ScubaBoard has helped me survive and enjoy my first few dives with confidence

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UnderWaterFlyerGuy

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Thanks to all the members who have given the time to help me with all my newbie questions.

Although I did have a few mishaps on my first few post-training dives, I survived and enjoyed them with confidence.

Thanks

My training dives were from a beach that deepend to 40ft, at about 50ft from shore.
My first 4 open dives were from a boat in the Gulf of Mexico at 100ft with seas ranging from 1-3 ft, and current that must have been 5+ mph.

Mishap 1: as I submerged to 20ft, I learned that thermoclines (cold water in face) really bother me. Remedy: wear a diving hood.
Mishap 2: fast current is very powerful. Remedy: have plenty of rope hanging off the side of the boat.

More importantly, there are many mishaps that were avoided because I was able to prevent them because of things I've learned here.

Thanks
 
Glad to see you're still alive.
 
I think this web site and it's forums constitute a HUGE contribution to diving, and your post affirms my opinion. I also want to congratulate you for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it's great to hear how you "stretched yourself" without getting crazy, and as a result grew a bunch as a diver. Second, you learned from your experiences, and third, you were thoughtful and contemplated a response to troubling or discomforting things. Excellent! The current thing to me is this- current sucks. Give me calm water every day, but it is not always calm, so we dive anyway. As to surface conditions, 1-3 feet is not bad- it's not flat, but there will come a time in your diving life when you will find you can handle even more challenging surface conditions (and may have to!) My next oceans diving isn't until November. In the meanwhile I'll get in the lakes and reservoirs of Colorado through these warmer months. I'd rather be in the salt, even if there is current! Happy Diving! Now for a laugh, read our book "The Scuba Snob's Guide to Diving Etiquette' available on amazon or Barnesandnoble. You sound like a future member of the club (and that's a good thing!)
Divemaster, and Scub Snob.
 
I'd dare say scubaboard is one of the best sources of instruction there is for this sport. It's certainly not formal and it has it's drawbacks, but you can learn an awful lot here from some very skilled people of all experience levels. I'd have to agree with DivemasterDennis and say the impact of scubaboard is huge if my limited experience is anything to go by at all.
 
But did you have fun?

That's the big question for me. If it wasn't fun, you won't be willing to endure much to go again. My bet is that you did.
 
Wow, that's a lot of current for OW dives! Glad to hear you survived it with a good attitude.

I am constantly amazed at the generosity of people who spend so much time sharing their experiences and what they have learned here on ScubaBoard. I learned a TON here as a new diver -- it's a great resource.
 
ScubaBoard's a great resource ... glad you found it helpful.

Although it most likely felt like it, I seriously doubt current was running 5+ knots. You wouldn't be able to hang onto a rope in that much current unless you had a grip like Arnold Schwartznegger ... and even if you managed to hang on, the water flow would rip your mask off your face and cause your regulator to freeflow.

Last week we were scootering in maybe half that much current, and were barely able to make headway ... on scooters!

I've only once been in 5+ knots of current ... and about all you can do is go for the ride. It was kinda like watching a video in fast forward ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
Thanks Guys.

I don't have a speedometer on my divemask... but
I just estimated the current speed to be near 5mph because:
It seemed to be flowing near fast walking speed,
there were swirls spinning off the stern of the boat,
It took all our strength to pull ourselves from the stern rope, and to the side rope which was tied to the anchor rope,
facing forward or divemasks did OK, but turning sideways, or backward did break the seal on our masks at the surface,
As a bonus story...
As we were gearing up, I stupidly dove in without gear to rescue a dropped diveglove, and even though I was easily able to grab the 100ft rope we had drifting off the back, I was barely able to pull myself back to the boat, It really felt like the boat was in gear like when kneeboarding / skiing (which I think is about 5mph) it felt like I was pushing a 6+ inch wake, and the 1-3ft choppy sea really sucked because I was wearing contacts and I couldn't blink clear very well. I yelled out for a lifejacket, just in case... and the rest is a pretty funny story that would make this post a little too long.
And thankfully, that fast current wasn't nearly as bad after we got below 20ft.
 
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