Newbie worries, Advice??

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It's all about comfort. Staying calm and comfortable underwater. When we learned our diving skills, there was a test known as "pool comp" where we swam along the bottom, the instructors (unnanounced) came down, ripped off our masks and regs, tied hoses in knots (tight knots at that) and shut off our tank valves. We had to stay calm and remove the gear, correct the deficencies and get organized and then surface in order to pass.

It sounds crazy - and yes it was. They said it was to simulate "rough surf conditions." I have yet to experience any surf that has tied my hoses in knots and shut off my tank valves but hey... lol My point is, the whole reason for the test was to show us that no matter what conditions exist, you must stay calm. Diving can be dangerous of course but if you are cool, calm and collected you will be good to go.

I am not saying for anyone to try the above test as we were under the watchful eye of expert instructors. Stay calm and you will be fine. HAVE FUN!!
 
I am going to be a certified open water diver with SSI by the end of this upcoming weekend and I am definitely nervous about my check out dives.

So far the deepest we have gone is 12ft in a pool during the pool training sessions and I must admit I was experiencing some anxiety down there because we were being tested in all of the skills we had learned.

I did all the skills fine except I had a bit of trouble taking off my mask, placing it back on and then draining it from water. I ended up getting quite a bit of water up my nose but when my instructor held my shoulder I relaxed and was able to recover.

Tell your instructor that you aren't ready yet and want more pool sessions.

The skills you're learning are there for your safety and comfort, and you should be given enough practice time so that you can repeat them easily with little anxiety.

Terry
 
It's all about comfort. Staying calm and comfortable underwater. When we learned our diving skills, there was a test known as "pool comp" where we swam along the bottom, the instructors (unnanounced) came down, ripped off our masks and regs, tied hoses in knots (tight knots at that) and shut off our tank valves. We had to stay calm and remove the gear, correct the deficencies and get organized and then surface in order to pass.

It sounds crazy - and yes it was. They said it was to simulate "rough surf conditions." I have yet to experience any surf that has tied my hoses in knots and shut off my tank valves but hey... lol My point is, the whole reason for the test was to show us that no matter what conditions exist, you must stay calm. Diving can be dangerous of course but if you are cool, calm and collected you will be good to go.

I am not saying for anyone to try the above test as we were under the watchful eye of expert instructors. Stay calm and you will be fine. HAVE FUN!!
Wow...Those must have been some hard core instructors lolol That is a lot of stuff to take care of with your air off....I am sure I would never want to take that test but I would say you are fully prepared for any situation. Was everyone able to fix all those things that went wrong? it would surprise me if not one panicked and swam to the surface. But I do know that these skills are taught for a reason and I am glad I am being taught them.
 
Wow...Those must have been some hard core instructors lolol That is a lot of stuff to take care of with your air off....I am sure I would never want to take that test but I would say you are fully prepared for any situation. Was everyone able to fix all those things that went wrong? it would surprise me if not one panicked and swam to the surface. But I do know that these skills are taught for a reason and I am glad I am being taught them.

It was an intense military training school, not a civilian thing. lol Not everyone did pass. Many people panicked and just shot up to the surface. They would get multiple attempts to pass and most corrected their deficencies, but there were still some who continued to panic. They were dropped from the course as it is a required test to pass for graduation.
 
It is hard for anyone to tell you what your dives will be like without knowing where you will be doing them and the instructor's approach.

Location
You say you will be doing some in a spring and some on a beach, and we know you are in Florida. That allows for a world of possibilities. Sometimes there are platforms, but often there aren't. Even though I live in Colorado, I am sometimes in Florida or similar locations for checkout dives, and when I do them there, it is very much like the dive you would be doing if it were not a checkout dive, except that some skills are involved. Key Largo is a perfect place for such dives, with no need for any kind of artificial construct. If it is only 1-2 students on the dive, then 90% of the dive is a pleasant swim.

Checkout dives in Colorado are done with a platform because of the poor visibility to begin with and the great fear that students touching the bottom will muck things up even more. In some other locations, platforms are used because they want to control the depth of the dive and maintain better control over a larger group of students.

Instructor Methods
I never have my students touch the bottom in any way, let alone kneel, during a checkout dive. All skills are done while neutrally buoyant. I am often holding onto them for control when they are doing something like a mask removal, but the students are not kneeling on the bottom. f your instructor is like me, that's how it will be. Otherwise, you may be kneeling again.
 
I just finished my open water classes about a month ago. I too was very nervous before hand.

But the dives and my instructor were great. There were no surprises. We went over each dive plan and talked about all the skills that we were going to do that dive. All of the skillls were the same as we did in the pool.

For me the anxiety of the skills came from just sitting there waiting to be put on the spot to complete mine. I also found it really uncomfortable to just kneel there. But I just kept telling myself that once I got through the classes I wouldn't have to kneel anymore! Also I found that leaning forward a bit helps with the bubble problem.

As for the mask removal, that was my biggest problem. I had to re-take one of the pool sessions because I just couldn't do it. But with a lot of practice I finally was able to get comfortable with it. For me it was all a mental thing. I just had to keep doing it and I finally realized that the feeling of water going up my nose was just an annoying sensation and that I was not going to drown.

I hope this helps calm your fears a little. Just know that you are not the only one to be a little nervous and good luck. It is true what they say, diving does become addictive!
 
I just finished my open water classes about a month ago. I too was very nervous before hand.

But the dives and my instructor were great. There were no surprises. We went over each dive plan and talked about all the skills that we were going to do that dive. All of the skillls were the same as we did in the pool.

For me the anxiety of the skills came from just sitting there waiting to be put on the spot to complete mine. I also found it really uncomfortable to just kneel there. But I just kept telling myself that once I got through the classes I wouldn't have to kneel anymore! Also I found that leaning forward a bit helps with the bubble problem.

As for the mask removal, that was my biggest problem. I had to re-take one of the pool sessions because I just couldn't do it. But with a lot of practice I finally was able to get comfortable with it. For me it was all a mental thing. I just had to keep doing it and I finally realized that the feeling of water going up my nose was just an annoying sensation and that I was not going to drown.

I hope this helps calm your fears a little. Just know that you are not the only one to be a little nervous and good luck. It is true what they say, diving does become addictive!
Thanks for the advice! Your fears then are my fears now but I feel that from reading everyone's advice I feel ok about it. I know I will be a bit nervous down there but I just need to keep my cool....Its definitely the mask removal that I have to really focus on. See ya in the water!
 
After taking an 18 month hiatus, I had difficulty removing my mask without panic. I actually swam around in the water without my mask for a bit, and when I went to do my skills, I told myself to remove the mask, then take at least one full breath before putting it back on. It helped to slow me down and force me to relax. If you can get any more pool time, I'd recommend the swim without the mask. It really gets you comfortable to the water on your face.
 
Well, I am new to this board and probably this isn't in time, but.... When I was getting my DM certification, I would work with students on this quite often. I found that this was the most common trouble so you are not at all alone. I agree that getting your face wet can help, but also trying to flood clear incrementally can also assist. Try putting a little water, maybe an inch or two, and then clear. Keep adding more as you are comfortable and after a several of these you might find your self more comfortable. Sometimes I would work with students nearly an hour doing this over and over before they were comfortable.
 
Just being certified OW by another agency, here is my experience.

Expect the first dive to be at a fairly shallow depth, something in the range of 25 to 30 feet. During this dive I did not practice any skills apart from signals and fining. After this dive you should feel much more confident.

Use a protective pad to cover your mask straps this will make mask removal / replacement much easier.
I find mask replacement easier by just taking the mask off, without semi flooding, but do what you are most confident with.

Remember if you really feel uncomfortable then you are entitled to signal: abandon the dive and go for it another day.
 
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