oh god ! trying out for adv.class, i suck help!!!!

[TSandM]

hummer, I did my OW at 51 -- I'm 58 now, and Full Cave and tech certified. Age is a consideration, of course, as my arthritic joints like to say to me after carrying heavy dive gear, but it's not an insuperable obstacle. And maybe furthering your diving will prove a motivation for improving your overall health!

 

[hummer]

been thinking about that too, ive lost about 100lbs over the last 5 yrs. and have kept it off. bike just about everyday.except lately been having tendon problems ,slowing me down alot .scared to put the weight back on .but that didnt stop me when i started, i guess it should 'nt be a deturent to me now or i'd never have done anything . well have been working on my dive plan everyday think i've got a handle on it. now on to the compass! For someone who can't find their way out of a paper bag this should be a real treat!! driving my hub around the bend with questions heehee. it'll get him to brush up on a lot of the stuff he's forgotten.thanks for the replies.heard back from the dive shop in N.S.and they have a few thurmal undergarments to try on for my dry suit ,now i just have to find a way over hmmm.

 

[Sheri SGR]

Good for you! Congratulations on being brave enough to sign up for this class alone. Helping you lift your tank and zip and unzip your drysuit is something any good buddy will do for you. I wear a neoprene drysuit in southern California 51 degrees this winter with a thermal base layer like ski wear and a second layer of leggings and a long sleeve light thermal shirt. (like outer wear). For a soft shell I would invest in a regular drysuit underwear jumpsuit like fourth element or whites or scuba pro - the drysuit manufacturers all have their own undergarments. find one that fits your budget it doesnt neccessarily have to be whites undergarments just because thats the suit you wear.

practice practice with a compass and you will get better, you can practice basic patterns on land in a parking lot with a towel over your head pacing off instead of fin kicks, of course once underwater current, etc affects how exact you will be.

you will gain some good experience, skills and above all confidence diving without your hubby that will make you a much better buddy to him. Enjoy!

 

[TSandM]

hummer, anybody who can lose 100 lbs and keep it off shouldn't worry about ANYTHING. That takes enormous self-discipline and inner strength. If you can do that, you'll manage a simple AOW class just fine.

 

[hummer]

thanks but thats not how i'm feeling right now! it freaks me out to be in a different place far from home with people i don't know, and a new buddy. never had another buddy but my hub. the more stressed i get the more mistakes a i could make. what if the buddy i get wishes he had another guy? would i blame him, nope!. guess i'm just thinking to far ahead again.must stick with the small steps! my bcd and reg.s are fixed up and they are being sent over, i.m hopefully going to get over next weekend and stay with my brother and see if they can fit me for an undergarment for the suit.then i'm going to try to get some diving in with it before the next advanced class in july ,there that's my whole plan in a nutshell right now.

 

[TSandM]

hummer, if you have never had a dive buddy but your husband, you really need to do this class.

Shortly after I got certified, I told my husband I would no longer dive with him. He just didn't want to dive the way I wanted him to. I found another buddy, and we began diving together all the time. We were extremely compatible -- but our strengths were complementary. I let him lead and navigate all the time. It was quite a while before I realized that I just wasn't really pulling my weight as a dive buddy, and I really needed to lead dives and learn better navigation. We sorted it out eventually, but for quite a while, I was a bit of a dependent diver.

You need to shed your chrysalis and blossom into a full-fledged, self-sufficient diver. Deciding on the AOW sounds like a very good step in that direction, and I continue to maintain that any woman who can lose 100 pounds, can make it through advanced open water. And come out on the other side a different diver -- you may not know it, but somewhere in the back of your mind, there is a worry about what you would do if you got separated and you couldn't perform the functions your husband does for your diving team. Once you learn how, you will be less worried, I guarantee it.

 

[lowviz]

I was once told by a boat captain that "you lost that dive at the dock". Never forgot that, made me a much better diver.

Relax. Just relax.

Think. Do your own thinking for yourself.

 

[Selchie in LB]

Hummer it seems everyone who has posted has been through similar events that brought us to diving. I too lost a lot of weight - 50lbs. I ended a 12 year relationship. I decided to get into diving because back in 1974 or so I got interested in the scuba club, but never followed through for various reasons. Doing scuba diving is for me!

As for a man not wanting a woman for a buddy, I have my DM cert and it is funny to me that men take on the role of protector. Part of it is just gentlemanly politeness, but part of it is "I'll take care of you". I am not knocking them, it is just the way it is. I don't get all up in their face I just know that push come to shove you'll be glad I'm there. Buddies are there for each other. Trust me if someone is taking the advance class they are there to learn thus they do not know everything.

As for the class and diving in general, I try to visualize the dive. I go from start to finish - do I have all my gear, have I assembled everything, checked connections, breathed my regs, buddy check, in the water bubble checks, decend, dive, buoyancy, ascend, 3 minute stop, exit, review. Navigational will come to you once you have done it a few times. It is not as mysterious and difficult as circumnavigation with a sextant!

Good luck and remember to breath and relax.

 

[hummer]

last summer i went diving, paniced before i even got in the water,i'm not sure why.i think stress at the time, when i put my wetsuit on that day a felt claustraphobic,shaking, sweating should never have gotten in the water.but went ,i was thinking what is wrong with me today it's not like me to freak out so bad .but we didnt do a lot of diving that summer. then this winter we went down south,on last day there my hubby got me to try another dive and im glad i did because i was back to normal.felt better .but when i started getting ready for this class i realized that i was so nervous that day that i stepped off that boat and i had not even checked any of my gear,not even the air on. ihad left it to someone else. i don't to ever do that again .i dont want to be that nervous and distracted that safety for me and my buddy, goes out the window .i guess that thought is bothering me too,i hope i keep my head and take my time putting my gear together, checking my buddy's and my stuff during this course and actually any dive i do from here on out. i usually always go through my plan step by step in my mind,but stress is a funny thing huh!

 

[lowviz]

...//...Think. Do your own thinking for yourself.

S l o w --- d o w n. ---B r e a t h e. ---T h i n k. ----If it is all too much and too fast, shoot for "one and done".

S l o w --- d o w n. It is your nickel, stop rushing to accommodate someone else. (I'm guessing here) I've only posted in "Women's Perspectives Forum" twice. Once in my favorite mod's thread, and now you. Let's just leave it at "hits close to home".

You CAN and SHOULD make someone WHO YOU ARE PAYING wait until you are squared away. THEY OWE IT TO YOU. YOU OWE IT TO YOU!

...//... .but when i started getting ready for this class i realized that i was so nervous that day that i stepped off that boat and i had not even checked any of my gear,not even the air on. ihad left it to someone else. i don't to ever do that again .i dont want to be that nervous and distracted that safety for me and my buddy, goes out the window .i guess that thought is bothering me too,i hope i keep my head and take my time putting my gear together, checking my buddy's and my stuff during this course and actually any dive i do from here on out. i usually always go through my plan step by step in my mind,but stress is a funny thing huh!

Question: Do you instinctively feel rushed by the boat crew, DM, instructor, or anyone else in a position of presumed authority?