what to expect on OW dive test?

[diver 85]

Talk to your instructor(s)-----they'll be the best source of info for everything, should be able to answer all questions.........

 

[emoreira]

I don't know which certification agency will you pass, but, at least for SSI, and the dive test and all the tests should be the same in every country, you will have to do a flotability test full equipped (to make sure you have the required amount of lead) as soon as you enter the water for the first time.
Go down with an instructor by your side, keeping neutral flotability near the bottom, flood mask and clear it, and, mostly, keep calm underwater.
The instructor will realize if you are comfortable or not underwater.
Just relax and enjoy the experience.
If you arrived here is because you like this, so, enjoy your first real life dives.

 

[Brian Sharpe]

thanks everybody, this is really helpful - I have a better idea of it now ... but what happens if I can't relax? sounds like that might be the hardest part, if you're someone who can be edgy

It's not at all unusual to be a little nervous when trying something new. That's one of the reasons that you have the pool sessions before the open water - to get comfortable with the gear and the skills.

In my course the first time I breathed through a regulator underwater was kneeling in the shallow end of a pool with my head barely submerged - despite the trepidation it was one of the most liberating experiences of my life.

During the open water portion of the course we had one divemaster for every 2 students plus the instructor.

If you have some specific concerns talk to your dive shop about them - I expect you'll find you're not alone and the instructor you deal with has had students with similar issues before. Take your time, don't rush yourself and you'll have more fun than should be legal.

 

[BrotherBear]

Yoga? But seriously, I know EXACTLY where you're coming from (which is why Wu upset me so much with his reply) , I might have written your initial post if I found this board before my first dive.
I can only recommend that you shop around for an instructor that makes you feel comfortable just talking to. He/she will be the biggest factor in your success.

You should also probably look for a class that's going to be small or spring for a private/semi private lesson. Have you done a discover SCUBA course? You might want to do that before you commit to the classes. If you have then the OW certification isn't much more difficult than that.

I know how it feels to not be able to relax about relaxing...it's frustrating for sure, but don't you usually find that you were far more worried than you needed to be? I know I do. Next time you feel edgy about the course you should close your eyes and imagine yourself floating weightless in a world of strange but wonderful plants and animals, take a deep breath and let it out slowly, take a lazy turn about and take it all in, another deep breath, exhale slowly...that's it...you've just imagined SCUBA.

thanks everybody, this is really helpful - I have a better idea of it now ... but what happens if I can't relax? sounds like that might be the hardest part, if you're someone who can be edgy

 

[Dr Wu]

(which is why Wu upset me so much with his reply)

You need to learn to relax.

 

[idocsteve]

(which is why Wu upset me so much with his reply)

Wow that's even more of a response than I usually get on my best days.

Can I get you a box of tissues or something?

 

[jmasin]

Yoga?

BrotherBear's information is incorrect. Yoga is not required for the O/W class.

Sorry, couldn't resist.



There are so man things wrong with the phrase "What if I can't relax?". Sounds like you are already psychin' yourself out! Chill friend!!

Others have already outlined what you have to do drill wise. I'll just stress the drills are straightforward. As with anything new, your mind has to learn a few things. Practice and repetition are what it takes.

 

[BarrelRoll]

Just remember, if you don't hold your breath and beat your instructor to the surface on your last check-out, or "Race to the surface" dive, you fail the course.

p.s. Listen to nothing I say. Ever.

 

[boulderjohn]

... but what happens if I can't relax? sounds like that might be the hardest part, if you're someone who can be edgy

It is very common to have students who are "edgy" or even downright afraid at the beginning of class. Experienced instructors are always on the lookout for signs of that, but it would not hurt to make that confession right up front.

In my last class, there was a husband and wife team, and I saw as soon as we hit the water that she was "edgy." We start by just putting the face in the water and then paddling around on the surface, getting used to breathing through the regulator. She was having trouble even with that.

I tell my students that when it is their turn to demonstrate a skill, they don't need to jump right into it but should take the time to visualize themselves doing it. She sure did. I think she took 2 minutes of visualizing on one of her first skills before doing it.

But she did it fine.

Slowly but surely she started gaining confidence. By the start of the second day in the pool, she was looking like any other student. By the middle of the second day in the pool, she was looking confident--even laughing and joking as she playfully chastised her husband for a mistake he made when doing a skill she had already done flawlessly.

I talked to her at the end of the second day in the pool and she told me she felt totally confident and ready to go.

What it mostly takes is an understanding that those fears are natural and common, and a belief that you will, in time, get over them.

 

[idocsteve]

Just remember, if you don't hold your breath and beat your instructor to the surface on your last check-out, or "Race to the surface" dive, you fail the course.

That's not something to joke about.