What to expect on OW cert dives....

[tursiops]

you won't be doing ANYTHING you have not done before in the pool.

Not quite. In OW there is a compass swim that was not done in the pool, and the CESA is vertical (and easier!) rather than horizontal.

 

[caruso]

Not quite. In OW there is a compass swim that was not done in the pool, and the CESA is vertical (and easier!) rather than horizontal.

I wasn't aware that CESA was practiced in OW checkout dives because it can be rather dangerous.

 

[tursiops]

I wasn't aware that CESA was practiced in OW checkout dives because it can be rather dangerous.

Depends on the agency.

 

[oly5050user]

If this is a PADI course look in your training log book. Skill requirements are listed there for each dive. No surprises this way.

 

[mi000ke]

There are a couple of other skills that you may not have done in the pool. You may need to pay more attention than in your pool sessions to frequently checking your gas pressure and your NDL. It's not really an issue in the pool, but you will probably be asked your current gas/ndl situation by the instructor during open water dives. Also getting in and out of a boat is something that you may have not done in your confined dives, but your instructor should cover all of that as well before the dive.

 

[Gareth J]

SNIP
Also getting in and out of a boat is something that you may have not done in your confined dives, but your instructor should cover all of that as well before the dive.

Getting is never a problem [1] - Its knowing how you are getting out that is the important thing.
Especially for shore diving in tidal water - if the water has gone out and the slip is 3ft above you - you have a problem .

Gareth

[1] I know an ex Royal Navy clearance diver, there where to many people volunteering for his course. They had to demonstrate they where made of the 'right stuff'. One of the requirements was to enter the water by jumping out of a helicopter. When they had enough candidates for the course, the helicopter started to climb to RTB with the unlucky still on board. His friend through himself out of the helicopter, at about twice the normal height. Knocked himself out on hitting the water - but he got on the course .
Luckly recreational diving isn't that onerous!

 

[boulderjohn]

If this is a PADI course look in your training log book. Skill requirements are listed there for each dive. No surprises this way.

Yes, and they are there in great detail. You are, in fact, supposed to check off some of the skills you did on particular dives yourself.

When I was certified a couple of decades ago, the requirements were in the logbook, too, although not nearly in that kind of detail. I never once noticed them. Years later, which I was getting my DM certification and I had to be able to demonstrate the required skills, I was surprised to learn what some of those skills were, because I had not done them. I looked back at my old log book and saw them listed, with the instructor's initials saying he had done them, even though he clearly had not.

In another thread a day or so ago, an instructor mentioned something about the OW skills, and what he said was true of the way the OW skills were done for decades, but they changed about 4 years ago. What he said in that thread is no longer true, so I assume he was evidently not aware of that change. It is therefore possible that if you read your logbook carefully, you may know more about the requirements than your instructor.

 

[rsingler]

I wasn't aware that CESA was practiced in OW checkout dives because it can be rather dangerous.

Yes, that'll be reassuring to the OP, a little anxious about the OW checkout dives.

@caruso , scuba is dangerous. Crossing a street is dangerous. But if you remember the first rule of scuba (always blow bubbles, or always breathe, or never hold your breath, or whatever you were taught) then CESA is just another in 30-some-odd skills that you have to demonstrate. Done from 30 feet, it's a piece of cake. As @tursiops said, much easier than in the pool. @appygirl82 , there are a variety of opinions expressed on ScubaBoard.

 

[tursiops]

I wasn't aware that CESA was practiced in OW checkout dives because it can be rather dangerous.

The only real danger is to the instructor, who in a typical class may be doing it over and over. and the danger is typically to the ears, not DCS.

If you have some citations you can provide as to the danger you mention, it would be good.....in another thread. It is off topic for this thread.

 

[Bookmon]

Having dove Monterey Bay a lot, I agree with a sneak practice with gloves AND hood. Get a proper fitting hood. If it makes you feel choked, that can lead to more anxious tension.
Don’t sweat the cold. Once you pee in your wet suit, you’ll warm up.