From the quarry to the open ocean

[spectrum]

It sounds like you need more time in good gear and with guidance before hitting the ocean. When you hit the ocean be sure to have some dedicated guidance be it a mentor, personal DM or by doing AOW in the ocean.

50F in a good well fit 7mm suit is no big beal for most of us, I'm fine for an hour. The BC sounds like a horror show and the consoloe layout is a draw. Eitther way IMO your diving should become more second nature before extending your range.

Pete

 

[Firefyter]

Take herman's advice, and go dive with them. You'll learn way more diving with experienced guys like him than you'll ever learn in class. Kudos to herman for making the offer, if there were more mentors like him out there, there would likely be a lot fewer accidents.

 

[Lost_At_Sea]

I agree with Bigg Budd. Big Red, you might want to get a couple more dives in the quarry before you go ocean. Quarry dives do make you a better diver. Good luckl=.

Man, sounds like a tough weekend.

Based on your post, it sounded like you handled the situation, and didn't freak out. Bravo amigo.

As far as gearing up and jumping into the big blue...I'd advocate caution, and get some more bottom time in the quarry. I'm landlocked in Dallas, and don't have ready access to the ocean...Therefore, I rely on quarries and lakes to sharpen my skills, and get comfortable under water.

I've found that diving in those conditions (poor viz, temp, etc) has made me a better diver.

Great question, and good luck with the diving!

 

[bigred]

Looks like the quarry wins 5-3.

I kind of expected this since my dive shop's trips to NC require AOW cert (although they pick deeper sites). I'll take herman's warning and start somewhere easier.

Maybe Lake Rawlings is worth a shot. Supposedly the visibility is pretty good and the temperatures are a few degrees warmer there. I live halfway between Washington and Richmond, so it's not too much further than the quarry up in NOVA. Now I just find a better place to rent gear.

herman: Thanks for the invite. I'll check ncdivers out next I head down your way.

Confidence will hopefully come with experience. Thanks for all the encouragement.

-Sean

 

[drbill]

It has been nearly 40 years since I made the transition from quarries and lakes to the ocean. They say if you are trained in California you can dive anywhere, but I think if you were trained in a quarry you can dive anywhere!

Of course there will be new issues... like actually being able to SEE the things around you (including buddies), currents, swell, etc.

 

[seadreamsPF]

Hi Sean -

First - congratulations!

Second - in terms of confidence... you made it through that safely and with a C card, therefore you should be very proud of yourself.

I got certified in a somewhat murky NW lake - and think it was one of the best ways I could have been certified. After doing my skills and a few dives in those conditions, the experience made my Caribbean dives so much more enjoyable. Had to learn to work with currents, but felt relatively confident about buoyancy, breath control, etc. since I did it in rougher conditions.

Just remember what you've learned, and apply every detail to your new diving experiences. Don't let the new diving conditions lull you into forgetting the basics. And ENJOY!

 

[NCSCUBADOOBA]

Sean,
I too was certified in a cold, low vis quarry in Rolesville, NC. I freaked on my first dive, but completed my other 3 just fine. I didn't do well with navigation on my first attempt, but nailed it on my final.
I left for Belize a few weeks after my cert dives. I did a shallow dive (30') and felt like it was perfect first OW dive.
Herman has a good idea, try another quarry dive or two. You will be MUCH less apprehensive now that you've "passed" and can just practice and enjoy.
Congrats by the way.
Anglea

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I was first certified in a heated open water lake. Yes heated, 1200 acres, max depth 130 plus feet and at the time water temp was 80 degrees. I have also dove in this lake when the temp was 46 degrees and we had snow falling and had to brush the ice off of our gear. Vis on a really good day is 15-20 ft. Average is 6-10 with many in the 4-6 ft range or worse. The result of this is that after 70 some dives in it and 11 in Ginnie Springs I was more than ready for the keys this year. Underwater navigation in low vis conditions is not hard but requires attention and patience. A console where the depth guage or computer and compass cannot be looked at simultaneously is pretty much worthless to me. We put together our own in a boot called a navcon which puts the spg on one side and the depth guage and compass on the other. Several manufacturers have come out with new ones lika you described and I'm convinced that the people that design these things either do not dive, dive where vis is unlimited and they can see everything they need to, or they are morons who do not care where they are. In any case I agree with the others that you need more bottom time before hitting the ocean off of the atlantic coast. By all means try lake rawlings or even come up and see us at Mt. Storm in West Virginia. In anycase the buoyancy issue is another reason to get your own gear as soon as you are able to. All 7 mil suits are not the same just as not all bcs are the same. A worn 7 mil with a few miles on it may not need as much weight as a new one. Or it may need more. Thing is if it's yours you'll know what you need once you do your checks and get it dialed in. A BC that needs to be held together is not only a pain but it is down right dangerous. You need to realize that just like your reg a bc is LIFE SUPPORT gear. if it fails at depth you could DIE! So do yourself a big favor before doing any ocean dives and get your own gear. Have it serviced regularly. And most of all dive as much as you can in as many conditions as you can. And it will also help to find mentors to dive with. Experience can go along way and diving with someone with a few hundred dives or more can teach you alot. Don't get the guy who got certed with you but has went out an extra weekend and so has 3 more than you. He probably doesn't know much either. Most of all have fun and stay wet.

 

[bigred]

Just to follow up:

I did three dives at Lake Rawlings on Saturday and had a really good time. The DM from my class was there, so I had some "supervision".

The visibility was good. The water was a lot warmer. I rented from a different place this time, so the equipment was in much better shape. I'm fairly happy with my air consumption - I still had 1500-1800 psi in my tank when the dive was over. My trim is a little off, but that gives me something to work on.

I feel a lot more comfortable now.

Thanks again for all the advice!

-Sean