Total of 12 dives and already a few lessons and one almost "near miss"

[MrBigfins]

We all have learned lessons the hard way when we start diving, you are a step ahead by adequately analyzing the entire experience. I think that should be your biggest take away from this, continue to do this even if it is minor issues.

As for weighting, you will continue to adjust your weight and trim for a good many dives under different conditions. Gear changes can shift or change weights. Fresh versus salt will change it. You will become more efficient and confident and can typically run lower weight then.

Definitely dont let someone else change your plan. It's easy to try to go with the flow as a new diver and blow it off as "well they are dm and know better" or they have a 1000 dives and know better. They dont know better for you, dont be afraid to be solid in your resolve. They will respect it, and if they dont find someone else to dive with.

For the bcd issue, always inflate until you feel the squeeze of the jacket after donning and checks but before your stride. I have 40lb lift on mine and I use most of it on entry. This ensures a quick pop to surface and time to check and adjust gear and buddies before decent.

Finally dont let these issues discourage you, instead continue to use these as a learning tool. Experience will give you the comfort and confidence you need.

 

[rvojr]

I've had a similar experience with the DM making fun of my new equipment and my name in front of the whole boat and placed group of us with little experience. 3 of them did OW with the company and had 12 lbs of weight each with rental equipment. A roughly 25 yr old guy and girl and a 50 ish 300+ lb guy. Needless to say after waiting to go down with my instabuddy, missing the reef with the drift dive, struggling to not get smacked in the face with the ladder I called it a day. As was mentioned, review my ow materials, do AOW and then try again. With a boat that appreciates my business rather than being arrogant and condescending. There wasn't necessarily one thing but a bunch which increased my fears and stress level. Fortunately in SE FL there are many choices.

 

[yle]

My biggest whinge, is why do WE have to work that out. One thing they definitely don't harp on about during your open water and advance training (at least with PADI) is how, on your 5th dive, you should be prepared to be abandoned by your DM AND your buddy; and your training, mental state, and confidence damn well better be up to a state to handle that...in <5m viz. Instead they just gently usher you out into the world of diving without a hint of warning and heaps of lovely stories and pictures of 50m viz and happy dive groups. Everybody should be made to spend a few hours reading the accident forum, then they'd know what to expect

Not sure about your OW and AOW course, but in the PADI OW course two things that I KNOW are explicitly covered are:

1. Plan your dive with your buddy, make sure you both know what you want to do and what to do if something unexpected happens

2. Standard procedure if your get separated from your buddy or buddies.

If these were not covered in your courses, or if your buddy or the DM failed to cover these in your dive plan, it's not the fault of the OW course. Unfortunately, with many DM-led dives, the divers being guided tend to think the dive is exempt from those rules. And while the divers are assuming the DM will take care of everything, the DM might be thinking the divers are responsible for taking care of everything... especially if the DM is relatively inexperienced. If no one talks about these issues pre-dive... <<sigh>>

A few days after, my mate had a chat to the owner of the store, more regarding Nunubies experience, but also the DM dumping his BCD. He was going to have a chat with the DM and also reach out to Nunubie.

Your DM seems to have been fairly... green. Grabbing another diver's dump valve is nearly always worse than instructing the diver to pull it themselves (because that's how they learn to solve their own problem.) Declining to allow you to weight check near the boat, and believing that he had everything covered for extra weights... a rookie mistake. He's created a problem for himself (although he left you to deal with it), which (hopefully) he will learn from.

Right shoulder dump cord was somehow wrapped around something and was dumping air as quick as I put it in. I blamed my buddy for not doing his checks properly, I mean, how was I suppose to know my BCD was dumping air right next to my ear? Dumping weights never even crossed my mind till I was on the boat...I hope it would have if I was actually sinking.

FWIW, completely testing your BCD pre-dive is just as important as testing your regulator. My procedure for testing my BCD: when I first assemble gear, I fully inflate my BCD until the overflow valve pops, and I wait for it to close; then I release a small amount of air from each of the valves (I have four: inflator button, inflator shoulder, right shoulder dump, rear dump) and when I've done this my BCD is still half inflated; I reinflate it completely and let it sit for at least 10 minutes, to ensure nothing is leaking; then I completely deflate and check it 10 minutes later... make sure it's still deflated.

This procedure tests several things:

1. Inflator is working properly.
2. Dump valves all operate properly... open when I want them open, and then close properly afterward.
3. No leaks from the valves or otherwise.
4. BCD is not "self inflating"... i.e. no air is leaking from the inflator into the BCD.

I've seen people "test" their BCD by fully inflating it and then dumping all the air through the inflator hose. Not only does this fail to test the remaining valves, but if the BCD is fully deflated during testing there is no way to be sure the valves close properly after they are opened.

 

[yle]

I've had a similar experience with the DM making fun of my new equipment and my name in front of the whole boat and placed group of us with little experience. ...Fortunately in SE FL there are many choices.

Really bizarre and unfortunate... for the shop that continues to use that DM. At least you realize there are plenty of shops and DMs in SE FL that will treat you right. If you want to get the shop owner's attention, spend a few minutes leaving an online review. (Some might suggest you talk to the owner or management in person... but why waste your time? Sounds like they've already wasted enough of your time on the dive.)

 

[Coztick]

I've witnessed the trapped pull dump cord on a boat dive. We were about to splash when a guide and a diver from a different group surfaces at the ladder with no smb.
The diver had an uncontrolled decent as she couldn't inflate and required rescue.
Her dump was caught under her shoulder strap and would vent upon inflation. She was visibly shaken and panicked by the ordeal. I'm guessing she hit bottom before the DM intervened.
Loss of bouyancy stresses the need to be properly weighted. The OP was able to swim back to the ladder resulting in a nonevent. I've splashed with an empty wing unintentionally once. No issues kicking to stay on the surface temporarily.
If your going to carry excess weight, be willing and able to drop at least enough to arrest a decent given a bcd failure.
Just thought it was worth saying.

Dive safe, have fun!

 

[rvojr]

I was going to but I could have done the dives but chose not to because I was not in a great frame of mind. Also when asking for other dives during that week prior to the outting, their office DM recommended a 110' dive because I had my Nitrox as well. I mentioned it again about have 7 total dives and they said most likely a good choice not going if I didn't feel comfortable. All I wanted was an easy ocean dive and the whole thing went off the tracks with my shallow, Nursury reef dive getting cancelled because of lack of people signing up. If I'd have been fearless like it seems most people are I could have had a great learning experience by them allowing me to push my limits but unfortunately I'm a little conservative and kind of listened to the OW recommended limits which they told me was only a guideline and misunderstanding that they don't allow you to dive past 60'ish. I was at the point where I did not want to argue nor have them tell me it was my fault.

 

[BlueTrin]

My takeaway from all of this...

Don’t try out new equipment in “big water” off a boat. Either try it out in a pool or a shallow shore dive.

OP, I second Marie’s (excellent) advice.

If you have a local dive shop, ask if they have a club and a pool. Many dive shop let you use the pool if you are a member of the club.

It is great to try your equipment and/or practice some drills when you are new like myself.

 

[Marie13]

That would really put a dent in boat diving if rental equipment was not provided, as it probably would be “new” to the renter.

Wee bit over the top, aren't you?

The OP wrote - note the bolded part:

Since the dives in Feb, we've been buying gear and intending to dive, but the usual excuses keep popping up. So last week, dive time finally comes around, and we've got new BCDs(Mares Hybrid Pure, so rear inflate and intergrated weights to boot, only used hire jackets and weight belts before), new fins, new computers and 2nd hand regs that have been serviced by the LDS.

I daresay most people are certified in jacket BCs and rent the same. OP specifically mentioned he had only ever used rental jacket BCs/weight belts and had rented the same, and now had his own new rear inflate BC with integrated weights.

In his case, my advice certainly applies. He wasn't renting gear, he had his own new gear, in a type he'd not dived at all before. Taking those on the open ocean off a boat for the first time using them, not in a pool or shallow shore dive, was a recipe for disaster. No wonder he had issues! My own regular charter op here on the Great Lakes specifically mentions on their website that you shouldn't be trying out new equipment or making changes and these dives are not the time to be trying out new gear.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

To be fair, the OW course does stress the importance of pre-dive checks, weight checks, etc, but it's up to the instructor to emphasise them and make them applicable to real world situations. When teaching OW and Rescue in particular I try to make it clear that 90% of potential in-water 'situations' could have been been solved before the diver entered the water. During confined water me and the DM will 'engineer' small issues with our kit and see if students pick them up without prompt.

And don't even get me started on correct weighting! A weight check takes seconds and if properly taught (i.e not finning, lung capacity, etc) can save half a church roof of lead.

Anyway, as said you will organically improve leaps and bounds the more bottom time you get, especially as you clearly have a desire to keep learning.

 

[BlueTrin]

Just quickly, my almost "near miss". Our last dive in Vanuatu, geared up, buddy checks, standing on the platform, inflate BCD, reg in, breathe, jump, splashdown, turn, ok the boat...realise I'm not floating...inflate bcd, bubble coming from behind me?? Struggle back to the ladder(dodging entering divers), barge my way out past the confused cruise ship divers to a DM. Right shoulder dump cord was somehow wrapped around something and was dumping air as quick as I put it in. I blamed my buddy for not doing his checks properly, I mean, how was I suppose to know my BCD was dumping air right next to my ear? Dumping weights never even crossed my mind till I was on the boat...I hope it would have if I was actually sinking.

I think the buddy check is not the main check for the buoyancy and valves.

You should fully inflate your BCD until you hear air getting released from the overpressure valve and test all valves. Your buddy is double checking but the main responsibility rests with you, even though it would have been nice if he saw the issue and fixed it for you.