Is it normal to be scared before your first pool session?

[masizemore]

Hello,

I feel nervous about getting the bends or blowing out my eardrums on my first pool dive.
Anyone experienced this before?

Welcome to the club and as others have said "Absolutely" it is normal to have some apprehention

Ear problems due to clearing improperly is the #1 dive injury in new divers. What I mean by improperly is failure to clear in time, and forcing it. That can work out or result in mild or even severe middle/inner ear injury.

Clear early clear often is not some meaningless saying, its something to live your life by if you dive. Practice clearing along with the other skills.

Very sound advice, DON'T force it. I wasn't that smart and we (wife, son and I) did our confined skills in quarry in the beginning rather than a pool. First time outside of confined and I force it going down to the 20 foot platform.. Mistake, small perf and vertigo just after the first thermocline. We changed trainers and have been working with individualized instruction in a 14' pool and it has made a world of difference.

Now we are ready to go again for the open water parts, all of us now have proper fitting gear and a lot more confidence. Now if the dang calendars would line up

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I am still very much a newbie, and I felt the same way at first. After the first few pool sessions, I would take it easy for the rest of the day and monitor myself constantly, checking for signs of decompression illness. With every small pain in my ear, I would suspect injury from not equalizing properly. Every sore muscle I would think might be DCI. I would constantly re-read risks/hazards of scuba diving online and in the instruction book. But then again, I am somewhat paranoid and may or may not have a little bit of OCD.

To be honest, if you follow instructions properly, nothing too bad can happen in the pool (in my newbie opinion). Better safe than sorry, right? After a couple of pool dives, I started feeling relaxed. Once I hit the open water, I felt very comfortable. The fear is natural, but you'll eventually let go of it and have a great experience.

 

[Chris Cheatwood]

Hello,

I feel nervous about getting the bends or blowing out my eardrums on my first pool dive.
Anyone experienced this before?

I had the exact same feelings when I did open water classes last week. Just need to relax and enjoy it. I hope you have a great instructor like I did.