Failed Open Water Dive

[oly5050user]

make sure your wetsuit fits properly
not being able to move to get on your fins might be due to a too small suit

It can be the suit. There is a HUGE difference in how comfortable a suit is and how easy it can be to put on from 1 suit to another.Rental suits are not the most comfortable wet suits for beginners. If you can get your self a 5mm aqualock.It will go on and easy easily,has alot of stretch and can be as warm or warmer than a rental 7mm suit. Physical fitness and age is another consideration. I picked up on this when OP wrote that she could not get fins on and mentioned the work involved in getting to the beach from parking lot. Perhaps there is a boat that can be used to do the dives from instead of beach entries.
As to going to a warm location to complete the dives, that can be an option. Nothing wrong with being a warm water island type diver. Yeah it is not going to be as available as local diving,but think about it this way---a local diver may get in maybe in the summer 10 good weekends to dive. Out of those 10 he/she gets to go out 8 times.So for many that turns out to be maybe 16 dives.. A warm water diver on Bonaire can easily do that many in 4 days! So a warm water diver can get more dives in a year than a cold water diver does. Warm island diving can be less expensive as boat fees or as in Bonaire no boat fees are less . No need to own a dry suit that can cost up to $2,000. or more when going island diving, no need to own tanks and maintain them, no need to own 20+ lbs of lead. The list goes on..I would say get certified on a island vacation and if you still feel the need to dive locally get yourself geared up properly in a quality wet suit or dry suit and take the advance course in it so there is supervision on your first cold water dives.

 

[Mark Derail]

I suggest practicing in the pool with the gear that you will be wearing when you do the OW Dive. If you cant master that, then you shouldn't be OW Cert until you can. Who in there right mind would suggest "Get certified where it's warm", Like it's an easy way to get your certification....when they know your choices for weekend diving involves COLD water.

We did our exams during January, and the pool wasn't heated, was at 55f, so we needed full wetsuits, my GF need boots, gloves & a hoodie. For the *pool session*.
Turns out, that was good, because we knew there was ZERO chance we wanted to dive like this in cold-water. EVER.

Summer dives in the Montreal area is just for practice and keeping our skills. 5 feet of visibility is great for practicing orientation, compass work.

 

[p1p]

Up herein the NW, its pretty common that the pool session be sans wetsuit. It'll be very warm and uncomfortable.

What concerns me, is the "3 trips to get my gear". Makes me wonder where she was taken for her OW, as the good OW dives are short walks to the water in full gear.

All the OW classes I've observed, helped with, etc, all students gear up in the parking lot, then walk full gear to the water.

 

[danvolker]

I decided a few months ago to sign up for an Open Water Certification course at a local PADI dive shop. I had been considering this for some years and finally decided if I ever wanted to scuba dive, I should get off the dime and do it.

I took a private class because my work schedule made it impossible to take the regular 5-week class. My instructor was very patient and encouraging and I did quite well in the theory and pool work portion of the course. Then I went to the open water dive weekend at the end of October.

Things did not go well there.

My instructor was not there. He told me I'd do just fine, that I knew the skills and would have no problems. Since there were a number of other instructors and dive masters going on the trip, this seemed entirely reasonable, although I thought at the time that I would be more comfortable working with the instructor I knew. But I didn't want to cause difficulty and it shouldn't have mattered anyway.

I live in the Pacific Northwest. The day of the first dive it was raining heavily. We had to descend to the beach, carrying our gear, over a fairly challenging (for me, at least) "stair" of very slippery rocks. By the time I got all my gear down, which took three trips, I was exhausted, soaked and cold.

I then put on all the gear for the very first time. In the pool, of course, I had worn no wetsuit , hood or gloves. The 7ml farmer jane, gloves and hood were not only uncomfortable, but made it nearly impossible for me to do things I had done easily in the pool. I couldn't even get my fins on. When we all floated on our backs to get use to the water, I couldn't get vertical again. I couldn't get my legs down at all and had to have someone help me up. This produced a great deal of anxiety. Nothing seemed to fit. The unfamiliar gear, the extra weight (lots of extra weight), the rain - I was just overwhelmed. I felt clumsy. I tried to soldier on, but one of the instructors finally called it. I packed up, carried my gear back up the damned rocks and went home.

The shop has been very supportive throughout. I have been offered, and accepted, another two pool sessions which I will complete in January. These will be free of charge. The difficulty is, I have been advised to go someplace warm for my certification dives.

I have some problems with this. First, I've already paid for certification locally and going to another shop will entail paying again for the same thing. This isn't an insurmountable problem, but it does rankle a bit. The private class was not cheap. Second, and most importantly, I live in Oregon. Getting certified to dive in warm water will mean not being able to dive locally. I can't afford to go to a warm water destination with any frequency and I really don't want to be a vacation-only diver. I've been told I should get more experience before trying cold water again, but how am I going to get experience if I have to travel long distances to dive?

Any thoughts? Does this just happen sometimes? Is the shop being reasonable? Should I just suck it up, complete the extra pool sessions and head for warm water? Any suggestions for alternatives?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

A couple of things..... Why not decide that the beach dive is just stupid for you, and that you want to be doing boat dives. If that is not an option, pay someone to carry your gear down to the water.
Try on all the gear long before you try to use it in the ocean, to make sure that everything fits perfectly.
A dry suit would have been a much better choice for the Pacific Northwest....Now you have to suffer with all the problems inherent in using a thick wetsuit.


You don't say if you are a man or a woman, large or small, or anything, so it is hard to make very specific recomendations on how you should do the beach dive, if this is the ONLY option for you.
Usually with something like this, there are little tricks you can learn to make what seems hard or impossible, actually fairly easy....If the biggest challenge is the carrying of the tank, then have somone else carry it for you...If this will be big for your future, then you will need a fitness regimen that will get you to the point that carrying your own tank is easy, after 6 months to a year of the program. Realize it takes about 3 months for any significant change to occur for strength and endurance, even for an athlete that trains hard...Which is why rather than sabotage the first 3 to 6 months of diving, I's say get someone to carry stuff for you, until you are stronger.

Dont dive when conditions are crummy...Someone needs common sense at the shop...New Open water dives should not be planned on horrible days, unless you think every member of the class is as bulletproof as a Navy Seal.
We have equivalent stupidity in Florida...a new class will be set for a Saturday, and it rolls around, and the seas are 6 feet--the shop won;t cancel, and half the class is seasick and none learn much more than that diving stinks. No comon sense, or, profits have taken precedence over a quality class.

 

[oly5050user]

I wouldn't be happy that the instructor "couldn't make it". You develop a comfort level with an instructor and he/she can be a calming influence on your first open water dives. These first dives can be stressful enough without the added discomfort of "performing" for an instructor you don't know.

I would not make any kind of big deal about a different instructor for the training dives. We conduct ow dives all the time this way. If you can do the required skills with 1 instructor there should be no difference in doing them for another. If you cannot ,then are you really comfortable with skills and can do them repeatably in a easy manner? Skills should be easily accomplished in a effective REPEATABLE manner should not matter who is evaluating..
As an example; I do very few local OW dives for students due to my time constraints and distance to training dive location. It is not profitable for me to do them as it would require an overnight stay at quarry location and what I would make for the weekend is offset by what it cost me to kennel my dogs for that time. That said I still do them locally, 15 minutes from store location, off a boat for the clients that want and can pay for it. On island trips thru the facility I teach out of I conduct mostly all training dives. Another reason is that the newer instructors are working up their numbers and I have no need to do so as I have certified over 1,000. at various levels.

 

[Dhboner]

I would not make any kind of big deal about a different instructor for the training dives. We conduct ow dives all the time this way. If you can do the required skills with 1 instructor there should be no difference in doing them for another. If you cannot ,then are you really comfortable with skills and can do them repeatably in a easy manner? Skills should be easily accomplished in a effective REPEATABLE manner should not matter who is evaluating..
As an example; I do very few local OW dives for students due to my time constraints and distance to training dive location. It is not profitable for me to do them as it would require an overnight stay at quarry location and what I would make for the weekend is offset by what it cost me to kennel my dogs for that time. That said I still do them locally, 15 minutes from store location, off a boat for the clients that want and can pay for it. On island trips thru the facility I teach out of I conduct mostly all training dives. Another reason is that the newer instructors are working up their numbers and I have no need to do so as I have certified over 1,000. at various levels.

Everything you say is true and I wouldn't argue the point but for most new divers there IS a comfort level doing your check-out dives with the same instructor that guided you through your classroom and pool sessions. It's not always practical but it is an advantage.

 

[TSandM]

My husband and I teach here in Seattle, and I want to tell you that your issues are very, very common. The transition from the ease and grace of no exposure protection and no weight in the pool, to the confinement and physical work of heavy exposure protection and lots of weight in open water (not to mention the cold, and the reduced visibility) is a huge jump for people to make, and many students struggle with it. When you add that you had bad weather and got badly chilled on land before ever diving, you have a recipe for a pretty miserable experience, and one that is very reminiscent of my first open water dives. (Take a look at the journal that's linked in my sig line.)

The good news is that the majority of students CAN get past these things, and the next time you try, you will not be surprised by the changes.

Now, I'll put a couple of caveats on this. If your physical condition isn't going to allow you to handle walking up and down slopes with the gear, then you may not get through this. Peter had to turn away a student a couple of years ago, an older woman who simply could not manage the equipment. Although her son volunteered to do it for her, both Peter and the student eventually agreed that it wasn't safe for her to dive, at least here.

I think a couple more pool sessions ARE a good idea, and wear your hood and your heavy gloves for them. (You can't put students in 84 degree water in 14 mils of neoprene without having them overheat badly. I think even I would be too hot.)

When you go for your next try at certification, take all the precautions you can to avoid getting chilled before you start. Wear a hat, long underwear (or even a ski suit, if you have one!) and a heavy coat. Try to move your equipment as close to the water as you can while it is in pieces, so you don't have to go any further than you must with it all assembled. Make sure you have enough time, so you aren't pushed into frustration by trying to manage the unwieldy stuff and hurry while doing it.

We try to get our students into the water, and in the initial weight check, where we are ascertaining they have enough weight to sink, we have them just lie on the bottom in about three feet of water and breathe. No buoyancy, no skills (unless they want to try a mask flood and clear, but it's up to them). Just time to get past that initial "Oh, my God" reaction to the cold, green water. It seems to help.

If you want to do this (and I applaud you for wanting to be a local diver) this would be one way to do it. Another way would be to get a referral and go to warm water and get your certification, and then come home and work with a mentor or a DM on a very personal program to transition into cold water. I do find it a little concerning that the shop so quickly told you to change to warm water -- that's why I made the comments about physical condition. Divers come in all shapes, sizes and ages, and diving in cold water DOES require a certain amount of strength and physical capacity. But it isn't THAT much, because I did it, and I couldn't climb out of the pool in an Al50 when I started. So there is hope, if you want this badly enough.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The theme here about wearing in the pool what you will wear for your open water dives is unanimous and correct. I want to comment on warm water/ cold water diving and certification. My diving is pretty evenly split between cold water ( under 62 F ) and warm water (75 F or warmer). Two keys to comfortable and fun diving in either environment are 1) Proper equipment that fits properly, and 2)proper weighting. Not just before your very first open water dive, but before every dive in any environment, you need be sure that your equipment works and fits. You
also need to do a proper weight check. The fact that your dive center made no effort or suggestion to do this was inappropriate on their part. I will note that my wife and dive buddy does not "do cold water." She is a 75F and warmer diver by choice. You can be too, but as you point out, local diving offers the opportunity to be more active as well as to develop competence in a variety of conditions. Any reputable shop should allow pool time in the gear you will use for your open water dives. If they do not, then they are not reputable in my book. Stick with it. You can do this- it is not always easy, but it is always worth it.
DivemasterDennis

 

[cocoajoe]

The theme here about wearing in the pool what you will wear for your open water dives is unanimous and correct. I want to comment on warm water/ cold water diving and certification. My diving is pretty evenly split between cold water ( under 62 F ) and warm water (75 F or warmer). Two keys to comfortable and fun diving in either environment are 1) Proper equipment that fits properly, and 2)proper weighting. Not just before your very first open water dive, but before every dive in any environment, you need be sure that your equipment works and fits. You
also need to do a proper weight check. The fact that your dive center made no effort or suggestion to do this was inappropriate on their part. I will note that my wife and dive buddy does not "do cold water." She is a 75F and warmer diver by choice. You can be too, but as you point out, local diving offers the opportunity to be more active as well as to develop competence in a variety of conditions. Any reputable shop should allow pool time in the gear you will use for your open water dives. If they do not, then they are not reputable in my book. Stick with it. You can do this- it is not always easy, but it is always worth it.
DivemasterDennis

I agree. One of the most if not the most important things about diving is proper weighting/buoyancy. Doesn't sound like this shop cared.

 

[LowDrag]

I failed my first attempt at OW also. I was in a 7MM Farmer John with a back inflate BC and something like 50 lbs of lead. The water up at Hoodsport last January was about 38° F - 40° F and it stung like a son of a gun on all the bare skin areas of my face. To add to this, my wife was sitting up in our hotel room with her back giving her major pain issues. We were supposed to certify together. All things combined, my stress load was huge and I bombed the second dive. I am sure my instructors could see it coming looking back on the experience. Due to a combination of surgery and other family obligations we could not get back in the water until June. The water was about 56° F or so and quite murky. The viz was about 2' at best.

Take it from me and I am sure any number of other PNW divers that getting stresses out is not unusual. One thing that I think helped me was having my own gear when I went back. I had a wet suit that fit me well and did not make me feel like I had a boa constrictor wrapped around my chest from my wet suit being so tight. Do I think you should buy your own gear? Not necessarily that is just what worked for me. Don't give up on diving here (I am from Portland to) there are so many cool things to see and do here in the PNW. Also, don't let anyone tell you that you can only dive in the summer. Most everyone I know that dives the PNW dives mainly in the fall and winter months because the viz is so much better.

I would really advise reading TSandM's blog as she suggested. My wife read it and very much enjoyed what Lynne wrote in it. My wife said it gave her good inspiration to get her OW cert. Most of all...don't let one bad experience stop your diving journey before it starts. Good luck and keep diving.




PS: If I can be of any help feel free to PM me. Maybe I can give you a newbies point of view.