dotyj
Contributor
Hi all:
Yup, another week has gone by and I have a new story. Sorry you all that have been there and done that but here goes.
I had my pool session today. My alternate instructor wasn't available all week end but my first instructor who is now pregnant was available this morning. I commented that she was cheating but she just laughed it off, and to be fair we didn't do anything strenuous, which suited me just fine. I'm just getting over a sinus infection caused by some crud a co-worker infected me with.
I came down sick a few hours after my third pool session last week and spent Monday and Tuesday at home. Worked Wednesday, sneezed up a lot of blood on Thursday, went to the doctor who took tests and told me to take it very easy until the test results came back because he was concerned the blood may have come from one or both of my lungs (I have asthma.). Anyway I stayed home Friday and Friday afternoon got the word it was just the sinus infection I mentioned and the antibiotic I was prescribed would clear things up. But I digress.
We kitted up as usual this morning. I used the fourth BCD in four lessons. At least I'm getting a feel for what I like and don't like. I did a front entry that went very well. The first session where I had no trouble at all entering the water. It went very well and I was able to become vertical at the surface and wait for my instructor to enter the water.
I wasn't wearing enough weight though to sink so I needed to add a few pounds before I could submerge.
Anyway we submerged and I tried my 30 foot CESA. I followed the instructor's instructions and took four deep breaths, held the fourth breath and starter swimming while exhailing. I did lousy, I didn't get more than 10 feet or so. Okay I suck. So we surfaced. My instructor said "That was horrible." Smiling the whole time, both my instructors have been very supportive. I said that I'd like to try again but would like to do some fin pivots first to get my buoyancy right. I figured the lesss effort the better. Also I wasn't wearing the split fins I'd been using since I started taking lessons because they weren't in the shop, they were at an expo of some sort. So I was using short swim fins that though they fit well were kinda short.
My instructor agreed that I needed to try again and said it would be fine if I wanted to do some fin pivots to get my buoyancy correct.
We descended again. I laid down on my stomach and worked out my buoyancy. I then came up vertical, gave my instructor the okay that I was ready, I took four breaths, held the fourth breath and started kicking for the 30 foot mark in the pool (An underwater light.) I made it with just a few seconds of air left in my lungs. With the small fins though I had to kick harder than normal for me to make the 30 feet. I'm happy though because I did do it.
I'm happy, I was really sweating the 30 foot CESA.
I did the 50 foot no mask swim. The instructor told me what to do while we were at the surface. I kiddingly told her I could do that with my eyes closed. She didn't get it, maybe I should have told her I could do it with both eyes tied behind my back.
Anyway my instructor demonstrated by taking off her mask and swimming about 50 feet with her eyes closed. I suppose she has contact lenses. I followed her her while she swam. If nothing else I watched what she did while practicing my buoyancy. Also I was right in front of her when she donned her mask and cleared it.
My turn.... I took off my mask and easily swam 50 feet then put my mask back on and cleared it. We shook hands and surfaced. She said I did great but told me not to hold onto the snorkel, hold onto the mask or mask strap instead. Afterall I may end up with just a snorkel and no mask at all. Good advice.
We then practiced hovering. It took me some effort and my trim is horrible. I ended up floating diagnally on my left side with my feet over my head, but managed to hold that position for the 30 seconds required. Short scrawny legs with no real mass suck. But heck, at least I did it and I still have as much time as needed to work out my trim and actual proper weighting.
We surfaced and my instructor had me take off my scuba unit to do the snorkeling session. I was wearing an 8 pound belt. When I took off the bcd I quickly sank and kicked hard to bring myself up. I then removed the weight belt, lifted my right leg and drapped it across my upper leg while holding onto the side of the pool and told the instructor the weight was just too heavy so she tossed it over the side of the pool onto the deck and helped me put on a 4 pound weight belt.
My instructor told me how to dive for the bottom from a horizontal additude by bending at the hips then pivoting my legs straight up to force my body underwater.
I put my snorkel in my mouth, swam out a bit, took four deep breathes, held the fourth breath, bent at the hips, pulled my legs up vertical and started down. My legs as mentioned earlier though are short and very thin. Muscle atrophy will do that to you. So I didn't manage to get all the way to the bottom even with a four pound weight belt. But I swam horizontally a few feet near the bottom and started for the surface. I craned my head up and just before I hit the surface blew out my snorkel. I then got horizontal again, took a breath and got a bunch of water. I blew it out and got a bunch more water. I then rolled over on my back and spit the snorkel's mouthpiece and the water out of my mouth. I then coughed a bit and called the free snorkel I got from my friend a of crap. Yup, I said crap. I didn't want to offend anyone.
This was the second time I swam with this snorkel but the first time I actually had to actively clear it.
My instructor asked me to repeat the exercise but told me to use the blast method. I agreed to but suggested that maybe my free snorkel was trying to drown me.
Again I floated on my face, did fourth breaths, held the fourth breath and pivoted down towards the bottom. I still didn't touch the bottom but did a great pivot and my technique was sound.
When I came up, I became horizontal again and blast cleared my snorkel only to find that is still had a lot of water in it and I just couldn't clear it. So I took the snorkel out of my mouth and told the instructor that I just couldn't clear the snorkel. I have had no trouble clearing the snorkel I had been training with.
My snorkel has a very narrow opening at the top. I wonder if it just didn't allow for easy clearing?
I completed the Session #4 requirements and we got out of the pool.
Overall I think I did well. I'm happy with my progress and my instructor is happy to see how far I've progressed. My trim still stinks but is better. My buoyancy control has improved a lot. But I still have lots of practice to go before I become good at it, I think I'm just adaquate.
When I got dried and changed I went to the shop desk and bought a new snorkel. I also bought the Scuba Pro Split Fins I'd been using even though they were at an expo today, and I paid off my training fees. Not a cheap day but I don't mind.
Thanks for reading my rambling.
Yup, another week has gone by and I have a new story. Sorry you all that have been there and done that but here goes.
I had my pool session today. My alternate instructor wasn't available all week end but my first instructor who is now pregnant was available this morning. I commented that she was cheating but she just laughed it off, and to be fair we didn't do anything strenuous, which suited me just fine. I'm just getting over a sinus infection caused by some crud a co-worker infected me with.
I came down sick a few hours after my third pool session last week and spent Monday and Tuesday at home. Worked Wednesday, sneezed up a lot of blood on Thursday, went to the doctor who took tests and told me to take it very easy until the test results came back because he was concerned the blood may have come from one or both of my lungs (I have asthma.). Anyway I stayed home Friday and Friday afternoon got the word it was just the sinus infection I mentioned and the antibiotic I was prescribed would clear things up. But I digress.
We kitted up as usual this morning. I used the fourth BCD in four lessons. At least I'm getting a feel for what I like and don't like. I did a front entry that went very well. The first session where I had no trouble at all entering the water. It went very well and I was able to become vertical at the surface and wait for my instructor to enter the water.
I wasn't wearing enough weight though to sink so I needed to add a few pounds before I could submerge.
Anyway we submerged and I tried my 30 foot CESA. I followed the instructor's instructions and took four deep breaths, held the fourth breath and starter swimming while exhailing. I did lousy, I didn't get more than 10 feet or so. Okay I suck. So we surfaced. My instructor said "That was horrible." Smiling the whole time, both my instructors have been very supportive. I said that I'd like to try again but would like to do some fin pivots first to get my buoyancy right. I figured the lesss effort the better. Also I wasn't wearing the split fins I'd been using since I started taking lessons because they weren't in the shop, they were at an expo of some sort. So I was using short swim fins that though they fit well were kinda short.
My instructor agreed that I needed to try again and said it would be fine if I wanted to do some fin pivots to get my buoyancy correct.
We descended again. I laid down on my stomach and worked out my buoyancy. I then came up vertical, gave my instructor the okay that I was ready, I took four breaths, held the fourth breath and started kicking for the 30 foot mark in the pool (An underwater light.) I made it with just a few seconds of air left in my lungs. With the small fins though I had to kick harder than normal for me to make the 30 feet. I'm happy though because I did do it.
I'm happy, I was really sweating the 30 foot CESA.I did the 50 foot no mask swim. The instructor told me what to do while we were at the surface. I kiddingly told her I could do that with my eyes closed. She didn't get it, maybe I should have told her I could do it with both eyes tied behind my back.
Anyway my instructor demonstrated by taking off her mask and swimming about 50 feet with her eyes closed. I suppose she has contact lenses. I followed her her while she swam. If nothing else I watched what she did while practicing my buoyancy. Also I was right in front of her when she donned her mask and cleared it.
My turn.... I took off my mask and easily swam 50 feet then put my mask back on and cleared it. We shook hands and surfaced. She said I did great but told me not to hold onto the snorkel, hold onto the mask or mask strap instead. Afterall I may end up with just a snorkel and no mask at all. Good advice.
We then practiced hovering. It took me some effort and my trim is horrible. I ended up floating diagnally on my left side with my feet over my head, but managed to hold that position for the 30 seconds required. Short scrawny legs with no real mass suck. But heck, at least I did it and I still have as much time as needed to work out my trim and actual proper weighting.
We surfaced and my instructor had me take off my scuba unit to do the snorkeling session. I was wearing an 8 pound belt. When I took off the bcd I quickly sank and kicked hard to bring myself up. I then removed the weight belt, lifted my right leg and drapped it across my upper leg while holding onto the side of the pool and told the instructor the weight was just too heavy so she tossed it over the side of the pool onto the deck and helped me put on a 4 pound weight belt.
My instructor told me how to dive for the bottom from a horizontal additude by bending at the hips then pivoting my legs straight up to force my body underwater.
I put my snorkel in my mouth, swam out a bit, took four deep breathes, held the fourth breath, bent at the hips, pulled my legs up vertical and started down. My legs as mentioned earlier though are short and very thin. Muscle atrophy will do that to you. So I didn't manage to get all the way to the bottom even with a four pound weight belt. But I swam horizontally a few feet near the bottom and started for the surface. I craned my head up and just before I hit the surface blew out my snorkel. I then got horizontal again, took a breath and got a bunch of water. I blew it out and got a bunch more water. I then rolled over on my back and spit the snorkel's mouthpiece and the water out of my mouth. I then coughed a bit and called the free snorkel I got from my friend a of crap. Yup, I said crap. I didn't want to offend anyone.
This was the second time I swam with this snorkel but the first time I actually had to actively clear it.
My instructor asked me to repeat the exercise but told me to use the blast method. I agreed to but suggested that maybe my free snorkel was trying to drown me.
Again I floated on my face, did fourth breaths, held the fourth breath and pivoted down towards the bottom. I still didn't touch the bottom but did a great pivot and my technique was sound.
When I came up, I became horizontal again and blast cleared my snorkel only to find that is still had a lot of water in it and I just couldn't clear it. So I took the snorkel out of my mouth and told the instructor that I just couldn't clear the snorkel. I have had no trouble clearing the snorkel I had been training with.
My snorkel has a very narrow opening at the top. I wonder if it just didn't allow for easy clearing?
I completed the Session #4 requirements and we got out of the pool.
Overall I think I did well. I'm happy with my progress and my instructor is happy to see how far I've progressed. My trim still stinks but is better. My buoyancy control has improved a lot. But I still have lots of practice to go before I become good at it, I think I'm just adaquate.
When I got dried and changed I went to the shop desk and bought a new snorkel. I also bought the Scuba Pro Split Fins I'd been using even though they were at an expo today, and I paid off my training fees. Not a cheap day but I don't mind.
Thanks for reading my rambling.
