almost bailed on this dive.

One of LDSs was having a "Fun Dive" at our local quarry. I got to the shop to get my tank and fill out forms. Little unnerved at first -- there were lots of 12-15 year olds (what a great way for them to spend a Saturday afternoon). There were a few other adults, not many.

I got to use my new gear - the Zeagle Zena back-inflate, which I absolutely love! No problems with face plants, thankfully. My wetsuit was new (Henderson 5ml) and veryyyy bouyant!

My first attempt at going down wasn't great, but then my dive buddy was also unable to descend and I had extra weights. So out of the water to help him out (he left his reg at home and had to have someone bring it which was a delay). This was a large group, mainly the kids, so I really didn't mind waiting. I just floated around in my wetsuit and enjoyed the water.

Finally got to go down for 38 minutes. It was great!! The viz was actually pretty good (15-20ft) where we dove. Got eyeball to eyeball with those pesky bluegills and saw some bass and turtles.

I do have some issues with bouyancy (queen of floating), but I got a bonus by waiting on my dive. My original dive buddy was able to get his weights and regulator and joined us (6 to dive). Much better for my comfort level! The other guys were instructors and a couple were going for dive master. After the dive, the guys were terrific and had so much good advice for me on how to achieve a better trim/buoyancy in the water. PPB class is definitely in my future.

I am so glad I did not ditch diving today. I had a blast underwater - so peaceful and serene. I would have missed out on a wonderful dive!

 

[jar546]

Congrats and KEEP DIVING!!!!!!

 

[TSandM]

I love these stories! After all, having fun is why we all learned to do this . . .

 

[beaverdivers]

Good for you.

The more time that you spend U/W, the more Fun you will have,

Because your comfort level increases.

Good Luck & Good Diving!

 

[stairman]

It gets better, but changing gear is always a curveball till you get things tweeked. The more you can go , the better you will become and youll pickup tips and tricks along the way.

 

[Talulla]

Congrats Cindy! Were you at LKN? I know they had fun dives yesterday! I am still trying to complete my OW dives. The instructors up there are great always supportive and encouraging. Glad to hear visibility was good, my first OW exploration dive you could not see very far. Maybe we will see you there sometime this summer!

 

[Dr Dog]

Congrats on your cert and your successful dive save

Just wait until your training starts to " clicK". I was so upset and angry with my lack of buoyancy and trim in the water, I spent hours of unlogged dive time in pools just working on my buoyancy. My own father was growing tired of finding me at the bottom of his pool, when he was out golfing or etc. and returned...

 

[CindyMac]

Hi Talulla!

Yes, I was at LKN with the fun dive. When I first arrived, the place was packed! But by the time I got to dive, things has settled nicely and no one else was in the water. We skirted around the wall, went out to the VW Bug, kept going and then reversed back.

I hope I'll see you there - it's fun! You will make it through just fine! I'm very recognizable - my BCD front is hot pink!

 

[CamG]

Greetings CindyMac good to hear of your dive!
It always starts a bit buoyant with with new gear and first dive post training.
You will find that dives get better and better with a few bumps here and there.
Keep your skills sharp and master them and they will swerve you well.
The underwater world is full of our type of solitude and it recharges our batteries!

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[2905luvsbubbles]

Congrats and keep diving.. As you dive more your buyoncy will get better. And most importantly the only bad dive is the one you didn't do. Keep diving and keep having fun.