Pretty New Diver Looking for Tips to Better Handle Future "Situations"

[Belzelbub]

Yeah, I definitely agree. Lots of red flags about that op on the second day. As a new diver, boat dives can be a challenge. There is even a Specialty course for boat dives. Boat dives in rough conditions can be a challenge for seasoned divers.

Seasickness is definitely not pleasant. I grew up in and around the water, and on boats as far back as I can remember. As such, I don’t often get seasick, but have on a few occasions, when the rollers hit me just right. One time was in Key Largo on a dive boat. I was in the first group down and up, so we had to wait a bit for other groups. That was getting to me. Jumping back in the water actually helped me, but it sounds like it didn’t help you. I’ve tried a few different seasickness meds, and didn’t like any of them. They made me feel funky enough, that I’d rather do without. I say that because you may need to try a few to find out what’s best for you.

Some of the second ops practices may be OK, but the way they went about things seems problematic. Lack of a down line isn’t necessarily a problem, but it should have been clearly explained. Absentee DM is a big concern, as is rushing you in to the water.

Don’t fret the nervousness you felt. I’d bet a lot of divers would have been equally nervous.

To get past it, do several dives in pristine conditions, if possible. Just to make sure you are comfortable with diving itself. Not sure what options there are in the Pittsburgh area, though. If there are some confined water dive sites in your area, give them a try. Probably not as interesting as the Keys, but any time spent underwater will help.

 

[Jcp2]

I think the sea conditions were not in your favor. It’s tricky to get up a pitching ladder the first couple of times, and coupled with low visibility and surge, not a great sightseeing dive. It’s okay to call, and still even better to cancel, even though you might forfeit the costs of the trip. At least you’ll have the opportunity to do something else more enjoyable topside.

 

[Diverlady13]

Oh yeah! I forgot one thing I was going to say. I feel like when I was getting certified (or maybe it was during AOW) there was a lot of talk about dive boats having down lines. Most of the diving I've done has been from boats and I think I've only done 2 or 3 dives where there was a down line. One was a shark dive in pretty good current, but with that dive we not only followed a line down, but also followed lines across the ocean floor until we were properly situated. The other that I remember was the Speigel Grove as there is pretty good current at the site. There was likely one or two others, but nothing that stands out. So while a down line can be super helpful, especially in current or even just as a visual reference, definitely don't count on there being that line when you're boat diving. I worried about this a few times, but it's been very helpful to have to practice hovering for a safety stop rather than relying on a line. Sometimes forced practice is helpful.

 

[Bob DBF]

I had a rough few dives the last few days, including one that left me feeling a bit scared and upset while it was occurring.

My hat is off to you that you are looking foward to your next dive rather than finding a different hobby. @Centrals pretty much summed it up well in his post.

I am afraid it is part of the learning curve for new divers or even the experienced. A competent operator can make or break your fun but there is NO easy way to know that.

People have given go advice on seasick meds, which I would take if I needed them. And my advice is to plan your next dive to avoid bad weather and go to a more benign spot and work on some fun diving to offset your last dive. Practicing skills and normal dives will get you ready for the next s**t show.

You did good for the situation you wound up in, you kept your head and kept an incident from becoming an accident. When someone talks about an experienced diver, it's learning from situations like this that make you one. Anyone can dive when it's easy and everything goes right. Oh yeah, thank your instructor next time you see him/her.

 

[johndiver999]

Just read they PUSHED you into the water?

In rough conditions and with inexperienced divers, it is not that unusual for a crew member to "help ensure the diver safely clears the stern" while entering. That often means a little helpful push while you are leaving the boat. Nobody should be shoved off a boat when they are not ready. If someone was not expecting the push, it could seem weird. You want to push at butt level at the tank and avoid pushing high or they tend to rotate and do a face plant.

 

[johndiver999]

Hiya, all! Very new here. I have been reading all through the posts on these boards so have already gotten some tips and ideas, but I would really like to reach out for more support. !

Even though you had a crappy experience, I would not worry about being a bad diver. If you were bad, you would have gotten in serious trouble and might well have drowned. So pat yourself on the back for surviving.

It sounds like the crew did a reasonable job trying to support divers (especially swimming a rope/pfd to you), but you are a certified diver. You decided to enter the water in those conditions, you determined that the conditions were within your capacity and you became overwhelmed and incapacitated by sickness, weakness and the seas.

Having something like this happen early in your "career" is actually a very good thing. You now have a much better idea of what you can (and can't) handle, you probably now know what type of seas you will go out in and you will probably try to get a decent vis report before going on a boat.

And most importantly, you were taught a very stern lesson about how you are, more or less, on your own when diving and you should not count on a DM to always be there. You also learned that being on the surface can be more dangerous and scary than being underwater when it is very rough and there are currents.
People can tell you these things, but until you experience it for yourself, it just doesn't have the same impact.

Everyone needs to get their AZZ kicked sooner or later. You have to respect the ocean. Just put it in the log book under "things I'm not going to do again".

I saw a situation like yours in the keys, but it was more severe and the poor lady had to be hospitalized (over night) for near drowning by the time she was hauled in to the back of the boat while holding onto a rope in very rough conditions. She had to be lifted into the boat by several people and just collapsed on the deck, crying and gasping for air.

I think a lot of people would be done diving after a trip like that. The fact that you want to continue says a lot.

 

[davehicks]

I think you did a fine job handling some really poor diving conditions. And you had a great learning experience. Just don't let it sour your future diving dreams.

As mentioned earlier you need to learn when to call a dive. The time to call this one was when the hurricane passed though the area. That is just going to be no fun for anyone regardless of experience level. Every bad experience you had was downstream of that condition. You were sick. The dive ops were stressed. Nerves were strung tight.

Get your self some gear of your own for your next trip. A full reg set, mask, computer, and wetsuit. The rest you can rent.

And buy those scopolamine patches to keep with your dive gear. Hopefully you wont need them again if you can avoid the hurricanes!

 

[Catito]

Hiya, all! Very new here. I have been reading all through the posts on these boards so have already gotten some tips and ideas, but I would really like to reach out for more support. I had a rough few dives the last few days, including one that left me feeling a bit scared and upset while it was occurring. I'm looking forward to diving again in the future (not scared of) but would greatly appreciate some (hopefully kind, but true) insight into areas I may not have considered and tips for what I could have done differently/better so that, if these sort of situations come up in the future, I can handle them better. Sorry for such a long post, but I'd love help with Day 1 or Day 2 troubleshooting.

So, about me: I am basically steady and comfortable as a new diver, with tons to learn and grow towards, of course. The few dives I had previously were training dives to get my OW and then some diving in Jamaica, which was great--great vis, fairly calm water, great DM/guides with our little group, etc. My dive buddy is my husband. He dove a lot years ago, then took a hiatus, and now we're starting to dive together.

Setting up for the dives: We booked a trip to come down to Key Largo this past week, and we really excited to get some diving in this past week in Key Largo. Hurricane/Tropical Storm Elsa came through right before we got there--it was still lashing through parts of Florida the day our plane came in. We called the dive operators where we had our dives scheduled over 2 days, and they both said everyone was still diving and it would be fine.

Dive Day 1: We had 2 dives planned. Overall, it went well for the first dive. After the first dive, we had to wait on the surface while the entire group got back on the boat. I was last, and found that bobbing on the surface made me really sick. I got back on the boat but could not clear my ears for the second dive because I could not stop vomiting and was getting congested. Of note, of maybe 11 diver passengers, 3 of us were vomiting, including 2 divers who noted they each had around 500 dives (when I chatted with them later). This made me feel better... I'm not the only one affected, though I'm new. Based on reading this forum a lot, I think waiting outside after check-in and before the boat left (we waited for about 1 hour in 95ish degree heat) was a big contributor. Maybe some stress or nervousness about doing well. Taking lots of salt water in the face while bobbing on the surface in the heat waiting to get back in the boat. Looks like a scopamine patch may be great to help me not get sick in the future (as I learned from day 2, below, Bonine does not quite do it for me in rough waters or lots of surge). Anything else I'm missing here?

Dive Day 2: Horrible. Here's where I'd really like some troubleshooting so I don't have a repeat. We went to a different operator for day 2 because the operator from day 1 had been fully booked on this day. We had 4 dives planned: 2 AM (I went down for both), 2 PM (we canceled).

In the AM, they did not have enough gear for us and we were held up a bit while they went to find a spare regulator and some other gear other folks needed. Not too long of a wait in the heat, though... maybe 15 minutes, so probably typical? As soon as we were away from the shore, the waters were clearly rough. Tanks kept raising and slamming. Something glass at the front of the boat flipped to the floor and shattered. The captain warned that vis was fairly bad and they had to pick a new site than originally planned. On dive 1, like the previous day, I had no problems, though I was not feeling emotionally thrilled with the operator. Mostly little things and I told myself I was being a baby and they were not there to coddle me. Our assigned DM/guide (not sure what to call him) did not really speak to any of us--I was put into a group of 5 divers, and he was supposed to brief us and stay with us. They had to go find him to brief us, which he did not really do, and then had to find him again when it was time for us to go in. Also, there was no downline, and a crew member chuckled at me when I asked if I could descend on it, telling me "our boats don't do that... you just descend where you jump in. You'll be fine." Turns out, I was. No issues with my ears--hooray! I guess I just felt like the crew basically did not care about the divers, but again, I am sure I was being oversensitive as a new diver hoping to do well and feel more confident.

Regardless, dive 1 went okay... though vis was worse than the day before (MAYBE 10-15 feet tops), and current was way stronger. We were at a shallow reef, and there was a fair amount of surge. There was not as much to see except when we were inside of coral "cave" areas (not really caves, but some swim unders and swim throughs and such that seemed to shelter us a smidge from the surge. Overall, I felt good about how I handled myself. When we surfaced, I got back on the boat and managed to not get sick (I'd taken 2 Bonine 1 hour 30 minutes before diving based on package directions).

When we reached the second dive site a bit later, the captain let us know he also could not make it to the originally planned site so had circled back to a spot on the first reef. I was starting to get incredibly nauseous, so my buddy/husband helped me to gear up, and the first mate told me to get in quickly and go under the mooring ball and wait on the bottom. I asked about my husband and the guide, and she told me I should hurry in and under so I did not get sick, and assured me they would send my guide right after and he would come to me, and we'd join our little group of 5 (3 divers together, plus my husband and I as a pair). I noticed my guide did not have his fins on, but did not have much time to think about it, as they were assisting us with pushes because they wanted us to hurry because of how high many waves were and gave me a shove into my long stride before I could say anything else. I went in and did a free descent again, staying as close to under the mooring ball as possible.

I waited at the bottom for about 5 minutes, looking up constantly and adjusting my position the best I could, as the current (surge?) was much stronger than I had ever experienced. No one came besides fish. After about 5 minutes, I went to the surface to look around. I was within about 10 feet of the ball, but no one else was at the surface near me, and no one in the boat was looking my way. I stayed on the surface, getting bounced in the waves. After a moment, the first mate on the ship saw me and waved and shouted to ask where my group was. I shouted back that no one had come. She shrugged and pointed off to the side and indicated I should swim that way and look for the group again. I descended and did so, but I could not find anyone.

After 5 minutes or so, I went back to the surface. I was in the general direction she'd sent me, but further from the boat. She indicated I should descend again, so I did, and waited at the bottom. The clouds had come out and so sunlight was not coming down through the water as much; it was much darker and I was starting to feel scared but trying hard to stay calm. Vis was even worse where I was now, and I could not see much more than 5 feet or so ahead of me, and even at 5 feet it was murky. I was also feeling really sick to my stomach from my time on the surface and my time in the surge underwater pulling me around. I ascended a third time, and this time tried to signal that I was not okay.

Sounds rough. I am from Florida and dive Key Largo a couple of times a year and as often as possible up here in Palm Beach. When the seas are above 4ft, I do not dive. No fun. I take Dramamine 1 hr before getting on the boat. 1 pill if waves 2ft…2 pills if waves 3 to 4ft.

On top of the poor conditions it sounds like you had a poor operator. There are plenty of those in the Keys. Who ever it was you used for day two, I would not use them again.
Come back and try Florida again. I HIGHLY recommend Pura Vida Divers in Palm Beach County. They will cancel when the weather is bad and take you on lovely dives when the weather is good. Great people. Friendly and safety conscious.

 

[lowwall]

You did fine with the actual diving.

I think one you should take away from this is that sometimes the best option is to not get on the boat. You should have your own criteria for acceptable conditions instead of relying on the boat to cancel for you.

Another thing is the importance of pre-dive research. Research the ops and how things work in that area well before you book a trip. In general, you are expected to be able to do everything on your own in the US, while you can more often count on DMs and crew helping with every aspect of the dive in the Caribbean. But this varies from place to place and operator to operator, so you need to verify.

 

[tarponchik]

This is south Florida reality: almost always someone on the boat pukes. Before you jump to any conclusions about yourself as diver, try diving in the Caribbean, it is way more relaxing.