Tales from a Newbie

[BlueBlur]

I just read the thread "give me a break, would ya" and it inspired me to write about my newbie experiences since I am going through it right now.

First of all, with any sport, you are going to have your experienced people who don't want to go out with the beginners. That's understandable. You will also have experienced people who want to take newbies out and teach them skills. I ride and race mountain bikes. I also hold clinics to teach beginners technical skills for trail riding. Every time I do this, people are so grateful that I have taken time to teach them the skills to ride the trails more effieciently and more confidently.

OK, now onto my beginnger experiences:
This past weekend, we did our pool work. It was great. I have been around the pool all my life as a competative swimmer but the ability to breath underwater was a whole new experience in the water world for me. We went over all the usual stuff such as clearing our mask, buddy breathing, ascending, descending, etc etc. Everything was great and had no problems. There was one skill I really had a hard time with though........neutral bouyancy. I just couldn't get it. A few times I thought I was neutral but then I would start to rise or sink. I never could stay in one place for an extended amount of time. My instructor said that is a hard skill and that they actually have classes that teach nothing but neutral bouyancy. The other thing I really had a hard time with was not moving around a lot under water. I am a figgiter(sp) by nature and also it is just second nature to always be moving in the water. I wasn't nervous at all, just having a hard time not moving. I'll work on it.

Anyway, I think I am going to really love this sport. Our check out dives are this coming weekend in Panama City. I can't wait. I also hope to be able to dive often so I can be in the "experienced" divers club.

I'll post again after I am certified.

 

[JasonH20]

There was one skill I really had a hard time with though........neutral bouyancy. I just couldn't get it. A few times I thought I was neutral but then I would start to rise or sink. I never could stay in one place for an extended amount of time.

Yep, that's normal. It's tougher to stay neutral as you get shallower, and in the pool you were probably in 5-10 feet, where bouyancy is the toughest. Next time you're in the pool try to get neutral and then breath out (you'll sink), then breath in deeply (you'll float). It's totally controlled by your lungs at that depth.

Have fun!
Jason

 

[dbg40]

Pool work and shallow dives are the devil to neutral bouyancy, and the cause of much aggravation to more than a fiew new divers. You'll get it, do me a favor will you? Have a ball on your check out dives!

 

[ScubaSarus]

After many years I see experienced divers unable to stay still.

 

[MSilvia]

It sounds like you're having problems that are common when overweighted and poorly trimmed. As you practice and become more comfortable, you'll be able to drop some of the extra weight, and these things will get easier as a result. It becomes a viscious circle of skill giving you enough control to make changes that make it easier to be more skillfull. Pretty soon, it'll all be second nature... if you keep trying to improve.

Try this though... if you get as neutral as you can, and stay still no matter how much you start to roll over or turn upside down, what position do you end up in? Give some thought to how you can place your weights and equipment to keep you on an even keel, and ask your instructor for pointers. If you aren't stable when at rest, it's only natural to keep moving your fins and sculling with your hands in an effort to stay in the same place. It isn't fidgeting, it's making minor corrections to your position. If you're correctly weighted and trimmed, you should stay put when you stop, and all that extra movement becomes unnecessary. That's great, because you can be more relaxed that way, and that means using your air more slowly than if you're constantly moving.

Also, try adding a step to your bouancy correction... waiting to see what happened. It takes a couple of seconds for a change of inertia to happen, so if you add air repeatedly before you slow to a stop, you'll be bouyant and go right from sinking to floating. If you add a puff of air then wait a second to see what happened, then add a little more and see what happened, you'll slow to a stop and actually be neutral when you stop dropping. With a little practice, you'll know how much air it takes to slow you down, and how quickly to add (or dump) puffs to stop your descent or ascent.

 

[BlueBlur]

Thanks for the neutral advice. I will keep it all in mind during my dives.

Also, I broke down yesterday and purchased a wet suit. The water temp is going to be between 67F and 70F. Brrrrrrrrrrr. I am going to wear my wetsuit AND rent a thicker one to wear on top of it. I am determined to have fun diving though.

 

[Ishie]

There was one skill I really had a hard time with though........neutral bouyancy. I just couldn't get it. A few times I thought I was neutral but then I would start to rise or sink. I never could stay in one place for an extended amount of time. My instructor said that is a hard skill and that they actually have classes that teach nothing but neutral bouyancy.

Mwa ha ha ha... I believe it was dive 57 where I went "Hey!!! I'm perfectly neutral!" Maybe I'm a slow learner... and that doesn't mean that dives 58-70 had perfect neutral buoyancy either. I've discovered screwing with my camera REALLY messes up my buoyancy.

The other thing I really had a hard time with was not moving around a lot under water. I am a figgiter(sp) by nature and also it is just second nature to always be moving in the water. I wasn't nervous at all, just having a hard time not moving. I'll work on it.

Not like you have to be motionless or anything; I know fidgeting burns calories, thus energy, thus air, but it's possible that being uncomfortably still would be more.. er, uncomfortable. Of course, maybe it's because I fidget that I don't get particularly cold underwater, sufficiently not to wear a hood until the temp gets below 52 or so. One of the coldest dives I did was because I spent the entire dive (1:17) lying on a rock (nice neutral buoyancy there) taking macro photos.

When I first started diving, I had trouble with my position in the water, which caused me to use REALLY excessive motion. At first, I had some rolling issues with my BC (caused by me, not the weighting), and I'd kind of splay out limbs, dog paddling underwater to regain my position, which I repeated when I switched to a back-inflate BC (though did see-saw) until I got used to it. It becomes more natural with time, but congratulations!!! I hope you thoroughly enjoy your diving!!!

 

[BlueBlur]

Just finished our certifying dives. It was great...although we didn't get to go in the ocean. The weather was horrible so we did everything in a local spring.

OH, the neutral bouyance issue? I totally get it now. I am still working on perfecting it but I get it. After you go past 33ft, it becomes so easy to get neutral and to be still. Also, as we were swimming along, I could tell by feel kind of what the depth was by how hard it was to remain neutral.

I love this sport. Wish I lived by the ocean!!!!

 

[mrobinson]

SWeet!!!

 

[JasonH20]

Congrats!

Now get out there and dive!

Be safe,
Jason