Very scared after second pool lesson of Padi open water course.

[Wibble]

Time in a pool with an instructor alone to slowly go through some skills to build your confidence.

Then return to the throng only IF you feel confident enough.

You need time to settle the underlying fear otherwise it's likely to be a miserable experience.

 

[tursiops]

The problem is: individual instructors are hard to find/contact for a beginner who is not in 'the scene' (yet). There are no public reviews of individual instructors either. So how to spot the proper ones?

You talk to them. Step 1: go to the dive shop. Step 2: ask to speak to the instructor of the class you are thinking to take. Step 3: seek good chemistry between you and the instructor.

 

[Cheizz]

You don't know what you don't know. Before you've had any experience you don't know what you'll need. For subsequent courses, this might work. For OWD? I doubt it.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

You’ve gotten some good advice so far. I’ll touch on the equalizing part. Before your next class, you should practice equalizing the few days leading up to it. When descending in the water, qualize the second your ears touch the water and every couple feet or so. It should not be painful…you should feel just some slight pressure and then equalize. DO NOT push it if you will injure yourself. It’s ok to be nervous, anxious, and even scared. It’s not your fault! Not sure why you’re having to study the materials the day before the class, it should have been distributed well before especially if it is E-learning. Good luck with everything, keep us updated, and ask more questions if you have any!!

 

[tursiops]

You don't know what you don't know. Before you've had any experience you don't know what you'll need. For subsequent courses, this might work. For OWD? I doubt it.

That's why I suggested the NOB (= Dutch national underwater association) approach, which is taught through clubs. These courses are at a much slower pace, with no commercial goals in them. And you can ask about or meet the instructor before signing up for the course...

So how does your suggestion based on the Dutch system work? Isn't it exactly the same? Talk to the instructor before the class?

 

[Cheizz]

The course itself is much slower., that's the big difference. And NOW you know what you need and can explain what you're after. But as a general strategy for anyone who wants to start with OWD, talking to an instructor beforehand isn't going to help.

 

[MidOH]

Sounds like you're doing fine. Don't get all worked up. Also understand, it's OK to fail. You get to try again.

Work on clearing your ears, that's the only scary thing.

Clear them gently before jumping in, just to loosen them up. Again on the surface. Again before you need to. I need to clear my ears at 15'. So I'm already pinching my nose and wiggling my jaw at 10'.

Once past 40' I don't really recall any trouble clearing ears.

Keep in mind, they'll push you if you appear to be doing well. I did the whole open water skills test in the discover scuba thingy. Mask clear, rig on, rig off, rig on, lose a reg, find a reg, clear reg, switch regs, etc.etc. Just not the solo swim.

The CESA might be scary to you. But it's easy and fun.

Getting onto a ladder that's jumping 5' in the waves is scary. When the boat goes down, that's when you climb up. Just don' t let it hit you in the head.

Swimming towards a giant spinning prop is scary. (mid engined, with a propshaft, not an outboard or anything) But it'll only push you away if you surfaced way behind the boat like you were supposed to.

So yeah, there's challenges ahead. Take em on one at a time, and relax. If it was easy everyone would be doing it, and it would be a ton less fun. You'll miss these challenges once you're certified.

 

[rick00001967]

sounds like you and i are a lot alike.

it would stress me out as well if i received all my academic material one day before the class started. it would also stress me out if i was ever feeling rushed.

from the sounds of things you seemed to do quite well. especially considering the circumstances. i think you are being way too hard on yourself.

i agree with some of the comments. discuss the class schedule with the dive shop and explain that you need more time at a slower pace. i can tell you that at our shop, you would be given all the time you need. that said, you will most likely need to pay some extra fees for the extra pool time etc. even if it is just a small fee to cover the cost of the air and the pool time. each shop is different so make sure you ask what those extra fees might cost you.

not all shops teach at the same pace either. as someone commented earlier, there may be shops that try to get all the pool work done in one day. myself personally.....i would have quit before i agreed to do that.

knowledge is power. and for some of us, we want to digest new information slowly. so i also agree with someones comment about perhaps considering completing all the academics first, before returning to the pool. it may boost your confidence and lower your stress level.

it is also very important you speak to an instructor about your ear troubles. it is a serious problem and you can damage your ears if you do not correct it. there are several methods you can try to equalize your ears. some may work better than others. discuss these options with an instructor. you may also have allergies that cause some issues. or maybe your eustation tubes are partially bocked. the instructor should be able to assist in figuring out the problem. for me.....my left ear is always slow to equalize. always has been. the right side is never a problem.

good luck to you

 

[Boarderguy]

Forgot to mention the good old fashion trick to problematic ears. Sudafed. Take a 12 hour pill 1 hour before you plan to dive and that will likely help with most non physically restrictive problems you may be having. I keep a pack in my truck just for diving. Some may disagree but it works well for me.

 

[MidOH]

And keep you're head above the surface of your pool, at your hotel, or cruise ship. Could be a coincidence, but test a mask or fins in a 3rd world countries pool, was followed by ears that held water after diving, or hard to clear.