Second pool session notes

[rahuck]

Odd thing I've learned: Party trick--you can actually drink the contents of your mask using your nose.
Ber :lilbunny:

Having had this unpleasant but edifying experience myself, I will confirm that it is possible.

IIIiiiiicccckkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BarryNL]

I did not know that.

It's amazing what you can learn on the internet - sometimes it's even true (though not this time).

 

[TSandM]

Your ears are muscle's, like any other muscle in your body, so when you start using it, it can feel sore

I'm sorry, but I have to correct this. There are a few tiny muscle fibers in your ears that can adjust the tension in your eardrum to cope with loud sounds, but the rest of the ear is NOT a muscle, and ear soreness is NOT normal or desirable with diving. Ear soreness in a novice diver is most frequently due to equalizing the ears incompletely or too late. Few students in OW classes are taught much of anything about equalizing except that you have to do it. THIS video is a long, but excellent educational piece about ears and diving.

With respect to breathing out through your nose into your mask, it will not affect your dead space or your CO2 at all, because you are not REbreathing the exhaled gas in your mask. It can interfere with mask seal, but there is no dead space issue at all. My husband breathes out through his nose every fourth or fifth breath -- tends to keep the mask free from seepage, which he gets because he has a moustache.

 

[Grish]

You do want to be careful about always breathing out your nose though - You have dead air space in your nasal cavity and the exhaled air contains carbon dioxide. It is totally acceptable to breathe out your nose while you are doing the no-mask skills, but I would caution you and others about always exhaling out your nose. Occasionally is good because it does put air in your mask to avoid the squeeze, but certainly not as the default exhalation technique.

I know several people that use to think No big deal, I will continue to breathe out the nose. As they got away from this, they had fewer run-ins with headaches (since the carbon dioxide does not continue to linger in the dead air spaces) and also by not always breathing out the nose, the mask did not keep humming back and forth on the seal to their face.

As for the BCD, you might want to note it to the instructor so he can have that BCD pulled and inspected by the shop. Enough people keep saying, Not my problem, eventually it will become someone's significant problem. To quickly swap BCDs for you at the pool MAY take 10 minutes tops...

It is nice to see new students show their zeal for the sport. Please keep us all posted. I love reading new experiences as it gives me a base of Q&A material for my students - which helps my teaching style, and the student's desire to learn.

I did let them know about the specific concerns I had and why I thought it was leaking at the end of class. I probably made things harder on myself by not doing it as soon as I noticed, though.

Re: my ears....I think being mildly congested made it hard for me to completely equalize and that's where the soreness comes from. I know you aren't supposed to dive with congestion but I thought it was mild enough to get away with. Lesson learned, there.

 

[spectrum]

I did let them know about the specific concerns I had and why I thought it was leaking at the end of class. I probably made things harder on myself by not doing it as soon as I noticed, though.

GretchenK

Good move on making them aware of the problem. In the end though you got some valuable exposure in the form of awareness and adapting to a problem while underwater in a confined water setting.

Pete

 

[Bob Vincent]

Ok, cool a wet suit in the pool for the 2nd class. I can see where the motto be prepared comes from!

 

[kravi]

I did let them know about the specific concerns I had and why I thought it was leaking at the end of class. I probably made things harder on myself by not doing it as soon as I noticed, though.

Re: my ears....I think being mildly congested made it hard for me to completely equalize and that's where the soreness comes from. I know you aren't supposed to dive with congestion but I thought it was mild enough to get away with. Lesson learned, there.

Funny, I was a bit congested too Every foot of water I needed to equalize. Didn't have any issues equalizing though, at least, just needed to do it often.

Oh, and sorry about my buddy George leading me on a kamikaze run into you and your buddy I take zero responsibility, because my eyes were closed and my mask was off...

--Me

 

[amajamar]

First things first: I did the garbage bag thing

Don't mean to derail this thread, but I have to ask...


What's the "garbage bag thing"?

 

[spectrum]

Don't mean to derail this thread, but I have to ask...


What's the "garbage bag thing"?

Slipping a plastic bag over a limb to help ease it into a wetsuit. The shopping bags with a high slip factor work for some. Sort of like a slippery shoe horn effect.

Pete

 

[spectrum]

Funny, I was a bit congested too Every foot of water I needed to equalize. Didn't have any issues equalizing though, at least, just needed to do it often.

Oh, and sorry about my buddy George leading me on a kamikaze run into you and your buddy I take zero responsibility, because my eyes were closed and my mask was off...

--Me

Sure.... That's what we all said about incidental contact in a co-ed dive class.