I'm certified! and scared!

[Raphyy]

Today was awesome! I got certified, but kind of scared too. We went to a 70 foot deep wreck sighting and I don't know what happened buy I panicked. Took a few minutes to get to normal again though. Oh well, I'm certified. YAY!

 

[Prostar]

Are you just recently certified? If so, what are you doing at 70 feet? Start much more shallow, get the skills and confidence under control. We would much rather hear about your much shallower dives than read about you.

 

[drbill]

It is not unusual to be a bit scared initially, and it is actually a healthy sign in my mind. It means you recognize the potential issues that could arise. It helps keep you cautious until you become more comfortable underwater. A good suggestion would be to dive with experienced (and good) divers for a while to get your "sea legs."

 

[almitywife]

70ft=20+mtrs which is a few metres deeper than what you should have been

did you panic or did you feel stressed?

think back, what did you do to deal with the situation and "get yourself normal again" and learn from it

keep diving, keep learning & enjoy

cheers

 

[don Francisco]

One of the hardest things for a new diver to learn is how to say "No", as in "Gee, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that dive" The more experienced divers are saying "don't worry, you'll be fine" and they may be more experienced, and might even be right, but if you don't feel ready, say so, and pass.

You grow by diving slightly beyind your skill and comfort zone, but the key here is "slightly".

Having handled this and controlled your near panic, you're now a bit more ready than before, and most importantly have a bit more judgement. Enjoy your next dive, and as DrBill suggests, try to join experienced divers who'll give you reassurance and not push you too far or fast.

 

[Raphyy]

My BCD wasn't filling up, turns out i forgot to hook up the pressure hose to the BC...but I did fine to be honest - i inflated it a little and controlled my buoyancy through my breathing...the instructor told me I handled it really well =)

 

[spectrum]

Okay Raphyy, I'll let you use my definition of a good dive which is: Nobody got hurt, all of the gear came back and you learned something.

As you step out on your own take it easy. It's a long way home from 70 feet. Put more emphasis on pre-dive check and buddy checks. Also be wary of distractions while you are setting up. If you must become focused and antisocial do so. You're playing for keeps when you dive.

As you gain experience you will learn how to recognize when gear is not behaving and let that be a red flag to go into problem diagnose and solve mode.

Did you identify the problem and connect the QD on your own? In any case good job on keeping your cool.

Pete

 

[Arizona]

Good things stated by all. In particular as Spectrum writes remember to complete a thorough pre-dive safety check (PADI-BWRAF).

Did you remember that you could orally inflate your BCD at depth if needed? How did you react when you surfaced? Did you orally inflate or re-attach the inflator hose once you realized something was wrong? This is an area where many can potentially get themselves in trouble. Establishing buoyancy at the surface is critical.

I agree, you seemed to handle this well.

Thanks for sharing,

AZ

 

[Raphyy]

I orally inflated and maintained a steady breathing pattern. I didn't even hook the hose up underwater - completely forgot that I could do that underwater. When I surfaced I was like "WOW I can't believe I just did that!"

 

[tschmitt]

What was your 'planned' depth for the dive? My OW dives were all at 20-25ft. Are you PADI certified? If so, you probably know that you shouldn't be below 60' until you do a Deep Dive Adventure or Specialty class.

I'm surprise that an instructor or DM didn't get your LP hose connected back up. I could see how not being able to slow your decent would be frightening. Good job on maintaining your cool. Congrats on the accomplishment.