I failed the pool test!

[GotNoOcean]

If the instructor didn't have you in a wetsuit in water that cold, I'd try to transfer to a different instructor -- that seems a bit unreasonable. Yes, you should be able to function in water you're likely to encounter out in the great wide world -- Properly Dressed! Dressing right for the conditions you are in should be course material just as well as anything else they cover. It's ultimately a safety matter at that temperature.

...And I neglected to rip on the lack of (ahem!) instruction regarding snorkel use. A responsible session would have been held in warm enough water for you to withstand some instruction and playtime with the snorkle prior to having to test out on those skills.

 

[littlejohn]

A quick background: I have never snorkeled or dove in my entire life. The last time I went swimming was a few years ago (5-6ish).

The instructor should have spent some time with you before you were tossed in.
Having never snorkeled doesn't mean you can't snorkeled just that you don't know how.
If your instructor will not spend a little time with you before you have to test FIND A BETTER INSTRUCTOR.
After all you are paying him to teach you, not to just test you.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have only heard of one agency that requires any kind of swim without exposure protection in those kinds of temps. It is located in Coronado. For those of you who don't wish to look for yourself it's where they train US Navy Seals. This instructor is an idiot for even asking you to do this with no exposure protection. Unless you are in the military then- Suck it up boy and do it! Otherwise I'd report him to whatever agency he's with. The agencies I'm familiar with would never require this. As was stated earlier yes you'd need to be weighted so that you are neutral but 53 degrees? Screw that! Anything under 68 and I'm in a drysuit, I don't care who you are.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Except for one person I think you can tell we support you on this. I dive 68 degree water on a regular basis and can tell you that without proper protection I would not be doing that. Even with a 5mm suit I think you would be cold in 53 degree water doing skills. If they dont have a heated pool maybe they should have taken you guys to a place that has one.

 

[Cozdreamer]

I wouldn't want your instructor to have been my instructor 10 years ago when i certified! I can tell you there are A LOT better instructors out there that would have recognized that with your body size and from the visible shaking that you were in too cold of water without protection!!!

Don't beat yourself up over this. Hang in there and go back when the pool is heated!!!(maybe with a different instructor too). It's obvious you will end up being a very safety consious diver in various water conditions you will encounter as a diver.

Congratualtions on passing your tests. Practice breathing with your mask/snorkle either in your tub or a filled up kitchen sink. Believe me you'll look back in 5 years from now and chuckle that you had these obstacles to overcome. Enjoy diving...

 

[RJP]

Today we were scheduled to do ALL our pool work...

I didn't need to read any further to know this wasn't going to end well. I don't care WHO the students are, what their background is, or what the water temperature is, any instructor who expects to do "ALL" the pool work in one day is...

Well, let's be kind by saying that at BEST they are being overly optimistic.

 

[SeaHound]

To the OP:

Your failure seemed to be more because of cold water temperature than lack of skill on your part. The whole drill didnt make sense to me. Your instructor's logic didnt make sense to me either. What exactly is he testing? Your ability to withstand cold or ur diving skills? Id report him to the certification agency and see what they think.

 

[donooo]

This weekend our students will do their swim in an outdoor pool heated to 80 dg's. Really sucks when the wind blows.

don O

 

[rawls]

53F is pretty cold but I would argue that you should be able to handle that water temp and be able to perform skills in that sort of temp. Sounds like 53F may be more or less normal for your part of the world. So if I am the instructor and I see you struggling in that kind of water, I would also fail you because I will not have complete confidence that if I cert you and you are out there diving in 53F water by yourself you will be able to perform adequately.

There is this nasty little physical reaction related to submersion in water. The colder it gets the nastier it is and all the more quickly it gets you. Wetsuits can't beat it. Drysuits can't beat it. Eventually it wins everytime.

It is called conduction...

 

[dkatchalov]

If people get certed as vacation divers, these expectations should be set upfront between student and instructor. The conditions in which the student then gets certed should be chosen appropriately. Given it is winter in California at the moment, some initial discussions should have been held between student and instructor along the lines of "It's an outdoor pool? How cold is it? Will I be cold? What sort of wetsuit/exposure protection will I need?".

I don't understand why 53F pool temps were a surprise to the OP. Therefore, I don't understand why other arrangements were not made with the instructor before the pool work commenced. "How cold is the pool? 53F? Ok, I'll need a thick wetsuit then.". The instructor should not do all the thinking.

If you choose to go into 53F water in swimming trunks, then it is assumed you can tolerate those conditions. Otherwise, nothing is stopping you from testing the water and then thumbing the session until you get some proper exposure protection or change the location.

I can tolerate the cold but don't like it. Melbourne water temps get down to 8-9C (<50F) in winter. I dived in september in a heavy wetsuit configuration and the 13C water was not pleasant at all. Not sure what perceptions others have of Melbourne's climate, but you can dive a DS here all year round, just changing the undergarments.