Local shore dive shook me

[flutterbyocean]

Hi there - I recently joined this board, and met some great people here. Just this past weekend we met to do a local shore dive. I am new diver, and most of my dives have been logged in Fiji off a boat with lots of DM attention. So coming home to dive locally felt, well, scary. I forgot about 7m suits - was used to 3m suits in Fiji. I had a hard time walking down to the beach with all my gear on. I was with my husband and two other really nice men that I had just met. I felt like the Michelin man. When I tried to enter the ocean I fell in the surf, and jeez, I couldn't get up. My husband helped me. Then I was so constricted by my wet suit I had a hard time getting my fins on. We lost two of the divers as we discussed would be ok. I had to stop to adjust my weight belt with my husband, and the other 2 men swam off. We found them later, but they swam off again. Then it was just me and my hubby with 30 dives betwen the both of us, I felt afraid. It isn't hat I don't trust him. I just feel like he is as new as me, and stronger than me too. We had some trouble and had a loooong surface swim back to shore in choppy waters. The lifeguard came out to get me. I didn't really need him at that point, but it felt good to be rescued. I felt scared and I also felt (hard to admit) like i couldn't hang with the men. I kept thinking of sharks as the water was coldish and muuuurky. I feel silly, but I so enjoy to dive. Any words of encouragement? I am feeling kind of lonely about this. Oh and I am fit, pretty darn healthy, and not a scared woman about really most anything. So that is why this feels extra strange.

I am hopeful - just need a sister's helping hand!

Thanks!
kj

 

[Fish Food]

I wouldnt worry about it too much. After getting conditioned to boat dives this just threw you off. Rough surf after a long surface swim is always tough. I dont know what yall did for a surface swim, but just flip over onto your back and pace yourself. You can back pettle virtually all day if you dont over exert your self.

EDIT:


Whoops, just realized this was the womens section... Ill leave now...

 

[Marvel]

Beach diving CAN be more than a bit intimidating- especially for a new diver. Many of us have been there, done that & learned along the way. You can too. You might want to try to hook up with some experienced local divers to sort of "learn the ropes." While I don't live in California, my experience the one time that I dived there was that they were just as friendly & willing to offer help & guidance as the Florida gang that I run with are. Divers are terrific about that- seems to be part of their nature! One thing that I would suggest is that you be very clear about being a novice & getting buy-in that they are indeed willing to stay close to you & your husband.

I'd also suggest that you think about limiting your initial dives to what are considered nearly ideal conditions in your area. That will help you to build up your confidence & your skills to gradually take on the less than ideal days. In time, it'll all come together for you. Same for the wetsuits. While I am grateful that I rarely have to dive in a lot of neoprene, I have leared to adapt to the lack of mobility over time. Just be sure that you are careful in your predive gearing up to lessen the chance of having to do something like adjust a loose weight belt in surf. Developing a set routine will help a lot.

Welcome to the world of diving & SB, BTW!!! We were all new once but have learned along the way with the help of our friends. You will too!

 

[emcbride81]

Well, I hope you do not mind a man's perspective here, but my wife has had a similar experience. I also, have had a similar experience. When you are dealing with thicker wetsuits and heavier weights, a claustorphobic (sp?) sensation can come over anyone, especially if you feel like you are out of control of your environment. Throw in colder temps and you have a recipe for being anywhere from being uncomfortable to panic.

I was just in Ft Lauderdale doing a shore dive with no suit and only 12 pounds, but we had a long surface swin because of low air levels in one of our tanks. The water was pretty choppy and I got choked up on salt water several times. Trust me, with that plus being tired, I would have loved for a tired diver tow at that point!

As far as keeping up with the men, do not worry about it. I would talk to your husband and let him know what you felt. SCUBA is not about "peer pressure" it is about having fun, in your case, enjoying it with someone you love. Plan your dives as if you were the only one that you could count on. If you are not comfortable with cold water shore dives quite yet, work towards it, but do not push yourself. If you were to have to deal with these emotions every dive, you won't be diving long, and neither you nor your husband want that I am sure.

 

[jsado]

I've had some ridiculously hard shore dives, and I'm a man. All the gear and all the swimming and all the weight and all the waves and all the walking and hauling......If conditions aren't right, shore dives are TOUGH. In my area, you literally have to swim about 300 yards out to enjoy the polluted murky cold depths of 17 ft water. Definitely not my preferred way of diving, UNLESS I'm in the 1000 islands. WOW, you can set your self up on a shore dive, walk out about 20 ft and be 50 ft of crystal clear water. I LOVE IT THERE.

 

[Ann Marie]

Hi! First, don't worry about it! California diving can be a little tougher than diving in Fiji but you'll soon get used to it and will probably come to love it.

One of my first dives, I got rolled and had to crawl out.

Check out the California Kelp Divers section and join us on one of the Wrinkle's Dives. There will be someone there that will take you under their wing. (I don't think I am able to make the October one, but will be at the November dive. And I'll be more than happy to dive with you.)

You can also go to your local Dive Shop and pay for a Discover Local Diving. You'll have a professional (DM, Assistant Instructor, or Instructor) with you that can give you pointers on entries and exits and keep a close eye on you too. If you can arrange it you might want to have a woman lead you on your dive. Sometimes just commiserating with someone of the same sex can help, we gotta stick together!! Don't worry about keeping up with the men, by the time you get a few more dives under your BC you'll find that your air consumption will most likely be less than theirs if it isn't already.

A couple of things that might help, just off hand:

It sounds as if you are using a BC and a weight belt. Try and use a weight-integrated BC. I find that it is much more comfortable than using a weight belt.

Are you using a aluminum cylinder? Is it an 80 cubic foot cylinder? If so, next time try using a 63 cubic cylinder. It does have less air, but it is smaller and can be easier for a woman to handle. (If you get into California diving think about investing in steel cylinders.) Besides, if you are diving with your husband chances are with the 63 you'll use the same amount of air he will if he uses an 80.

Do a buoyancy check at the end of the dive and remove as much extra weight from the weight pockets that you can. Most divers, especially new divers carry too much weight in their pockets.

Finally, if you ever want to make the drive down to Laguna and I'm available, I will be more than happy to take you on a dive.

 

[sea nmf]

All great advice.

As far as encouragement goes, I encourage you to continue diving. Once you build up your confidence and surf entry/exit skills you will enjoy your dives much more.

Your suit may not be a good fit for you, it seems like. If it didn't loosen up in the water and you still felt overly constricted, I would wonder about that.

Lastly, ALWAYS keep your reg in your mouth until you are completely out of the surf.

 

[TSandM]

flutterby, I feel your pain! I've done six shore dives in California, and on two of them, I've ended up rolled in the surf and have only gotten back on my feet with the ENORMOUS help of very strong dive buddies. Surf is intimidating and hazardous, if you haven't learned how to manage it. My friends who press bravely into moving water on a regular basis awe me.

On the other hand, everybody SWEARS there are techniques to deal with it, and they are learnable. You just have to find somebody who knows, who can coach you through it. The diving we did off LA was well worth learning how to get in and out of the water!

You had a lot of things going on in one dive -- Different site, different entry, different exposure protection, and different buddies. Loading all that weirdness into one dive was probably a recipe for very little enjoyment. I try to put no more than one stressor into any given dive -- If I'm hitting a site I don't know, I use my most comfortable and familiar gear. If I'm diving with somebody I don't know, I dive a site where I could do it in my sleep. That way, I keep the anxiety level manageable so I have a little adrenaline left for anything that might go wrong during the dive.

You'll get this figured out. You might want to post in the SoCal forum about getting some mentoring. Diving with an accomplished buddy is the VERY BEST way to get comfortable and skillful in your local diving conditions.

 

[almitywife]

due to alot of different factors you had a stressful dive and now you feel unconfident.... well done for handling all of these factors and being honest about how you are feeling.

whether youve had 15 dives or 150 dives, these days do happen.... for me 2 sundays ago i found myself having a stressful dive which was caused by new gear configeration and problems with my suit that simply did not make my dive fun so have faith in yourself as the good dives far outweigh the yukky ones.

others here have given you very wise advice in regards to gear and other dive options so i hope you will find your groove again and feeling much more comfortable next time

cheers

 

[flutterbyocean]

WOW - thank you so much to all of you who wrote. That is what I needed, just some belief, some advice and knowing that I am not the first, nor the last. I may indeed contact some of you in the future about diving with me (if you are local). It looks like I will be attending the November Wrinkles dive in Catalina so hopefully we can dive together Ann Marie. I could use help with that buoyancy bit. I usually rent wetsuits due to the cost at this point. I am not giving up. Diving has been a lifetime dream. I think I will just be less hard on myself and clearer about what I need on a dive. I need more experienced dive buddies until I myself get more experience. I cannot thank you enough. I am sure you will hear form me again!!

xo
kj