Still hopeful!

[hopeful diver]

Although had a terrible session yesterday with skills, I am still hopeful and positive that this is something I can (eventually) do. Have promised myself a holiday in Red Sea in spring to try and get me more motivated and positive!

 

[El Orans]

Don't worry, just take your time. Most of us are not perfect divers the moment we first get our fins wet...

 

[DandyDon]

Although had a terrible session yesterday with skills, I am still hopeful and positive that this is something I can (eventually) do. Have promised myself a holiday in Red Sea in spring to try and get me more motivated and positive!

I think that this happens to almost everyone, other than experienced snorkelers maybe. The essential acts of breathing exclusively thru a mouthpiece, wearing and clearing a mask, etc are probably totally unlike anything you have ever done before. Besides, challenges only make the lessons more memorable.

 

[parrottheaddiver]

hang in there and don't despair. just think the skills through before you actually do them, or if possible, do some "dry" run-throughs...anything to make you more comfortable. most important however, is to relax and enjoy the learning process, don't put too much undue stress upon yourself...remember, diving is supposed to be relaxing.

 

[TSandM]

If you want to make yourself feel better, you can read the journal of MY open water class . . . every mistake you can make, and I spent most of my time getting remedial instruction in some corner of the pool. But in the end, I passed my certification, and have gone on to become completely addicted to diving. You can, too!

 

[spectrum]

Be patient with yourself and take all of the time you need. My wife had a slow start but got through it all. We jumped in with the next class to get a few extra nights of pool time before doing the check-out dives, that helped build her confidence a lot. You are doing somehting unnatural and it takes time for some people to get comfortable with it all. If you can get out skin-diving in the meantime it will get you used to keeping your face under, sustatined oral breathing and build your general comfort level in the water.

Pete

 

[jeckyll]

I think most people (read: adults) have a hard time when they try a new skill. Most of their discomfort is due to a lack of understanding of that stages of learning that you go through when an adult student. For reference I'll list what I consider the 4 main stages of adult learning:

1: Unconscious Unawareness: You don't know what you don't know. Example: Diving looks amazing on TV / movies and is something you really want to do. Looks so effortless and fun.

2: Conscious unawareness: You find out that there are alot of aspects of the new activity that you really don't know how to do. This is the toughest stage for adults as we do not like "not knowing". Note that children typically do not have this problem as they are not expected to be 'good at things' right off the bat (generally speaking).

3: Conscious awareness: With practice, when you focus and think the new activity through, you can perform it. IMO, this is where you'd want to be before taking any exams (theoretical or practical). For instance, you'd want to be at a point where your scuba skills learned in the pool are 'repeatable' before you attempt any ocean dives.

4: Unconcious awareness: You perform skills without even thinking about it. When asked what you just did and why, you'd probably have to think about what it was and why, because you are so adept & used to performing it that thinking about it would be a waste of time.

Now, even though I've been a professional instructor (NOT anything to do with scuba!) since 1998 and have trained adults from 18 - 50+ years of age, I had a hard time with my first pool session. And I knew the above and realized why I was getting frustrated.

However, having taking some one-on-one instruction has gotten me to the point (over the last 3 classes) where I am basically caught up with my group and I am looking forward to getting into the ocean.

Hopefully you will be able to keep going and not get frustrated. People have different comfort levels with being under water / getting water in their mask / not having a mask on underwater etc. If you appreciate the fact that your learning timline may not be what is designed into the course and take the pressure off yourself by saying " I will learn at my own pace an realize that some skills I'll have to practice to become adept at" you will enjoy the experience and really enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that you get from performing a skill that was originally tough for you.

Ok, that got longer than I expected.

Good luck out there and most importantly, have fun!

Bjorn

 

[tzeyap]

Your holiday in the Red SEa will be a zillion times better if you are certified by spring.
Most people experience various problems during the early sessions. It's like riding a bicycle - after the first few sessions, you will get the hang of it and 'you will be on your bike". do not get over anxious; think about the exercises calmly and talk to your instructor and hey presto you soon be doing it like a pro. Really !!!

 

[JacobK]

Although had a terrible session yesterday with skills, I am still hopeful and positive that this is something I can (eventually) do. Have promised myself a holiday in Red Sea in spring to try and get me more motivated and positive!

Dont not worry about it. Just practice it when you can. I made the mistake of tilting my head too far back when clearing my mask on my check out dive... nothing like a nose full of salt water up the nose in 30 feet of water

 

[hopeful diver]

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice and support. Instead of throwing in the towel, I booked myself another session for the beginning of the week. I decided to do a 'dry run' and concentrate more on breathing. I've done the skills before, so don't know what freaked me out last time. Anyway, onwards and upwards (or downwards hopefully!) This is a great place to find useful ideas and assistance - so glad I found it!