safe diver ?

[ChasCookies]

Hi everybody,

I just got my open water...Did it with my g/f at a Holiday Resort in South of Europe, (alarms ringing already?) some things worried me a little bit, it all seemed a bit light and rushed when i read these forums of what some divers go through in training. Wondering what more could/should I expect from my training though, I can clear my mask, pretty comfortable in the water from years of snorkelling. I wonder if we are "safe divers" or if we got rushed, at risk of my own safety, or am I just a nervous new guy...We did 1 pool session, 3 short dives from the shore (no more than 20 minutes per dive) and 1 boat dive to 18m for about 30 minutes. No problems, felt great, had a wonderful time, the instructor was friendly, but didn't speak much english. We are thinking to goto nemo33 in Belgium or dive4life near to Cologne to test our skills out next week. Anything to think about?

thanks! Looking forward to see more underwater!

 

[tstormdiver]

One thing to remember, you are trained to dive in conditions similar to what you were trained in. Can you go beyond that??? certainly, though I would recommend seeking some kinds of mentorship,... whether through formal training or guidance from someone well versed in the types of diving you'd like to do. If you feel that your training may have been lacking,.. you might look into another instructors that will train you in the ways you'd like to be well versed in.

 

[TSandM]

Safe diver is much more about mindset than it is about physical skills . . . Nobody graduates from their OW class a "finished" diver, but safe divers keep their dives relatively shallow and unchallenging until their skills have solidified. What's important is that you continue to WORK on those skills -- you could clear a mask at the end of your class, but can you do it while swimming, without changing your depth? Can you share gas without losing buoyancy control? How are your navigation skills? These are all things that really ought to be pretty solid before attempting deeper or more difficult dives. And the fun part is, the only way to get better at them is to DIVE . . . how cool is that?

 

[supergaijin]

Which agency? PADI? CMAS?

 

[Scuba.com]

Safe diver is much more about mindset than it is about physical skills . . . Nobody graduates from their OW class a "finished" diver, but safe divers keep their dives relatively shallow and unchallenging until their skills have solidified.

Maybe you didn't receive the best training, but TSandM has a good point. Nobody takes an OW class and walks out a perfect diver. Even after years and years of diving, I am still learning. What you received was the basics, and now it's up to you to keep your training going. This was already touched upon by the other posts, but make sure you keep your diving within your experience level. Don't put yourself into situations in which you are not trained. If you want to dive somewhere new, hire a dive master or get more training. Once you get a few dives under your belt, take the Advanced Open Water class. In AOW, you will continue to develop skills like buoyancy, navigation, etc.


Cheers,

 

[Nirvana]

Like you, I received my initial OW training while on vacation, in a resort. The course did not feel rushed, but still I was a little insecure about having had adequate instruction. So, when I got back home, I spoke to a friend who was a scuba diver and recommended me an instructor she liked. I then did an assessment of my theoretical knowledge and underwater skills. It turns out my skills were good, but the knowledge part was lacking in areas such as controlling non decompression limits. So, to end the story, I had some remedial lessons for the OW course and I have been diving since then.

Perhaps you should seek someone to assess you the same way and maybe tell you that you already know what you should for now and just need to dive and have fun.

 

[PatW]

When I took open water, I had the distinct impression that most of the other students were oriented towards getting the certification. They did not seem to see the course as an opportunity to build up a necessary knowledge base and skill set for recreational diving.

If you know your limitations and dive within them, diving is a pretty safe activity.

As mentioned above by others, you do not leave certification as a fully formed diver. You should pick up skills and knowledge as you progress. You will not improve unless you work at it. This summer, I dove with a group of divers who all had a pile of dives. The amazing thing about them was their poor diving skills. Apparently, they never saw the need to improve. I have seen divers with relatively few dives who did a good job largely because they cared about it.

 

[toddthecat]

We did 1 pool session, 3 short dives from the shore (no more than 20 minutes per dive) and 1 boat dive to 18m for about 30 minutes.

Alarms aren't ringing at the fact you did it at a resort. That's fairly common. What you say above is what sets off alarms. What agency is this through? Also, what rating did you get? If this was a PADI certification, was it Scuba Diver or Open Water Diver?

 

[ChasCookies]

It was a PADI Open Water Diver course. Im definitely planning to get in the water in the next few weeks to check my skills. I'm not looking to sledge the company, it just seemed very different to the descriptions I see of some who worked very hard to get a OW license. I have a tremendous respect for the ocean, so I will not be rushing or going into situations above my experience. I just had a chat with the local dive shop because I would like to invest in some gear also, and they offered a test dive, so I might take that up. Planning on getting the Aqualung Titan LX kit with a Aqualung Pro BCD, seems like a good beginner kit.(any thoughts?)

Thanks for the advice so far! Awesome forums!

 

[toddthecat]

If you had one pool dive and then did 4 OW dives for open water it sounds rushed. How long was the pool dive? Did you do knowledge reviews, quizzes and exam? How did you guys do on them?

I haven't heard anything bad about the Aqualung Titan or the Pro BCD, although I don't really travel in the Aqualung circle very much.