My first real dive, 8 minutes long.

[TMHeimer]

I had a very similar experience shore diving 11 years ago in Rhode Island on my dive number 19, I think. Probably 8 minutes as well. Nowadays I may have kept going on that dive, but maybe not.

 

[Greg Doyle]

I find I get myself in a frame of mind, and work on relaxing a full two days ahead of the dive. It's frustrating when something causes you to stop early or cancel. I had scheduled another dive for the very next weekend but came down with a bad cold. I'll be heading back to Miami in another couple of weeks and I'll get a dive in then.
Next, I'll be looking for a dive buddy in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area to do some diving with. Hooking up with a Dive OP every time is going to get expensive!
G

 

[Storker]

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.

Just for clarification: So you hadn't been buddied up before you splashed?

 

[Painter]

On the dives I've been on with an operator in the Keys, we haven't been buddied up. The DM just says, "stick with me."

It sounds like maybe the trip should have been called before going out. My last trip to Key Largo there was one day when waves were around 5 ft and very windy. I would have been hesitant to go out, but the dive op called the trip anyway.

 

[packrat12]

Since you are in the Miami area, Key Largo has great diving for the OW. Molasses Reef, French Reef etc. West Palm Beach has good drift diving and Pompano has great wreck diving all with dives at the OW level. 5' seas is rough for me and I will go but not love it. I also would have stayed down during a drift dive.

I log all of my dives including pool work and those that do not meet any definition of a dive. The reason I do this is so that I know what I have been doing and can reflect back on it. The only real time it counts is when you go pro and need X number of dives. Then you just do not count the dives that do not meet the criteria. Skills and experience are far more important then dive count anyway.

 

[AdivingBel]

It sounds like maybe the trip should have been called before going out.

I'm glad somebody said this. I hate being a negative Nancy/Nate. I mean this in the nicest (green zoniest way ) way. Unless you were exaggerating a bit about the 5 ft. seas (fish stories are allowed on SB ), first OW dive, you should not have been on the boat. You didn't have the experience to handle your gear in those conditions, you didn't have the experience to exit the boat in those conditions, and you sure didn't have the experience to handle a ladder exiting in those conditions. The drift diving, meh, if that was all you had to deal with maybe, but in 5 ft. seas you probably didn't have the experience to handle yourself on the surface either. You always hear the first rule of diving is "don't hold your breath." IMHO, the real first rule of safe diving is knowing when not to splash. You have to know your limitations and that's a combination of your skills, experience, and conditions (among other things). There is nothing down there worth dying (or injuring yourself) for and it will still be there tomorrow (and all the other bumper stickers divers tell you, but these can really save you heartache).

You're new at this, I know you want to dive, and it sounds like it's a bit of a pain in the a** to arrange your life to be able to dive (most of us have been there), but don't fall into the trap of letting that pressure you into putting yourself into situations you're not ready for. Develop and listen to your "lizard brain." If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. Glad you made it back safely from your first OW dive. You were lucky. I hope you make it back from a thousand more. All IMHO. Dive safely.

 

[Storker]

On the dives I've been on with an operator in the Keys, we haven't been buddied up. The DM just says, "stick with me."

Remind me not to book with one of those. That's not my type of diving.

 

[packrat12]

I'm glad somebody said this. I hate being a negative Nancy. I mean this in the nicest (green zoniest way ) way. Unless you were exaggerating a bit about the 5 ft. seas (fish stories are allowed on SB ), first OW dive, you should not have been on the boat...

My OW checkout dives were in 7' seas (really). This was a long time ago though and you had to grin and bear it. Most of us were feeding the fish the entire trip and a couple of students did not complete the trip that day. I personally like diving for fun so rough seas are not my favorite. I agree as a new diver, there are more things to worry about then bad seas and getting off/on a boat.

 

[FinnMom]

Sounds like you did great under the circumstances! I guess it was an express dive but much more experience that the number of minutes can describe. It's too bad they took you to a site like that. The idea should be to have you relax and enjoy yourself, esp. not to create a reaction like the wife's "never again!".

My 2nd dive for certification was about 12 mins. The instructor's (one of several on site) very unhappy girlfriend showed up on site, apparently wanted him to be somewhere else IMMEDIATELY and stood there with her arms crossed and a stoney face while we went diving. The foolish man circled back that fast. Can't imagine why; I'm sure I was vastly more pleasant company :-D

 

[miikey87]

My first post cert dive was 23 mins, I was quite nervous in front of my coworkers who had been diving for a few months so I churned through all of my air!! Things have drastically improved, I'm the only person regularly diving these days though! It gets better the more you stick with it, keep enjoying the water