New to this

[Scarlett Williams]

Haha I was actually names after Scarlett O'Hara (gone with the wind) lol

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

Welcome to this new and beautiful world!

Train well, ask questions, don't believe everything you hear and most of all

Dive safe

 

[UFOrb]

Welcome to ScubaBoard, it's a great source of info on all sorts of topics, some of which I'd never thought of before joining.

I'm guessing you may well end up diving at Chepstow NDAC. I'll be down that way visiting my folks this weekend and hope to get some dives in there.

Good luck with your OW course. My wife & I haven't looked back since we completed ours Btw, I never found mask clearing to be an issue, it's quite straightforward, just stay calm. (I keep my eyes closed as I wear contact lenses). It's good you're trying to get a feel for it already though.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[Scarlett Williams]

Yes i think it is Chepstow for my Open water dives... Whats it like there? Same here i dont wear contacts but i like to keep my eyes closed underwater with no mask on my eyes sting if not lol. I know some people can see underwater though but i myself just cant haha.
Really looking forward to trying this out as i love snorkeling loads!

 

[UFOrb]

Yes i think it is Chepstow for my Open water dives... Whats it like there?

I haven't dived there before, but I've been told temps are currently around 17-18C, so should be similar through Sept when you do your course. Its a deep quarry with a few things to look at and should get decent vis, their website says from 13m up to 25m depending on depth (and weather I guess). I mainly want to check out my new regs and some other gear, and just get wet of course!

I've only actually done one dive in British waters up to now. My first was an inshore drift dive off a RIB near Brighton a couple of weeks ago. Temp was 18C, which was fine in a 7mm wetsuit, rash vest and hood (no gloves), and was my first test as the coldest I'd experienced before that was 23C! I didn't actually notice the cold but we only stayed down 15mins unfortunately cos the vis was so bad (less than 1m!) so we agreed to end the dive early. I think I'll do a wreck further off shore next time for, hopefully, better vis and more interesting dive. Also, we haven't had the best summer overall this year have we! Hopefully end Aug /Sept will be better and hoping to head out to the Canaries (preferably Lanzarote) or the Med in October.

I'm not sure there's much diving in the sea/channel around Newport? (I'd imagine the vis sucks!) but I've heard there are some nice spots in Pembrokeshire and SW England, not too far from you.

 

[iamrushman]

howdy and welcome from southeast florida....i hope you enjoy your new adventure.

 

[Themerrydiver]

It's exciting and sometimes a bit fast paced depending on the folks that are training you. But take your time, don't hesitate to ask questions and stay relaxed. Clearing your mask seems weird at first but it becomes second nature. It's not something you have to do continuously though so don't worry too much. Just relax, practice and have fun!

 

[Themerrydiver]

Am i right by filling my mask (its only a snorkel mask at the moment) & holding the top part and exhaling through my nose & opening it a tiny bit at bottom? well thats what ive been doing & the water does come out lol

That sounds fine and with a little experience, the skills like the mask clearing and equalizing start to come naturally. The advice about the drops of detergent is good advice - it really works. I haven't been diving long but it is wonderful and gets better each time. I had a couple great instructors and was able to ask questions and practice and it all went just dandy. Relax, do your best and you will be a diver soon! Woo hoo!! . PS. You don't need to spend a fortune on dive gear. Try on lots of masks before buying and look for good deals on wetsuits. I have a full body suit that I love, fits great and it was only $100 on sale.