pammyk

[pammyk]

Well...hello everyone. I got my owc the end of June and then took a diving trip with the LDS to ft lauderdale. I did 6 dives there. All were terrific except for one that I had to abort early. The dive master from the boat went down 72 ft to tie the line to the wreck. When he came up he told us that the current was really bad to about 20 ft. Of course that made me really nervous. So my instructor went in and then I went in after him. We were waiting at about 10 ft for the other girl that was in our group. She was having a problem with her weight belt so he gave me the signal to wait on the line for him while he went up to help her. She ended up having to get back on the boat. I was by myself the whole time going up and down with the current seeing absolutely no one at all. I was hyperventilating big time. My mask was leaking and I was having a difficult time clearing it due to my hyperventilating. Finally after about 10 minutes he came back with the other girl. He motioned to go down and I did...however I really shouldn't have. By the time I got to the bottom my mask was completely flooded and I tried to clear it but couldn't. Another instructor motioned to my instructor that he was going to take me up...so up we went. I was exhausted when I finally got to the top. In hind sight...I should not have gone down. I should have gone back to the boat...calmed down...and then maybe gone back in. After the surface interval, I did jump right back in and did another dive. I had to do that for myself...and I did great! But that was definately a learning experience. Sorry...didn't mean to write a book. Any thoughts on my experience??? Anything would give me something to think about. July 19 I leave for Cabo, San Lucas, Mexico. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks. Pam

 

[justleesa]

Aloha Pam!
Welcome to the ScubabBoard!
Sorry to hear about your trouble, but ya did good to get back in right away.
If you don't own your own mask yet you might want to consider a purge mask.
Hope you have a nice trip!
Aloha,
Lisa

 

[MtnDiver]

Welcome Pam!

Way to get right back on that horse after it bucked you off.

Please post a trip report in the Mexico forum when you get back from Cabo. Several of us are headed there in Sept.-Oct. timeframe and would love to hear about your experiences.

 

[RIDIVER501]

Welcome to SB and the Dive community at large.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

That was a great post, Pam. You certainly did the right thing, both in aborting the first dive and in getting back in for the second. As a novice diver, it's not always obvious when you should end the dive. With a little more experience, you'll develop a feeling for what is normal and what isn't. Always keep in mind the classic rule that Any Diver Can Abort Any Dive At Any Time For Any Reason. Don't ever let people pressure you into doing a dive that's beyond your training or experience (not that I'm saying that is the case here.)

Those first forays into the open ocean can be a bit unsettling. Of course, with a little more time hanging on the anchor line, you'll start to feel more a part of the ocean, and after that, it's all fun. Welcome to the board and the sport.

Best wishes and safe ascents,
Grier

 

[mobymark]

Welcome!!!

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

Welcome to SB!! :happywave Put us in your computer's favorites and check in often. This is a great place to learn, compare, argue Look around our various forums - everything from New-To-Scuba to Instructors-Only to Dive Medicine.

don

BTW - Did you set up your Profile? Some ideas for your Profle might be taken from looking at mine. Click on my Username to the upper left, then click on my Profile, and see what I've done. For your's, click the [CP] in the upper left of the screen, then click [Edit Profile]. If you need any more help, PM me direct.

And don't forget to wash your hands after handling meat, poultry or fish.

 

[PhotoTJ]

Avast, and welcome! You'll find almost anything you want to know, (and some things you don't!), about diving, life, and diving life, here on this site!

Cheers!

TJ

 

[stingray1]

Well...hello everyone. I got my owc the end of June and then took a diving trip with the LDS to ft lauderdale. I did 6 dives there. All were terrific except for one that I had to abort early. The dive master from the boat went down 72 ft to tie the line to the wreck. When he came up he told us that the current was really bad to about 20 ft. Of course that made me really nervous. So my instructor went in and then I went in after him. We were waiting at about 10 ft for the other girl that was in our group. She was having a problem with her weight belt so he gave me the signal to wait on the line for him while he went up to help her. She ended up having to get back on the boat. I was by myself the whole time going up and down with the current seeing absolutely no one at all. I was hyperventilating big time. My mask was leaking and I was having a difficult time clearing it due to my hyperventilating. Finally after about 10 minutes he came back with the other girl. He motioned to go down and I did...however I really shouldn't have. By the time I got to the bottom my mask was completely flooded and I tried to clear it but couldn't. Another instructor motioned to my instructor that he was going to take me up...so up we went. I was exhausted when I finally got to the top. In hind sight...I should not have gone down. I should have gone back to the boat...calmed down...and then maybe gone back in. After the surface interval, I did jump right back in and did another dive. I had to do that for myself...and I did great! But that was definately a learning experience. Sorry...didn't mean to write a book. Any thoughts on my experience??? Anything would give me something to think about. July 19 I leave for Cabo, San Lucas, Mexico. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks. Pam

I'm thinking that maybe you had good visibility but unsure of yourself. Try a limited visability class. If you can blow bubbles calmly in low vis then you will do great under most circumstances. I dive low vis a lot mainly, because I'm land locked in Illinios but, I think that I'm a decent dive because of diving low vis so much. And the main thing to remember no matter where your diving is to just believe in yourself and relax. Diving is suppose to be fun not upsetting.

 

[greg somers]

It's in the rules you know.
I wouldn't worry too much about what happened Pammy girl. It is quite common. Diving is fun, but when you start, it can be quite daunting. Trying to remember all the procedures and doing them in order. As well as trying to pass.
That old mind of ours....we let it put more pressure on ourselves than there really is. It will get better real fast. Just keep diving. The more experienced you get, the more relaxed you will be. I find the most common mistake people make is treating it like a competition. You don't have to be like any other diver. Just learn at your own rate and comfort level.
If you're going to spend all that money on gear and lessons, it make sense to enjoy the investment.
This is a great site for advice. Ask any questions you want and they are a great bunch here. Helpful, and some of us are even funny. (funny haha I mean. We won't mention the other kind)

Well Cheers Big Ears,

The Thunder from Down Under,

Gasman