Messed up my OW dive - advice for the future please?

[AllyBee]

I'd been looking forward to doing the OW course for ages. Having snorkelled a lot in the past and as I love swimming/am a fairly decent swimmer, its something I've wanted to delve into for a long time. I'm a woman in mid-20s also and I think this is relevant to the overall story.

So I completed all the online certification and passed the 200m length/treading water no problem. I decided to do the course in cold water in the UK. This is what happened:-

- Myself and my 'buddy' had to set up the cylinder and BCD in front of the instructor 5 times in quick succession. During the 4th set up I felt a small amount of pain in my lower back which seemed to go away.
- Putting on the drysuit was difficult, it didn't fit properly but the instructor eventually said 'it'll do' and it took 2 people to literally lift me up and wriggle me in to it!
- We carried our stuff down to the shore and put on gloves, mask and hood. The dive master added 2 extra weights each side of my hips and this is when things started to go wrong. While the dive master was adding these weights/still getting me set up, the instructor was giving out important info which she then quizzed on me - I hadn't heard most of it as I was occupied with getting set up.
- She told us to kneel on the floor once in the water and that she would carry out a series of tests following this. Once in there, though, I couldn't kneel on the floor and vis was bad. I just kept floating to the top and I was all over the place. She said 'Use your leg muscles, show that cylinder whose boss' but honestly I wasn't 100% sure what I was meant to be doing.
- Eventually I seemed to have things under control, signalling ok a few times so the instructor took us out deeper. Out of nowhere I struggled with balance again, ripped off the mask and shooted to the surface. Game over, the divemaster took me in and called the dive.

Afterwards there was a 'meeting' with myself and my buddy. The company told me as we were now behind (ie. I had failed to complete the days tests) I would have to step it up tomorrow as it was important that myself and my buddy were at the same level. Initially I wanted to do this but ultimately it felt like too much pressure and I decided to shelve it this time.

Later that evening, I started my period which I think may explain the pain on my hips with the weights. I'm an average weight if it matters and they were digging in to the bones. Are there any alternatives to this?

FYI I live in Spain the rest of the year so won't ave a chance to reschedule in the UK til next year now. Just looking for suggestions on what I can do to be better equipped next time and get past this. Thanks.

 

[caruso]

One solution to the discomfort with weights is to use a weight integrated BCD, however you may have a problem finding one to rent.

The bigger issue is your tendency to panic. That's going to take time and patience to resolve.

 

[Rocketman3]

Think about finishing up in warmer waters in a wetsuit instead of a Drysuit.

Panic, ripping off mask and shooting to surface is not a good thing to do. But your instructors share in that too. You were not instructed properly for you.

Look for better teachers.

 

[diversteve]

Isn't the water warm in Spain? Depending on the agency (PADI?) you can get a referral from your shop for the checkout dives.

Much easier in a light/no wetsuit with less weight needed also.

I personally don't think they did the best job trying to teach you but you own some of it for not asking more questions/repitition. And trying to keep your panic under control. You'll look back on this and think - how could I have been so dumb a few years from now...lol

Their telling you you have to catch-up seems wrong and could even be considered a standards violation.Telling you to kneel on the bottom to do skills is an archaic method practiced by too many instructors too lazy to teach proper buoyancy skills - easier to manage you when you're sitting stationary.Slightly over-weighting new divers is a practice to keep you there.

Most instructors offer additional training options if they feel you need it - generally you pay for their time though.

Don't stress over it - set up something in sunny/warm Spain - the Med is nice diving and enjoy your certification and dive life.

 

[AllyBee]

I will consider finishing up in warmer climate but the OW course was expensive (620) and I'm sorry to lose the money now. They have offered to reschedule for next year but I'm not sure going back to the cold water/the school will be the best idea. Which is such a shame as I love the location.

RE making it clear I had to catch up - my buddy was doing an advanced OW course immediately after we completed the OW course. Therefore the pressure was on to get it all done in a specific timeframe. So that put me under pressure too. They also said it is very rare, if not impossible, to get one on one instruction without paying a lot.

This particular school has almost 5 stars online which is why I chose them. I realise there are going to be different teachers that suit different people - do you have advice on how I can best choose a school that is right for me?

RE the panic: I am not sure how to resolve that and will need to give it some thought. Maybe some pool sessions and test dives to get started again might help.I am a fairly calm person in general, but thinking about it, it does take time and repetition for me to learn things. I think it may be a confidence problem when presented with new skills.

 

[AllyBee]

Isn't the water warm in Spain? Depending on the agency (PADI?) you can get a referral from your shop for the checkout dives.

Much easier in a light/no wetsuit with less weight needed also.

I personally don't think they did the best job trying to teach you but you own some of it for not asking more questions/repitition.

Their telling you you have to catch-up seems wrong and could even be considered a standards violation.

Most instructors offer additional training options if they feel you need it - generally you pay for their time though.

Don't stress over it - set up something in sunny/warm Spain - the Med is nice diving and enjoy your certification and dive life.

Hey steve, what do you mean by referral? Does this mean that I won't need to pay again? Thanks

 

[nolatom]

It sounds like they under-weighted you. Being a pound or two too heavy (you can add air to get neutral) is better than being too light, even with an empty BC (beyond exhaling, ain't nothin' you can do). From that inability to stay down, plus the cold, plus the bad visibility, came your initial struggles, culminating in the "rip and bolt" panic as you headed up for blue sky.

I'm wondering if absent any one or two of those stressors, you might have been okay. Definitely try it again. Warm, clear water is a good "un-stressor". So are instructors who are a bit more calm when you're not.

 

[JamesBon92007]

I've never used a dry suit but to me it sure seems like a LOT to add to the mix, especially for a new diver. Is the online course still good to use with another agency? Like Rocketman3 said it might be a lot easier to finish your course in warmer water and then learn how to use the drysuit after you have some experience.

 

[WetRocks]

Did you have any pool instruction or was the incident you describe your first time in the water with scuba gear?

 

[yle]

Hi Ally,

A "referral" simply means that the shop you started with can verify to the new shop that you have completed a portion of the course. We frequently do these for students that complete their classroom and pool work with us, but then go to warmer water for the "open water" (i.e. ocean dives) portion of the certification.

The advantage with a "referral" is that you don't have to repeat what you've already completed. The new shop will charge you for the portion of the course remaining, which can be less than the cost of redoing the entire course.

I have a couple concerns about what you have described:

1. Did you do any work in a pool? You stated that you had to set up gear five times in quick succession. PADI requires students to assemble gear five times... but within the pool training sessions. That is, if you were taking a PADI OW course you should have set up your gear five times during the pool sessions.

2. Did you have any practice with, or instruction on the use of, the drysuit prior to using it in the ocean? If not, your instructors are certainly... unconventional.

The scene you described seems pretty chaotic. If the shop conducts all of their OW classes this way and has a successful record... then they are truly unusual.