First Dive Problem

[rawls]

I can see you having some water left in your mouth but I am not quite sure why you are left with a mouth full of water after you push the purge. Were you keeping your mouth sealed around the mouthpiece. If not, you could have been clearing the reg but water would fill your mouth back up afterwards. Make sure you keep a good seal around the mouthpiece when you press the purge and I would suggest that you place your tongue lightly against the back of the mouthpiece. That not only keeps you from shooting water into your throat but it also allows you to sip air without inhaling it. It is also a technique used for snorkeling. It could take a couple of presses on the purge...or forceful exhalations to clear the reg so putting your tongue against the back of the mouthpiece will keep residual water left in the reg from being inhaled.
I am trying to picture what could keep your mouth full of water but the only thing I can think of is that you are not keeping your mouth sealed around the mouthpiece.
Don't let it discourage you from continuing to pursue your certification. Many, many students have problems with any number of skills but most overcome them. I am sure there is a simple solution to your problem...Don't let it get you down....

 

[hollywood703]

If i get water in my mouth, i NEVER purge.....I take a deep breath, and exhale forcefully through the mouthpiece.....and repeat as necessary.....Sometimes when my mouth gets really dry i will crack the reg on the side of my mouth and give a little flood then exhale....Also check the zip tie on the mouthpiece to make sure it is tight.....if that breaks free water COULD get in through there but it it unlikely.

 

[Sas]

You need to learn how to dive before you get killed.........PLEASE take the time and some money and learn correctly--unless............

Did you actually read the OP? They are in the process of learning how to dive and are obviously trying to supplement their learning by asking on the forums... and they did mention that they need more practice and to understand the issue before they can do it again. Perhaps instead of making a comment like this, you could have offered some advice so that they can 'learn correctly'?

 

[In10se]

Being proactive is always better than being reactive. Try practicing breathing and drinking a cup of your favorite beverage at the same time while pool-side. Keep the beverage in your mouth as you breath around the fluid, while controlling the breathing process with your tongue and the sides of your mouth. This will help you get a handle on managing water and air in your mouth at the same time at depth regardless of how much air is in your lungs. Then, after you get more comfortable, jump in the shallow end with your gear and work this out.

At first, I had the same trouble you do now and that's what I did to get past it. If it were me and I was still having these same issues I'd get into the LDS and schedule some free pool time and play with a set of regs.

Same as everybody else has already posted, I advise you to take the complete open water class and play in the pool. The torpedo game was good for the intro deep end day of my basic open water class just so we could practice stuff like this in a well controlled setting.

I'm only at dive number 20 now so I'm right where you are and going through the same stuff. I'm taking my advanced open water class and my trouble is getting my trim and buoyancy steady (means I'm a bit of a ) , but that will get fixed with more dive time just like your water issue will also pass with dive time. This really is a minor thing, so don't let it stop you from moving forward. You'll run into other issues too, but you'll also get them worked out as well with just a little practice and effort.

Good luck and enjoy your dives

 

[john_mcg]

Having read through your problem this seems to me to be nothing that you were doing, but rather a simple case of badly maintained equipment.

Was the regulator that you were using checked out? This sounds suspiciously like a damaged diaphram or outlet valve in the 2nd stage. This is easy to check out of the water; remove the regulator from the cylinder, block the 1st stage opening that attaces to your cylinder with your thumb and suck on the regulator as hard as you can. A fully serviceable item will not allow you to get anything through, however even a small hole will let in water and you will at the very least hear a squeak as air enters the system. Get even the smallest leak repaired, diaphrams and valves cost very little little and can be replaced in minutes. I carry a replacement set with me in my boat bag after having one go on me a few years ago.


If this was your own personal equipment, get it serviced and try again, if it was equipment supplied by the school, then please contact them and ask them to check their kit. Just don't let it put you off diving - you showed very good presence of mind for a complete novice to attempt using the instructors octopus, a lot of more experienced divers would have bolted to the surface as soon as they felt any moisture!

 

[The Corkscrew]

A similar thing happened to me while getting certified (in the pool) while using the octopus. It was malfunctioned due to a lot of sand and grit so it was not sealing in use.

I don't really see heading to the surface because you are not breathing as a panic, you were not all that deep, though it does seem you could have buddy breathed with the instructor. Which brings something else to mind. Just because someone is certified does not mean they know what they are doing enough to be teaching others and there are a lot of people out there that know a lot but can't teach it. In the end you are responsible for your education and safety.

Don't give up it is beautiful down there.

 

[panchodiver]

Heya,

So I can't really say from too much experience what may have happened, but I can relate a similar experience.

Before I went through any dive training, I snorkeled quite a bit. One time I went snorkeling (and flag carrying) with a group of divers. I would stay on top while they all went down (only about 15ft max depth). I would dive down to them to check things out. One of my friends offered me their octopus while I was down there. Not knowing any better, I took it. It was my first time breathing through a regulator. When I put it in my mouth, I had a decent mouthful of water. Purging didn't get the water out of my mouth. So I slowly took in air, but could not get rid of the water. So eventually I just came back up (with most likely a half breath of air..lucky).

What I didn't know was that I could completely spit out the water from my mouth into the regulator. I was kind of afraid to blow very hard....since I didn't know how it would react. As it turned out, I was supposed to spit or blow quite hard.

Heck, now I found out if I am to vomit for some reason, just do it IN the regulator....that just seems nasty though.

Anyway, not sure if it relates.

 

[panchodiver]

Oh,

I also tend to think that no one should be deflating your BCD FOR you just to speed things up. Instead of letting you do so at your own time (and letting you get a feel for equalization), it seems this instructor was impatient.

Sounds like a case of a bad instructor. I've heard that the instructor makes or breaks the experience for many people. Hopefully you can find someone you trust.

Pancho

 

[clofty]

Thank you for the various replies - lots to try.
As suggested in the last post - this was a Discover Scuba Diving half day organised by a PADI certified place. It was at a location in the Maldives where there was no pool, so the initial skills training was done in the lagoon - where the sea was very calm.
I definitely felt the need for some more aclimatisation before trying what I did yesterday in OW. The suggestions about getting familiar with snorkeling and especially the last post (thank you halemano) about, and when to use, the button were very useful.
I will also try to simulate whatever happened (maybe by just letting my mouth fill with water in a pool where I can stand up) until I can deal with it before I go back out into OW.

I can so relate to your experience. I went on a Discover Scuba in the Barrier Reef when I was in my 20's and yes although you are with an instructor and it's all 'above board' (pardon the pun), I now think it's absurd to offer such a program. I did my dive but was petrified the entire time at only 25' and it turned me off diving for a long time. I was also with another student whom the instructor called a 'floater' who couldn't get down and our instructor had to 'call' the dive, so it wasn't a very good experience for either of us. Lucky I had my hubby with me to calm me down.

20 years later, I just got OW certified and had a bit of snorkelling experience in between my 'discover scuba' and my OW certification. During my training, I even got a bad cramp in the pool with my mask off and sniffed and gulped water and went to the surface in a panic as I forgot that I had a regulator that I could breath from and not a snorkel! I then practised in my 4' pool without my mask and sniffing up water thru my nose as it's an awful feeling and not suprising it makes one panic.

If you stick at it and practice with another professional it will all come together. I don't think it's even the quality of instructor with discover scuba, it's going to that depth with such little training. In my honest opinion, it should not be done. But hey it's a business thing.

Anyway good luck.

 

[mkutyna]

One possibility that I thought of is that you may be pushing your tongue against the opening in your regulator which would prevent the water in your mouth from flowing out when you try to use the purge button.

As said previously, exhaling may be the best way for you to purge a reg in the future.