Last pool class before heading to open water

[glen99]

My daughter (just turned 13) and I just had our last pool class before going to Crystal River during spring break for our open water certification. We did this drill where you jump in the water with regulator in your mouth no gear on and have to put it all on while on the bottom of the pool, my daughter was picked to go first, she went straight down, stradled the tank and bcd and put on all of her gear, no problem. Dad goes next...well i got under and coughed and get water in my nose and had to surface, got calmed down then finished fine. We sat on the bottom and watched everyone struggle with this drill. Seeing an entire class of adults come up to your child and congratulate her and tell her what a great job she did is awesome. I asked her how she felt down there, she said that she was hyperventilating, but the instructor said I was not allowed to surface...
We are going back to the pool next weekend so dad can practice this again...very proud of her, but come on, you can't be better than dad. I think we found out who the stronger dive buddy is!

 

[j yaeger]

don't let the kid get the best of ya!!!!!!
show her up!!!!!!!
what a great sport with family members!!!
my kids always try to out shine "the da"
makes them better!!!
have a blast!
yaeg

 

[Peter Tersteeg]

Nice to know she'll be there to keep you out of trouble

My first day in the pool when fine until I had to take the mask off. Managed to choke the first time which wasn't good. Like you I calmed myself down, did it again no problems. By the end of the open water cert it was childs play.

Anything I've had trouble with or challenging, I make a point of practicing each dive until it becomes second nature. I'm still a newbee, but I've got some great people to dive with who are happy to help.

 

[DiverDean59]

My son has always done better than me but after four years of diving together I could not ask for a better dive buddy. I have learned a lot from him. My next step is to get close to his level of air consumption. I hope you have many great years of diving together.

 

[highdesert]

What a great ego builder ... and I am speaking in a very positive way ... for a teenager. And, speaking as the father of a diving daughter, especially for a girl! Enjoy your diving time together before she's flown the nest ...

 

[k ellis]

LOL Im fairly well into my dive career and I still am not the best at taking off and putting gear back on. She sounds like shes going to do well so congratulations to you guys both her doing well and you willing to keep going!

 

[bracko]

it's called a bailout.. we had to do it in our DM course as a flex skill, except by the sounds of it you were over-weighted, we didn't have that luxary.

also I'm a little concerned reading "not allowed to surface" coming out of an instructors mouth... while there are skills that need to be completed, the whole point is not to stress divers out.

 

[Teamcasa]

Pass along our congratulations to your daughter for us.

Just be glad your instructor did not toss your gear of a pier in murky bay water with the instruction, "Don't come up without it on."

 

[tbone1004]

it's called a bailout.. we had to do it in our DM course as a flex skill, except by the sounds of it you were over-weighted, we didn't have that luxary.

also I'm a little concerned reading "not allowed to surface" coming out of an instructors mouth... while there are skills that need to be completed, the whole point is not to stress divers out.

tell that to my OW instructor. We do drills like that all the time. Except we jump in with the air off, system purged, reg in our hand no mask or fins. Jump in and put everything on.
we get grumpy when they come up, but don't tell them they can't. They fail that skill if they do come up though and have to do it again

 

[glen99]

I must clarify the original post, the instructor is really good and patient with the class (especailly the kids). He said that he wanted us to do this skill without surfacing or the point of the drill is to complete it without surfacing. My point was that my daughter is a "by the book" kind of kid and if the drill is supposed to be completed in one try she will. She is the type who will call the padi police if my depth guage reads 61 feet and i am only certified for 60. My point was how proud I was of my daughter, not that the instructor did anything wrong.