Zero to Master Scuba Diver in 10 months

[JohnnyC]

Congratulations on your speedy progression.

I suggest you read the story of Carlos Fonseca. Not to try and insult you in any way, just to temper your enthusiasm by seeing the consequences of a rapid progression, when one's ego gets too involved. I read it after every course I take, just to make sure I keep myself grounded. The best piece of advice that an instructor ever gave me was, "now you've got the tools, now is when the learning actually starts." Remember, anyone can earn a c-card, it's gaining the right experience that is what keeps you alive to do the cool stuff. You do a lot of posting around here due to your enthusiasm, that's great, but temper that with the understanding that in the grand scheme of things, you're still VERY new.

 

[KeithG]

Try to avoid being card heavy and experience light....You should probably do more diving outside of class.

I agree with this ^^.

It is hard to beat "been there, done that, seen that". Which requires experience. Lots of experience.

I will claim that by definition "training dives" tend to limit your experience. You do not see wildcard conditions. You do not see wildcard divers. You do not see wildcard equipment. You do not see wildcard dive sites.

Sit back, relax, and dive for fun for a while. Experience scuba. Make the unexpected a fond memory.

 

[Germie]

Ok, first of all, 53 dives in 10 months is not a lot. But you have done a lot of courses. Do you know now what you want in diving? And do you still like diving? And are you now doing fundives? The best way to learn diving is making the dives on your own, without instructor, but with buddy. Compassnavigation without guide, etc.
When I started diving I directly knew I want to do technical dives (but my first dive was 15 years earlier). 10 months after my ow course I had over 200 dives and was DM (ow, aow, rescue, nitrox, deep,drysuit and dm I did). Between ow and aow there where 40 dives without instructor, including more demanding dives like nightdives or driftdives. In this time I learned diving, feeling with gasplanning, compass navigation, etc, and I still knew I want to do technical diving. In 11 months I was master scubadiver too, but with 250 dives. There is a big difference with 53 dives. For you I would advice you to do dives for fun, just to get experience. Where it doesn't matter, but just do some fundives.
I know the frustrating things that you want to go further. But it is possible to progress and still have fun. Your attitude and willing must be there. Try to dive 2-3 times a week.

When a diver comes to me to do an adv. nitrox course with just 50 dives, I will not refuse directly, but want to dive first to see how the diver dives. I will say too that it will take some time and practising on your own to reach the level to finish the course. A week course with every day diving does normally not work for a diver with 50 dives. Most divers will need a sort of Essentials to get the trim and bouyancy ready to start an-dp/ART. So I will say that too. At the moment I have never had a diver with so less dives that was at the appropriate level to start the course directly. But then it depends on the diver. If a diver wants, I sent him home with some homework. After a few weeks he comes back and we dive again. The divers who really want can progress fast now. But 1 thing never forget: diving must be fun.
My own an/dp course was with an instructor who wanted me not to dive anymore with friends that where diving single tank. That was not good for my diving he said. But I refused. I always say to people who want to start technical diving and I give them some homework: in every dive you can find a moment, even if you dive with a ow diver. Just watch a fish longer, hold trim and stop finning and just watch. In every dive there is a moment you can practise backwardsfinning. Some other things like gassharing can be done with a single tank diver too on the last 5 minutes of a dive, but then discuss that in front. Becoming a better diver does not depend on equipment or depth. Taking a twinset in 10m depth with a sportsdiver gives you still some more experience. It is your attitude and your willing to improve. Think on trim, try to watch some fish without moving, shoot an smb at end of the dive to practise, etc. This skills are the basic ones you need to go further in diving. I will never say to a diver who wants to start technical diving that normal sportsdiving is impossible. Fun fun fun is most important.

 

[Oldbear]

Stuart,

Congratulations on your accomplishments. You have shown how you keep your attitude positive. I can easily see how you keep your cup half full while others have shown how they like to keep theirs half empty.

Keep learning, keep expanding your knowledge base, keep gaining experience as there is no substitute for it and keep diving.

How many dives have you planned and executed? This is where you will grow as a diver...IMHO.

Happy Bubbles,
Oldbear

 

[stuartv]

Congrat.s on getting a lot done quickly. Just as getting started with a BP/W setup & training/diving that way from early on shows, you may benefiting from getting trained/mentored in good ways to do things before you ingrain bad habits.

As to the 'modern basic training is insufficient' vs. 'zero-to-hero, you're going too fast, dive more before you get so much training,' I was laughing a bit but I think part of what colors this issue comes in a couple of forms:

1.) Dissatisfaction by some over the rapid completion of DM & Instructor training (which is what I usually think of when I hear zero-to-hero). Some want to see more seasoned, broadly experienced & capable divers in professional teaching roles. That's a different issue from what you're doing, but it may carry over to how people view 'accelerated' training tracks.

2.) The hubris that can accompany rapid progression (especially if you're talented & it seems easy?), as symbolized by the recent death of 'Dr. Deep.'

If you keep a humble spirit & conservative, thoughtful diving practices, more power to you.

Richard.

Thanks for the thoughts. One thing I have been doing is, every time I dive with a new buddy I tell them "hi. Just so you know, I may act like I totally know what I'm doing and don't need any help. But, I am actually pretty new to diving and I have no ego about it. So, if you see me doing something that looks wrong to you, PLEASE say something. Do not assume I know what I'm doing! And if you just notice something that you think I could do better or differently, please tell me that, too." I tell them that and I sincerely mean it! Bonus: It turns out to be a good icebreaker for an insta-buddy I just met on a boat. I've made several new friends that way, who are very experienced divers, that started off as an insta-buddy on a boat and now are people I am in contact with regularly and who are actively looking to dive together again. That's really great for me because I really like diving with "old hands".

---------- Post added October 1st, 2015 at 02:19 PM ----------

Ok, first of all, 53 dives in 10 months is not a lot. But you have done a lot of courses. Do you know now what you want in diving? And do you still like diving? And are you now doing fundives?

I've done over 25 fun dives. My 9 dives off the Outer Banks have been with a buddy, but no DM/guide. Dives in the Caribbean and Hawaii have always been following a DM/guide. I absolutely (still) love diving! I did two long dives last weekend in the local quarry. 40F degrees. 5'ish viz. That was just for fun (and practice).

The thing I have really not done much of is what you would call legitimate "dive planning". My experience so far is that for Rec diving, my "planning" is basically talking to my buddy and agreeing that we're going to go down, swim around until we're about out of NDL or air*, then come up. None of my dives thus far have really called for more extensive planning than that.

*"about out of air" being the simplified way of saying that we agree on what the min pressure will be to start our ascent, based on the site and depth, to arrive on the surface with 500psi. In the last 25 or 30 dives, I have always been limited by NDL or my buddy, not my own gas.

 

[Dhboner]

I will congratulate you but I will also caution you. Knowledge acquired quickly is often not acquired well...the dive world has many tragic "zero to hero" stories. I lost a friend who moved through the ranks far too quickly and ended up overconfident to the point of recklessness and paid the ultimate price. I really don't know how many dives I have accumulated since 1971 but it is ALOT and yet I only have a few certifications. The best way to become a better diver is to take the time to dive a lot and in as many varied environments as you can. Certifications are fine and certainly valuable (all learning is) but there is no substitute for experience. So my advice (and if history is any teacher I am pretty sure you will not take my advice and will in fact argue incessantly why I am wrong), is to cool your jets with the c-card chase and just start diving as often as you can, preferably with more experienced divers and start to gain the experience that you lack. You will be a safer and better dive in the long term.

 

[stuartv]

there is no substitute for experience. So my advice (and if history is any teacher I am pretty sure you will not take my advice and will in fact argue incessantly why I am wrong), is to cool your jets with the c-card chase and just start diving as often as you can, preferably with more experienced divers and start to gain the experience that you lack. You will be a safer and better dive in the long term.

As a matter of fact, I agree with you. Other than POSSIBLY taking a 2 day Cavern course in December (for the benefits in buoyancy and trim, not so much that I want to progress down a cave track), I have no plans for further training in the near term. Once I finish AN/DP, my plan is to just go out and dive as much as I can. Eventually, I expect to pursue Trimix, but not any time soon.

 

[Lorenzoid]

As a matter of fact, I agree with you. Other than POSSIBLY taking a 2 day Cavern course in December (for the benefits in buoyancy and trim, not so much that I want to progress down a cave track), I have no plans for further training in the near term. Once I finish AN/DP, my plan is to just go out and dive as much as I can. Eventually, I expect to pursue Trimix, but not any time soon.

Are you going to be doing deco dives now? Or did you take AN/DP more out of a desire to learn than for immediate practical use? I recall you saying you were motivated by a desire to do some advanced diving with a friend from England.

 

[stuartv]

Are you going to be doing deco dives now? Or did you take AN/DP more out of a desire to learn than for immediate practical use? I recall you saying you were motivated by a desire to do some advanced diving with a friend from England.

I will be doing deco dives. But, there are obvious limitations on that, like needing a dive buddy that can also do deco dives. That means, in reality, even once I am certified for AN/DP, any deco dives I do will most likely be with the guy who is my instructor, or the DM that is assisting him with my class. Or, if not directly with him, as part of a group that he is leading (as he is also the leader of BAREG, of which I am a member). So, still under a watchful eye.

Then, yes, at the end of next May, with my friend from England (who is an experienced Adv Trimix and CCR diver).

So, I'll do deco dives when and as I can. I expect to pretty much always (say, in the next year) to be with much more experienced people. And also doing as much Rec diving as I can along the way. I'm not taking my card (when I get it) as a license to run off and start acting like I'm an expert. As I said in my first post (in this thread), I view getting an AN/DP card as signifying that I have achieved BASIC (I.e. the lowest level of) proficiency in the fundamentals and being deemed ready for the REAL learning to start.

You and others who have read a lot of my posts may find this hard to believe, but I DO actually approach my limits with great caution, and, as I have progressed through my training and fun diving, believe it or not, one area of knowledge that has grown quite a lot (in my mind) is the knowledge of how many things I DON'T know. I am more aware now, than I have been at any previous time, of how much I don't know about scuba diving.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I guess I was curious as to how much of the motivation for your deco training has been because the stuff you really want to see (wrecks?) is not practical within recreational limits and how much of the motivation was for other reasons, like to satisfy curiosity. If the motivation was so you can now see the wrecks that were previously inaccessible to you, then I would imagine you would be out deco diving as often as possible (with appropriate mentors, instructors, buddies, or whomever). Sounds like you will be.

Actually, I do NOT find it hard to believe that you are cautious, and that the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. Not at all. That's completely typical. Sure, you charged in with all kinds of probing questions at first, but that's just your style. If one were to read all your threads in chronological order, they could see the evolution in your approach.

If anything, I'm a little envious of your progress. I'm deliberately taking a slower path, and it can be frustrating to see others "advancing" so rapidly. You may actually have more natural talent for this than I do. But to each his own path. Whatever works. In the end, the goal is to have fun, and I am having fun.