Hello everyone,
I am new to this site and was referred to it by some great folks at treasurenet.com. I am looking into diving again after a few years and hope you all can give me some much needed advice.
I will start with my previous attempt at OW certification. First, I live in North Georgia and took a PADI course through a certified and well known dive shop. I made it through all the classes, pool sessions, initial checkout dives, etc. with no problem at all. By the time I was ready for my final OW dive to obtain certification, I had purchased all my own equipment and was completely comfortable with all aspects of diving.
The final dive was in a rock quarry that has been used for a good number of years and was set up for the final dive. By this I mean they had platforms at predetermined depths and landmarks used for the different stages of the dives. The first platform was 25 ft deep. On this final dive, everyone in the class was suited up, everything was checked out and ready to go, except me.
On the buoyancy check, I found that I did not have enough weight on to sink and informed the instructor of the issue. I tried several times and I must be ultra buoyant, because it just wasn't happening. He basically brushed me off, telling me to go on and join the others and "just give it a try". There were 8 people in the class and guess he was anxious to move on.
I joined the others and of course on the first attempt, I couldn't sink. The rest of the class disappeared below me, including my own dive partner. The next thing I know, someone grabs my ankle and pulls me down. The only thing I remember after that is waking up, floating on the surface with blood coming out both ears.
I had burst both ear drums and someone from another dive group jumped in to help me. It took a very long time for my ear drums to heal and I think the fear that I felt has never completely gone away. This is not meant to cast a negative light on any particular organization...to this day, no one has ever admitted to being the one who pulled me down, although I have my own suspicions.
This being said, I really, really want to try diving again. The folks I talked to at treasurenet.com said that as long as I don't have problems clearing my ears when I fly, etc., it would probably be ok to try it again. What are your thoughts about this? Any suggestions, similar experiences, stories, medical knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can shed some light on the subject and maybe provide suggestions.
Holley
I am new to this site and was referred to it by some great folks at treasurenet.com. I am looking into diving again after a few years and hope you all can give me some much needed advice.
I will start with my previous attempt at OW certification. First, I live in North Georgia and took a PADI course through a certified and well known dive shop. I made it through all the classes, pool sessions, initial checkout dives, etc. with no problem at all. By the time I was ready for my final OW dive to obtain certification, I had purchased all my own equipment and was completely comfortable with all aspects of diving.
The final dive was in a rock quarry that has been used for a good number of years and was set up for the final dive. By this I mean they had platforms at predetermined depths and landmarks used for the different stages of the dives. The first platform was 25 ft deep. On this final dive, everyone in the class was suited up, everything was checked out and ready to go, except me.
On the buoyancy check, I found that I did not have enough weight on to sink and informed the instructor of the issue. I tried several times and I must be ultra buoyant, because it just wasn't happening. He basically brushed me off, telling me to go on and join the others and "just give it a try". There were 8 people in the class and guess he was anxious to move on.
I joined the others and of course on the first attempt, I couldn't sink. The rest of the class disappeared below me, including my own dive partner. The next thing I know, someone grabs my ankle and pulls me down. The only thing I remember after that is waking up, floating on the surface with blood coming out both ears.
I had burst both ear drums and someone from another dive group jumped in to help me. It took a very long time for my ear drums to heal and I think the fear that I felt has never completely gone away. This is not meant to cast a negative light on any particular organization...to this day, no one has ever admitted to being the one who pulled me down, although I have my own suspicions.
This being said, I really, really want to try diving again. The folks I talked to at treasurenet.com said that as long as I don't have problems clearing my ears when I fly, etc., it would probably be ok to try it again. What are your thoughts about this? Any suggestions, similar experiences, stories, medical knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for anyone who can shed some light on the subject and maybe provide suggestions.
Holley