Right after my checkout, I went to my LDS and bought the rest of my gear, with the express purpose of doing as much pool diving as I could fit in over at my parents' pool. Obviously, I didn't fill my logbook that way, but I did become quite noticeably more skilled. I wore full kit, fine-tuned my trim, and calculated my air consumption rates for each dive.
A few weeks later, my significant buddy and I took our own long weekend dive vacation to some Florida springs and jetties. The... um... many fills I'd burned through in the pool proved their worth. Buoyancy, trim, kicks*... no problem at all.
Turning into and out of my LDS' lot is much more exciting and potentially hazardous than any of my pool time, and being completely familiar with myself and all my gear is exceedingly valuable. Then again, hopping into a pool does have some potential for danger, and that little nagging voice that says "something's amiss" quite often knows what he's talking about. (Of course, when I added a 19cf pony, my former instructor actually said that it would be good to have when I take up solo diving. Not "if", "when"... Apparently, I look the part?)
*: Except the back kick. I look like a kid learning to drive stick -- back a bit, back a bit more, wobble-wobble, backish-upish a bit...
A few weeks later, my significant buddy and I took our own long weekend dive vacation to some Florida springs and jetties. The... um... many fills I'd burned through in the pool proved their worth. Buoyancy, trim, kicks*... no problem at all.
Turning into and out of my LDS' lot is much more exciting and potentially hazardous than any of my pool time, and being completely familiar with myself and all my gear is exceedingly valuable. Then again, hopping into a pool does have some potential for danger, and that little nagging voice that says "something's amiss" quite often knows what he's talking about. (Of course, when I added a 19cf pony, my former instructor actually said that it would be good to have when I take up solo diving. Not "if", "when"... Apparently, I look the part?)
*: Except the back kick. I look like a kid learning to drive stick -- back a bit, back a bit more, wobble-wobble, backish-upish a bit...