kasdeva, from the beginning, you have had one of the most screwed-up OW classes I've ever read about, and I've read about some doozies.
I have dived off a RIB in those kinds of seas. It is NOT a beginner's dive. A "hot drop" or rapid negative descent is not a beginner's skill. This was a setup for an ear injury -- many new divers are very task-loaded on descent, remembering to breathe and add air to the BC, and it's common for them to forget to equalize even if they DON'T have any additional stressors.
I am sorry that you perforated an eardrum (I hope you have a doctor's appointment scheduled?) but I am very glad that you decided not to give up diving, because your bad experience was not your fault. Maintaining poise and managing malfunctions is something that comes with practice, and in my opinion, you didn't have enough pool experience to get really comfortable with anything. So when you had to manage several things at once (mask clearing, descending, and equalizing) it was just more bandwidth than you had available. Don't be too hard on yourself.
I'm not going to argue with your decision to retake your class. I don't know that it's absolutely NECESSARY, but if you can afford it, it's probably not a bad idea, because more pool time will do nothing but make you more comfortable and facile with the skills you need. Please take my advice from the other thread, and look for a shop with some technical connections, if you can find one. At the least, read Walter's sticky thread on "How to find a good OW class" and take those questions to your next shop. You deserve a much better educational experience than the one you have had to date.
I have dived off a RIB in those kinds of seas. It is NOT a beginner's dive. A "hot drop" or rapid negative descent is not a beginner's skill. This was a setup for an ear injury -- many new divers are very task-loaded on descent, remembering to breathe and add air to the BC, and it's common for them to forget to equalize even if they DON'T have any additional stressors.
I am sorry that you perforated an eardrum (I hope you have a doctor's appointment scheduled?) but I am very glad that you decided not to give up diving, because your bad experience was not your fault. Maintaining poise and managing malfunctions is something that comes with practice, and in my opinion, you didn't have enough pool experience to get really comfortable with anything. So when you had to manage several things at once (mask clearing, descending, and equalizing) it was just more bandwidth than you had available. Don't be too hard on yourself.
I'm not going to argue with your decision to retake your class. I don't know that it's absolutely NECESSARY, but if you can afford it, it's probably not a bad idea, because more pool time will do nothing but make you more comfortable and facile with the skills you need. Please take my advice from the other thread, and look for a shop with some technical connections, if you can find one. At the least, read Walter's sticky thread on "How to find a good OW class" and take those questions to your next shop. You deserve a much better educational experience than the one you have had to date.