I just completed my OW in Lake Jocassee on 9-17-05. It was a L-O-N-G road for me. My first dive lesson was the most traumatic experience of my life. 
I'm sure onlookers thought it to be hilarious, as I spent much of my time falling over on my back, regulator spit out, mask off, and arms and legs wildly swinging. I had never even snorkeled before, and I had some MAJOR issues to deal with regarding breathing underwater. I told my instructor there wasn't a THING about this that I liked, and I left feeling discouraged and defeated (he told me I was my own worst enemy). BUT . . . I came home - and after a few days of licking my wounds, I was determined to lick this fear -- so I wore my mask around the house to get used to having my nose covered. I snorkeled in a pool (I almost gave up then, too, but I forced myself to keep my face in the water for 15-20 minutes). I snorkeled in the lake once, too. My instructor and I met 2 1/2 months later at a pool, and then it just clicked! I knocked out all 5 confined dives in about 3 hours - then we did my first 2 OW dives the next day, followed by 2 other dives on Sunday - one of which to a depth of 60 feet to see the Chinese Junk in Lake Jocassee. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE! I just want to encourage all of you who are having fear and anxiety about - well, drowning :10: I know everyone tells you to relax (yeah, right), but really, just take your time - go at YOUR pace - and it will come IF you want to do it badly enough. My instructor was Bill Routh of Off the Wall Diving and I HIGHLY recommend him to anyone in the area. He's very thorough and patient, and I am confident that I am well-trained. On my first OW dive, he suggested we just go swimming. Before I knew it, I was on a dive platform at 37 feet. I had no idea we were that deep (that would have freaked me out if he had told me on the surface that we were going to 37 feet for the first time). When we surfaced, I couldn't believe my depth gauge. That dive was effortless -- and I really enjoyed seeing the big bass that swam by :fish: If any of you are experiencing difficulty, take heart. If I can do it, you can do it. I'm going again next weekend . . . can't wait!
I'm sure onlookers thought it to be hilarious, as I spent much of my time falling over on my back, regulator spit out, mask off, and arms and legs wildly swinging. I had never even snorkeled before, and I had some MAJOR issues to deal with regarding breathing underwater. I told my instructor there wasn't a THING about this that I liked, and I left feeling discouraged and defeated (he told me I was my own worst enemy). BUT . . . I came home - and after a few days of licking my wounds, I was determined to lick this fear -- so I wore my mask around the house to get used to having my nose covered. I snorkeled in a pool (I almost gave up then, too, but I forced myself to keep my face in the water for 15-20 minutes). I snorkeled in the lake once, too. My instructor and I met 2 1/2 months later at a pool, and then it just clicked! I knocked out all 5 confined dives in about 3 hours - then we did my first 2 OW dives the next day, followed by 2 other dives on Sunday - one of which to a depth of 60 feet to see the Chinese Junk in Lake Jocassee. IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE! I just want to encourage all of you who are having fear and anxiety about - well, drowning :10: I know everyone tells you to relax (yeah, right), but really, just take your time - go at YOUR pace - and it will come IF you want to do it badly enough. My instructor was Bill Routh of Off the Wall Diving and I HIGHLY recommend him to anyone in the area. He's very thorough and patient, and I am confident that I am well-trained. On my first OW dive, he suggested we just go swimming. Before I knew it, I was on a dive platform at 37 feet. I had no idea we were that deep (that would have freaked me out if he had told me on the surface that we were going to 37 feet for the first time). When we surfaced, I couldn't believe my depth gauge. That dive was effortless -- and I really enjoyed seeing the big bass that swam by :fish: If any of you are experiencing difficulty, take heart. If I can do it, you can do it. I'm going again next weekend . . . can't wait!
If you had told me 12 years ago that I would be teaching the course I would have told you that you were crazy. Here I stand with 3 years of teaching under my belt and my favorite students are the ones like you, uncomfortable but determined. Your experience can be a great help to others and as you gain more dive experience you should think about working your way up through the certification ranks and becoming a divemaster or instructor yourself. Even if you are just assisting classes as a DM you can have a positive effect on apprehensive divers since you know how it feels to be scared. It's harder for people who haven't "been there" to relate to the nervous student in a believable manner (it can be done though) but when you have your own battle stories, as you do, nervous students tend to relax faster.
