OP
newbie in TN
Guest
I am lucky...I am the only student going on this trip...so I'll have the assistance of 3 expierenced divers!! I'll give you all a report when I get back!!
Shanna
Shanna
OW dives this weekend!!!
- Thread starter newbie in TN
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brizzolatti
Contributor
You said, The excitement of your first open water dive is intense and can effect you in a lot of unexpected ways. Could you tell me a bit more about that?? I have my OW dives in a couple of weeks and am intrigued by what to expect!!
And Good luck newbie in TN
And Good luck newbie in TN
ScubyDoo
Contributor
Brizzolatti,
I just did my OW dives down in Florida about a month ago so maybe I can testify to what to expect. I suppose it was intense, but in a good way. If you are like me, you are so excited about diving that its literally all you can think about. The mental build-up to taking that 1st OW plunge is very exciting. My biggest concern was that it had been a month since my last class and I was afraid I was going to do something stupid and embarrass myself (I didnt). The water was much colder (68) compared to the heated swimming pool of my confined dives (86), so that had me a bit tense, but the wetsuit kept me warm. After the initial descent, I was in pure absolute heaven. Your first dive you probably wont do any skills, just underwater exploration. It was totally awesome to have 30 huge bream staring right into your mask. OW is just that......open! There is so much more room to maneuver. Going deep (we went 50 feet) which isnt really deep, but it is to newbies like us......was way cool!! Its fun to look back up at the surface 50 feet up as compared to 15 feet in a little swimming pool. The natural open setting is what diving is all about. The rocks, the tree limbs, the ledges, the fish, the turtles.....It makes it difficult to focus your attention on the tasks at hand. Its certainly not anything to be afraid of. Be wary of the dangers and risks of course, but remember what you were taught, relax, have fun, and you'll do just fine!! The main thing is to just relax....dont panic if something goes wrong. My dive buddies mask broke at 40 feet, so he just sat there with his eyes closed while the DM's fixed it for him. Took about 3-4 minutes, but he was calm, put it back on, cleared it and all was fine.
ScubyDoo
Contributor
Hey Shanna,
At time of this post, you should be done with your OW dives and heading back home. You said your dives were somewhere around Destin...Was it Vortex Springs, Cypress Springs, or Morrison Springs? I did my OW certs at Vortex and Cypress last month.
Id bet you a buck you probably saw a crew from my dive shop there. They took down 25 OW students this weekend, and that doesnt include AOW students and significant others.
Im just down I-40 from you over here in Little Rock. If your ever over this way and looking for a dive buddy, give me a holler!
OP
newbie in TN
Guest
I am home now and certified!! Yes, Scuby, we did two dives at Cypress and two at Vortex!! I liked Vortex better...but it was much more crowded! I did have a moment of panic on my second dive, when It was my turn to clear my mask, I flooded it and my right contact started to slip...and that kind of threw me off for the rest of the dive. I started to have a hard time breathing and struggled till we surfaced. But, my insrtuctor commended all of us for keeping calm throughout all the skills...
I am thinking about going back with my instructor on the 19th, 20th and 21st of April...would you be interested?? I don't really want to go without a buddy, because then I will have to do the skills with the group rather than exploring on my own...
Shanna
I am thinking about going back with my instructor on the 19th, 20th and 21st of April...would you be interested?? I don't really want to go without a buddy, because then I will have to do the skills with the group rather than exploring on my own...
Shanna
Congrats Shanna. You've obviously caught the "bug". May you have many happy and exciting dives.
Like ScoobyDoo, by the time I first saw this thread - you should have been already headed for home - - So - Congradulations, - welcome to my favorite sport!
Cheers
Cheers
ScubyDoo
Contributor
Shanna,
Glad you enjoyed your dives. Im not sure which I liked best....Vortex or Cypress. I liked the visibility of Cypress better. The water was gin clear the day we were there. The flow at Vortex keeps it somewhat silted up. I did like seeing the fish at Vortex, which we didnt see at Cypress, except for a lagerhead turtle. It was a warm sunny day at Vortex and a cloudy cold day at Cypress. I liked the 50' depth at Vortex (near the cave entrance) compared to the shallower Cypress. I liked Vortex for its size. Most of Cypress is fairly shallow except for the deep area by the dock. I didnt like Cypress because you have to pretty much work out of your vehicle instead of putting all your stuff out on a tarp (at least the day we were there).
Im doing my AOW class and dives on April 16th, 18th, 20th, & 21st, so wouldnt be able to do the springs at that time. Thanks for asking though
We'll have to get together for some local diving though. My sister and her hubby live in Memphis and I visit them fairly often. What are some of the good diving locations there?
Glad you enjoyed your dives. Im not sure which I liked best....Vortex or Cypress. I liked the visibility of Cypress better. The water was gin clear the day we were there. The flow at Vortex keeps it somewhat silted up. I did like seeing the fish at Vortex, which we didnt see at Cypress, except for a lagerhead turtle. It was a warm sunny day at Vortex and a cloudy cold day at Cypress. I liked the 50' depth at Vortex (near the cave entrance) compared to the shallower Cypress. I liked Vortex for its size. Most of Cypress is fairly shallow except for the deep area by the dock. I didnt like Cypress because you have to pretty much work out of your vehicle instead of putting all your stuff out on a tarp (at least the day we were there).
Im doing my AOW class and dives on April 16th, 18th, 20th, & 21st, so wouldnt be able to do the springs at that time. Thanks for asking though
We'll have to get together for some local diving though. My sister and her hubby live in Memphis and I visit them fairly often. What are some of the good diving locations there?
OP
newbie in TN
Guest
There are no good local diving areas in Memphis!! When the weather gets warmer they tell us that they go about 3-4 hours away...so maybe that is close to your neck of the woods Good luck on your AOW dives!!
Shanna
Good luck on your AOW dives!!Shanna
brizzolatti
Contributor
Hey - thanks for your input to my question. I can relate to what you're saying! My biggest worry is that I'll have forgotten what I'm meant to do once I get to the OW dives in 2 weeks. But I've been dipping in and out of the PADI manual so I'm trying to keep relatively fresh in terms of the knowledge. But I know it will be different out in the open water. And like you say, I've been thinking about the OW dives almost constantly in anticipation - I'm really looking forward to it. The main things I'm trying to remember are: keep breathing, stay calm, if need be you can get to the surface safely!!!
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