Newbie lessons - First dive after OWD cert

[blizzardbacker]

Hey all -

Didn't think I would have much to contribute, given I now have a grand total of 5 dives (including my 4 checkoffs)! But anyway...

Where we dived, the lake isn't deep, and we kept to the known attractions (a plane tail, some platforms, etc.), but I still learned a lot. Here are the top three lessons (in no order). Here goes:

Have a plan. Even though we were just out to "blow bubbles," we should have gone over a distinct plan on shore. We got down there with very poor viz (less than 4') and really did not have anything to do. We should have had a better plan.

Keep it relaxed. I complicated a rapid pulse from gearing up on the shore in 94 degree heat and high humidity by immediately swimming too fast. My buddy was unable to keep up, and though the shallow depth (max 20') ensured a low degree of danger, I'm p!ssed at myself. My heart rate never really recovered, and I used waaaay too much air.

Use your compass. On our surface swim back to the beach, I didn't bother getting a heading and ended up swimming in circles, using even more energy.
So there. I feel like an idiot. I logged each of these mistakes (and more) in my log book, and hope to get a chuckle from them in the future. For now, I'm living proof that certification is a license to learn.

Sorry for the long post! Let me know if you can identify.

 

[SDNetGeek]

or, is that just a bonus???

Hey all -

Didn't think I would have much to contribute, given I now have a grand total of 5 dives (including my 4 checkoffs)! But anyway...

Where we dived, the lake isn't deep, and we kept to the known attractions (a plane tail, some platforms, etc.), but I still learned a lot. Here are the top three lessons (in no order). Here goes:

Have a plan. Even though we were just out to "blow bubbles," we should have gone over a distinct plan on shore. We got down there with very poor viz (less than 4') and really did not have anything to do. We should have had a better plan.

Keep it relaxed. I complicated a rapid pulse from gearing up on the shore in 94 degree heat and high humidity by immediately swimming too fast. My buddy was unable to keep up, and though the shallow depth (max 20') ensured a low degree of danger, I'm p!ssed at myself. My heart rate never really recovered, and I used waaaay too much air.

Use your compass. On our surface swim back to the beach, I didn't bother getting a heading and ended up swimming in circles, using even more energy.
So there. I feel like an idiot. I logged each of these mistakes (and more) in my log book, and hope to get a chuckle from them in the future. For now, I'm living proof that certification is a license to learn.

Sorry for the long post! Let me know if you can identify.

TOTALLY kidding. I said that because it's taken me all of my previous dives to get that knowledge (although a lot of us have it but we don't *live* it soon enough).

IMHO, have a "specific" plan and a "general" plan. I have 71-ish dives and it's STILL hard to communicate underwater, I really need to get a slate. If you're specific plan is "go find x and y" then add "...and get the layout between and around" or something.

The expression I've heard is "anxiety floats." If you can relax better you can use less weight, descend sooner, have better buoyancy control, etc. as well as enjoying it more. Also, Panic Is Bad. (I say this having been a skydiver, scuba diver, firefighter and pilot). Work the problem, don't make it WORSE, and keep your cool.

I personally can't imagine having the discipline to use a compass in 4ft vis, OTOH I just don't GO in 4ft vis (scuba is about seeing, for me). But excellent idea.

And most important, KEEP POSTING AND ASKING AND READING. It's excellent you're sharing this after 1 non-class dive. Believe me I would never have done anything like this after my first non-class skydive. (But skydivers wouldn't ever have a board like this! Everyone here does that. Yeah once in a while you'll post something that'll get you flamed but hey, welcome to Life, right?

Welcome to diving! I hope we hear more.

 

[jiveturkey]

Keep it relaxed. I complicated a rapid pulse from gearing up on the shore in 94 degree heat and high humidity by immediately swimming too fast. My buddy was unable to keep up, and though the shallow depth (max 20') ensured a low degree of danger, I'm p!ssed at myself. My heart rate never really recovered, and I used waaaay too much air.

Good point. You and your buddy will enjoy your dive much more if you keep things slow. You'll see more and your air will last much longer. My diving pretty much consists of floating with a few kicks thrown in here and there.

 

[spectrum]

That transsition when gearing up is an important consideration.
* Get everything ready and staged. your rig, fins out mask/defoged, snorkel rigged, gloves etc.
* Suit up to the waist w/booties
* Make sure you're in sync with your buddy
* Bring some bottles/jugs of cool tapwater and pour some in your suit.
* Finish suiting up, pour some water down yout collar, Tip your head back and pour some town the top of your hood. This will buy you some stress free time to get your rigs on and get in the water.
*If it's a shore situation being in water up to your thighs will bring some cooling relief while you make final checks and confirm the plan.
*Snorkel out to your drop point and relax before going on yourr regulator.
*Let your breathing settle in on the regulator for a moment
*Have a great dive

It sounds like you learned about as much as we did on our first solo dive. It seems that while most classes might mention a lot of this stuff they just don't create the discipline and routines, that comes with time. What is important is having a good knowledge base and resources like SB to develop your methods from.

Pete

 

[ththooft]

Let me guess....Square Lake?
We did our OW there, and I remember going down for the first time and thinking that it would be the last time!

Good news though! Our instructors told us that would be the worst vis we would see. We went diving in WI the next weekend at Lake Wazee, and it was an awesome time! We went with some other people (actually two instructors from our OW class) and that helped a lot too.

Good luck with the future dives! At least it's only going to get better!

T

 

[Tod]

It's fun to think back to that "first" dive on your own after getting your OW card! I had a few fun memories myself and learned lots of lessons. It's all good. At least you didn't have to "swim" your boat back to shore through the northern California kelp on your "first" dive (due to a boat engine that wouldn't start). At least the surf was low.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[blizzardbacker]

Let me guess....Square Lake?
We did our OW there, and I remember going down for the first time and thinking that it would be the last time!

Good news though! Our instructors told us that would be the worst vis we would see.

T

You nailed it, ththooft, it was Square Lake! Any of you Twin City area divers, do yourself a favor and go somewhere else!

 

[dolbersen]

Nobody asked, but here's some gear related stuff I've learned so far. I'm still a n00b so maybe somebody can point out some ways to do this better.

Packing
Pack in reverse chronological order -- stuff that goes on last goes in the bottom of the bag. When I pack I put in: fins, computer (VT Pro -- wireless), gloves, booties, reg, BC. That way the stuff I'll need is already on the top.

Assembling
We didn't go over a great order to assemble our gear in OW. It was more along the lines of "Get everything together" and then a check to see if we missed anything. Here's the order that works really well for me right now:

1. Put trim weights in BC (if you use them)
2. Attach BC to tank
3. Attach reg to tank, record starting pressure in dive log
4. Lay down gear, insert weight pockets (if you have weight integrated) -- make gravity help you!
5. Put on suit (1/2 way) and booties -- biking shorts+rash guard or dive skins help!
6. Wait around for slower people, help them out
7. Finish putting suit on, put mask around neck, push hood down
8. Put BC on -- I like the DIR flip-over-the-head method: it's fun!
9. Put on left glove, computer on left wrist, then right glove.
10. Pick up fins, off we go!

Maybe that order is obvious to people -- it wasn't to me! Who does this differently? If at all possible, do the tank & BC stuff the night before.

 

[DrDave]

I complicated a rapid pulse from gearing up on the shore in 94 degree heat and high humidity...

94 degrees in MN? The one time I was there in March it was 3 below 0 (Fahrenheit)!!! :11:

Thanks for the observations -- everyone has their list of things they learned the hard way. Maybe you saved others from learing these lessons the same way you did!

-- Dave

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Sounds like a pretty normal experience glad you are using it as a learning tool. The more you dive the more refined your procedures will become and if you dive with the same buddy the communication becomes easier. A new buddy can be a challenge to communicate with at first no matter how much experience you have. I have dove with other instructors and failed to go over a detailed communication plan because "we're instructors we communicate with students all the time right?" Even instructors communicate things differently and without the pre-dive discussion we were stuck with very basic signals and some of them caused confusion when used in a non-basic manner.

My husband and my instructor are such natural buddies to me that we don't review new hand signals, we can usually make up a signal on the spot for something unusual and have no problem understanding each other. A look and nod of the head can convey whole sentences when diving with someone regularly. I hope you get a chance to experience the satisfaction of having a natural buddy, there is no comparison.
Ber :lilbunny: