skybird
Guest
Went today for my third lesson. Woke up thinking that today I might go down and see the bus ( about 55 ft under). Got my new fins and boots today YEA !!!!!!!!!! he is ordering my mask because I want one I can get corrective lens in later). Put my gear tegether and started off by putting my tank on my BC BACKWARDS !!!!!!!!! not a good start. Finally wiggled into the wet suit........ Then while my instructer was doing a couple of things, he told me just to go jump in off the dock and get wet and cool off. The deck was aboaut four feet ( five or take a biat) up from the water. I never really have liked jumping in from much height, but it was hot so I jumped in. Then went back up and got my gear on. He then told me that we weren't going to the water's edge today, I should join him on the dock. Ok so then I ( who have VERY poor balance and coordination) had to put my fins on, with all of my equipment on, standing on the dock. He told me, today we were going to learn how to do a giant stride. So he had me stand right on the edge of the dock. By this time I was beginning my terror............doesn't make a lot of sense,,,,,,,,didn't make sense to me then, but sense or no sense the terror was there. He told me to hold my gague in my left hand, then he put my octo in my left hand with my gague. Told me to not look at the water, look at the trees across the quarry. Told me to pull down my mask and put my reg in my mouth..........by this time I was hyperventelating..........and told him. You DO realize I am hyperventilating don't you...........He kind of laughed and said , thats okay......i would be alright and I could take whatever time I needed........then reminded me not to look down at the water. Reminded me to put the reg in my mouth....and hold it with the palm of my hand, and then hold my mask on with my fingers...........( I am feeling the same fears I had then as I type this LOL) He said when I was ready I was to take a VERY big step out over the water. I had a diver in the water spotting me and he said he was going to make sure my tank didn't hit the dock. I ask him should I go now, and he said whenever I was ready. What seemed like hours later ( was told the whole thing didn't take over five minutes) I just went ahead and stepped out. Of course I popped right back up and everything was fine. I felt like such a wimp!!!!!!! My instructor is SO good and patient........and told me stories of other people who were worse about it. Don't know if they are true, but makes me feel better.
He told me to just lay back and relax for a while. We were going to go down a buoy rope to go deep, so I could clear my ears better. I finally decided I just hadn't calmed down enought to do that yet. We went back to the shallows then he asked me where i wanted to go. Decided I was better so lets go to the deep and see if I could handle going to the bus. I think we would have been able to go to the bus today, but visibilityy was terrible when we got lower that 25 feet so we decided to come back and dive in the shallows. So I got down to about 37 feet which IS deeper than I have been. i didn't do nearly as well divin g today and controlling my breathing though, so we didn't dive as long. Maybe it was because I was so traumatized by the stride off the dock. He did say that is how we will enter the water all the time from now on.
He also told me that wasn't the worse thing he was going to ask me to do. Said that before we are done, he will take all my gear, throw IT off the dock, then I have to dive down to get it and put it on under water..........of course I said You areln't going to do that............he said Oh yes............I said NO you aren't raeally going ato do that...........he just laughes and said not only am I going ato do that, but YOU are going to do it too............Told him Its a shame I have already paid him.........now I guess I have to do everything he tells me .
Planning on going back tomorrow.............
Amazingh to me that I will make myself do something that scares me..............didn't used to, of course I missed out on some pretty amazing things............Like diving.......in spite of being a wimp today..............this is still the best thing I have ever done in my life...... Have I lost my mind?
Sky Bird
He told me to just lay back and relax for a while. We were going to go down a buoy rope to go deep, so I could clear my ears better. I finally decided I just hadn't calmed down enought to do that yet. We went back to the shallows then he asked me where i wanted to go. Decided I was better so lets go to the deep and see if I could handle going to the bus. I think we would have been able to go to the bus today, but visibilityy was terrible when we got lower that 25 feet so we decided to come back and dive in the shallows. So I got down to about 37 feet which IS deeper than I have been. i didn't do nearly as well divin g today and controlling my breathing though, so we didn't dive as long. Maybe it was because I was so traumatized by the stride off the dock. He did say that is how we will enter the water all the time from now on.
He also told me that wasn't the worse thing he was going to ask me to do. Said that before we are done, he will take all my gear, throw IT off the dock, then I have to dive down to get it and put it on under water..........of course I said You areln't going to do that............he said Oh yes............I said NO you aren't raeally going ato do that...........he just laughes and said not only am I going ato do that, but YOU are going to do it too............Told him Its a shame I have already paid him.........now I guess I have to do everything he tells me .
Planning on going back tomorrow.............
Amazingh to me that I will make myself do something that scares me..............didn't used to, of course I missed out on some pretty amazing things............Like diving.......in spite of being a wimp today..............this is still the best thing I have ever done in my life...... Have I lost my mind?
Sky Bird
