What to do while waiting for my first post-OW dives

[halocline]

I know many people espouse the in the “buy once cry once” philosophy. I do what I like to call “buy twice smile twice”. I spend a small amount at the start, (which in this case means renting) and then when I really know what I am missing, I might spend later.

I considered getting regs, so that I could use air integration (sorry I refuse to call it AI!). However, I have absolutely no idea what I want in a regulator or BCD. I’m not sure that a low end set $500-ish) would be any better than rentals. They wouldn’t save money in the long term, and then there’s the headache of maintenance. If at some point I start to feel that something is lacking in the rentals then I can look to buy.

Feel free to persuade me I’m wrong!

You are being really smart to hold off on the massive gear purchase. Rental gear will carry you through your initial dives just fine. As you gain more experience, you’ll be able to make informed decisions about what you want. There are a million posts with regulator suggestions, BC suggestions, etc. You can read those until you go blind!

Getting the mask is good, I wouldn’t worry too much about a computer. Any basic dive computer will do the job. For a new diver, you won’t be going anywhere near deco diving, and actually the ascent rate alarm might be the most useful feature in a computer for the first several dives until you gain better awareness and control of your buoyancy.

A good way to spend some time the next couple of weeks might be to read some about basic decompression theory. There’s a chapter in the old PADI encyclopedia of recreational diving that isn’t bad. (A lot of that book is not so great, but that chapter is surprisingly good) The reason for this is not so you can jump into deco diving, but a good basic understanding of how our bodies absorb and expel dissolved gases can be very informative in how you manage your dive profile. I’m not talking about the minutia of one decompression model as compared to another, I’m talking about the basic factors that go into DCS incidence, the idea of tissue compartments, (which is just a mathematical expression of how our bodies on gas and off gas at different rates simultaneously) and general dive behavior concepts that are known to promote safety.

If that sounds boring or overwhelming, then forget about it and just remember to ascend slowly and do nice long safety stops. But if it sounds interesting, there’s a lot to learn and it will certainly keep you occupied!

I would probably not bother with a nitrox class at the moment. At some point, sure, but there’s probably no reason for you to spend the money on the class or on nitrox fills just yet. When you get to the point in your diving where you’re pushing NDLs, your gas consumption has improved, you’re doing several dives/day on a regular basis, then yes nitrox is a big convenience. I probably dove for 10 years before using nitrox.

One gear suggestion; consider finding a wetsuit that fits you perfectly. It doesn’t have to be anything really high end, it just has to fit and be an appropriate thickness for where you are going to dive. The right wetsuit makes a big difference in dive comfort, much more so than a nice regulator, expensive BC, or computer.

 

[CG43]

These are all great, thanks. I do go to a pool regularly and they allow a mask and snorkel (they also allow non-lap swimming which is surprisingly rare) so I will do this. However, I don't understand:

Do you mean turn the head temporarily and then back to face down? Or just swim along like that? What skill is it teaching? Are there any links or videos that you could point me to that could demonstrate?

That was just in case diving in the pool, i.e. swimming under water and breatholds are prohibited. This happens a few times to me and then I just slowly swam on the surface and only pretended to breathe occasionally.
Take advantage of every opportunity. You can also dive in a bathtub and drown if you overdo it.

 

[SteveCapnK]

I got my OW certification earlier this month, and I have now book a 10 dive package for the beginning of February. Extremely excited to the point of being unable to focus on much else, including work.

What can I be doing in the time before my dives?

Ideally this would be to get me in a better position to take advantage of the dives, but really anything to stop obsessing pointlessly would be good. I have watched every single youtube video about scuba. I have read all of reddit r/Scuba, r ScubaDiving, and r/ScubaGear. I'm working my way through scubaboard. I am obsessively and circularly researching dive computers. I am building up a list of accessories to buy.

What else can I do that is useful?

Get fit!
One of the most useful things I did was really work on my fitness.

Cardio and belly breathing to reduce gas consumption.
Core exercises for posture in the water. (Inspired by the Flowstate divers YouTube)
Leg exercises to avoid cramping
Yoga and swimming to round out.

And for learning useful soft skills , check out The Human Diver - Counter-errorism in Diving - Home Page

 

[TMHeimer]

I'll just chime in on the gear thing. During and immediately after the OW course I bought all my own gear used. Except one thing -- a steel 120 tank which I bought new and sold in a couple of years because I didn't like hauling it around on my back if the walk to shore was long. All the stuff I bough used I made sure fit me well. Other than the tanks I bought (online- AL 80s), I took all my stuff when we travelled by car to Florida, but also when I flew to Panama. 20 years later I still use the reg, fins, gloves, boots, hood, pouch weight belt with suspenders. Replaced the wetsuit & BCD. I was not interested in renting.

 

[therookie]

This may get me thrown off the board (!) but I do not plan to buy...

Ha! They will have to throw us both off the board, @happyharris !

For what it is worth, as a fellow new diver I'm also reluctant to invest much money in gear right now. When we were first OW certified, the dives in the course is all that could afford to do that year along with the course fees, and it was nearly a full twelve months before we were able to dive again. While we were "hooked", the true "obsessing" for me didn't come until a little later. It's been in full force for a while now, with no signs of it stopping soon. The bug hit you early - that's a good sign you'll want to stick with it.

I prefer having my own fins because I like how they fit and they are for me the right balance between power and manueverability. And 100% I agree with the recommendations to get your own dive computer. Especially as a new diver, you don't need anything fancy. I went with an ebay refugee that was very inexpensive - inexpensive enough that even if I had to throw it away tomorrow I wouldn't cry over it, I've already gotten more than my money's worth out of it. It gives me my NDL (rarely even a factor with the kind of diving that I do), a visual indication of my ascent rate with a warning if I'm going too fast (really this is the primary reason I wanted a computer), and dive time and depth from which honestly at this point I can already estimate my gas usage throughout the dive in my head without even looking at my SPG and be within 100 PSI (of course I do look at my SPG, I just find it a good mental practice especially on deeper dives to see if the depth is affecting me).

Beyond that, I can definitely see both sides of the "rent vs buy" argument. One of my dive buddies did some diving in Mexico (not Coz and not cenotes) between trips to visit us here and truly hated her rental equipment - she started investigating buying her own the day she got back, but hasn't pulled the trigger on anything yet. So my take from that was that if I was traveling around a bit to dive in various places, I can see a big advantage in having my own BCD (or BP&W if I chose to go that route, still undecided) set up the way I like it, rather than relying on the luck of the draw at a previously unknown dive op. On the other hand, not having my own equipment means I could possibly "play the field" and try out different brands and models without commitment. Maybe the op in Barbados (that you already have a relationship with from your Discovery dive) has different brands/models and would be willing to let you try them out, doesn't hurt to ask.

Embrace the obsessing! It maybe isn't totally healthy, but it is a lot of fun. And remember that all our recommendations on SB or those you read on any other internet resource are just that - opinions based on our own experiences, which doesn't make your own conclusions any less valid.

Most importantly, ENJOY YOUR TRIP. And please let us know how it goes.

 

[VikingDives]

In addition to the nitrox course, you might want to consider taking an advanced buoyancy control class from an SDI shop. The class can be conducted in a pool, and you'll learn to do your skills in neutral buoyancy if you didn't learn that in your OW course.