Boat dive for a novice

[aascubagirl]

I am also a fan of smaller boats/smaller dive group sizes, of buddy diving and also of hiring a dive guide if it is your first dive in a new area or new situation. That way, you can relax a bit and enjoy the dive more as the guide should be quite helpful in navigating and pointing out the highlights that you most likely wouldn't otherwise see if on your own.

When I was newly-certified, I went on my first boat dive and didn't want to look like a noob so I didn't ask important questions and stressed out quite a bit. It really undermined the quality of my dive and it was purely my fault! Now, I am not afraid to ask questions and let the captain/dive guide know my concerns or shortcomings/lack of experience as a diver in that particular setting. I definitely recommend a dive guide if your area (we don't know where you are!) offers one.

Best of luck to you and happy diving. Hopefully you will let us know how your first boat dive goes

 

[Fly Girl]

Since this is all as new to me as it is to you, I'll share something I did that freaked me out but shouldn't have (those that have been around for awhile may have forgotten). I am almost to my 25th dive, and have done several boats dives this first year. I have always done the "giant stride" off of the platform until I went off of a small boat in January. We had to roll backwards off the sides of the boat since there was no platform. This is totally unnatural, and I had a really hard time trying to do it the first time. I was not mentally prepared to do this. I just paralyzed - going backward into the water with all of my heavy gear on my back? I thought I would totally lose control and not be able to right myself. There was just no way! Well, I did it anyway. I rolled right on back into the choppy water. You know what, it was so easy! I had a bit of air in my BCD and just popped right up to the surface. It was even easier than the "giant stride." I got to do it again the same day which was then really fun. Thanks for letting me share the experience and know if you have to do this, it isn't bad.

 

[Winterpeg]

Relax! You'll love it. Boat diving is SO much easier than shore diving. You don all your gear on the boat and then just stride or roll into the water. On every boat I've been on, the crew helps with gear (they really earn their tips). No lugging equipment to the shore from a truck, no wading through rocks and trying to put your fins on while holding your buddy, no worries about surf and surge.
The best thing to do when you're new, as others have said, is to tell the crew and divemasters you're new. The next best thing is to tell other divers on the boat that you are new, and then follow their cues. Also, assume everything will get wet on the deck. Most boats have only a very small protected area for each diver to store dry items.
A couple of things I have learned about getting back onto the boat after a dive (they may have been covered in your OW but only become significant with experience).

• Look up while surfacing to make sure you don't come up under your boat (or another boat, as there may be many in the area).
• When you get to the ladder to board the boat, make sure your reg is in your mouth, and keep it in your mouth until you are actually on the boat. This is for safety; if there are waves, you could get knocked back into the water, or you could get knocked into the ladder and bash your teeth in.
• Don't attempt to climb the ladder until the diver ahead of you is completely on the boat. That way, if he gets knocked back into the water by a wave, he won't land on you.