Learning to Scuba

[Piscesbaby]

Wow! Thanks everyone for your feedback. I especially appreciated how each of you laid out the accurate way to converse with fellow divers to decied whether they are cautious or reckless. Simple behaviors will reveal alot about a divers training and attitude.

I will fill out my profile today but for the record, I am from New York. I live in Long Island but work in NYC. I am training at Pan Aqua in NYC. This is a great dive shop and the instructors are geniune. My long terms goals is to do wreck diving. A girl's gotta dream. I am already certified in CPR and First aid but look forward to advance diving classes along the way.

In the mean time, I will finish my class and look forward to taking my first dives sometime in May. Looking forward to making a splash and perfecting my skills. Once I have a few dives under my belt and feel comfortable with my new skills I hope to join a club.

Thanks everyone for your warm welcome.

 

[Matt the Aquaman]

Hello Piscesbaby, my name is Matt. I would like to welcome you to ScubaBoard!

Take care and Safe Diving. :butnhome:

Click here to greet a new member!
No experience needed and it feels great!​

 

[boulderjohn]

You've already gotten a lot of good advice, but I may be able to add a little more.

My wife has ear problems that her prevent her from diving, so when we go on vacations, I am frequently walking onto boats without a buddy. I have had experiences that ranged from excellent to mediocre, but I have never had a really bad experience. (I would say I have had a "stranger" buddy on perhaps 160 dives or more.)

When I first did, this, I was a bit insecure and let the buddy take the lead at every step. As a result, I don't think I did more than a handful of predive safety checks on my first 30-40 dives like this, and that lack of attention to protocol spilled over into the dives. Now, as soon as I have a buddy, I initiate all of that stuff. I show him/her my set up, weight system, alternate air, releases. I talk about the signals I use. I ask about preferred lead/follow patterns--whatever is appropriate to the dive site. I do this in a friendly, chatty sort of way, not as an authority figure. I act as if I assume my buddy wants to share this information with me, and once I break the ice, it all comes out in a pleasant conversation.

I think the most important result of his strategy is that it reminds my new buddy of our mutual obligations for one another. He/she knows I am going to be "by the book," and it instills a sense of obligation to be at least somewhat the same.

 

[mred]

There was a good magazine article about a month ago in scuba diving magazine about questions to ask your prospective dive buddy. Ask questions, go over hand signals, and understand one anothers approach to diving.

 

[TxHockeyGuy]

There was a good magazine article about a month ago in scuba diving magazine about questions to ask your prospective dive buddy. Ask questions, go over hand signals, and understand one anothers approach to diving.

I doubt the original poster is going to see this. They haven't logged in since 04-13-2005. Just thought I'd mention it.