I wanted to dive since I was a child, so when I finally got the chance I was thrilled. I took the long way, a series of class and pool sessions lasting 8 weeks. I went to Florida for my check out dives. My equipment was brand new, I had used it in the pool once. I got on the boat and did not have a dive buddy, so they LET me tag along with the other divers and the DM would check out my skills. I felt a bit uncomfortable at this but went along with it. We went off Key West, got in the water, oh this is great I thought. The other divers and the DM quickly disappeared as I stopped to watch a fish by a sea fan. Thinking they couldn't be far I looked for them to no avail.
After 10 min I thought I better go back to the boat. When I reached the boat I was promptly reprimanded and told to get back down there and find your group. I did as I was told but spent the next 20 min trying to find them, it was now 5 min before we were to report back to the boat. I got there first and again was told I should be with my group and was a few minutes early. I was not permitted to board the boat until the rest of the divers returned. At this point I was seriously thinking of forgetting about the next dive. We got to the next dive site and I made sure to hang by the DM. He put me through the paces and all was fine until I had to inflate the BC manually underwater. He disconnected the inflator hose, and did not reattach it. I signaled it to him and he wrote on his slate to leave it off. The rest of the dive was ok until he disappeared. I surfaced to see where the boat was and the weather had changed, the water was very choppy. I tried to inflate the BC manually but every time I put the mouthpiece up to my mouth I swallowed water and could not inflate it. The boat was a speck on the horizon. I aimed my compass at it and tried to surface swim to it but the waves were too high and I couldn't stay afloat. I blew my whistle, waved and gave the diver in distress signal but I was too far away.
I was calm until this point, when I could not catch my breath between waves I panicked. Luckily another dive boat was near and saw what was going on. Two divers swam over to me and ditched my weights and held me up till someone from my boat came on a DPV to get me. Again I was yelled at for not staying with the group and was told I would be charged for the ditched weights. Lesson learned...if it don't feel right, don't do it.
I spent the rest of my vacation in a hotel room sick as a dog. The water I swallowed was full of raw sewage.
When the Doctor heard where I was diving he called the dive shop and informed them of the water problem which was well known by the Key West diving community. They took us out there against health dept. advice.
After 10 min I thought I better go back to the boat. When I reached the boat I was promptly reprimanded and told to get back down there and find your group. I did as I was told but spent the next 20 min trying to find them, it was now 5 min before we were to report back to the boat. I got there first and again was told I should be with my group and was a few minutes early. I was not permitted to board the boat until the rest of the divers returned. At this point I was seriously thinking of forgetting about the next dive. We got to the next dive site and I made sure to hang by the DM. He put me through the paces and all was fine until I had to inflate the BC manually underwater. He disconnected the inflator hose, and did not reattach it. I signaled it to him and he wrote on his slate to leave it off. The rest of the dive was ok until he disappeared. I surfaced to see where the boat was and the weather had changed, the water was very choppy. I tried to inflate the BC manually but every time I put the mouthpiece up to my mouth I swallowed water and could not inflate it. The boat was a speck on the horizon. I aimed my compass at it and tried to surface swim to it but the waves were too high and I couldn't stay afloat. I blew my whistle, waved and gave the diver in distress signal but I was too far away.
I was calm until this point, when I could not catch my breath between waves I panicked. Luckily another dive boat was near and saw what was going on. Two divers swam over to me and ditched my weights and held me up till someone from my boat came on a DPV to get me. Again I was yelled at for not staying with the group and was told I would be charged for the ditched weights. Lesson learned...if it don't feel right, don't do it.
I spent the rest of my vacation in a hotel room sick as a dog. The water I swallowed was full of raw sewage.
When the Doctor heard where I was diving he called the dive shop and informed them of the water problem which was well known by the Key West diving community. They took us out there against health dept. advice.
