Things I learned in first 20 dives

[tddfleming]

Yes, considered the necklace, I am wondering if that is what I think I should do or not. The best case would be she would not have to remove hers for someone else in an OOA. But I also consider the fact if she loses hers, can she find it fast enough to not panic. So much to consider to get to the best answer.

I will have to look into the quick release to see how that would work.

 

[Herk_Man]

Learned on my second dive: On any given dive, you may have to perform a life-saving rescue of your dive buddy. In my case, because he impaled his hand clean through on a sea urchin in 60 feet of water and went into shock.

That "don't panic" thing doesn't care how experienced you are, you need to be ready to use it now.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

I really think I am much happier now after having read this thread. Thanks much for posting.

 

[stinggirl]

Some stuff i learnt in my first 20 or so dives:

• Qualifications do not equal skill
• cost does not equal quality
• It dosent take much to make you use more air
• Low vis can make your head go funny
• intended function does not always equal how a piece of equipment will be used
• Newer equipment isnt always better
• Older equipment isnt always better
• You really need a cuff dump to be able to do rescues in a dry-suit
• An ill fitting dry-suit will kill you eventually
• No matter how cold it gets in the water it will be colder on the boat
• Some integrated weight systems are good and some are bad
• If you have a vanity zip on your dry-suit you will inevitably jump in the sea with it open
• An intermediate pressure gauge is invaluable
• You rarely need as much weight as you think you need
• If you cant justify wearing a piece of equipment, don't wear it
• no matter how experienced you get you will still occasionally do something stupid
• You cant always get below bad vis
• No matter how much technology is in your regulators, the whole system still relies on a little seating made of rubber and some O-rings that probably cost a few pence
• You never know as much as you think you do
• Your never as skilled as you think you are
• don't be afraid to say no

Spelling wasn't one of them.

 

[terrylowe]

Here's a few more....

• Don't stand up with the boat tank bungee still on.
• Do not inhale immediately after throwing up through the regulator. :shocked2:
• If the current suddenly stops moving....you are caught in the current.
• A bottom-finder can register what looks to be a 60 foot reef when it is only a single strand of seaweed.
• Bull sharks don't really like for your to take their Amberjacks.
• Combinations of scopolamine, meclizine and ginger snaps seem to cause nausea
• Sharks won't hurt you, but they *will* come in for a taste if you are bleeding.
• It IS possible to get your mask kicked off from above without your even being aware another diver was nearby.

 

[Jax]

Here's a few more....

• Combinations of scopolamine, meclizine and ginger snaps seem to cause nausea
  

Psssst . . . I learned ginger snaps do not contain ginger.

 

[Rhone Man]

I'll add a few, although you're normally nearer 200 dives when you learn this lessons:

• skip-breathing will conserve gas, but it will give you a splitting headache
• there is just no way to look physically attractive whilst wearing dive gear; not before going down, and certainly not after coming up
• don't forget to learn from less experienced divers - their infectious enthusiasm reminds us of the simple joys in diving
• like teenagers and beer, nitrogen narcosis seems like fun at first, but it is all too easy to go over the top too soon
• your worst day stuck on the surface wishing you were underwater is still better than your best day stuck underwater wishing you were on the surface
• if you cannot see your buddy anywhere, then s/he is almost certainly hovering above you

Apologies if any of those are 'repeats'.

 

[Rhone Man]

• no matter how experienced you get you will still occasionally do something stupid

I bet we could start an entire thread just based on that one - I can certainly think of a few cringers!

 

[cloudflint]

Spelling wasn't one of them.

I cant see anything spelt wrong in what i wrote? apart from a few missed apostrophes it all seems fine to me!

[*]there is just no way to look physically attractive whilst wearing dive gear; not before going down, and certainly not after coming up

Expanding on that, there will always be one guy in every club who is super athletic and inexplicably looks great in his wetsuit thus making you look worse by comparison.

I bet we could start an entire thread just based on that one - I can certainly think of a few cringers!

Yeah, just a few dives ago i managed to swim off leaving behind the two most senior divers in my club who where examining me on my dive leader performance. The last dive i was on one of the guys forgot all his equipment only realising when he went to kit up, and a few dives before that one of my regular buddies who has been diving for about 50 years managed to get halfway through the dive before realising his computer was on upsideown, was in 33 percent nitrox mode (we were on air) and was set to imperial (we always use metric).

I certainly learnt alot from those experiences, mainly to check behind me alot when dive leading, to always make sure ive actually packed my kit, and that its really hard to signal to someone that their computer is on upsideown, is in nitrox mode and has been set to imperial rather than metric

 

[Rhone Man]

My favourite (and I have seen it more than once) is an OWSI lecturing his students of the importance of buddy checks, then they all jump in the water, and he comes up and calls to the DM - "can you please pass me my weight belt!"