most important lesson?

[Texasdivechick]

What is the most important lesson that you learned as a new diver?
For me, it was the realization that I could cough into my reg and still keep breathing even after I had swallowed a lung-full of water. As long as I had the reg jammed into my mouth, I was still underwater and breathing. It was a very important lesson to learn, I think. What about you?

 

[dlndavid]

Never think you know it all, always continue to learn.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

The single most important lesson I have learned about diving is...

Any diver can "call" a dive at any time, for any reason, without repercussions.

Learning this lesson may save your life. I have called dives before they happen because I was cold, had minor equipment problems, was simply uncomfortable with the planned profile, and one time I called a dive because I had had a really bad day and I was not in the right frame of mind. I have ended dives early for a whole host of reasons.

This is a two way street, I have had buddies call dives for many reasons as well, and if I ask them why it is only so I better understand, and not to say that they should have continued when they chose not to.

Mark Vlahos

 

[AXL72]

1. Continue to dive and improve your diving skills
2. Never dive beyond your capabilities (not just certification)
3. What Mark V said

 

[Cacia]

Don't follow into sketchy situations. If it doesn't look like something you could do alone or with your buddy, don't.

Gradually, you can do harder dives safely this way.

Think through the "most likely" issues and think of the solution before executing the dive.

Pay attention to what the ocean is telling you.

 

[SteveFass]

The most important lesson I learned is, I can do it.

Jumping off a boat miles out from land...I can do it.
Climbing up a wildly swinging ladder...I can do it.
Swimming in cold, murky water...I can do that too.

It is also the easiest lesson to forget, which I why I have to keep reminding myself with increasingly difficult "challenges".

 

[Homunculus]

my answer reflects few aforementioned replies:

listen to your body - don't feel embarassed to abort the dive for whatever reason (you got cold, you think your reg is acting "funny", you feel too tired, have no control of your bc, etc). you can avoid a lot of unpleasantness and eventually enjoy scubadiving.

 

[fjsala]

Information and Practice! Keep informed and keep gaining knowledge... Thats what ScubaBoard is for...and remember ...Practice makes perfect...there's no other way to get comfortabel with your gear and your environment.

 

[SkullDeformity]

Never dive with ^you^.

 

[Ice9]

1. You are responsible for your own safety. Don't trust your safety to anyone else.

2. As someone else on SB put recently: "The only real problem is not being able to breath - everything else is just an annoyance."