Argh!! Cold water nose issues.....(sigh)

[K9trnr]

Ok, I'm back from my checkout dives today and guess what happened? I got OW certified!!! Yay!!!! (pardon while I happy dance)

I know some people frown on back-to-back OW/AOW; I've gone and signed up for the shop's AOW dive-at-a-time option, but seeing as how comfortable everything was and even my instructor commenting on how I did really well with everything (I thought my buoyancy sucked, but I'm tougher on myself) that I might as well follow up w/ the AOW. However, I certainly wouldn't consider myself "advanced" at that point. I understand how that mindset can set people up for trouble... It will be a LONG time of diving before I will be "advanced", but the opportunity to practice different types of dives under supervision is very appealing. So next Sat will be 3 shore dives: UW navigation, PPB, and Search & Recovery.

Congratulations!!! You worked hard to master the skill, and it's no surprise you did well. I don't think it's a rush going into AOW based on what you said. You know it won't make you an expert diver that should run off and get yourself in trouble. You also mentioned doing PPB as one of your dives after you mentioned thinking your buoyancy sucked. You'll be able to work on skills that will benefit you throughout your diving future (navigation and buoyancy), and I don't see any reason at all to wait as long as you keep the mindset you've shown.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Congrats!!!

 

[divezero]

Ya, diving mostly cold water....my advice, mostly like everyone elses, is to slowly let the water in your mask to get use to it, so it doesnt come as such a shock to you, also relax and take deep breathers, actually tell yourself that, you will be amazed how much it helps. Also it helps if you use the same technique (when you jump in water when you were a kid and even now, you either plug your nose or you dont, if you dont, use that same technique) At first it is hard to block the cold water from going in your nose, but it is just like everything else, practice, practice, practice.

 

[divezero]

Wow, didnt see there was 4 pages of this and that you already did it, I guess I am a little to late here, anyways, good job on the mask clearing! Congrats.

 

[spectrum]

Congratulations on the OW certification and on adapting to what was giving you discomfort. Learning to dive poses different challenges to different folks but they are almost always surmountable.

As for AOW, I'm with Storm.

As you stated you feel your buoyancy $ucked. Why not do at least a dozen or so conservative shore dives with the shop and peers. Get your buoyancy to where you feel somewhat natural. The same goes for the rest of diving in general. Once you have those dives behind you do AOW. The adrenaline will settle down, you will know what you need to get from the modules and you will be much better able to focus on the new skills and experiences.

The only time I'd suggest jumping right into AOW is if you did not feel confident to dive. This is not what I'm hearing in your post.

Not to discredit your instructor or LDS but remember that they are also sales people.

Pete

 

[mobster75]

Storm:

I appreciate your advice and do not take it in the wrong way. I plan on diving at least every other weekend locally just to get more experience and I would prefer to only dive with a group with more experienced divers so I can learn more. I'm not planning on doing the AOW in one weekend as some have. I've chosen the dive-by-dive option offered by my LDS so I can take as long as I want. And the Deep Dive and Wreck Dive are the last two I want to take. PPB, UW Nav, and Search & Recovery would be the order I would prefer. I'm hoping to have at least 50-60 dives in the next year (local and trips south). Also, I have more than just the 4 basic OW dives under my belt. My last 2 OW checkout dives were technically my 11th and 12th dives as I had the SD rating before.

 

[Storm]

Storm:

I appreciate your advice and do not take it in the wrong way. I plan on diving at least every other weekend locally just to get more experience and I would prefer to only dive with a group with more experienced divers so I can learn more. I'm not planning on doing the AOW in one weekend as some have. I've chosen the dive-by-dive option offered by my LDS so I can take as long as I want. And the Deep Dive and Wreck Dive are the last two I want to take. PPB, UW Nav, and Search & Recovery would be the order I would prefer. I'm hoping to have at least 50-60 dives in the next year (local and trips south). Also, I have more than just the 4 basic OW dives under my belt. My last 2 OW checkout dives were technically my 11th and 12th dives as I had the SD rating before.

You're on the right track both dive wise and judgement wise. I was not familiar with the dive - by dive option wher you can extend your AOW over the course of time while getting more practical dvies in. My only concern was with what I call fastracking; where the OW dives are followed by the AOW in back to back weekends.

Unless a studdent diver has spent alot more of thier personal time studying outside of the current RSTC minimums, they will not be fully versed in dive planning , gas management, trim and bouyancy. (no reflection on the average diver, these subjects are merely introduced and simply not fully taught in most OW courses)

Have fun, and get wet as much as you can.