noj3333
Contributor
Another destination you may want to look into is Key Largo... great domestic diving with cheap airfare to FLL (although a rental car is needed from there, offsetting those savings)...
Novice divers - next trip, next steps?
- Thread starter gryffin
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mi000ke
Contributor
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I also have had some equalization and barotrauma issues when I first started and now do a 4-6 hour sudafed before my dives (assuming a two-tank boat dive), and have no problems now.
I just completed my AOW (after 25 dives) in Grand Cayman. I was having difficulty descending as well early on (which is pretty common) based on what my OW instructor thought I should be using for weight (eventually he proved to be right) but got that sorted out with some experimentation and weight checking on my own over a few dives. During my AOW, I did peak performance buoyancy as one of the dives, and my instructor suggested I drop some weight, but I struggled to descend so we agreed I should go back to my original weight. While doing one of my other AOW dives, the other instructor who was in the water with the rest of the group swam over and indicated he wanted to take some weight out to see how I would do. As he explained to me and my AOW instructor after we surfaced, he thought that at depth my BCD looked to be too inflated, even though it had what I thought was very little air in it. He had taken 2 lb out and insisted that I could drop an additional 4. Well, I did drop another 2, and had to duck dive head first to get under those first few feet, but my buoyancy control and air consumption improved greatly. And another of the DMs thought I was still moving too much at the surface, and now I am working on trying to be much more still when trying to descend, and it's starting to work. Now the main point....
The folks I did the AOW with (Living the Dream) charge just about what it would have cost to do the boat dives as a regular client, but I got a private instructor plus the certification. And... all the other DMs took it upon themselves voluntarily to work with me on technique, which was great. So you might want to redo AOW if just to do a few more dives with a private instructor (not sure how that would work regarding PADI though, but LTD could sort that out for you).
I highly recommend Grand Cayman in general, Living the Dream in particular, and there are several beautiful shore dives with very easy ladder entry and exit.
Also, if you are going to be in Florida a few days, you might want to check out some of the fresh water springs. Very easy dives, great visibility, and you can dive on you own schedule. This is where I started to sort out my weight and buoyancy. The nicest IMHO are Manatee Springs state park, Blue Grotto and Ginnie Springs (Blue and Ginnie have a dive shop for gear rental)
PatW
Contributor
I would suggest the Caymans next for you. You get water clarity that often exceeds 100'. You have decent corals. The currents are usually very low. You have good fish populations. It is probably the best place to see the endangered Nassau grouper. They are friendly and can be approached closely. Hawksbill turtles are common and are pretty used to divers often ignoring them. Little Cayman might be the best for novice divers. The boats usually moor in 20' of water in a couple of places it is 35'. The wall is close by and one can dive much deeper. The dive masters are experienced and you could probably arrange for a run through of the skills you think you might have missed.
CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
Firstly, welcome to the underwater world!
If I was starting out, there are certain things I would do right in the very beginning and that would set my diving progression on the right track. I would find a GUE or UTD instructor and do Fundies (GUE) or Essentials (UTD). UTD also teaches a course called Scuba make over in which they take all these poorly trained divers from around the world and drill them in the pool until they know what they are doing. Your are from Northern New England. If you can not find a UTD or GUE instructor then I would recommend contacting this guy:
http://www.scubacoachtrace.com/
You can schedule coaching sessions with Trace or you could do PSAI ABC and Trim with him. These courses do not add any challenges to the diving environment but attempt to make you a more proficient diver within your already existing certification limits. The proficiency you develop with these courses is more than what you will have after 150 dives on your own. When I took UTD Essentials I already had a 150 dives and thought I knew what I was doing. That one course was a very humbling experience during the first pool session. In the next few pool sessions it totally changed the way I dive and left me wondering "how come no one ever showed me this before?"
Once the basic skill set is in place then all these destinations offer great training ground for more practice and becoming a better diver.
Good luck!
If I was starting out, there are certain things I would do right in the very beginning and that would set my diving progression on the right track. I would find a GUE or UTD instructor and do Fundies (GUE) or Essentials (UTD). UTD also teaches a course called Scuba make over in which they take all these poorly trained divers from around the world and drill them in the pool until they know what they are doing. Your are from Northern New England. If you can not find a UTD or GUE instructor then I would recommend contacting this guy:
http://www.scubacoachtrace.com/
You can schedule coaching sessions with Trace or you could do PSAI ABC and Trim with him. These courses do not add any challenges to the diving environment but attempt to make you a more proficient diver within your already existing certification limits. The proficiency you develop with these courses is more than what you will have after 150 dives on your own. When I took UTD Essentials I already had a 150 dives and thought I knew what I was doing. That one course was a very humbling experience during the first pool session. In the next few pool sessions it totally changed the way I dive and left me wondering "how come no one ever showed me this before?"
Once the basic skill set is in place then all these destinations offer great training ground for more practice and becoming a better diver.
Good luck!
lunula
Contributor
Hi gryffin - just popping in to say you sound a lot like me! I was very anxious about diving, even though it was my idea (hah!) and I was the one who purchased our lessons & equipment as an anniversary gift for my husband in 2012. 
I, also, have a ton of ear issues. I have tinnitus, so it makes me 50x more anxious underwater because I'm terrified I'll "do something" to make my tinnitus worse (it's already pretty bad). I continually have issues equalizing.
After certification, we immediately scheduled a cruise where we stopped in numerous Caribbean ports and we planned dives in each of them to get a flavor of various spots. With the exception of Curacao, all were boat dives. I felt like I was more nervous about diving after the boat dives (in general) - not because we had bad experiences with the dive shops, dive masters or other divers - but because (1) my ears & difficulties with equalizing and try to "stay up" with the groups (2) I found out I experience motion sickness on dive boats (3) it all feels very rushed in trying to gear up and get the heck off the boat & it made me anxious (4) even though I was very clear we were novice divers, I felt like some of the dives were too advanced and that made me anxious.
We ended up doing a group trip the next year to Bonaire with our local dive shop and the experience was totally different. At first, we only used the house reef which was teeming with other divers, so we felt "safer" than diving alone. We branched out to shore dives with another couple and we never did a dive unless we all agreed on the location. We ended up even doing a few shore dives with just the two of us, which were a lot of fun. Last year we went back on our own (and did all the dives with just the 2 of us) and this year (next weekend!) we go back.
Shore diving really enabled us to take it slow, decide exactly what we wanted to do and not feel stress about motion sickness, feeling too rushed or diving a spot that felt too advanced. We get up when we want, go where we want, dive when & where we want and dive for as long as we want. In theory, I guess I should feel more anxiety since it's just the two of us - but overall, it's less stressful. Also, I seek out spots where a few other divers are to help combat anxiety about being totally alone.
Also, I ended up buying some vented ear plugs that help with my ears a little and my husband understands I have to descend slowly, he's totally fine with it. I've found that looking up (towards the surface) as well as moving my head (slowly) side to side (head to shoulder) assists me in equalizing, and I also always equalize on the surface, as soon as my head is underwater, and many, many times while under. I was also getting super stressed when I couldn't equalize and thought I was trying too hard at times - so now, I just relax and signal my husband that I cannot descend any further, or that I have to ascend a little, until my ears cooperate. It's a lot of reminding myself to relax, equalize early, often and gently and to take it slow.
I, also, have a ton of ear issues. I have tinnitus, so it makes me 50x more anxious underwater because I'm terrified I'll "do something" to make my tinnitus worse (it's already pretty bad). I continually have issues equalizing.
After certification, we immediately scheduled a cruise where we stopped in numerous Caribbean ports and we planned dives in each of them to get a flavor of various spots. With the exception of Curacao, all were boat dives. I felt like I was more nervous about diving after the boat dives (in general) - not because we had bad experiences with the dive shops, dive masters or other divers - but because (1) my ears & difficulties with equalizing and try to "stay up" with the groups (2) I found out I experience motion sickness on dive boats (3) it all feels very rushed in trying to gear up and get the heck off the boat & it made me anxious (4) even though I was very clear we were novice divers, I felt like some of the dives were too advanced and that made me anxious.
We ended up doing a group trip the next year to Bonaire with our local dive shop and the experience was totally different. At first, we only used the house reef which was teeming with other divers, so we felt "safer" than diving alone. We branched out to shore dives with another couple and we never did a dive unless we all agreed on the location. We ended up even doing a few shore dives with just the two of us, which were a lot of fun. Last year we went back on our own (and did all the dives with just the 2 of us) and this year (next weekend!) we go back.
Shore diving really enabled us to take it slow, decide exactly what we wanted to do and not feel stress about motion sickness, feeling too rushed or diving a spot that felt too advanced. We get up when we want, go where we want, dive when & where we want and dive for as long as we want. In theory, I guess I should feel more anxiety since it's just the two of us - but overall, it's less stressful. Also, I seek out spots where a few other divers are to help combat anxiety about being totally alone.
Also, I ended up buying some vented ear plugs that help with my ears a little and my husband understands I have to descend slowly, he's totally fine with it. I've found that looking up (towards the surface) as well as moving my head (slowly) side to side (head to shoulder) assists me in equalizing, and I also always equalize on the surface, as soon as my head is underwater, and many, many times while under. I was also getting super stressed when I couldn't equalize and thought I was trying too hard at times - so now, I just relax and signal my husband that I cannot descend any further, or that I have to ascend a little, until my ears cooperate. It's a lot of reminding myself to relax, equalize early, often and gently and to take it slow.
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