My first real dive, 8 minutes long.

[Greg Doyle]

I just joined SB this week and wanted to share the experience of my first OW dive the very next day after I got certified.

So, the story of my first real dive goes like this.

I took my open water down in the Keys, everything went fine, great instructor, seemed like a great dive shop and good team. My 1st real open water dive turned out to be a drift dive off Islamorada, I’m not sure exactly where, maybe near Alligator Reef, but it was windy and the waves were easily 5’ with a medium to strong current. OK, it’s a bit unnerving but I can handle it. I’ve snorkeled in worse, right? Drift diving will be different but OK. Thank goodness I’ve been taking seasickness meds since last night!

There were seven of us on the boat plus a guide/DM. This included three guys together, a couple, another single guy and myself. Let’s focus on the couple. They reported to the dive shop that they had done hundreds of dives. It turned out that the husband had done many dives but the wife hadn’t been in the water in two years.

The DM instructed us that we were to stay behind him at all times and if we got separated, standard protocol, look for one minute then ascend. We all jumped in and lined up along a trailing swim line. The waves were pretty big and you could feel the current pulling you against the swim line. The DM motioned for us to descend and five of us did. It turns out the wife was stuck at the surface losing her s**t and freaking out.

OK, so here I am so proud of my OW cert on my first real dive and now I’m drifting. Pretty fast. I made my way to the bottom at about 45f and conditions under water were not great, a fair current and cloudy water. I looked up and could just see that the guide was still at the surface with the couple, looked around and saw the three guys and swam over to them thinking the guide would be down soon. I went to the one that was alone and motioned that I’d buddy up with him. Soon, the other single diver joined us too. We drifted for about 5 minutes and could no longer see the guide or the boat. The three guys apparently were quite experienced and were content to keep on diving…. I motioned thumbs up! One of the three shrugged his shoulders and agreed thumbs up, got his buddies attention, and we ascended straight away.

Once on the surface, the captain called the dive and said we’re going in, dive is over! Once everyone was on the boat, the wife is scowling at the husband. “Don’t ever ask me to do this again”!

So, my first dive lasted all of 8 minutes (how embarrassing)….. Can’t wait for the next one….

Do dive shops ever actually look at your log? I’m not sure if the “honor” method is a good idea.

G

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Good Job. Dont worry have fun. Keep diving...

 

[KDAD]

Great first dive. Sounds like you handled adverse conditions well and knew when to thumb the dive. Probably learned a few valuable lessons to keep with you.

-Don't be pressured into doing a dive that you don't want to.
-It's ok to call a dive at anytime.

Did the other three divers get recalled or did they stay down?

 

[redacted]

What kind of a refund did the dive op give you?

 

[stiebs]

Sounds like you held yourself together pretty well for a new diver.

In response to your question, I don't think any shop has ever asked to look at my log. And what does it really matter? In your case, do you feel like you gained more experience in that 8 minute dive than you would have in a non-eventful 50 minute dive? I would say probably.

 

[Greg Doyle]

Five of us headed up at the same time. So, yeh, the newest diver called the dive. Funny.
We did see a turtle! That's probably what kept me down for the 5 min bottom time I did have.

 

[Greg Doyle]

What kind of a refund did the dive op give you?

They offered a refund or apply to a future dive. I opted to swap for a EANX crew pack and tip the rest to the crew.

 

[Greg Doyle]

Sounds like you held yourself together pretty well for a new diver.

In response to your question, I don't think any shop has ever asked to look at my log. And what does it really matter? In your case, do you feel like you gained more experience in that 8 minute dive than you would have in a non-eventful 50 minute dive? I would say probably.

That's true. I'll definitely be better prepared for a future drift dive and will know what to expect.
I was so excited and psyched, then Poo......it's over. And it's going to be a while before I can get back in the water again.
Oh well, yes, I learned a lot that day.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Ah, well, it all turned out okay, and it makes a good story. Thumbing the dive sounds like it was a wise decision.

 

[Trailboss123]

I have had similar experiences and after the very first one (in Cozumel), I learned a valuable lesson (particularly when drift diving).
We were a small group. Me, the DM, a married couple and a mother/daughter tandem. Daughter hadn't been in the water in years and was sporting a brand new mask. We all back rolled in and the DM gave the thumbs down to descend. The married couple and the mom began descending immediately. I hesitated to descend because I just had a feeling about the daughter. Sure enough, she began to panic at the surface. The DM was there and began to work with her and her issues. Meanwhile, I am monitoring her and the DM and also looking down to see what is happening with the other 3 that had descended. Current was pretty moderate and sure enough, they were drifting along the top of the wall and getting further away. The daughter's mask was fogging up since she hadn't cleaned the inside of the lens appropriately after buying it and that just added to her anxiety. She decided to abort the dive and while the DM helped her back into the boat, I kept my eyes on the other 3 as they continued to drift away. Fortunately the viz was epic. DM and I descended and were eventually able to catch up with the other 3 and finish the dive. The lesson I learned that day and it has come into play many times since, (both fun diving in groups and also working with classes of OW students) is to be very aware of who you are diving with and try to gather as much info as possible on the way to the dive site and try to anticipate if anyone might have challenges. I am on the look out for people with brand new gear that they haven't dove with yet; people that have been out of the water for prolonged periods of time; people that are newly or recently certified; people diving in new conditions for the first time; people demonstrating signs of concern or anxiety, etc......- Since that day, I have just made it a practice to be the last one in the group to descend and make sure everyone seems to be comfortably descending.