I get that! lol!
The feeling of freaking definitely got me thinking, however i think it's part of moving out of one's comfort zone, and i didn't want to back out as i really wanted to learn! I totally agree with your advice and wrote a little about it all in another thread:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...y-1-star-cmas-certification-but-now-what.html
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I was close to freaking when I did my OW back in October. I nearly called the whole thing off after the first shore dive, but I ended up completing the course and was so glad I did. My advice would be to take it at your own pace and don't ever let anybody force you beyond your limits.
---------- Post added April 8th, 2012 at 07:10 PM ----------
Thanks, yea i was nervous and had butterflies of course, however once i was down there (and 3rd dive was only 4.5 meter so not so intimidating) i actually had a really good experience and felt comfortable, even though i was also anxious a little.
I am all about going slowly and gaining more experience, so that is also my plan! Thanks for the reply
)
I remember feeling butterflies in my stomach throughout my entire first summer of diving, always feelings so nervous I almost wanted an excuse to to cancel going diving and yet always loving the experience of diving. I was that nervous even though I was otherwise very comfortable in the water and even underwater as a swimmer. So give yourself a break, breathing underwater takes a bit of getting used to and not everyone can be a natural from the get go.
If a skill like changing regs or removing & replacing your mask makes you nervous it might easily just mean you need practise. Those skills intimidate almost everyone at first. Spending more time just swimming underwater and snorkeling might help you feel generally more comfortable in the water and when diving having a calm, experienced teacher makes a world of difference too. Practise your skills in shallower, less intimidating waters and/or the pool and little by little you will begin to relax and enjoy yourself.
Diving is supposed to be fun, so keep it at a level you can enjoy. A whole lot of the best scenery is in the shallow waters, get more experience in those and as your confidence grows so will your ability to take on greater challenges w/o loosing your calm.
---------- Post added April 8th, 2012 at 07:23 PM ----------
Thanks both, yes it's great advice!
I spoke to the instructor and did practise a few times the regulator n mask clearing.
I think the nervousness is still due to everything being very new, new environment, new breathing and everything...
To answer, i want to dive for myself, i wanted to discover what is out there and to challenge myself. (i definitely got the last part!)
I live in Israel with about a 6 hour drive to Eilat (Red Sea) and the idea was to be able to dive there and hopefully every now and then be able to take a day or two down there, dive and improve..
)
I won't be doing the AOW before i get to a higher confidence level and i want also to gain some more experience first...
I bolted to the surface 3 times during pool time but after a serious talk with the instructor (he did not approve lol), i realized i had to stop conditioning myself...
But, got my 1 star now so i'm trying to take it from here!
Great advice as always TS&M One of our local ladies, went through the open water training classes twice before she was ready for the ocean/certification dives. However, with a bit of support from our group she has now completed her advanced certification and has accumulated over 100 dives in the past year in a wide variety of environments. As for me, in my OW class, I bolted to the surface at least twice during the pool training. Oh, by the way I am now a scuba instructor. The first question I have is are you wanting to be a diver for yourself, or someone else. If you truly have a desire to be a diver, you may find with repeating the pool portions of the class to achieve better mastery of skills that this may in fact be a sport for you.
---------- Post added April 8th, 2012 at 07:29 PM ----------
Thanks Bob for your reply
I agree 100% , the survival instinct is pretty intense..
Also know not everyone is cut out to be diving, however learning to walk also took a lot of fumbling around and look at me now!
)
I think it comes down to being very true with oneself, knowing ones limits, and also choosing ones own battles.
Yes i felt scared and anxious, but was open about it and truly wanted to succeed and face the fears. It's hard and i'm still nervous, after all only had 6 ow dives!
In any case, i'm giving it a chance and i'm not in a rush.
)
Hello Bell ...
First of all, what you're experiencing isn't all that unusual ... it's an indication that you have a healthy sense of survival. We humans are hard-wired to respond instinctively to being underwater in a manner that gets us out of the water as quickly as possible. Part of your training is "rewiring" those instincts. Some people take longer to do that than others. That is why I agree with others that you are not ready yet to proceed to the open ocean for your checkout dives. You owe it to yourself and your instructor to tell them so. My guess is that your instructor already knows, but wants to let you make the decision. And a huge part of scuba diving is about making good decisions. So have that talk.
There is no shame in holding yourself back. As an instructor, I commonly have students who take longer than the initial schedule ... and when I suggest to them that we should spend additional time in the pool, they are usually relieved to hear it.
As some have said, not everyone is cut out to be a scuba diver. You may be one of those ... but more commonly, people who experience what you're feeling just need more time in training.
Give yourself that time. A good instructor will work with you as long as you are willing to work with yourself. My alpha dive buddy ... someone I've done over 800 dives with now ... went through the exact same situation when she was new ... and now she's a wonderful diver.
Best wishes ... don't push it. Diving is supposed to be fun. Don't go to the open water checkout dives until you feel like it can be fun ... that's when you'll know you're ready.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
---------- Post added April 8th, 2012 at 07:37 PM ----------
Makes sense!
Could you link to that blog entry? I couldn't find it
)!
At my LDS, we offer open water students a free "mod. 6" usually in the pool while we are doing a Discover Scuba experience. With usually 2 pros in the water (instructor and DM) the student divers can work on necessary skills while at the same time noting how far they have come from the first moment of breathing off a scuba unit, a real confidence builder. We have some students who then are much better prepared to do their open water dives, but others still need further development. Please heed the advice of some very wise people on this thread (TSandM). If you are over anxious about the open water dives, do some more training before you attempt them. Also, for encouragement, read my blog "So now you are doing your open water dives." You will enjoy scuba diving when your skills and confidence go up and your anxiety level goes down. Be patient. You will get it done!
DivemasterDennis