So this thread won't have anything for an experienced diver but might be entertaining. For a newer diver, especially ones just beginning pool dives, it might be useful.
I had the family signed up for certifications. The wife had to bail due to some GI issues. The boys and I got certified. I verified with the wife a couple of times that she had GI issues and wasn't signalling that she wanted out. She assured me that she was all in. As backstory, she is a water baby. Loves the water. Loves swimming. Got nervous.
I sign her up for a private class and I sign up for a buoyancy class so that I can be her dive buddy. We get into the pool that first Tuesday evening for snorkel skills and she is not in a happy place. Just out of sorts. Nervous and is breathing with lungs so full of air that she just can't seem to get under water to flood and clear her snorkel. She made it through the evening but wasn't very successful because of her hyper-buoyancy (?).
The following Thursday we got to don the BCs and learn to breath on the SCUBA. And again she was struggling to get negative. Just couldn't seem to get down. So I put some weight in her trim pockets back by the tank. Did wonders. Get her under and while she was still not super comfortable, after one minor panic with a free flowing regulator, she calmed down really well and finished strong. Including fixing three more free flows without issue as well as learning in the process to point the reg down.
That weekend we spent about four hours in the pool on our own, simply letting her float and breath through the snorkel. Dive at her own whim to flood her snorkel and clear it. We did mask clearing skills with the snorkel. I knew that she had turned a huge corner when I caught her clearing her mask, not as a drill, but just subconsciously when it was needed. May have been the best, if not a tad mundane, four hours I've spent with her in the water.
Fast forward to our fourth pool session this past Thursday and she was absolutely in misery in the deep end of the pool because she couldn't get her face down during her descents. Long story short, she had calmed her breathing so much that the weights in her trim pockets were now pulling her backwards when her lung capacity was down to something resembling a normal breathing pattern. Took the trim weights out and life got soooooo much easier.
The point of the post? Maybe a little to vent my excitement about my wife's willingness to stick it out to watch and learn and remain calm. And maybe a little to let new divers know that 1) it gets better if you are struggling at all. 2) a patient instructor can go a long way with a timid newb. 3) don't be surprised how much your setup changes early on as your skill level and comfort level grows exponentially during those first dives. Be kind to yourself as you learn.
One more pool session this Tuesday and then open water dives this coming weekend. I am beyond pumped about finding this awesome activity that we can all do together.
Thanks for reading,
txgoose
I had the family signed up for certifications. The wife had to bail due to some GI issues. The boys and I got certified. I verified with the wife a couple of times that she had GI issues and wasn't signalling that she wanted out. She assured me that she was all in. As backstory, she is a water baby. Loves the water. Loves swimming. Got nervous.
I sign her up for a private class and I sign up for a buoyancy class so that I can be her dive buddy. We get into the pool that first Tuesday evening for snorkel skills and she is not in a happy place. Just out of sorts. Nervous and is breathing with lungs so full of air that she just can't seem to get under water to flood and clear her snorkel. She made it through the evening but wasn't very successful because of her hyper-buoyancy (?).
The following Thursday we got to don the BCs and learn to breath on the SCUBA. And again she was struggling to get negative. Just couldn't seem to get down. So I put some weight in her trim pockets back by the tank. Did wonders. Get her under and while she was still not super comfortable, after one minor panic with a free flowing regulator, she calmed down really well and finished strong. Including fixing three more free flows without issue as well as learning in the process to point the reg down.
That weekend we spent about four hours in the pool on our own, simply letting her float and breath through the snorkel. Dive at her own whim to flood her snorkel and clear it. We did mask clearing skills with the snorkel. I knew that she had turned a huge corner when I caught her clearing her mask, not as a drill, but just subconsciously when it was needed. May have been the best, if not a tad mundane, four hours I've spent with her in the water.
Fast forward to our fourth pool session this past Thursday and she was absolutely in misery in the deep end of the pool because she couldn't get her face down during her descents. Long story short, she had calmed her breathing so much that the weights in her trim pockets were now pulling her backwards when her lung capacity was down to something resembling a normal breathing pattern. Took the trim weights out and life got soooooo much easier.
The point of the post? Maybe a little to vent my excitement about my wife's willingness to stick it out to watch and learn and remain calm. And maybe a little to let new divers know that 1) it gets better if you are struggling at all. 2) a patient instructor can go a long way with a timid newb. 3) don't be surprised how much your setup changes early on as your skill level and comfort level grows exponentially during those first dives. Be kind to yourself as you learn.
One more pool session this Tuesday and then open water dives this coming weekend. I am beyond pumped about finding this awesome activity that we can all do together.
Thanks for reading,
txgoose
