fisherdvm
Contributor
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Probably should be in the going pro forum...But I am not a member yet. But I consider myself a beginning diver.
Heck.... Why pay for specialty course? Seems like I need to get in the water... So I signed up for divemaster class. I passed all my fitness tests with at least a 3 out of 5 .... and probably could have done better if I didn't just have the flu.
Then, the challenging part... Which I've never heard of. Equipment exchange while buddy breathing? Who ever can think of such a thing? My instructor was about twice my weight, BC extra large. His mask was huge. His fins wobbles on my feet. Our bouyancy were mismatched. Everything was fine until we did the BC exchange. My BC was more positively buoyant than his, and he started floating to the surface. I had his mask (extremely loose and large) and was trying to put it on and clearing it.... so I couldn't grab on to his BC.... I can't see... He's floating away.... I am out of breath.... I tried to grab for my octo (actually his), and couldn't find it.. His BC was so large, the tank and regs were probably below my knee. I started to panic... and did the only thing I can think of, swim to the surface and caught my breath after a couple of difficult buddy breathing attempts .... Then I can't find the inflator hose... It is sagging somewhere behind this XXL BC. I think I yelled for help.. but swam to the side of the pool and was fine.
Then we had to regroup, got the weight right, went back down and finish the exercise. And swam to the other end of the pool, still while buddy breathing. Man, oh, man... was I anxious.... My instructor was perfectly calm and I am sure I stole more than my share of 3 breaths at a time.
What did I learn? If we had matched BC, matched mask (that doesn't flood), matched fins (that I can swim in), matched buoyancy .... This exercise would've been a cakewalk. Instead, everything was mismatched, and I see all the dangers of buddy breathing flashing before my eyes ... AGE, run away buddy.... etc...
I also learn that when you are thirsty for air, you will suck what ever it is in the reg - water included - and it doesn't kill you!! I probably drank at least a cup of water thirsting for air during the anxiety....
Again, this would have been a piece of cake if our equipment matched... But would have been much less exciting. How many DM candidates have gotten pulmonary embolisms from this exercise?
Heck.... Why pay for specialty course? Seems like I need to get in the water... So I signed up for divemaster class. I passed all my fitness tests with at least a 3 out of 5 .... and probably could have done better if I didn't just have the flu.
Then, the challenging part... Which I've never heard of. Equipment exchange while buddy breathing? Who ever can think of such a thing? My instructor was about twice my weight, BC extra large. His mask was huge. His fins wobbles on my feet. Our bouyancy were mismatched. Everything was fine until we did the BC exchange. My BC was more positively buoyant than his, and he started floating to the surface. I had his mask (extremely loose and large) and was trying to put it on and clearing it.... so I couldn't grab on to his BC.... I can't see... He's floating away.... I am out of breath.... I tried to grab for my octo (actually his), and couldn't find it.. His BC was so large, the tank and regs were probably below my knee. I started to panic... and did the only thing I can think of, swim to the surface and caught my breath after a couple of difficult buddy breathing attempts .... Then I can't find the inflator hose... It is sagging somewhere behind this XXL BC. I think I yelled for help.. but swam to the side of the pool and was fine.
Then we had to regroup, got the weight right, went back down and finish the exercise. And swam to the other end of the pool, still while buddy breathing. Man, oh, man... was I anxious.... My instructor was perfectly calm and I am sure I stole more than my share of 3 breaths at a time.
What did I learn? If we had matched BC, matched mask (that doesn't flood), matched fins (that I can swim in), matched buoyancy .... This exercise would've been a cakewalk. Instead, everything was mismatched, and I see all the dangers of buddy breathing flashing before my eyes ... AGE, run away buddy.... etc...
I also learn that when you are thirsty for air, you will suck what ever it is in the reg - water included - and it doesn't kill you!! I probably drank at least a cup of water thirsting for air during the anxiety....
Again, this would have been a piece of cake if our equipment matched... But would have been much less exciting. How many DM candidates have gotten pulmonary embolisms from this exercise?