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ses120169

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hello, my name is Scott, I'm from PA. I am considering getting my certification, but do have some concerns, questions. I am not strong swimmer,(can't touch kinda freaks me out) and can not hold my breath for a very long time. I can not open my eyes underwater either. My nephew owns the local dive shop, but I have not been able to catch him to ask him these questions. I go to the Outer Banks every summer for vacation and if I get certified would consider a dive trip to one of the ship wrecks there. The other thing is I am terrified of sharks, I know there are sand tigers there (OBX). Should I even bother getting my certification at all, given all of these concerns?
 
Hi there,

Welcome to :sblogo:

The answer to all your questions is YES.
Just go for it,IF you don't like it you can allways step down.
Don't fear the sharks that much,they're more afraid of you,can't remember a story of a diver being bitten(besides feeding,witch one shouldn't do)
Breath holding can be trained.
Can't open your eyes,well for now DON'T
Can't thouch :confused: you shouldn't anyways.:D

Have FUN.

Hope it helps (a bit)
 
First off... welcome!

Not a strong swimmer... with or wthout fins? I say take it easy and stay away from currents until you get comfortable with your skills.

Can't touch... you're going to have to work on that one. Perhaps being able to see the bottom will do? You are going to have to do some skills on the surface... treading water sounds like your biggest fear. Just relax... start in a pool... near the side of it. Work (swim) to the deep end.

Can't hold breath... good... you won't be doing that anyways. That's a bad habit when it comes to SCUBA.

Don't like sharks... not a problem and not alone. There's plenty of places to dive that don't have sharks...

Overall, do what is comfortable until you master a skill and don't do anything new you know will "freak you out" without being taught how to manage it. Hopefully you can get some good training from your nephew. Maybe he would take the extra time you need to get comfortable with new skills.



Ken
 
thanks for the advice. I can tread water, just not for an extended period. I planned on working on that as well as holding my breath. I figured I could build up my stamina with practice. I know some of the shallower wrecks at the OBX are in 20 ft of water, but they call that a beach dive so you have to swim out to them and then dive down and they recommend you have to be a good swimmer with some stamina for that. I will have to work on opening my eyes under water too because it is my understanding you have to flood your mask and clear it as part of your cert. (am I correct?) or don't you have to have your eyes open for that? any more feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
First off, Welcome to the board!

I'm not a strong swimmer either and had a bad experience on my boat years ago. Dived off of the boat after a bait bucket and couldn't get back!!! My first OW dive brought it all back and I freaked out but I worked on it and worked it all out. I haven't been diving all that long but am glad I stuck with it. It's a beautiful world down there!

Give it your best, that's all you can do.
 
welcome aboard
 
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