Things I learned in first 20 dives

[cloudflint]

Following up on my previous post, some things i learnt in my first 20 or so dives as a trainee dive leader(SSAC equivalent of dive-master in case your wondering):

• Divers in their seventies tend to be either really good or really bad
• Never skip the buddy check if your in a hurry, itll just slow you down more in the long run
• Any equipment problem wont go away if you just get in the water
• Some trainees are good, some are bad, and some will alternate day to day
• Be familiar with your buddies gloves if they are in a dry-suit, you may have to remove their gloves in a hurry to vent air from their dry-suits cuff seal (I speak from multiple experiences on this one )
• A trainee can start drowning during even the simplest drill
• Your better helping a trainee into their kit first
• When instructing on drills sitting on the bottom, kneeling with your back straight and your legs together makes you look like your in command (like a drill sergeant as one instructor commented)
• When organising expeditions, you can delegate your authority but not your responsibility
• I didnt just screw up that drill, i was showing you what can go wrong while doing that drill
• Dont be afraid to order people around underwater. Someone has to be in charge and if your a dive leader its probably you.
• Trust your compass, your more likely to be wrong than it is.
• knowledge of any local magnetic anomalies pays dividends when trying to navigate in low vis

 

[TSandM]

Wow, all kinds of good things are coming out in this thread!

 

[mdb]

What I learned in my first 20 dives was to get a lot more open water dives under my weight belt.

My first open water course was with 10 OW dives and then rescue, deep diving, etc. by the time we did that we had at least 30+ OW dives.

So; what I learned in my first 20 dives was that it was just the start.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Actually for "perfect" you need to add a salty bar snack, like peaunts. Flushing the system with a "saline solution" does help with off gassing!

* Beer off gasses Nitrogen perfectly

because physics is inexorable

 

[ccohn2000]

Love this thread! What I learned in my first 20 dives:

If you have a bad experience, figure out why and immediately go diving again and work through it emotionally.
Slower is pretty much always better. Stop/Breath/Think/Act really does work
Conversely fast and big movements are not a good idea

 

[Johnny Mojo]

That whole bouancy thing......it works.

Slow is good - fast burns gas.

It's o.k. to use split fins.

Daughter dive buddies are cool and she will be better than me.

Low vis is nothing to be afraid of.

Diving IS multi-tasking.

Think......you'll be fine.

Don't let your SCUBA mouth write a check your SCUBA body can't cash.*

*This was not learned from anything actually happening, but rather something that becomes very obvious as one begins to dive after OW certification.

This is a good thread and lots of GREAT information.

Oh, one last one. Most of my first 20 dives were long ago. I wish Scubaboard was around then. There is just so much good information and so many helpful people here in this community.

J.

 

[Jax]

Echoing:

• I do not like snorkels
• Number of dives does not equate experience or skill
• Why I was ever taught to dive without a long hose, I will never know. I have found it invaluable
• Practicing skills is too important not to do at least one every dive.
• Beer of gasses Nitrogen perfectly
• Not all LDS's are created equal. One may be good for one thing and not for another. Some just want money
• Just because some guy looks like a whale does not mean he can not out swim your lazy butt. (My Instructor for DM is not the smallest guy in the world but he can move. Other guys in class can barely keep up and I laugh at them through my reg often.)
• Shut up and listen. Talking is over rated, you may learn something
• Eat ginger before diving in rough seas. It gives seasickness a run for its money
• Study on your own, you never know what you may learn
• AOW and Rescue are invaluable (as was my Deco and Cavern classes)
• Those glutes need more work than you think (as does your lower back) for good trim
• Slow down. Look at what youv'e been missing mister speedy
• Silt is not your friend. Lines can be
• A good dive buddy is worth his weight in gold
• It is hard to find a rental DIN, though I prefer them
• Ditch-able weight is overrated

 

[Cali_Alli]

Things I learn't in my first 20 dives.

You will try and stand up in your Scuba kit while its still bun geed to the tank rack.

lol So glad I'm not the only one!

I'll add for myself:
-It's nice when your buddy offers to rinse your gear along with theirs, but it's even nicer when you do it yourself and make it into the water next time with everything working properly.
-Dump valves make for easy and quick adjustments.
-If you swim slower, you can see some awesome critters! And stay under longer
-300m surface swims aren't so bad.
-If there are surfers in the water, it may not be a dive day at that beach.
-DMs who dive everyday in the area may have a different idea of what "a little surge" means

 

[Jax]

This is great!


* Never try to change your dive buddy - just work with it!

 

[idive2]

The boat bungie cord that holds the geared up tank in place goes on AFTER your regulator !

Don't hold any grudges with boat crew that was a bit stern with you, they probably
needed to be at that point !