What it's like to dive for the first time

[Lncky]

How did you guys feel on your first dive?

 

[34109411]

wet

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Terrified and OMG this is the best thing ever at the same time?

 

[stretchthepenn]

On the first pool "dive" in 3 feet of water -- A combination of weirded out and excited. "This whole breathing underwater thing really shouldn't be happening. But I like it."

On the first non-pool, ocean-water dive -- "I'm freezing cold and wet, I'm getting thrown around in the surf, I can't see a g-damn thing because of all this swirling sand. This f--ing sucks. Oh...hey, clear water. And fishies! Cooooool...."

 

[Wheeler925]

I was certainly super excited, but I remember my very first feelings of sinking and breathing as a bit anxiety inducing as I figured out buoyancy control was going to be a lot harder than expected. Of course, after getting out of the pool it became much much easier. I don't think thats a point clarified enough to brand new divers, that the pool dives as a new diver can be very out of control for buoyancy.

 

[Jersey1971]

Every cell in my body was telling me that it's a really bad idea to jump into the water with 50lb of metal strapped to my body.
But after a couple of experiences of doing it and not plummeting to the bottom of the pool, I was able to overcome the fear.
I think the BCD causes some people a sense of constriction and claustrophobia. One guy in my class had a panic attack before he even entered the water.

 

[Rilelen]

We are running a research project (funded by the NSF) on this question right now, taking people who have never dived before into the Florida springs....in short: scuba diving for the first time is more meaningful and has a bigger impact than folks expect (even among people who WANT to try it for the first time, and think they'd like it!).

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

For me the first time kinda kinda felt like it would feel to unclog the family pool drain since it was actually unclogging the pool drain.

 

[arew+4]

Dorothy landing in Oz, and the film going from black and white to color.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Mine was a discover scuba dive, Vietnam-style so zero education and no pool, only: Can you swim? Mkay, here is your gear, get on the boat, jump. First attempt - pulled a muscle and hurt my knee, panicked, couldn't get down. Second attempt: managed to get down...

I don't think my instructor understood why I felt so happy swimming around that lonely damaged coral and three fish (Nemo!) on a sandy bottom with everything else destroyed by dynamite fishing but I absolutely loved it . I think it's worse than heroin.