Questions from "those considering"

[learn2turn]

Hi, just a lurker here. I don't know if I'd ever get into diving but throught I might want to learn more about it in case I might want to try it some time. Like I might try snokeling and if I like it maybe, just maybe, take scuba lessons in a couple years.

Can I ask some, simple questions?

Is there anything that will explains how the whole thing works, how all the equipment works and what diving precedures are like, without buying a course. Just want to learn more about the whole thing. Like maybe a good online overview? I'm an engineer by education and nature and a general sponge for information.

I suppose safety is a big issue. I've always tried to avoid activities where "if I screw up I die". But then again, I'm an advanced skier and an experienced ski instructor and know that the activity is inherently safe, unless you take stupid risks, but accidents do happen. Stuff I worry about...

Support you cough or sneeze under water. What the heck do you do? if you reflex and suck, water gets in. What do you do if you start choking on water? Pass out and hope your buddy can save yer butt?

I know you could just as easy drown in 6' of water or even 6" as 60' Is there some limit where you don't really have to worry about coming up if you have to. Like if you only go down x feet, if something goes wrong, you just head to the top exhaling all the way and relax on the surface?

 

[unlikelyfish]

You can probably get a lot of the information you're looking for browsing this site.

Have you considering taking a discover scuba class through a local shop? That's a good way to learn about diving in a controlled environment and usually quite inexpensive.

 

[Jimmer]

Another vote for Discover SCUBA

 

[Rick Inman]

Hi, just a lurker here. I don't know if I'd ever get into diving but throught I might want to learn more about it in case I might want to try it some time. Like I might try snokeling and if I like it maybe, just maybe, take scuba lessons in a couple years.

Can I ask some, simple questions?

Is there anything that will explains how the whole thing works, how all the equipment works and what diving precedures are like, without buying a course. Just want to learn more about the whole thing. Like maybe a good online overview? I'm an engineer by education and nature and a general sponge for information.

I suppose safety is a big issue. I've always tried to avoid activities where "if I screw up I die". But then again, I'm an advanced skier and an experienced ski instructor and know that the activity is inherently safe, unless you take stupid risks, but accidents do happen. Stuff I worry about...

Support you cough or sneeze under water. What the heck do you do? if you reflex and suck, water gets in. What do you do if you start choking on water? Pass out and hope your buddy can save yer butt?

I know you could just as easy drown in 6' of water or even 6" as 60' Is there some limit where you don't really have to worry about coming up if you have to. Like if you only go down x feet, if something goes wrong, you just head to the top exhaling all the way and relax on the surface?

Well, one thing's for sure, you can't learn to dive on the internet. Although you can get some insight by browsing this site, if you really want your questions answered, you're going to have to get wet.

Take the class. What, 300 dollars and a few days? Just take the class.

As to coughing and/or sneezing underwater, as long as the regulator stays in your mouth, you can just go ahead and do it, no problem.

As to heading to the surface when you have a problem, this question is best answered in... (you guessed it) a class.

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

I've coughed and sneezed underwater. I just kept my regulator in my mouth and kept breathing normally. I did have to let some water into my mask and then clear it out - one of the first things you learn how to do in a scuba class.

For some basic info, you might want to check out the educational links and faqs on scubatoys.com. They are no substitute for a class, but can give you some general info about gas theory, equipment selection and such.

Good luck and hope you have fun diving.

 

[spectrum]

Hi, just a lurker here. I don't know if I'd ever get into diving but throught I might want to learn more about it in case I might want to try it some time. Like I might try snokeling and if I like it maybe, just maybe, take scuba lessons in a couple years.

Can I ask some, simple questions?

Is there anything that will explains how the whole thing works, how all the equipment works and what diving precedures are like, without buying a course. Just want to learn more about the whole thing. Like maybe a good online overview? I'm an engineer by education and nature and a general sponge for information.

How does a regulator work is online, just make a search. If you have a local dive shop in mind you could consider buying the course text and DVD. The best bet is to go in and do a discover dive. This will include a lesson on the essentials then a chance to dive with assistance. The cost is usually very modest, in hopes of getting you hooked.

I suppose safety is a big issue. I've always tried to avoid activities where "if I screw up I die". But then again, I'm an advanced skier and an experienced ski instructor and know that the activity is inherently safe, unless you take stupid risks, but accidents do happen. Stuff I worry about...

As an engineer I understand the propensity to analyze this stuff to death, I did a lot of the same. Just remember that we're all mere mortals and we manage. The vast majority of the basic open water training is accident mitigation. Relax

Support you cough or sneeze under water. What the heck do you do? if you reflex and suck, water gets in. What do you do if you start choking on water? Pass out and hope your buddy can save yer butt?

The regulator is still in your mouth so it's no big deal. You mask may get a little disturbed but basic training gets you accustomed to squaring that away. A non issue.

I know you could just as easy drown in 6' of water or even 6" as 60' Is there some limit where you don't really have to worry about coming up if you have to. Like if you only go down x feet, if something goes wrong, you just head to the top exhaling all the way and relax on the surface?

By definition recreational diving is as you hope. Safety stops are suggested as is an ascent no faster than 30 feet per minute but if all else fails you should be able to do a swimming emergency ascent or a buoyant emergency ascent with no serious consequences. With good buddy and personal diving practices this is a very remote problem. There is no huge need to go deep. The longest dives with the best light will be in the shallows. There are neat things in the deep 2 but you can take your time getting there.

Pete

 

[Colliam7]

Is there anything that will explains how the whole thing works, how all the equipment works and what diving precedures are like, without buying a course.

There actually is one of those 'for Dummies' books - in this case, 'Scuba Diving and Snorkeling for Dummies', which might be of value, and it is only about $20. I agree with the responses, above, that suggest continuing to lurk here, or taking a Discover Scuba class.

Support you cough or sneeze under water. What the heck do you do? if you reflex and suck, water gets in. What do you do if you start choking on water? Pass out and hope your buddy can save yer butt?

As several have said, if you keep your regulator in your mouth, there should not be a problem. You can cough, sneeze, or puke in your regulator and, as long as you keep it in your mouth you should be OK.

I know you could just as easy drown in 6' of water or even 6" as 60' Is there some limit where you don't really have to worry about coming up if you have to?

Technically, no. I doubt anyone will say, 'You don't have to worry about coming up at ......'. But, practically, if you stay at 30 ft or less, your flexibility in terms of ascents stays pretty broad (although some might give a little deeper depth, and some might give a shallower depth).

 

[TSandM]

Being a hopeless bibliophile, I've thumbed through the Scuba-related books at our local Barnes and Noble a few times. There are a number of books that would qualify as a sort of "overview" of diving, many beautifully illustrated with photographs. Sorry, I can't call up a title, because these books aren't anything I was planning on buying (since I'm already certified and looking more for narrative books on diving).

Safety is a big issue in an activity that takes place in an environment where man only survives thanks to the equipment he takes with him, but a large part of scuba training is in safety procedures. The equipment itself, if properly cared for, is very reliable, and if the diver learns and follows the proper planning and execution procedures, he may be able to do a lifetime's diving without any more than minor inconveniences underwater.

The DEFINITION of recreational scuba is that you always remain in a time-depth product that permits a direct ascent as a solution to any problem. That ascent needs to be controlled in velocity, but the surface is always an option. When you get to any kind of diving where it is not, the training gets MUCH more rigorous, and the equipment gets much more involved.

You can easily cough through a regulator, or sneeze. You can even throw up through one, I've read, although thank goodness I haven't had to learn that one first-hand. If you get some salt water in your throat, you cough it out. Being comfortable with things like that is one of the things you should learn early on.

Diving's an incredible pastime. I had no idea how addictive it could be, although I had always enjoyed snorkeling. Why don't you do a Discover Scuba class somewhere warm and pretty, and see what you think of it?

 

[rollerboi]

Welcome! Another quick suggestion I might make -- don't spend too much money on snorkelling equipment, as what is suitable for the surface is not always suitable for deeper down.

Another vote here for Discover SCUBA or simply going right into an Open Water course; you'll be given the opportunity to try out the correct kind of equipment with expert guidance.

Good luck, and hope to see you diving real soon!

 

[daniel f aleman]

Hey, it's just like skiing: you start with group classes, make a bunch of runs down the Bunny Trail, then the Greens, then the Blues then the Blacks, then the Diamond Blacks, then the Double Diamond Blacks... and so forth. As you get better, the more of the mountain you can access - the diving progression is similar.

Scuba is so much fun, just like skiing.