ski2moro
Registered
Hi - I just got certified last week while on vacation in Florida. As a newbie, I can understand your questions.
Re:Book I have to say that I used a pencil and a highlighter in my book for studying. I would not like to have another person's notes or highlighting in my book, but that's just me. My instructor collected the End-of-Chapter practice tests and the final practice test to put in my folder. I made photocopies of all of them and gave the photocopies to him, keeping the originals in my book. YMMV
By the way, this is an expensive hobby. If the cost of a book is holding you back, you might want to think about this some more.
Re:No dive experience - I took the classroom part locally and did the open water in Florida. It gave me a good chance to test my skills in the pool first. It wasn't hard to do and I felt so good after each class session when I had mastered another new skill.
The Mask Clearing exercise was much easier than I ever expected. Swimming without the mask was easy for me, too. Ditto for the comment that salt water is harder on my eyes. Yet, after a couple of blinks, the burning went away. It was not a problem for me.
And some advice for you and your girlfriend.
1. The instructor is your friend, not an adversary. The instructor wants to teach you how to enjoy the sport in a safe manner. He/she will do what it takes to make sure you are confident in your new skills before he turns you loose in the open water.
2. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
3. Relax and enjoy.
Re:Book I have to say that I used a pencil and a highlighter in my book for studying. I would not like to have another person's notes or highlighting in my book, but that's just me. My instructor collected the End-of-Chapter practice tests and the final practice test to put in my folder. I made photocopies of all of them and gave the photocopies to him, keeping the originals in my book. YMMV
By the way, this is an expensive hobby. If the cost of a book is holding you back, you might want to think about this some more.
Re:No dive experience - I took the classroom part locally and did the open water in Florida. It gave me a good chance to test my skills in the pool first. It wasn't hard to do and I felt so good after each class session when I had mastered another new skill.
The Mask Clearing exercise was much easier than I ever expected. Swimming without the mask was easy for me, too. Ditto for the comment that salt water is harder on my eyes. Yet, after a couple of blinks, the burning went away. It was not a problem for me.
And some advice for you and your girlfriend.
1. The instructor is your friend, not an adversary. The instructor wants to teach you how to enjoy the sport in a safe manner. He/she will do what it takes to make sure you are confident in your new skills before he turns you loose in the open water.
2. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
3. Relax and enjoy.
