What I lack in Technique, I make up for in Heart

[ScubyDoo]

Wow! A horrifying first experience. It sounds to me however like you were very cognizant of the poor conditions for a safe dive, which is a lot better than can be said for your instructor. Those types of conditions would scare the pee out of any novice diver. Your really fortunate it came out as well as it did.

Your instructor should be taken to task for knowingly placing student divers in such dangerous conditions. Nobody was injured or god forbid killed this time, but left unchecked, this instructor will most likely repeat unsafe practices with future students. If it were me, I would report it the certifying agency. Diving can be dangerous under the BEST of conditions, and under poor conditions it can easily become LETHAL. Your instructors are supposed to be teaching YOU this stuff....not the other way around.

Kudos to you for being aware of the dangerous conditions and ending your dive. Your panic attack was very dangerous however and could have severely injured you. I believe if you had more time and training in your confined dives you would have been able to better cope with the situation without panicking, and been able to make a controlled ascent to end the dive. Proper training cannot be rushed.

1. Report the old instructor.
2. Get a new instructor you trust.
3. Dont rush your training. The oceans not going anywhere.
4. Dont wear any gear thats not comfortable.
5. Come join us here un-anonymously (We love to talk Scuba)
6. Have a long SAFE and fulfilling lifetime enjoying blowing bubbles.

 

[miked]

Anonymous,
it sounds to me like you handled a pretty bad scene in a pretty good manner.
Not much to add to the other replies, they say it all. Perhaps most important in "dealing"with similar situations in the future, is to minimize the likelihood of their recurring.
Just wanted to add another voice echoing the good advice.
If you follow those suggestions, the next time you dive, if you decide to have a next time, should be better.

Good luck with it all,
Mike

 

[SaltyWhale]

Hi Anonymous....

You can call me a Wussy too if that's the case.....

I will definitely not Dive in rough conditions or too tight a wetsuit.

Always remember diving is supposed to be safe & fun. Not to stress yourself out like the first training dive you have had.

Please do not let this first experience frighten you off diving. Just take it as an experience never to be repeated and don't think too much about it.

Cheers..!

 

[wrecNcaver]

The responses you are getting are giving you great information. I just wanted to give you two rules I have always dove by:

1. Any one call call the dive, for any reason, at any time. If someone does not like this rule, I personally do not dive with them.

2. Find an instuctor who you are comfortable working with and who is a SAFE diver. My first instuctor did not give me the best education, ( I found this out after getting my c-card) I went to another shop and found a great instuctor who was a very safe diver and taught me to be a safe diver.

Oh, I guess I do have a third rule, trust your BULLSH** detector. If you think it seems unsafe or off, talk to your instuctor. IF he is offended or gets mad, you may want to find another instuctor who will answer all your questions.

As far as the wetsuit, your LDS should have checked the fit. Diving with a wetsuit that is too tight is dangerous. You could not have known how it needed to fit if you are new but our LDS should have checked.

Good luck. I hope this has not turned you off diving. It really is a great sport.

 

[AllenG]

Anon -

I do hope that you will move past that first adverse experience and find the joys of diving. While some have recommended that you talk with the LDS that provided you with the instruction, I would suggest that you save your time, energy, and self-esteem and deep-six them. If this was your first venture outside of the pool (and I would presume your first wetsuit experience), the instructor/LDS should assume the responsibility to ensure that your gear is really right for you. You describe not being able to bend enough to be able to put on your fins - it would seem to be either negligent or preposterous for both the LDS staff and the instructor to let you take the wet suit or to miss the problem when you were suiting up. If indeed you couldn't move your legs enough to put on your fins, certainly the sight of someone putting your fins on for you should have been a red flag (and something that your fin assistant should have picked up on!).

As a second point, why do LDSs whine about decreasing numbers of new divers, yet continue to offer training where the 1st OW experience is so unbelievably uninviting? Yes, I know that it is important to keep cash flow going year around, but I would hazard the guess that the percentage of newly certified divers that stay engaged AND buy gear is much higher for spring/summer/fall students than winter students. LDSs can't make much off of the gear rentals associated with a student, so where's the ROI in giving students such an aversive first experience? You are wasting a high percentage of "qualified leads" when you start a student out in 22 degree weather and white caps! Hey, if you want cash flow, package the class with a Florida Keys trip so that the first experience is a great one.

That's just my opinion, I may be wrong . . .