Starting Classes Tomorrow - Advice Needed!

[TMHeimer]

My 2 cents on the old MOF thing: Ray, you make some very good points from actual experience. It's also hard for me to disagree with Jim. I always keep my mask on when boat diving or shore diving when it may fall off into deep water. When walking in for my standard shallow shore dive it's on my forehead. Easiest way to see when negotiating seaweedy low tide rocks. Yes, I could put it on my arm, put it on backwards, or around my neck. If on the forehead, that's the easiest way to just flip it down when it's time. I don't say any of that to students of course, but I will here because they can also read on SB how many pros solo dive all the time (I assume many who don't have the cert.), and check into all the opinions on that.

Since I recall it being listed as one of the possible signs of distress (in the PADI Rescue Manual I think), I can see why instructors feel it should be taught-- as a matter of somewhat following standards. I once assisted an instructor who said nothing as 2 or 3 mask "offenders" faced him. I was shocked! He did, however mention it in passing later on in the course I think.

 

[FinnMom]

My experience is that the few people who want to have the mask on forehead be a distress signal are very few but really vehement about it. I presume they have to be vehement because they desperately want to force their idea on everyone else and the battle isn't going well for them.

It is worthwhile not to loose the mask while in open water. Otherwise I agree that you should allow your example to help the dictators get over themselves.

 

[RJP]

My experience is that the few people who want to have the mask on forehead be a distress signal are very few but really vehement about it.

Do you understand the difference between "a signal" and "a sign"? Perhaps it's a Finnish/English thing?

 

[FinnMom]

I grew up in MN. Lived some years in Savannah, but learned English decently well nonetheless .

Hyperventilation is a sign of distress, waving with both arms or some other attempt to communicate my distress is a signal. On the other hand I understand how shoving up the mask as part of generally thrashing about and rejecting one's gear is more a sign than a signal.

I've generally been harassed on this matter when not even in the water, which has definetely added to my annoyed attitude.

 

[scubadada]

Most of my dives are drift dives in SE FL. My mask does not come off until I'm on the boat. My reg does come out occasionally while I wait for pickup but goes back in for the pickup. The reg come out when I'm safely back on the boat

 

[RJP]

Grew up in MN and Savannah, but learned English decently well nonetheless.

Hyperventilation is a sign of distress, waving with both arms or some other attempt to communicate my distress is a signal.

Cool. So then you understand that a distressed diver pushing their mask up on their forehead is not a signal. We're in agreement there.

So, how do we convince those distressed divers who - despite your protestations - still opt to push their masks up off their faces to either stop doing so... or to completely remove their masks entirely and scream, as Jim suggests? Until they do... I'll continue to pay attention to it as a possible sign.

 

[OliviaRose]

My favorite shore dive on Maui is the Mala Pier in Lahaina -- Shaka Doug doesn't go up there, but any number of dive shops could provide you with a DM to do that dive. It's shallow and pretty easy, but it has fabulous structure and a TON of critters.

Thank you all SO much for the Hawaii references, it is very helpful - I am so happy I found this website!

That sounds like an excellent first dive for my fiancé, or something similar - shallow, easy, pretty, and fun! We are staying in Lahaina. It won't hurt for me to have some additional instruction, of course. I remember in Vieques, also a shore dive near a dock (can't remember which), it was pretty much just a 10 minute lesson - "don't hold your breath" - and a couple minutes practicing in shallow water and then off we went! It was so much fun...

We will have a rental car on each island - I like to explore a lot and hate dealing with cabs, etc. so we can drive to better locations even if not super close. We are staying on Poipu Beach, Koloa, on Kaui, Waikiki Beach on Oahu, Kailua-Kona on Hawaii, and Lahaina on Maui.

Have any of you heard of this? It is a night dive with mantas - saw them off a boat once and it blew my mind! Link: 1 Tank Manta Dive or 3 Hour Snorkel Charter

I also want to shark dive... I know this is a bit ambitious, what do you think? Not afraid of them, I've come across reef sharks on two occasions, and nurse sharks as well.

---------- Post added April 21st, 2015 at 03:31 PM ----------

I liked this particular one because my fiancé could snorkel above while I dive below

 

[FinnMom]

Checking for signs of trouble with anyone who gives you reason for concern is good, no arguement.

I am against calling out to perfectly calm people, who typically are not even in the water and harassing them. This is what happened to the thread originator (while not in the water) and it's happened to me several times in the past as well - never when I was actually in the water. On these occasions I was told that by putting my mask on my forehead I was signalling (i.e. puposefully, conciously communicating) a desire for help - and that's nonsense.

 

[stuartv]

Have any of you heard of this? It is a night dive with mantas - saw them off a boat once and it blew my mind! Link: 1 Tank Manta Dive or 3 Hour Snorkel Charter

Ha! You should check this out!

https://youtu.be/lsUnxYNwJBE

FWIW, diving the reefs off Waikiki, we usually saw at least 1 or 2 Blacktip sharks on each dive. Not as impressive as the Bull sharks in the Cozumel/Cancun area, but made up for by having lots of other stuff to see. There are 3 sunken ships (artificial reefs) off Waikiki. I dove them all last month and enjoyed them. Diving the Sea Tiger in the morning and then going back and diving it again as a night dive was way cool. I also dove the LCU (another sunken ship) off the west side of Oahu. It was okay, but the reefs in that area were a lot more interesting than the reefs right off Waikiki. There was also a sunken airplane right next to the LCU.

Hawaiian Diving Adventures can take you to all those places. And, if you get certified for it before you go, they can provide Nitrox, which some other shops can't. The Nitrox class is just one classroom session with no dives, so it's totally worth doing as soon as you can. I did mine 2 weeks after I finished OW, but I think some places offer it combined in with the OW class itself.

One additional note about Nitrox class. If you think you might EVER, down the road, want to get certified for decompression diving, one of the prerequisites will be the Technical Nitrox class (e.g. TDI Nitrox - versus the Recreational Nitrox class, e.g. SDI Computer Nitrox or whatever PADI calls it - Enriched Air/Nitrox?). Both classes are basically just one classroom session and no dives. The only practical difference is that the Tech class teaches you everything from the Rec class plus it teaches you how to use Nitrox based on tables. The Rec class only teaches how to use Nitrox using a dive computer. Using tables means using some formulas and doing some basic arithmetic. Though you also learn how to do it using only tables, without doing the arithmetic. Anyway, I only mention this because I wish someone had told ME the same thing. Then I would have skipped the Rec Nitrox class and gone straight to the Tech Nitrox class. Just to save some time. And, possibly, some money. TDI Nitrox has no prereqs beyond Open Water cert.

And even if you don't plan to learn how to do decompression dives, the extra knowledge you get in the TDI Nitrox class makes it worth taking anyway, I think.

---------- Post added April 21st, 2015 at 03:56 PM ----------

I liked this particular one because my fiancé could snorkel above while I dive below

ps. You should ask any dive charter you are considering. I wouldn't be surprised if any/all of them would sell you an extra seat for your fiancé to come along and just snorkel while you dive.

 

[OliviaRose]

Thank you Stuart!

---------- Post added April 21st, 2015 at 04:02 PM ----------

I probably will take the Nitrox class and as many as they let me before the trip, haha

---------- Post added April 21st, 2015 at 04:06 PM ----------

All I can say about that video is WOW - it is like the stuff of the most beautiful dreams...