I am frustrated

[Eanxbr]

And while you are working hard and getting things done, ask yourself, are you having fun? Scuba is supposed to be fun.

As others have mentioned, if something is not working, switch things up a bit: work with an instructor one-on-one, switch instructors and facilities if need be.

Take your time, be safe and have fun.

 

[Scuba-dooba-do]

I have been taking ssi training for 6 weeks now. We are training in a heated pool. I have many skills down but many I struggle with. We have been in a total of 5 pool instruction classes. I go to the pool on Fridays at 10 a.m for 5 hours to practice. I am a slow learner. I have to do things multiple times to have it really click. These classes move quickly. The instructors show the training first e.g. Mask 1-4, Regulator 1-5 etc. I have chosen not to do the open water dive test because I know that I am not ready. It still takes me about 10 minutes to get my buoyancy just right. Which slows down the class. The instructors get irritated (which makes sense) I am slowing them down. I have had a few dive buddies. One of them is a navy diver from 40 years before doing refresher courses so he can dive again. He helped me a lot. I would take personal lessons however the instructor has to come to you. It is winter here and the water is too cold in the pool. I have a friend that is certified and told me he would help me in his pool. Part of my frustration is the pool we practice in is only 5 feet deep. Yesterday at the pool my husband threw his back out helping me put my gear on. I had to take his gear off of him and carry the takes back to the side of the room. He is very hurt. It will take at least 3 weeks to heal. Our open water diving test is March 4. I know he will not be ready physically. I am not prepared for doing all of the tasks. An example is taking off my gear in the water and getting back on. Buddy breathing, controlled ascent I have not mastered yet. I can clear my mask most of the time. I have had a few instances where I had to cough into reg. to get rid of water. With lack of buoyancy I am a mess on everything else. I know the amount of weight I need, it just takes time for me to swim around so I can get the feel of being neutral. In class there is no time for this. Our pool is small and is five feet at the deep end. It has a slope in the middle. We have to move the class along fast. There are 7 of us in that small pool. I am so frustrated and I feel like a complete loser. I feel bad for my husband who is hurt. He is in great shape btw. He just moved wrong.. As for me I am 5 feet 8, I have 29 percent body fat: which means I can float! I use about 12 pounds of weight to drop.
I guess I don't have any questions per say...just venting frustrations. I knew by class 4 I was not going to be ready. I kept going to class though. I probably will still take the written test, but not go to anymore official classes. Which is only 1 more. Which is a wet suit fitting etc. They also will be doing all of the skills with a wet-suit on. I will continue to go to the pool on Fridays when hubby is better and can be my buddy. I will continue to practice all of the steps. Going to the last Saturday class will only serve to frustrate me even more. I need to practice certain things that I struggle with...before I even think about putting on a wet-suit. Again I am so frustrated. I cried the whole way home from practice. Then and there I decided I will not put myself or others at risk by doing the open water dive without more confidence in my skills. As an aside : I am very comfortable in the water, no panic, no problem with the regulator. I am strong. I can carry the tanks and help my buddy put theirs on. I use less oxygen than most of my classmates. I breathe deeply and regularly . Guess I have good lungs. I have lost 10 pounds in the last 2 months..I am on a wellness journey. Thanks for letting me vent.
... Any comments, advice, opinions

Update:
So hubby and I started our SSI in January of this year. Boy or boy do I have some stories.
Got done with all but 1 class and hubby slipped a disc. I finished the last class without him, hoping he would get better and be able to make it up. Nope he did not. We took the written test and gave his back time to heal. We missed the open water portion in March due to his back. As he got better we continued to go to the pool and practice. We even got in the pool with the new class just to practice. We stayed out of the way of them learning their skills. It sucked that he hurt his back but in no way was I ready to take the open water portion in March. It takes me time to learn things. I need repetition.

So next open water portion is in April. We made all of the arrangements. We were going to Ginny springs in FL. We got a house on the river so we could kayak in addition to taking the certification. We get to the springs, do all of the check in. We are getting ready to go to the launch spot and I throw up. Not just a little but a lot. I have never gotten sick to my stomach from nerves, ever! This was something else. I threw up 20 times on the way back to the house. I told hubby to go back and do the dives. He did not want to leave me but there was no reason for him to miss it. He went back did the dives (threw up in his regulator, yeah gross, he did not feel bad when he went back, it hit him in the last 20 minutes of the end ot the day) He did not go back the next day for the last 2 dives, why you ask. We both had the flu. Instead of enjoying the dive and kayaking the river, we stayed in for 6 days and watched Netflix.
Okay drum roll please
Here we are in July and I finally completed the first day: 3 dives. Hubby did it with me (even though he had already done the first day dives in FL) We are doing it at the yucky lake where one can't see 5 feet in front of them. It was 97 degrees today and high humidity. ( We live in SC) I got so overheated as others did as well. Finished up got in the truck to cool off in Air Conditioning. I was well hydrated...peed a lot. But due to the over-heating I threw up. Joy for me. However I did the first day. I did all of the skills. We were at about 20 feet doing skills on an airplane wing on the bottom in that section of the lake. I have had trouble with donning and doffing underwater. Trouble is not the word: nightmare is more like it. But I did it. I am so proud that I did it well. Hubby and the instructor were impressed. Tomorrow is the last dive. I am so ready for it to be over so I can enjoy diving. No I have not "enjoyed" going through the open water portion. I just want to get the crap done. Kudos to my hubby he has the patience of a saint. He has listened on many occasions of me venting and crying on the way home from class from pure frustration. Kudos also to my instructor. He is a salty sea dog, but one of the most caring people. He has walked (swam ) with me all of the way through this. He believed in me when I had no confidence in myself. Our dive shop owners and employees have been amazing. They also believed in me when I was losing confidence. I am proud that I did not give up. Wanted to on many occasions, said I wanted to on many occasions but did not. My husband deserves all of the credit in the world for walking through this very hard and emotional journey with me. I am too hard on myself and thus freak myself out. One more dive. Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

You got this! Give yourself some credit. You are doing some hard stuff. It takes time to get comfortable in this unnatural environment. You are an alien there. You're body is screaming this ain't right. And yet, thanks to modern technology, you can go where so few others go. Your world just opened up! Diving destinations to explore and seek the beauty below the waves. Sending positive vibes to you for tomorrow's success!

 

[lowwall]

Great job for persevering through all this.

If you feel comfortable with it, go ahead and name your shop and instructor. Sounds like they deserve the accolades and it might help others looking for a shop in your area.

 

[FLturtle]

I admire your determination & hope you have many years of amazing diving in the future. I still remember how awestruck I was at the beauty of a living coral reef the first time I got to dive on one.

 

[Minion Fish]

I can understand your frustration. If you are not happy in the course, or feel that you can't complete it, don't worry.
Scuba is a lifetime journey and you don't have to do it all at once.

What I would say is that it's always going to be hard in that shallow pool if you are struggling.

Consider a holiday to somewhere warmer . Then you could have at least a warm swimming pool as well as the beautiful sea to look forward to for your diving portion of the course, and if you explain your concerns, any worthwhile company will make sure that you get a kind and patient instructor.

Warm water instantly removes a lot of discomfort and stress.

If you are in a group of 7 it's going to be difficult to get the attention and service that you need to get over this "hump".

Don't get discouraged. When I was doing my Divemaster course I ended up in tears at the back of the boat.

I was 58 years old at the time hahahahah. We all can feel devastated by our inability to "grasp" the lessons taught, but they will become second nature if you persevere. (not necessarily with this instructor or company) There are literally thousands of training facilities worldwide. Take your pick.

Otherwise, just keep your head down, keep practicing, and persevere. It will sudenly click.

Don't let them grind you down

You can do it.

Good luck.

 

[Edward3c]

I have had trouble with donning and doffing underwater.

I don't know why agencies continue to teach students to remove and re-fit their kit underwater. A good confidence building exercise, it shouldn’t be part of any assessment for basic diver qualifications. We removed it from our syllabus years ago. In 45 years of diving, I've only done it twice since qualifying in 1979, and not once in the last 25 years or over 1,500 dives.

 

[adampierce]

I have been taking ssi training for 6 weeks now. We are training in a heated pool. I have many skills down but many I struggle with. We have been in a total of 5 pool instruction classes. I go to the pool on Fridays at 10 a.m for 5 hours to practice. I am a slow learner. I have to do things multiple times to have it really click. These classes move quickly. The instructors show the training first e.g. Mask 1-4, Regulator 1-5 etc. I have chosen not to do the open water dive test because I know that I am not ready. It still takes me about 10 minutes to get my buoyancy just right. Which slows down the class. The instructors get irritated (which makes sense) I am slowing them down. I have had a few dive buddies. One of them is a navy diver from 40 years before doing refresher courses so he can dive again. He helped me a lot. I would take personal lessons however the instructor has to come to you. It is winter here and the water is too cold in the pool. I have a friend that is certified and told me he would help me in his pool. Part of my frustration is the pool we practice in is only 5 feet deep. Yesterday at the pool my husband threw his back out helping me put my gear on. I had to take his gear off of him and carry the takes back to the side of the room. He is very hurt. It will take at least 3 weeks to heal. Our open water diving test is March 4. I know he will not be ready physically. I am not prepared for doing all of the tasks. An example is taking off my gear in the water and getting back on. Buddy breathing, controlled ascent I have not mastered yet. I can clear my mask most of the time. I have had a few instances where I had to cough into reg. to get rid of water. With lack of buoyancy I am a mess on everything else. I know the amount of weight I need, it just takes time for me to swim around so I can get the feel of being neutral. In class there is no time for this. Our pool is small and is five feet at the deep end. It has a slope in the middle. We have to move the class along fast. There are 7 of us in that small pool. I am so frustrated and I feel like a complete loser. I feel bad for my husband who is hurt. He is in great shape btw. He just moved wrong.. As for me I am 5 feet 8, I have 29 percent body fat: which means I can float! I use about 12 pounds of weight to drop.
I guess I don't have any questions per say...just venting frustrations. I knew by class 4 I was not going to be ready. I kept going to class though. I probably will still take the written test, but not go to anymore official classes. Which is only 1 more. Which is a wet suit fitting etc. They also will be doing all of the skills with a wet-suit on. I will continue to go to the pool on Fridays when hubby is better and can be my buddy. I will continue to practice all of the steps. Going to the last Saturday class will only serve to frustrate me even more. I need to practice certain things that I struggle with...before I even think about putting on a wet-suit. Again I am so frustrated. I cried the whole way home from practice. Then and there I decided I will not put myself or others at risk by doing the open water dive without more confidence in my skills. As an aside : I am very comfortable in the water, no panic, no problem with the regulator. I am strong. I can carry the tanks and help my buddy put theirs on. I use less oxygen than most of my classmates. I breathe deeply and regularly . Guess I have good lungs. I have lost 10 pounds in the last 2 months..I am on a wellness journey. Thanks for letting me vent.
... Any comments, advice, opinions

How would you rate your overall fitness level? And how about your husbands?

 

[wlecyt40]

Nice job!!! Welcome to our slice of Paradise!!! In time, you will be diving like you have been doing it all your life. Enjoy the ride. FINS UP!!!!