pammyk

[mcm007]

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

Welcome aboard.. What you experiences is nothing new ... But you learn from your mistakes.. Clearing your mask seems to be one of the biggest challenges new divers face. All you need to do is relax... I know the conditions for a newbie diver werent ideal, current and all, but I dont want to worry you , however cabo san lucas is where the pacific ocean and sea of cortez meet. I was there in April and logged a bunch of dives.. The current is very strong there consistently...
check out Lands End divers, ask for Chalo, hes a great DM ...

Try to relax underwater as much as possible, it will aslo help with your buoyancy.. Realize that you have a regulator in your mouth with a constant supply of air.. relax, breathe in , face the surface clear your mask and breather more air .. youll get the hang of it..
Have a great time in Cabo.. Lots to see... Neptunes Finger, Pelican Rock, lands end, the sea lion colony and my favorite , El Arco..

Enjoy

 

[DennisW]

PammyK, Sounds like you did fairly well for someone with your experience. It also sounds like you need to practice some of your basic OW skills. Like mask clearing. Although, when there is a heavy current, it is much harder to do.

Practice in the pool without SCUBA. Take a breath, go under and flood your mask and then clear your mask. Most people make the mistake of not looking up at the surface to clear their mask. Just moving your eyes up isn't good enough. Look up. After you are comfortable doing that, then see how many times you can clear your mask on one breath. Don't stop until you can do it at least three times. You have air enough to do it many more times than that. When you have the regulator, then clearing is even easier.

My instructor taught me how to clear this way and I have never had a problem clearing my mask. Wonder who that was?

 

[murphdivers286]

Welcome Aboard!!!!!

Becarefull, it's addictive!!! - But who cares??

Good friends and good info. What could be better?!?!?!?!

P.S. - Don't forget to fill out your profile.

 

[Gr82B4TheTnVols]

I am new to diving also. Good story and I hope it don't scare you or me off. ha ha.