I panicked numerous times
- Thread starter cathyt
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Hi Cathyt,
It's normal to experience hesitance and discomfort on your first dive without an Instructor (your not alone). You've already received lots of advise. If I were you, I would consider diving with a club in your area, as they know the good places to dive. Diving in poor visibility where you can't see anything (including your Buddy) isn't fun or safe at this juncture of your diving experience...
Diving with someone more experienced would help, but this too has some drawbacks. More experienced divers are often lured to more challenging diving situations, which you're not yet ready for. An experienced diver who is understanding of your experience and you jointly plan a dive that you're comfortable in making is another matter.
It won't be long before the underwater hours are rolling by and you look back on this experience with a big grin on your face. Good luck and stay wet!
Banon
Contributor
Cathy,
I'll add another vote to the "I prefer good viz" opinion. My wife has over 300 dives and I have around 400. When she got her OW certification in a lake, I went for the lakeside campout trip but didnt even bring my dive gear. Everyone has an opinion, but mine was that it wasnt worth the time it would take for me to pack, unpack, rinse, and repack the gear just to dive in 2-5 viz and MAYBE see a small perch or, if we were lucky, a catfish. I still have that opinion, and I havent been diving in a lake in a very long time.
Our enjoyment of diving comes from seeing beautiful marine life and, if we are lucky, getting good underwater pictures. Well, that plus the friendships we make on the trips.
I have to admit that I do like night dives, mainly for the chance to see the critters that only come out when the sun goes down. In a way I guess thats like diving in low viz waters. I also loved diving the Pacific side of Costa Rica, even with low 15-20 visibility since there were lots of octopus, eagle rays, and sharks to see but without those it would have been a lot less attractive, mainly just low viz with a rocky volcanic bottom. Costa Rica is lower on my wifes list just because of the limited viz, and if you ask her about night diving shell be just as happy to skip it and instead drink a few beers while watching the sunset.
I guess where Im going is that everyone has different likes and dislikes, including what they like and dislike about diving. It doesnt sound to me like you fall into the I like crappy viz crowd, so my suggestion is to just avoid it. There are lots of places to dive, lots of people to dive with, and lots of different things to see. If you werent uncomfortable in the clear water but you were in the murky pond, then heck, just dive in clear water until you get more comfortable. (Assuming of course that you have the vacation time and money to travel, which if you can afford the training and gear in the first place you probably do.)
I can positively state that it is a LOT more comfortable to dive off a pier into the calm and clear waters of Bonaire or Curacao than it is to slog into a cold murky pond. And there are tons of instructors in those locations that would be more than happy to do a little refresher course with you, and show you around their house reefs while they are at it. Check out Sand Dollar in Bonaire for one example, and there are lots of others (again, everyone has an opinion) Now as a caveat, you might want to restrict some of the more aggressive shore diving in Bonaire until you get a few more dives under your belt, or at least go with someone a little more experienced. You can always do guided boat dives in those waters when you get bored with the house reef, and they are reasonably priced.
Cozumel is another great diving location and is incredibly cheap right now, but it is almost exclusively boat and drift diving, often along a wall with no bottom in sight. Youll be more comfortable there if you get a little more experience controlling your buoyancy before you have to deal with the possibly high currents.
Anyway, my suggestion would be to think a little bit about what appeals to you about diving (coral formations, marine life, history, wrecks, etc.) and then try to go places that have those to offer. I feel like I can state with authority that murky ponds with crappy viz arent high on most peoples lists.
I'll add another vote to the "I prefer good viz" opinion. My wife has over 300 dives and I have around 400. When she got her OW certification in a lake, I went for the lakeside campout trip but didnt even bring my dive gear. Everyone has an opinion, but mine was that it wasnt worth the time it would take for me to pack, unpack, rinse, and repack the gear just to dive in 2-5 viz and MAYBE see a small perch or, if we were lucky, a catfish. I still have that opinion, and I havent been diving in a lake in a very long time.
Our enjoyment of diving comes from seeing beautiful marine life and, if we are lucky, getting good underwater pictures. Well, that plus the friendships we make on the trips.
I have to admit that I do like night dives, mainly for the chance to see the critters that only come out when the sun goes down. In a way I guess thats like diving in low viz waters. I also loved diving the Pacific side of Costa Rica, even with low 15-20 visibility since there were lots of octopus, eagle rays, and sharks to see but without those it would have been a lot less attractive, mainly just low viz with a rocky volcanic bottom. Costa Rica is lower on my wifes list just because of the limited viz, and if you ask her about night diving shell be just as happy to skip it and instead drink a few beers while watching the sunset.
I guess where Im going is that everyone has different likes and dislikes, including what they like and dislike about diving. It doesnt sound to me like you fall into the I like crappy viz crowd, so my suggestion is to just avoid it. There are lots of places to dive, lots of people to dive with, and lots of different things to see. If you werent uncomfortable in the clear water but you were in the murky pond, then heck, just dive in clear water until you get more comfortable. (Assuming of course that you have the vacation time and money to travel, which if you can afford the training and gear in the first place you probably do.)
I can positively state that it is a LOT more comfortable to dive off a pier into the calm and clear waters of Bonaire or Curacao than it is to slog into a cold murky pond. And there are tons of instructors in those locations that would be more than happy to do a little refresher course with you, and show you around their house reefs while they are at it. Check out Sand Dollar in Bonaire for one example, and there are lots of others (again, everyone has an opinion) Now as a caveat, you might want to restrict some of the more aggressive shore diving in Bonaire until you get a few more dives under your belt, or at least go with someone a little more experienced. You can always do guided boat dives in those waters when you get bored with the house reef, and they are reasonably priced.
Cozumel is another great diving location and is incredibly cheap right now, but it is almost exclusively boat and drift diving, often along a wall with no bottom in sight. Youll be more comfortable there if you get a little more experience controlling your buoyancy before you have to deal with the possibly high currents.
Anyway, my suggestion would be to think a little bit about what appeals to you about diving (coral formations, marine life, history, wrecks, etc.) and then try to go places that have those to offer. I feel like I can state with authority that murky ponds with crappy viz arent high on most peoples lists.
RonFrank
Contributor
RonFrank
Contributor
Cathy,
It will take some time to learn to be comfortable in low vis... some folks never get used to it.
My main concern is your clearing. You are obvious not doing it enough. You need to clear at the surface, and then clear almost constantly during your decent. However don't force it, or you may damage your ears clearing just as one can damage their ears by not clearing enough.
If you start to feel pressure, clear. If you can not clear, ascend a few feet, and try again. It's something that takes a bit of time to get used to doing, but over time it will get easier. This holds true for low vis as well. Once you are comfortable in the water, and have some knowledge of where you are in the water, low vis diving becomes easier.
I find it easier to dive low vis conditions with a visual reference, i.e., the bottom, a wall, etc. If the vis is 2' in a shallow site, the trick is to stay off the bottom, but keep the bottom in sight. This all does get easier with experience. However I know a number of folks that just can't handle low vis, in fact most of the divers in Colorado as they just won't dive here!
It will take some time to learn to be comfortable in low vis... some folks never get used to it.
My main concern is your clearing. You are obvious not doing it enough. You need to clear at the surface, and then clear almost constantly during your decent. However don't force it, or you may damage your ears clearing just as one can damage their ears by not clearing enough.
If you start to feel pressure, clear. If you can not clear, ascend a few feet, and try again. It's something that takes a bit of time to get used to doing, but over time it will get easier. This holds true for low vis as well. Once you are comfortable in the water, and have some knowledge of where you are in the water, low vis diving becomes easier.
I find it easier to dive low vis conditions with a visual reference, i.e., the bottom, a wall, etc. If the vis is 2' in a shallow site, the trick is to stay off the bottom, but keep the bottom in sight. This all does get easier with experience. However I know a number of folks that just can't handle low vis, in fact most of the divers in Colorado as they just won't dive here!
Welcome to Scuba board.
Bad vis, new diver, totally normal reaction. Around here we have bad vis and worry about alligators, now that is a frightening thought.
Good job practicing not panicking, this is a very valuable tool that should do you very well in divining. all sorts of things can happen that may induce fearful thoughts, the ability to calmly handle them or put them aside while you deal with the issue is priceless.
Some may say you need more training, I think this is one area that training does not really help. Practice dealing with fear is something that we all do every day, in all sorts of situations not nearly as complicated as breathing under water. Your boss criticizes you and you have to calm your reaction and evaluate your choices, rip his head off, cower in a corner, listen to what he said and not make more of it than you need to and remedy the situation.
good job.
Bad vis, new diver, totally normal reaction. Around here we have bad vis and worry about alligators, now that is a frightening thought.
Good job practicing not panicking, this is a very valuable tool that should do you very well in divining. all sorts of things can happen that may induce fearful thoughts, the ability to calmly handle them or put them aside while you deal with the issue is priceless.
Some may say you need more training, I think this is one area that training does not really help. Practice dealing with fear is something that we all do every day, in all sorts of situations not nearly as complicated as breathing under water. Your boss criticizes you and you have to calm your reaction and evaluate your choices, rip his head off, cower in a corner, listen to what he said and not make more of it than you need to and remedy the situation.
good job.
I am sorry I did not read al the posts. I have a lot of sinus issues and sometimes experience the same problem.....It is possible you are just descending too fast. I took my intructor for a free dive a couple days ago (he is the best buddy I can find so far ) We did a 78ft dive just so he could watch me descend and ascend again to make sure my ears and sinus cavity is good. If it is possible you should try and descend down a line or next to a line in order to get yourself under control. That kind of visibility is probably pretty freaky. I have about 16 dives many years back. Since I started diving again I have 18 logged dives now. I would not consider doing a dive like that at all. Not in that kind of visibility. That is some really freaky stuff and things could get out of hand pretty quickly if your not careful. I am happy you handled everything ok and it all chalks up for experience!!
Man come down to Ft. Lauderdale and I will take you out on the boat for free with 100Ft. Vis!!!
Be safe and have fun....Try the line!!
) We did a 78ft dive just so he could watch me descend and ascend again to make sure my ears and sinus cavity is good. If it is possible you should try and descend down a line or next to a line in order to get yourself under control. That kind of visibility is probably pretty freaky. I have about 16 dives many years back. Since I started diving again I have 18 logged dives now. I would not consider doing a dive like that at all. Not in that kind of visibility. That is some really freaky stuff and things could get out of hand pretty quickly if your not careful. I am happy you handled everything ok and it all chalks up for experience!!Man come down to Ft. Lauderdale and I will take you out on the boat for free with 100Ft. Vis!!!
Be safe and have fun....Try the line!!
Blazinator
Contributor
Ask around for the closest clear water lake, cuz I've dove almost 100 foot vis in the Traverse City area (bays and lakes). I know that people rave about Higgins Lake - maybe three hours north of you - crystal clear.
I dive in Leelanau County when I vacation there, and its worth the drive, even if you don't dive (Sleeping Bear Dunes, Torch Lake, Glen Lake, Leland, etc.)
I dive in Leelanau County when I vacation there, and its worth the drive, even if you don't dive (Sleeping Bear Dunes, Torch Lake, Glen Lake, Leland, etc.)
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