I failed the pool test!

[sberanek]

My pool training was in a pool that was about 89 degrees and I would get the chills after a while. I was better if I was moving around. There's no way I'd have swam in a 53d pool without a wetsuit... that's just unreasonable.

--Shannon

 

[Gombessa]

I can take a pretty good guess who that might've been ... was he wearing doubles?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Sorry Bob, don't remember. But man, just seeing the guy chatting with students on the surface with his exposed noggin reminded me that I'm never going to be a truly tough guy.

 

[CA cowgirl]

Please post the outcome and stick with finishing your class. Sounds like you are very determined to get certified.

I'm proud to say I'm one of the contributing factors to Tommy's desire to become certified. He and I frequent a motorcycle forum and I've posted some of my dive photos there. I'm happy for him that his job has helped him get started. Scuba diving is infectious and not a cheap hobby to get into.

Yes we still rented some gear as well. Yeah, I don't want to spend the $250-350 for the class so I'll suck it up and hopefully learn the basics through this. Like mentioned before, I will most likely do most of my diving either with my Boss or with my Girfriend's Brother. They both have a LOT of diving under their belts; Boss is a shark attack survivor (Great White) That really doesn't warranty experience, but he has over 20 years in the water. However, I imagine my girlfriend's brother will be a better "buddy" from the start.

By the way Tommy, don't forget, like most things in life (i.e. motorcycling) just because you've been doing it a long time doesn't necessarily mean you're good at it or better at surviving than a newb. And saying your boss is a shark attack survivor is like saying so-and-so is a survivor of racing his motorcycle up and down hwy 9 at mach 10 speeds... maybe not necessarily the person you want to ride (dive) with.

On the other hand, I'll wager your boss would be a cool person to dive with so just take my advice with a grain of salt! He is after all getting you certified through an agency instead of just handing you a regulator and saying "follow me." :fork: ha ha

I look forward to diving with you Tommy. :scubadive

 

[TwistedGray]

Hopefully soon!

 

[RJP]

I agree with RJP, it's so easy for those of us that have ben diving awhile to take things for granted that new students don't even have a clue. New students are often naive and trusting, hesitant to make waves or challenge the instructor on anything.

My OW instructor would play games with us to reinforce the folly of blinding following other "more experienced" divers; such as briefing OW dive #2, and then letting us plan it, then letting us walk all the way down to the water fully geared before pointing out that we had "allowed" him to "allow" us to do a dive that would put us into deco based on depth, time and SI from dive 1.

We "trusted" him to not take us on a dive outside of recreational limits, and it was a good lesson. He wanted us to think for ourselves and challenge him as necessary, but really needed to make that point so that we understood the gravity of NOT doing so.

 

[ScubaAddictedLisa]

I went diving in La Jolla last weekend. The water temp was in the mid 50's. I was in a 7mm wetsuit and I got cold within 20 minutes (although I was able to stay in the water for a full 35 minutes)

I can't believe they would have you do your laps in that temperature. That's just not fair!!!

But one quick question ... how long was the pool (meaning how long was a lap?) Because when I did my swim test (in a pool in the Caribbean, where the temp was in the 70's), we had to do 20 laps if we didn't use a snorkel or 30 if we did. Then tread water for 10 minutes. I would have loved 4 laps! I'm not much of a lap swimmer! I do realize that being able to swim a certain distance is a safety thing, but still not thrilled about it!

 

[TwistedGray]

It was no more then 50ft (that's being quite optimistic)

 

[wjsdive]

Allowing a student to enter 53 degree water without an exposure suit is irresponsible, not knowing if the student has experience with a snorkel is irresponsible. Not understanding that a student's learning curve drops to a miserable level when they are shivering is irresponsible. Making a student move from a 53 degree pool to a 45 degree deck during a 4 hour period is plain sadistic not to mention.....irresponsible.
Twisted, if you feel the need to abandon this instructor despite the cost of the class there are many in Scuba Board who will point you to a responsible instructor where you will actually enjoy the certification process because I get the impression you're determined enough to complete it.
Good Luck!!

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

I'm glad that you will get to do the swim test over again in warmer conditions. In the mean time go to a heated pool and swim laps to build up your confidence and practice using the snorkle. It sounds like your training may not exactly be exemplary. If you have to "go through with it" with the instructor your boss provided, then so be it. After you're certified, there are a couple of things that you can do to make sure that you don't end up killing yourself. First you can find a good dive instructor, or pay for a "refresher" course at your LDS. Second, you should seek out experienced divers in your area and dive with them.

Just because you may be doing most of your diving in a pool (based on you saying that you're learning to dive through your company because it makes underwater products) or shallow water, don't think that consideration for lung over-expansion or equlization or any of the safety skills are any less important.

Did your boss know about the 53º swim test? I gotta say that he isn't much of a boss OR a diver if he condoned that kind of thing. And yes, I dive in cold water. Two weekends ago the water temp was 53ºf at Lake Pleasant, AZ. I wore a 7mm wetsuit, full hood, and gloves and loved it.

Steve.

 

[PinkPADIgal]

Help me understand something...

You want to learn to SCUBA dive. Your boss hooks you up with a class and instructor. The instructor tries to kill you in the pool. You are using gear that doesn't fit properly and some of your bosses gear. BUT...you got the class for cheap and that's OK...you are going to put up with crappy instruction until you get certified, then a friend, who is an instructor is going to help you after you get certified. WHY? To save a few $$$??? Your boss knows what is going on and he/she is OK with it? If you were to get hurt, does he/she know he could also be liable??? I don't mean to be rude, but please, think about what you are doing.

Learning to dive is not something you should take lightly, especially in waters like off the coast of California. If you are serious and want to be a diver, go into a dive store, get fitted with a good mask, snorkel and fins, and buy them. Then, sign up for an open water course with an instructor that follows the rules outlined by his/her agency. Use equipment that is provided by a dive center that is tested and is safe to use. Like everything in life, quality costs some money, but sometimes, you can get away with being cheap. Being cheap in SCUBA can cost you your life. Get some quality instruction.

Twisted...if you want to be a diver, and a safe one, I recommend starting your instruction with an instructor that also cares about your safety. Yeah, it might cost you extra, but isn't your life and safety worth it?