Greetings from Koh Lanta, Thailand!

[TwoFeetAndABag]

Hey everybody! So I finally decided to get over my biggest fear and get into the open water. The night before my first dive I couldn't sleep and was uncharacteristically quiet on the ride out just concentrating on breathing and keeping my heart rate under 100bpm (Im pretty sure I failed at that but I tried nonetheless). I was determined to get at least one dive in though so made myself kit up and jump in! I went under, bobbed up, signaled I was ok, and moved away from the boat. Man was my heart racing! I knew if I put my face in though I'd calm down a little so I looked at the world beneath me and everything flipped 180! The fear melted away and I fell immediately in love! Now I can't get enough and will be starting my DMT soon! I'm really stoked to have taken that first step off the boat and look forward to being a part of this community.

 

[Compressor]

Welcome to ScubaBoard Twofeetandabag. You've come to a great forum you can spend time during your surface intervals.

 

[TwoFeetAndABag]

Thanks! This board has a lot of great info and seems like good people. I hope to keep my surface intervals short though. Haha!

 

[NYCNaiad]

I'd suggest waiting a little longer to do your DMT (assuming you mean Dive Master Training & not Diver Medical Technician). I think 25-49 dives is still in the beginner range of diving & I'm not alone in thinking this as you can see in this thread here: How many dives before you cease to be a beginner ? [Poll]

But in any case, welcome to Scubaboard. It's a great place to learn & socialize. And congrats on working through your fear! I had to work through fear after I almost drowned in a whirlpool on a dive. Fear can be a paralyzing force, but any time you confront it, it loses some of its power until eventually there's no fear left.

 

[TwoFeetAndABag]

I'd suggest waiting a little longer to do your DMT (assuming you mean Dive Master Training & not Diver Medical Technician). I think 25-49 dives is still in the beginner range of diving & I'm not alone in thinking this as you can see in this thread here: How many dives before you cease to be a beginner ? [Poll]

But in any case, welcome to Scubaboard. It's a great place to learn & socialize. And congrats on working through your fear! I had to work through fear after I almost drowned in a whirlpool on a dive. Fear can be a paralyzing force, but any time you confront it, it loses some of its power until eventually there's no fear left.

Thanks NYCNaiad! I've already started my journey to become a Divemaster but I'll take your word of caution to heart; this isn't an endeavor I take lightly.

Sorry to hear about your near-drowning experience. I've had a couple close calls when I was younger which didn't help my fear but have quickly begun to overcome it now. Thanks for the welcome!