Badger Matt
Contributor
Just moved to Tampa last week and, after almost 25 years out of the water (PADI OW cert in June '02), I decided to jump back in and take my 14-year-old son with me. We did the Discover SCUBA bit before we moved and he was hooked:14: .
On to the OW course... I decided I'd been gone from SCUBA long enough to retake the whole course and, besides, I could learn side-by-side with my future dive buddy. I signed us up for the private lessons (2x1). My son, Chad, only missed one question on the final exam. First time working on our skills at Weeki Wachee Springs, however, he had problems with taking off the mask and replacing/clearing it -- all in his head, but real nonetheless. That night he took his snorkel into the tub and practiced breathing without a mask. Next day at the pool we had an hour or so long bouyancy clinic and it was spectacular -- I never had anything like this when I did my OW course way back when. We followed that with some no-mask swimming, doff/don/clear the mask...and he actually asked for more. I was so relieved. Needless to say he passed those skill tests easily.
Today at Weeki Wachee he smoked the BC doff/don at the surface and underwater...mask doff/don/clear...etc...and completed his first two open water dives. Though I'm hardly an unbiased observer, his bouyancy control skills were waaaaay better than the other shops' students we saw bobbing, plummeting, silting, colliding, etc...in the springs. We can hardly wait for the Guld dives next weekend.
On to the OW course... I decided I'd been gone from SCUBA long enough to retake the whole course and, besides, I could learn side-by-side with my future dive buddy. I signed us up for the private lessons (2x1). My son, Chad, only missed one question on the final exam. First time working on our skills at Weeki Wachee Springs, however, he had problems with taking off the mask and replacing/clearing it -- all in his head, but real nonetheless. That night he took his snorkel into the tub and practiced breathing without a mask. Next day at the pool we had an hour or so long bouyancy clinic and it was spectacular -- I never had anything like this when I did my OW course way back when. We followed that with some no-mask swimming, doff/don/clear the mask...and he actually asked for more. I was so relieved. Needless to say he passed those skill tests easily.
Today at Weeki Wachee he smoked the BC doff/don at the surface and underwater...mask doff/don/clear...etc...and completed his first two open water dives. Though I'm hardly an unbiased observer, his bouyancy control skills were waaaaay better than the other shops' students we saw bobbing, plummeting, silting, colliding, etc...in the springs. We can hardly wait for the Guld dives next weekend.
