I almost DIED in Grand Cayman!

[davezwife]

OK, since we're all learning from posts like this, I'll keep playing, lol.

1st, Mr. DSD, your question ("How DID you get certified?") DID sound rude to me. But, tone is hard to convey on the internet, and well, your question is very valid. So here's your answer:
Not only did I get my OW cert, I got my advanced OW. I'm not even kidding. And yes I know how insane that sounds.
Longest story short.... Like I mentioned, we sold our house and quit our jobs, and ran around the world in 2006. Literally. Motto? "Go Big or Go Home." We were pre-kids, early 30's... it was the backpacking dream most can only imagine, but we did it a bit later, and we had money, lol.
I have family that dives, and a husband that always wanted to, and he's good at everything, haha. I LOVED the idea of it. My anxiety and "worry-wart" personality (not to mention I'm a nurse, which makes me over think everything, and catastrophize it all) always came into play, but I didn't want to miss a thing on this trip of a lifetime.

Exposed 1st in Bali on a shore Discovery (wreck) Dive (with a hot instructor who was fabulous and calm) I then snorkled off the dive boats in the Philippines, (DH dove, he got cert'd at home, prior to the trip, in a lake in the midwest) and loved what I saw, wanted to get down there and see it. We finally got to Ko Tao, Thailand, and I got certified. Now if anyone has been to this dive spot, you know it's full of idiots and drunks.
Failure #1.
(some of the best fish life in that area, tho.... lots of "Chumming the waters" and "Ko Tao Kisses" aka road rash scooter scabs, to nibble on. Hilarious)
I passed the class with flying colors, and although nervous to dive, thought I was onto something fun.

Please note that IN NO WAY did my husband ever push me to do this. NEVER. In fact, that intro dive in Bali? My instructor said to NEVER EVER EVER have your dive buddy be your spouse. Ha. Truer words never spoken, until, of course, the day came when my dive buddy husband literally saved my life!

Anyways, I felt like I was educated and ready to dive. I FELT prepared. I really did. Green, but prepared. I practiced my skills, worked hard on boyancy, and for the most part, enjoyed the dozens of "easy" straight forward 40-60ft reef dives we did in SE Asia. Then we got to Borneo, just weeks away from heading to Palau Sipidan and Mabul. We both did our AOW in Kota Kinabalu, mostly so we could do the deeper dives in Sipidan, since that's about all there is. The depth thing scared the crap out of me. Oh well. Go big or go home. Again, VERY good instructor, thought we learned more advanced techniques, felt as if we were being given the tools to "dive right."

*****I would say, to anyone learning to dive, or for the instructors out there TEACHING the certifications... I can read and take a test all day long. You can take me down to 25 ft and have me remove my regulator and practice taking my mask on and off, until we're blue in the face. Although we only practiced those skills once or twice. I can memorize charts, and learn about narcosis. Big whoop. NONE OF THESE THINGS CAME INTO PLAY that day in Cayman when we went into the dive shop, and said "hey, we want to just tool around out front, do we need a DM? Any issues? Tips? " and were just basically handed some tanks and wished good luck. So yeah, we had the skill set to pull off a decent dive or ten. We did NOT have the experience to handle some situations, simply b/c we were green. Like I said before, I am SHOCKED and AMAZED we didn't die in Sipidan. Or some other places. What on EARTH were we thinking?
I think our shortcomings were not only the fact we were green, but we easily could have been fooled by our "oh la la" dive logs, which could indicated we had some serious dives under our weight belts, but in reality, we were getting by from the skin of our teeth.

Sorry, I talk a lot, but I think there is a lot to learn from this. Any more questions, please let me know. Part of me really misses diving, and I'm sad I didn't love it more. But the other part of me is very willing to leave it behind, admit my shortcomings, and very much count my blessing and move on.

 

[davezwife]

It is good that I read this old post, the wife and I are spending a week on a live aboard in two months I will be much more sensitive to her concerns as a result of this.

lol. thanks. ;-) I would also point out that as a woman, (and more so as a mom) I would be watching the entire group while diving. Making sure everyone was keeping up. That all were safe. My head was chattering: "Where's that dude with the blue fins? Oh, there. Hey! Don't touch that coral, dude! How's my air? How's my partner's air? What time is lunch? I wonder if I'm sunburned? I wonder what time our flight is tomorrow? I like roti." lol. Our brains work differently than men. Men, I imagine, spend the 45 minutes underwater thinking "Dude. Big fish." and the occasionally a "wow, hot chic in wet suit."

 

[danvolker]

I will never understand why people seem to think someone else is responsible for their safety? Diving can be dangerous, like you have just found out....you have to rely on your own judgment, and if you don't have enough experience to make that judgment, dive your local dives sites until you do. If the ocean is rough, wind is blowing, its raining and there are strong currents, the light should go on, and you should perhaps think that I'm not ready to dive in these conditions. Get rescue certified and continuously learn to improve your confidence and knowledge. You learned a good lesson, and I don't think you should give up. This will make you a better diver in the future. We have all had out little incidents, but we learn from it and move on.

I do not think Rescue would have helped this couple.....What would have helped them, would have been some kind of advanced shore diving class, where divers learn to use a snorkel on the surface, and how to deal with large waves. Freediving skills could have been a major asset, as freedivers typically have much better ABILITIES than scuba divers to handle large waves at the surface, comfortably....additionally, they will not feel that an absence of air in their tanks is a problem to be nervous about.
With the right class, they would learn to get trimmed out on the surface for an effective surface swim. They would learn that some fins are useless in challenging conditions, and that there is no substitute for actually LEARNING how to kick your fins PROPERLY, so that you can use good fins instead of floppy splits ( chosen for the lack of skills needed to move through the water with them--problem is, they don't move well against currents)
A freediver with an empty tank on their backs, could be almost happy in 8 foot seas or larger, and would only feel a challenge in the final plunge through the surf prior to hitting the beach.


We could actually shoot some video of this off of Singer Island when the seas are 6 to 9 feet.... I volunteer Dumpster Diver as the model, and I will shoot him

 

[drrich2]

The depth thing scared the crap out of me.

I would also point out that as a woman, (and more so as a mom) I would be watching the entire group while diving. Making sure everyone was keeping up. That all were safe.

You're freaking me out channeling my wife like that. Many of my dives (and nearly all of hers) have involved me, my favorite dive buddy Wallob, and my wife diving in Bonaire, or similar high viz. warm water Caribbean conditions. In recent times, one of her brothers got certified & joined us. Some observations:

1.) She, too, is 'bothered' by depth, despite several dives in the 70 - 80 foot or so range. I think this is a mind-set thing. I RESPECT depth, took the deep diver course to get the know-how (or at least an intro. to some of it) for dealing with it, and am cognizant that air goes faster & staying on top of my pressure gauge (which I strive to do anyway) is even more important. Yes, aside the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire, looking up & realizing there's near 100 feet of water between me & the surface, is a tad intimidating. But the idea of an 80 foot dive in high viz low current warm tropical waters doesn't stress me particularly. She's happier if we don't pass 40 feet, for whatever reason.

2.) My buddy & I have criticized her repeatedly for that 'hovering' thing. If you aren't on our level, we can't keep up with you, we've all got tank bangers to signal for attention if needed, so quit hovering 10 feet up the water column and stick with us!

3.) On a related note, Wallob tends to lead, I follow closely (maybe a few feet shallower to conserve air (I'm big, he's little), but easily seen), then the wife is 'somewhere back there' and her brother even further back than that. I've 'nicely' tried to convey that if you're anxious & concerned about something potentially happening, the place to be is right up front by the dive leader where you'll be noticed if something bad happens. My first post-certification dives were 2 boat dives off eastern Puerto Rico with Sea Ventures, and I stuck to our poor dive guide Lugo like white on rice (in retrospect, he had to shoo me away!). These 2 also tend to hang back/go slow on land; walking around Buddy Dive Wallob and I would stop to wait on them asking 'What are they doing?' I told him one of these days we'll tie 10 foot ropes from our belt loops to each of them so they can't wander too far!

4.) I also notice my wife has a tendency to 'give in' to anxiety/fear/frustration and get flustered (being prone to sea sickness may've exacerbated that). One time diving my head hit her leg, and she reflexively kicked out. I didn't know a person could speak underwater, but I got one word out!

My point in all this, and I think DavezWife got into it a little, is that some issues are rooted in inexperience, lack of training or incorrect knowledge, but some are rooted in individual psychology, and an extra course or two may not fix that. A person who wants to dive can overcome some of it; the Rescue course is a good one, and it stands to reason if you dive enough and push your limits a bit, you'll eventually desensitize yourself somewhat (as is done with exposure therapy to help people overcome phobias).

Richard.

 

[FPDocMatt]

I do not think Rescue would have helped this couple.....What would have helped them, would have been some kind of advanced shore diving class, where divers learn to use a snorkel on the surface, and how to deal with large waves.

Absolutely! Getting in and out of the surf, and swimming to and from the dive site (about 100 yards) in Torremolinos last month completely exhausted me and spoiled the whole experience of the dive for me.

Being in shape for diving is important too. You don't have to be in such great shape to jump off a boat, but since my surf experience I've been doing a 3-times-daily regimen of resistance exercises. I can now do squats with 45 pounds on my back. If I'd had this strength then I'd have had much less difficulty.

And swimming with a snorkel may sounds like a relaxing activity, but with the water pressure on your chest it's actually harder to breathe that way than simply swimming on your back (I found).

 

[FPDocMatt]

Men, I imagine, spend the 45 minutes underwater thinking "Dude. Big fish." and the occasionally a "wow, hot chic in wet suit."

Wrong.

It's 45 minutes underwater thinking, "Wow, hot chick in wet suit", and the occasional, "Dude. Big fish."

 

[danvolker]

Absolutely! Getting in and out of the surf, and swimming to and from the dive site (about 100 yards) in Torremolinos last month completely exhausted me and spoiled the whole experience of the dive for me.

Being in shape for diving is important too. You don't have to be in such great shape to jump off a boat, but since my surf experience I've been doing a 3-times-daily regimen of resistance exercises. I can now do squats with 45 pounds on my back. If I'd had this strength then I'd have had much less difficulty.

And swimming with a snorkel may sounds like a relaxing activity, but with the water pressure on your chest it's actually harder to breathe that way than simply swimming on your back (I found).

Matt,
The snorkeling issue is a problem caused by the agencies...I see no excuse for not teaching snorkeling...it is actually a skill...it is not intuitive for most people...I am sure there are MANY Instructors that are poorly skilled at using a snorkel, due to Agency decisions on expedience.
Among the issues--If you actually know how to use a snorkel effectively, like a good freediver does, then you would NEVER choose one of those foolish "DRY SNORKELS" , made for people without snorkeling skills, and which severely limit the effectiveness of what a snorkel "can" actually do...meaning the wide tube simple J shape used by freedivers. They cost about $20, instead of sometimes over $70 for the fancy dry auto purging junk, and have less CO2 Buildup, and they are so simple, they work as long as you use them correctly. The expensive ones have multiple issues that can make breathing them less desirable.
Again, the issue is someone needs to teach a new scuba diver how to snorkel...this should happen long before a scuba tank ever is placed on a diver's back. This is the time to teach how to kick, with great bio-feedback..without all the drag of the tank and BC, and the extra weighting issues, it is much easier to show the new diver what swimming horizontal means, what "slick" in the water means, what kick and "glide" means, and how to swim comfortably for many hours without any need of a flotation device like a bc. How to kick is huge here, as well as how to rest....like never, ever trying to tread water vertically--you need to rest in a flat horizontal position where you naturally are bouyant, and the snorkel works without effort.

If you were taught how to snorkel by an instructor that was talented in freediving as well as scuba, you would have found that the dive in

Torremolinos would have been fun and relaxing for you.
The problem with swimming on your back, is that while it can keep you afloat and safe, it is a poor way to actually swim any significant distance, especially if you have any navigation required. Several of the Florida divers on SB would easily swim the mile or 2 in from Palm Beach reefs, with a snorkel, and could do so in less than 30 minutes in areas like Breakers...even with good sized waves. Also, when you get to the surf zone, it is better to be in a body surfing position and try to ride the wave in, than to hit it on your back and hope for a good back-float ride in on a big wave--this would typically be a recipe for many, many somersaults within the wave, and probably a long time without a breath. The real freediver coming in with huge waves would most likely take a breath just prior to being caught by a big wave, and then drop down under the wave churn until it passes, then surface and swim fast till the next wave..ans so on till water is too shallow to swim in.

PADI should really start pushing a Freedive/snorkel specialty with a beach diving component...it would be exponentially more valuable than AOW or Nitrox... ( Nitrox where you could just read this for free on the internet, and know as much as someone that just aced a course in it). ​

 

[yogen]

Incredible story of survival.. and if it means giving up diving its a personal choice.

Diving in Sipadan is breath taking. However at the same time due to the permit situation there is pressure to hit all the sites. Usually on the boat the two groups follow each other quickly and if you are in the second group and there is an issue you can be left behind (DM with you should not let that happen). Since you have only 3 or 4 dives there you are likely not to abort a dive when safety should always come first.

Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[bongabonga]

Thank you, OP, for sharing your story here. I'm a new diver, 7 dive logs, and your story certainly points out to us new diver the importance of dive plan, exit point, etc. At this point of my short dive experience, my thought to share to you all guys is lots of new divers usually cares only on his buoyancy skills, the underwater scenery, the gear set up, etc and left up the dive planning part to the DM. Sure, we will listen and ask questions to the dm if we don't feel clear on his plan, but most of the time we just think "If we follow the DM's butt certainly nothing can go wrong"...
For sure new diver will learn a lot from your post, about planning and exiting, and controlling your panic.

Thanks again