Drift Diving scares me.

[shadowcat410]

Got OW certified in 2009. First dive was in 2010 in Playa w/ Dive Mike. (should have gone to Coz, yes - i know!)
So, the positives of my first dive:
Saw a huge sea turtle (about 3x the size of the ones in Akumal Bay)
And the highlight being when we came upon a school of Tarpons. They were massive and I was afraid but I grabbed a rock on the bottom to hold, while they swam around me, no not around me, but THRU me! one even hit my leg. It was an amazing experience and that's why I want to dive again. Wow, talk about adreline pumping. Being a novice, i had no idea what what going on when my DM told us to stop and look. Dangerous? But it was crazy fun. Wow.
Anyway...the negatives:
I was the only newb in our small group. Just the DM and 2 other veteran divers. I was having buoyancy problems and got lost from the group. I tried to keep up with them but the current was strong. Talk about scary! I didn't see their bubbles in any direction i look but then she tapped on her tank and I found her. She tells me to relax, breathe slowly and "go w/ the flow" But then the next thing I know, we are drifting along and I'm at the top of the water, head bobbing looking down at them. Yes, I need more practice w/ my bouyancy in salt water. Plus it didn't help I was nervous but couldn't control my breathing as I would've liked. Also, I don't think I was weighted properly. So, my DM finally had to just grab my hand and I felt like a "tag along" but I finally got to relax a bit and LOOK at everything I was missing. Since then I haven't dove and I'm afraid of drift diving.

This is normal for noobs right? Do I really have to totally geek out on scuba to enjoy it? As I will only be able to dive once a year? I just want to be able to enjoy it and not stress because I'm afraid of being "lost at sea" again. The Tarpon experience was incredible yes, but I've been to afraid to dive again.
What should I try next? Suggestions?

[Diogenesdemar]

Suggestions:

1. Relax. (Even if you think that the others are only watching your every move, they're probably not.)

2. Take some type of refresher course ("Scuba tune-up") from your local LDS. You'll be surprised how much this helps (and how much you do remember), especially if you're only going diving once a year.

3. Relax. (Remember what it was like the first couple of times you were behind the wheel of an automobile? You're probably much better now.)

4. Dive More Often. ( . . . and did I mention, relax).

[Karibelle]

A healthy fear is what keeps us from doing stupid things, so embrace it. :-) Everyone was new at some point, so give yourself a break. You might benefit from hiring a private divemaster for your next bunch of dives; that will reduce the anxiety of being a "tag along." You might consider more instruction. Perhaps a Peak Performance Buoyancy course so you gain a greater understanding of the fundamentals you were taught in your OW class, how those fundamentals are affecting you in the water, and what to actually DO about it. Go diving in the pool from time to time. Refresh your skills, as Diogenes suggested. And relax. Have fun. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you're having fun, as that's why we dive.

Good luck!

[Bubbletrubble]

If you plan on going diving only once a year, you can expect to have very rusty basic OW skills...year in and year out. This will make you anxious underwater. You will be paying so much attention to the operational aspects of diving (adding/dumping air to BCD, breathing in/out, monitoring gas supply, keeping up with DM, etc.) that it will be difficult to attend to what's going on around you. This will turn diving into a stressful activity.

The only smart way to deal with limited diving opportunities in the ocean is to prepare yourself before you go on vacation. Adhere to a regular exercise program in order to keep aerobically fit. Take a tune-up/refresher course with a good instructor/DM as Diogenesdemar suggested. Ensure that your gear is in proper working order (in particular that your bcd works, your mask fits, and your regs are properly serviced/tuned). Work on air-sharing with a buddy, air-sharing ascents, and buoyancy control in a pool. Plan and execute a number of local freshwater dives (there are a number of dive-able lakes in the North Texas region).

If you don't have the time or inclination to do this kind of dive prep while at home, you should consider limiting yourself to non-diving activities while on vacation. If you insist on diving, you really should hire a private DM to watch over you like a hawk on your vacation dives. Essentially, you will have resigned yourself to conducting "trust me" dives. Hopefully, that's in line with your expectations. Personally, I'm kind of a control-freak, so I wouldn't want to place my life in the hands of a supposedly qualified stranger (instructor/DM) while on vacation. Others may feel differently.

With the proper training/experience and the right conditions, drift diving can be almost effortless. It's a lot of fun, but strong currents can present a greater safety risk to divers. It's not something to be taken lightly.

[Karibelle]

Bubbletrubble, how will having this person "hire a private DM to watch over you" while on actual dives be any less productive than hiring a "good instructor/DM" in the pool? In both cases, he'd be doing something to enhance his safety, his fun, his skill level.

There is rarely only one way to do a thing.

kari

[Christi]

bubbletrubble - just curious - where are you getting your information? How many students/new/infrequent divers have you trained? Your post reads as if you are an authority on the subject (providing inaccurate information), yet according to your profile, you hold an AOW certification.

Some people do not have the opportunity to dive except when they are on vacation - and in fact, vacation divers account for a VERY LARGE percentage of the diving population. I agree, a private DM is often necessary for the first day or possibly more - but your over generalization is erroneous and you really don't have the experience or training to make the kind of statements you are making! I have seen newly certified OW divers that are FAR BETTER divers than many DM's and Instructors I've seen in the water. I've also seen divers with hundreds of dives bounce around the reef and blow through their air faster than those who dive more than once a year.

Based on reading some of your posts, I would agree with you that you do appear to be a control freak.

[Christi]

Got OW certified in 2009. First dive was in 2010 in Playa w/ Dive Mike. (should have gone to Coz, yes - i know!)
So, the positives of my first dive:
Saw a huge sea turtle (about 3x the size of the ones in Akumal Bay)
And the highlight being when we came upon a school of Tarpons. They were massive and I was afraid but I grabbed a rock on the bottom to hold, while they swam around me, no not around me, but THRU me! one even hit my leg. It was an amazing experience and that's why I want to dive again. Wow, talk about adreline pumping. Being a novice, i had no idea what what going on when my DM told us to stop and look. Dangerous? But it was crazy fun. Wow.
Anyway...the negatives:
I was the only newb in our small group. Just the DM and 2 other veteran divers. I was having buoyancy problems and got lost from the group. I tried to keep up with them but the current was strong. Talk about scary! I didn't see their bubbles in any direction i look but then she tapped on her tank and I found her. She tells me to relax, breathe slowly and "go w/ the flow" But then the next thing I know, we are drifting along and I'm at the top of the water, head bobbing looking down at them. Yes, I need more practice w/ my bouyancy in salt water. Plus it didn't help I was nervous but couldn't control my breathing as I would've liked. Also, I don't think I was weighted properly. So, my DM finally had to just grab my hand and I felt like a "tag along" but I finally got to relax a bit and LOOK at everything I was missing. Since then I haven't dove and I'm afraid of drift diving.

This is normal for noobs right? Do I really have to totally geek out on scuba to enjoy it? As I will only be able to dive once a year? I just want to be able to enjoy it and not stress because I'm afraid of being "lost at sea" again. The Tarpon experience was incredible yes, but I've been to afraid to dive again.
What should I try next? Suggestions?

Hi Shadowcat!

Good for you for wanting to get back on the horse. Sounds like you may have been in a little over your head back then, but if you follow some of our tips, I assure you your next experience will be great!

In your case, I would definitely recommend hiring a private dive master for your first set of dives (more if you feel it is needed) and/or a refresher course. I would actually recommend that if you do a refresher course, do it one on one with an instructor in the actual environment where you will be diving. It's one thing to do all of the skills in a shallow pool, it is another to do them in the ocean where you will actually be diving. Be very open and honest about your fears with your instructor...and make sure that you practice the skills several times until you are comfortable with them. So many times I hear of instructors taking their students through the motions and as long as they perform the skill successfully once or twice, that's it - they sign off on them. As with anything, practice makes perfect - in diving you don't have to be perfect, but you have to be competent and comfortable with the skills. Things like clearing your mask and regulator should come second nature after not too long.

Some people are afraid by the term "drift diving". This juts means that you do not have to navigate back to your starting point and the boat does not anchor. It follows you and picks you up wherever you surface. MOST of the time, the currents in Cozumel are very mild, to the point where you barely notice that there is a current. Of course there are certain sites that are notorious for ripping currents, but again, that is where clear communication with your boat crew is so important! Let them know you are not comfortable in string currents and they can and will keep you away from those sites.

Have fun and let us know when you get back in the water!

[Brendon]

A healthy fear is what keeps us from doing stupid things, so embrace it. :-) Everyone was new at some point, so give yourself a break. You might benefit from hiring a private divemaster for your next bunch of dives; that will reduce the anxiety of being a "tag along." You might consider more instruction. Perhaps a Peak Performance Buoyancy course so you gain a greater understanding of the fundamentals you were taught in your OW class, how those fundamentals are affecting you in the water, and what to actually DO about it. Go diving in the pool from time to time. Refresh your skills, as Diogenes suggested. And relax. Have fun. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you're having fun, as that's why we dive.

Good luck!

I agree with everything you said except what is in bold face... PPB class is a waste of money and those skills should be taught and mastered before a certification card is ever issued! If you hire a good instructor you will never need PPB class... Hine sight, we can see she didnt have one and now this or some other training maybe necessary to fix the problem.

[Karibelle]

As someone who teaches a lot of Peak Performance Buoyancy classes, I'm obviously going to disagree. Particularly when this person has stated that "I need more practice w/ my bouyancy." It seems somewhat inhumane for me, as an instructor, to not offer what I think is the best solution to the stated problem.

Of course, I'll also say that several of the PPB courses that I've taught have been to my own OW students, so I guess I know what you think of my skills as an instructor.

kari

[Lee Taylor]

Spend a lot of time at the bottom of the pool until you are completely comfortable with it. Then progress slowly and at your own rate from there. Don't let anyone push you. Go at your own rate.