Best thing you learned in OW

[ls1mtz]

I just thought this might be useful to new divers taking OW. What's the one thing that you learned in OW that stuck with you and you think could help out some future OW divers? Lets get some variety here, not alot of repeats.

*SOLVE ALL PROBLEMS UNDERWATER..... this is the thing I remember the most
Even in your pool dives get used to figuring stuff out underwater instead of popping up to talk to the instructor. The surface won't always be an option and sometimes it can make a minor problem get a lot worse.

 

[diver 85]

Seems like the 1st thing I tell someone who is not a diver is the 'never hold your breath UW' thing...then the BT(NDL), ascend slowly etc etc etc talk happens.....

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Anyone can abort any dive at any time for any reason. If it doesn't feel right, don't go.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[DBailey]

The best thing that I learned in Open Water class was that learning doesn't stop with the completion of class.

 

[shellim123]

Keep diving! The more you practice, the better and more comfortable you will become! It is normal to feel a little nervous.

 

[Nudgeroni]

For me it was learning how to *relax* underwater. It is impossible to learn anything if you aren't comfortable. It can be hard to stay mellow in a new environment, especially with the rush to get through the required exercises. Everything got easier once my breathing rate went down, though.

 

[TSandM]

I think the best thing I learned in OW came in my third OW dive, when I got separated from my instructor and ended up on my back on the bottom. I sat up, took stock, remembered the protocol I'd been taught for coping with that situation, executed it, and did fine. It was a big lesson in the fact that, if you stay calm and think, most things can be solved without issues.

 

[Mountain Dog]

Ditto to all of the previous posts, and let me add one specific skill...how to deal with a free-flowing regulator.

It happened to me a few dives after OW. We were at about 50fsw when my rental rig started free-flowing like a big dog. Rather than freaking out, I calmly pulled it out of my mouth and kept breathing from the roaring stream of bubbles while I tried to solve the problem. What happened was the purge button stuck - whether from dirt or wear and tear I don't know. I had to rap on the purge rather sharply a few times to get it to release. It finally did, and we ended our somewhat abbreviated dive, safety stop and all, with no further problems. Although the episode did cost me almost a thousand pounds of pressure.

Back on the boat the divemaster complimented me for my handling of the situation. He said I never lost trim and didn't alter my depth. To which I said something like, "Thanks. Can I please have a different reg for the second tank?"

That's when I decided to buy my own gear.

Mountain Dog

 

[Mthelming]

Something that I didn't know before my OW class was to hold your gauges away from you when turning on the air. This way if for some reason they blow, you don't have shards of glass flying at you. I also learned the my girlfriend is a real trooper for doing the class with me, as I was the one who really wanted to do it. Now she loves it.

 

[ekewaka]

When I finished OW, I think my instructor said "You now know enough to get yourself bent," or something like that.