First time in open water...Any tips/advice?

[N.Grace]

I'm taking my Open Water in Kent this weekend and I'm kinda nervous. I've never dived anywhere apart from in a pool before. I've read the PADI manual, know all there is to know and understand it and have taken the written exam but I'm still a bit anxious about it. Has anyone got any tips or advice for me for this weekend? Things to take? Certain things to remember? Advice on not being so nervous? ha. Also, how long will it take and what can I expect? etc etc. I'm really comfortable in the water/gear and I don't panic so I highly doubt I become panicked in the water but I'm feeling the anticipation all the same. (also off diving in the Philippines (after I have my certification) in less than two weeks!!)
Thanks guys this forum has been super helpful to me so far and everyone is really friendly so hopefully I can get some good advice here about this

 

[Hawkwood]

You have done everything in the pool already, so virtually nothing is new, other than the gear and the environment.

Understand that it will be cold. Get your face used to the cold before you put your mask on. You won't be as "shocked" when you do a partial flood, full flood, or remove and replace.

Take what you need to help warm yourself up between the dives, hot drinks, hot soup, etc. Take hot water to pour into your gloves or hood.

Listen to the skills briefings carefully. Your OW instructor is there to evaluate you, not reteach what you learned in the pool. However, if you have any questions, or cannot remember something, or simply want clarification, do not hesitate to ask. They may go over some of the critical steps of a skill with you. If not, but you think you need to see that again on the surface, ask.

If you are taking your gear to the site yourself, check it over before hand and make sure you have everything.

 

[N.Grace]

Thanks for the advice also, do you know will they be taking me to the maximum depth of 18m?

 

[Hawkwood]

That will depend on the training site and the conditions at the site.

OW Dives 1 and 2 are to a maximum depth of 12m/40ft
OW Dives 3 and 4 are to a maximum depth of 18m/60ft

Your CESA will be done from depths of no less than 6m/20ft and no more than 9m/30ft. That will be conducted on OW Dives 2, 3, or 4.

 

[Jon_R]

My open water dives where two parts. Day 1 two tank dive in a fresh water lake up to ~35 feet. This is we're we did virtually all the skills from the pool except we did not do no mask swim or no mask breathing. In addition we picked up some simple compass work. Tank 1 we where probably under about 40 minutes. Tank 2 we where probably under about 55 minutes but where up and down some as we did emergency assent and shared air assent etc.

Day 2 ocean boat dive 60 feet drift dive 2 tank. The boat i was nervous about. Not a big fan of boats... The first giant stride into 60 foot deep ocean does get your attention and an extra puff or two into the bcd worried you will step in and go straight to the bottom. at least that was a thought of mine.

The time limit was dictated by gas hog which was me. When I got to 1k the class started assent. Probably about 40 mins each dive with si of little over an hour which many snorkeled. On dive 1 we had to take mask off and on other than that just dove and looked at pretty stuff. Dive 2 no real skills just diving. I missed my safety stop. Not enough weight with empty tanks in salt water.

For us not cold. Just some lava core for me and I was good. My daughter said her 5mm was perfect.


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[LowDrag]

Make sure your wet suit fits properly. Nothing sucks more than being at depth and not being able to breathe because your suit is too tight and constricting.

 

[Wolfie]

be careful around the mud. It doesn't take much to silt up a site to 0 viz. use your bcd, not your fins.

 

[bergersau]

A 1or2 lt plastic bottle of cool(Not iced) tap water is useful.
If you're overheating whilst suiting up you can drink some and pour some into you wetsuit to cool down before entering the water.
After the dive you can pour some over your face and hands to get the salt off and rinse you mouth out. Use a rinsed out soft drink bottle or similar, if it gets lost or forgotten then no loss.

Sunscreen
Food /snacks
Drinks
Cash (as needed)
Dry Clothes
Towel
All Personal SCUBA gear - checked working, tank full, wetsuit fitting correctly

Most important : Don't forget your sense of humour and sense of adventure. Have fun, you're going diving!!:goingdown:

 

[TSandM]

One of the biggest stresses I see in our students on the open water days is the startling transition from a bathing suit and warm, clear water in the pool, to thick neoprene, hoods and gloves, and HEAVY gear for open water. I suggest to them, as I will to you, that you put on EVERYTHING you are going to use in open water the night before, including weights, so that nothing is completely new to you the following day. It's still going to be work and a little stressful, getting into everything at the dive site, but at least it won't be NEW on top of it.

Every skill you will be asked to do, you have already done, and hopefully most of them several times. It will be different, managing buoyancy with thick neoprene, and keeping yourself stable in much lower visibility, but at bottom, it's the same process with the same parts.

Do make sure you have drinks and snacks available - some dive sites have them, and others have nothing. If the forecast is for anything but very hot weather, make sure you have a towel and a windbreaker. Between dives, you will want to get out of as much of the wetsuit as you can manage, and protect yourself from the breeze, so you can warm up. A big jug of hot water is nice, too, to fill the wetsuit with before getting in.

Have fun, and come back and tell us how it went!

 

[hellhole]

Dun get stress over "other people is doing it! Why aint I"

Take your time and it will come to u.

Maybe also factor in the sting of salt water in your eyes...