I walked away.

[nm7sp]

Hi,

I've read threads here that state that if you think that to "walk away" is the right decision, then it most definitely is.

Well, I just walked away from the last day of my OW course. (and I'm 100% sure it was a good decision.)

At depth (7m or more) my stabilty (buoyancy) was good but at shallower depths I kept rolling away to the left. The more I fought this the worse it became. I was told ( and I believe) that all I have to do is relax and everything will be fine. However after fighting this during the pool dives and the first day of open water dives, I reluctantly gave up. After all, diving is meant to be fun.

It may also be that my current body shape meant that the wet suit didn't fit too well and maybe had too much extra air or that my body mass meant that I had too much weight attached, who knows.

Anyway, my plan is ( I usually try to overthink things)
1) lose another 20 kg (already lost 10 kg),
2) get a well fillting wet suit or custom made one
3) learn to swim better ( I can swim but am not a strong awimmer)
and most importantly....... before commiting to attend another OW course.....
4) prove to myself ( in company of divemastrer or instructor) that I can....

a) maintain stability at shallow depths
b) remove gear at depth, fix a slipped tank, and re-don gear.

If anyone has hints as to my "rolling to my left" problem, I would love to hear them.

Cheers
Nick

 

[RJP]

If anyone has hints as to my "rolling to my left" problem, I would love to hear them.

Cheers
Nick

I'm going to guess at a combination of

- poorly fitted BCD
- typical newbie overly-vigorous flutter kick
- lack of overall comfort in the water

Put those three together and the tanks starts moving around. As soon as it goes a bit off center it tries to pull you.

As a new diver your instinct as you say is to "try to fight this" but the fact is that most things in the water don't need to be "fought" but rather compensated for. It's usually the "fighting" response that causes the problems/frustration.

A better fitting BCD, smoother propulsion technique, and more time in the water will do wonders for you.

Good luck!

 

[DevonDiver]

The problems you illustrate sound quite typical for a new student.

Can I suggest that:

1) Diving will improve your water comfort.
2) Diving will improve your familiarity with the equipment.
3) Diving will help reduce your weight (I certainly lose lots of weight diving).
4) Diving will increase your confidence in the water.
5) Diving will increase your buoyancy control.

Get the theme?

That said... you have to be psychologically prepared for scuba. If you are confident that you need more time and preparation before continuing your training, then that is the right solution for you.

 

[mheaster]

Proper fitting Wet Suit, BCD and appropriate weighting (not just amount but placement) will undoubtedly greatly aid you in stability and make the process of gaining more diving experience more enjoyable for you and reduce your anxiety level!

What I seemed to hone in on from your statement was that your stability improved at depth and was worse in shallow water, I would first closely examine your wetsuit. Your OWN proper fitting wetsuit may be a worthwhile investment even at this early stage of your dive career.

I used to HATE trying to get into a borrowed, farmer-john, beaver-tail wetsuit years ago!
When I purchased a Henderson Hyper-stretch jump suit (many years ago now) it literally changed diving for me. Now MANY manufacturers are making nice form fitting suits from much more comfortable types of neoprene in many different price ranges.

The rolling to the left issue must have something to do with your gear/weighting being off kilter.

I would suggest while your fitness improvement plans are certainly noteworthy (I could also stand to loose a few unwanted pounds of ballast) a couple of extra "comfort building sessions" in the pool with a dive professional could probably easily sort out wetsuit, BCD and weight distribution issues.

Doing this NOW, could allow your training completed up to this point to still be applicable versus waiting a while and being required to begin anew.

 

[Lee Taylor]

I think mheaster is on target. The thought of an improper fitting wetsuit brings to mind trapped air. The Hyperstretch or "stretchy" wetsuit will eliminate this.

I still occasionally have to "adjust" the way my tank is riding on my spine. It wants to go to one side or another. I usually find that my BC is too loose.

My BC is an upside down horseshoe shaped back inflation so when I roll to the left or right the air in the bladder goes to one side.

It is annoying but I purposely ignore it.

Proper fitting Wet Suit

What I seemed to hone in on from your statement was that your stability improved at depth and was worse in shallow water

When I purchased a Henderson Hyper-stretch jump suit (many years ago now) it literally changed diving for me.

 

[Superlyte27]

The problems you illustrate sound quite typical for a new student.

Can I suggest that:

1) Diving will improve your water comfort.
2) Diving will improve your familiarity with the equipment.
3) Diving will help reduce your weight (I certainly lose lots of weight diving).
4) Diving will increase your confidence in the water.
5) Diving will increase your buoyancy control.

Get the theme?

That said... you have to be psychologically prepared for scuba. If you are confident that you need more time and preparation before continuing your training, then that is the right solution for you.

I agree with this. Your issues plague many new divers. The big difference is, they didn't give up and very quickly things started to click and they started enjoying it. Remember the first time you starting driving a manual shift car? It was a mess. So many things going on all at once. Gas, Clutch, Gear Shift, Braking, all in combination at once. But with a little practice, it became easy. You could even drink a cup of coffee and eat a donut while downshifting through a curve.

Diving is the same thing. It just takes a little practice.

I'm not sure if money permits, but if it does. Buy your own set of gear, and certainly buy your own Mask, Snorkel, Fins and Wetsuit.

 

[Bob DBF]

Hi,

I've read threads here that state that if you think that to "walk away" is the right decision, then it most definitely is.

Cheers
Nick

Depends on how far you want to walk. I usually remove myself from the situation, and when in a safe spot analyze the problem, correct it and give it another go. I know from personal experience that it is impossible to learn and keep up with a class when fighting a gear problem. Unless you told the instructor to do impossible things with his anatomy, I'm sure he would be agreeable to help you sort out your problems and place you in his next class.


Bob
----------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Airleron]

I used to have this problem and redistributed my weights. I mistakenly assumed because I have trim pockets on my tank top band that I would put alot of weight there so it wasn't crammed into my pockets. However, I needed weight where my body needed it....for me it is as close to the "junk in the trunk". Moving all weight back to my pockets improved my diving 80%, then shifting a pound from my left to right pocket improved my trim even more. My reel and SMB were giving me a port list, so this worked very well. I also have a Henderson Thermoprene Hyperstretch suit and it's worth every cent.

There are great divers on this board with great tips, keep reading them. Save up for your own gear, then give it another try. You'll be glad you did.

 

[Quero]

The wetsuit might be a problem, but I'm more inclined to think it's a BCD + weighting problem. If the BCD is too big a couple of things happen: first of all the tank slides to one side or the other of your back, and even a slight movement of the tank can make you "list" to one side; also a too-big BCD often gets air trapped in weird places, and as that air expands at shallower depths, it will tend to migrate to one side or the other of the bladder, again making you tip to one side. If you're carrying too much weight, you always need to put more air in the BCD to become neutral, and again, little bits of trapped air in the BCD become more pronounced as you go shallower, and then as it migrates to one side, it tends to lift and roll you to one side. My advice:
get back in the water with your instructor (pay for a private session if need be) and

1. Try a size smaller BCD
2. Tighten the cummerbund quite snug around your middle; you might retighten it once you're under water
3. Try diving with a little less weight, and if you are having trouble getting off the surface, make sure you blow all the air out of your lungs and cross your feet at the ankles (many new divers kick without realizing it)

Just because you walked away in frustration doesn't mean you can't walk back to try new strategies.

 

[warmwaterturner]

Not going to get into the technical side of this discussion - there are lots of divers more qualified than I to help you with that. I simply want to commend you on two things #1 - recognizing that things were not going well and #2 - "calling the dive", regrouping and advancing at a pace that fits you! That will make you a safer and more skilled diver in the long run. Good luck!