Check out Dives1 & 2 done with all skills completed despite a couple of issues

[EFB]

I just got out of the shower. I am COVERED in bruises. I had NO IDEA how exhausted I would be. All the gear is akward and hard to haul.

My day started with getting in the HUGE super thick suit (we only wore shorties during the pool stuff..I had that one on top of the full suit). I swear I had three DMs helping me fold back the excess fabric on my arms and legs (seriously...must have been 5 inches) when I look up and see a friendly face. My friend and mentor that I met on this forum Rene (RTee) was there to wish me good luck. That was so very sweet and I appreciated him taking the time to do that. Dive one...man I am nervous...we do the weight check...my instructor says we need more weights...this process took forever...my stress level went up and up and up..my instructor asked another instructor if she and her buddy would stay behind with me and Marco (they FINALLY let us be buddies). She and her hubby were awesome. We got the weight issue kinda dealt with...I felt very overweighted (they added 12 lbs to me)..then I had a hood issue. It was just too small. I thought it was last night and today I felt like it was choking me. She got me to take the hood off and just go down in the shallow part...no issues (despite the weight still being off). We came up and she said it was totally my call..I may be cold at the deeper part. I wanted to try...I also wanted to catch up as much as I could.

Off we go...there is a plane in the quarry and that was pretty cool..then off to a small ship (wow, you could tell the difference in tempertaure there). The instructor signaled that we should turn around...I lost my right fin. She helped me..but the visibility there is really not so great...we can't see the boys...we look for a minute and surface. Marco looked a little worried. LESSON LEARNED- Stay close to my buddy (and I did in dive 2).

This is where we had to do surface skills- tired diver tow, snorkel/reg exchange, cramp removal (which really came in handy as we were leaving the water when I got cramps in both legs), BCD removal and replacement at the surface and weight belt removal and replacement at the surface. The only thing I had a slight issue with was the weight removal..it all went fine, lifting it on me, turning into it...I just had issues with the buckle and the gloves. But I stopped for a minute, took a couple of deep breaths...and finished.

Out of the water and grabbed something to eat. I swear I would have had a drink if I didn't have a second dive.

 

[EFB]

Dive two..I told my instructor that I didn't really think the shortie was required and should I adjust all the weights they put on me. He said no. He would change his mind almost immediately when we got in the water. I would add air and add air...and not get off the bottom. And this place has really bad visibility to begin with. We surfaced under a small bridge and he and hubby took lots of weight off..I was still over weighted. BUT..we joined the class and my instructor had Marco and I do the following skills:
Partial Flood and clear
Full flood and clear
Reg removal and retrieval
Alt air (both buddies)
Then, fin pivot...it took 7 small puffs of air to get me off the bottom
Lastly CESA (which I thought was just great and I would have done it again if they let me...that was much easier there than in the pool)
One more descent and saftey stop
Out of the water
Debrief and log books filled out

Then we heaede back to the shop of an air refill for tomorrow. I also got a bigger hood.

I know tomorrow we have the dreaded mask removal and replacement. And hoovering...besides that, I have no clue.

It was great having my hubby as my buddy....he was very encouraging and I spend lots of time looking into his eyes...and I can almost read his mind after 17 years together.

PLEASE keep the good vibes coming my way...despite the weight issues and hood issues, it was fun. Exhausting and stressful, but fun.

 

[zaberman1]

Glad you are having fun. Just curious though, did you guys ever perform a weight check before descending?

 

[BVickery]

Keep up the great work, it is really worth it. Also, HUGE props for RTee to make it to your OW check out dives to wish you luck. That man is gonna be worth a gold mine shortly imho (mentors almost always are).

I can soooooooooo relate to the to small of a wetsuit hoodie, I had one that was to small on my first OW try. 1/2 way done and the first few dives are the toughest.

 

[mselenaous]

Thanks for sharing your class report. First hand experiences really help folks understand what to expect.

... My friend and mentor that I met on this forum Rene (RTee) was there to wish me good luck. That was so very sweet and I appreciated him taking the time to do that.

Yup, most Scubaboarders are just that nice and helpful! Wait til you meet more of us .

PS you'll find the diving just keeps getting easier from here on out.

 

[TSandM]

Glad you got through it, and maybe had a wee bit of fun?

Ill-fitting equipment makes life difficult. We struggled with this during the class we taught this last week -- what people had rented just ended up not working as well as it should have. This is one of the reasons I think people should buy exposure protection first of all!

 

[EFB]

Glad you are having fun. Just curious though, did you guys ever perform a weight check before descending?

There was a very fast one by my instructor, but I have to say the visibility there was pretty bad (silt bottom quarry) and it was a DM at the bridge that saw I was having a hard time staying down and started adding more and more weight. Also, I will admit I was already nervous..ran into this issue..so my breathing was less and less deep to say the least. Tomorrow, I will know better. And I won't go anywhere until I do. My instructor said to me at the end of the day, you were overweighted and you need a new hood. So, I am sure he will also have his eyes out for me.

Keep up the great work, it is really worth it. Also, HUGE props for RTee to make it to your OW check out dives to wish you luck. That man is gonna be worth a gold mine shortly imho (mentors almost always are).

I can soooooooooo relate to the to small of a wetsuit hoodie, I had one that was to small on my first OW try. 1/2 way done and the first few dives are the toughest.

Yes, Rene is a godsend and it was so sweet of him to do that for me. I can't wait for this time tomorrow. All the stuff I HAVE to do will be done. I know that everything I learned was to benefit my future diving. I just want to have fun now. Once we got the issues resolved, my first dive was what I think it will be like for us. I will say I am not a fan of that dive site. I really hated the visibility. I got spoiled in Jamaica. I guess I will just have to move to an island.

Thanks for sharing your class report. First hand experiences really help folks understand what to expect.



Yup, most Scubaboarders are just that nice and helpful! Wait til you meet more of us .

PS you'll find the diving just keeps getting easier from here on out.

I can't wait to meet more and I am happy to be that much closer to be "one of you guys". I am also glad to hear it gets easier. I swear, I have run into cold problems, first night jitters and now today's mess. It should be smooth sailing from here. IF I can just make it past the mask removal and replacement tomorrow, I am golden. I know I can, I have several times in the pool. All the training came back to me today in the "real world"...during the buddy breathing exercise, I swear I could hear the instructor walking me through the steps.

Glad you got through it, and maybe had a wee bit of fun?

Ill-fitting equipment makes life difficult. We struggled with this during the class we taught this last week -- what people had rented just ended up not working as well as it should have. This is one of the reasons I think people should buy exposure protection first of all!

I can assure you I will be getting my own wetsuit. One that is not nearly as long or even as thick. Do they make tailors for wetsuits??

I wee bit of fun, a lot of stress, a good dose of OH MY GOD I AM UNDERWATER and tons and tons of support from amazing people. I know why I am doing this. I fell in love at the bottom of the ocean in Jamaica with a world I had never seen before. I want to experience more. I will say I see the shallow dives in my future until I am comfortable. I didn't mind the 25 feet plane but the 40 ship made me a little uneasy.

I know that this is like anything else. Hubby and Rene both used the driving analogy. I have the desire and the determination. One day I hope to maybe help someone who was once where I am now.

 

[gcarter]

Good going today. Almost there...

Missed your group, didn't get wet until 5:00, but that's a whole other story.

We'll be getting a fill in the morning and back up again.

I didn't find the vis bad today, but there were few divers left when I went under.

 

[RTee]

Morrison quarry is a great place to do OW certif dives as well as any dives where you want to go and try new piece of equipment, finetune your weight, etc. One of the problem though is that it is very popular not only for Ottawa based divers but also many dive schools from Quebec including those from Montreal. All you need is to get two or three classes of OW certif dives to show up with six students one instructor and a DM or assistant instructor per class to very quickly bring the vis down to 10 ft or so. It is usually much better ...and colder once you reach 60 ft or deeper as people normally are off the bottom which is not the case in the shallower section.

EFB...well done. Tomorrow will be better now that you know what it is like. All the best to you and Marco. Leaving for Tobermory early tomorrow AM for the week. Today It worked out fine as my son wanted to have a father and son day together as it is going to be my birthday next week and I won't be around. So he really wanted us to go diving first because he knows I just love it so I was able to put the two together and see you off on your first dive. ;-) . Then I got a chance to fill all my tanks and sit in a near empty theatre to watch Harry Potter...lol. Cheers

 

[EFB]

Good going today. Almost there...

Missed your group, didn't get wet until 5:00, but that's a whole other story.

We'll be getting a fill in the morning and back up again.

I didn't find the vis bad today, but there were few divers left when I went under.

Don't worry...I am sure we will get to meet one day.

Morrison quarry is a great place to do OW certif dives as well as any dives where you want to go and try new piece of equipment, finetune your weight, etc. One of the problem though is that it is very popular not only for Ottawa based divers but also many dive schools from Quebec including those from Montreal. All you need is to get two or three classes of OW certif dives to show up with six students one instructor and a DM or assistant instructor per class to very quickly bring the vis down to 10 ft or so. It is usually much better ...and colder once you reach 60 ft or deeper as people normally are off the bottom which is not the case in the shallower section.

EFB...well done. Tomorrow will be better now that you know what it is like. All the best to you and Marco. Leaving for Tobermory early tomorrow AM for the week. Today It worked out fine as my son wanted to have a father and son day together as it is going to be my birthday next week and I won't be around. So he really wanted us to go diving first because he knows I just love it so I was able to put the two together and see you off on your first dive. ;-) . Then I got a chance to fill all my tanks and sit in a near empty theatre to watch Harry Potter...lol. Cheers

Yes, there were indeed several newbie groups there (ours had 8) and I know that was affecting visibility. Again, thank you so much for your visit. I appreciate it so much.