Is there any help for an Uncoordinated newbee?

[SubMariner]

Diana: I'm with art.chick on this one. Using ankle wts is a subjective decision. If they work for you.. go for it!

Examples:

- when I demonstrate fin pivot or hover for my students I often use ankle wts because of the dreaded "floaty feet" syndrome.

- in my drysuit if I need additional weight, rather than put it on my belt & mess up my trim, I'll put on a pair of ankle wts. Or put them on my tank.

Scuba~dawg:

I am having some serious gear related issues and paniced underwater.[/QOUTE]

Iam going to get so more pool time in and hopefully i will be ready for the ocean soon. I don't think I am ready to be thrown into the ocean with 100lb of gear on right now

The aforementioned is telling me you need to slow down. Take your time. Also get rid of your husband as a dive buddy until you have completed all your confined and open water training.

It's obvious that you are feeling pressured to dive because your husband is a DM. In cases like this I find that the male (diving)spouse is more of a hinderance than a help.

You will be a better, more confident, and totally self sufficient diver if you learn to dive on your own. After that, dive with your hubby & enjoy!

~SubMariner~

 

[deignor]

Thanks for the feedback.
In response to some of your questions-
My Diva LX is weight integrated. I put in some weight but I also used the weight belt. My hubby was worried with it being all new equipment that I might not remember how to ditch the weight in the event of an emergency. We were in a deep quarry with poor vis. I had the new BC, new regulator, new fins, etc so I was on "new" overload.
My weight belt has pockets for soft weights. The problem was where the buckle was placed. With the other ill-fitting wetsuits and BC, the buckle was OK. I used to wear the wetbelt a little lower than my waist so it was obviously lower than my BC. Now, with a great fitting 6.5 mm one-piece and the Diva, I could wear the belt right on my waist which is substantially smaller than hip area. Anyway, hubby re-adjusted the buckle on the platform (I had trouble doing it myself). I was then able to tighten substantially and it didn't slide around for the rest of the dive.
I am going to take your advice and practice in the pool tonight. I will see how much weight I will need with my 3 mm. I am going to practice ditching weight with the Diva so in Cozumel, maybe I can just use the integrated weight system and trim weights. I probably should wear my ankle weights all the time because I have floating feet. I just don't want my feet dragging down and mucking up the bottom or damaging coral, etc. I will do the "picking up of pennies" as suggested.
We are doing this dive with the LDS so there will be 1 instructor and 2 DMs plus the local DM. So, lots of experience around me. Staying at Scuba Club Cozumel. I am not sure if I will be brave enough for the night dive, it is 2 dives (twilight and night) from a boat. I have enough trouble during the daytime !
Everytime I post, you guys make me feel great and not so worried. Hubby is an experienced diver who has memory loss when it comes to any newbie fears or difficulties he might have had in the beginning. He might just be a "natural". He has been very supportive when it comes to going with me to practice skills, etc but I believe he secretly wishes I was progressing faster. Oh well, that is the advantage of going with this group, he can go do the more difficult dives with the others.
I never realize I am sucking air - I think I am breathing OK so the humming idea might just work for me! Hum a little song to myself.
Thanks a million.
Diana

 

[scubagatorgal]

Glad to hear that you are going to practice in the pool...you will be astonished at how great you will feel after the things you are concerned about get easier and easier with practice. Low pressure situations make all the difference when you are trying to work out a problem.

Weight ditching with the Diva is a cinch with only velcro and the grab handles. It will be too easy in a few practices...graduate to closing your eyes and ditching your weight simulating poor vis (something you will NOT experience in Coz)

Let us know how it goes...

 

[MikeFerrara]

I think that this thread makes an important point. Lots of people get certified in preperation for a trip that is already planned. Sometimes time is very short. We can give advice here on the board but a good instructor who has you in sight is in a better position to give a correct diagnosis. I envite all my students to do extra dives with me. Especially the ones preparing for a wedding are usually too busy. As time goes on I become more and more likely to withhold a card and make the extra dives manditory. Knowing there is a new OW diver still having trouble with my name on their card headed for the deep drift dives of Cozumel makes it hard to sleep until they get back and report in.

 

[deignor]

That is a good point Mike. You sound like the instructor everyone who is learning would love to have- dedicated and concerned. But there aren't enough of you out there!!!!!!!Even after my pool dives- when they said "Now you are ready for your OW quarry dives", I didn't feel prepared. I went to the pool an additional 4 times with hubby to practice skills.
I had a different instructor for my check out dives. He was very attentive and I asked him about my skills relative to Cozumel. He thought I would do OK. I plan on doing the easier dives and have no intention of going too deep where I feel uncomfortable.
Even with the wedding, I have done 5 additional quarry dives. I was out the weekend before the wedding. The deepest I have gone is maybe 45 feet (all my OW check outs were at 30 feet and it was cold - burr).
I guess what you hear is my frustration that the bouyancy control is not an "instantaneous" skill and that I am working so hard at it and have not mastered it yet.
I still get nervous about diving- maybe it is my nature. But I know my limitations and plan on focusing that this is a "vacation", not a "dive marathon".
Thanks

 

[MikeFerrara]

deignor,
Your practice will pay off and you will do fine. As always diving within your abilities will keep things fun. Keep the good attitude.
Enjoy the trip and married life

Mike

 

[redacted]

make me think you may still be over weighted. The extra air in the BC go to the high point and leaves you hanging below it in the position required to offset the bubble. A pound or 2 overweight is not too hard to control but 4,, 5, or more really starts to screw up your balance. Ask the dive master if he can help you get your weight correct at the end of a dive. With some loose weights in your pocket, see what you can give up during the rest stop without losing bouyancy control. When you can't stay down & breath, put a pound or 2 back on & you should be good to go. Over the week, you will probably become more comfortable and be able to shed even more excess weight.

Have a ball.

 

[art.chick]

Your DM hubby sounds like the best possible buddy-partner under the circumstances, but for some reason, diving family members seem to think their loved ones can learn by osmosis. My husband is very overly involved with my diving skills, not understanding why I would have any limitations at all. He used to fiddle with my gear & hover like a nervous midwife. It made me so nervous I could not dive in peace. There is a very tragic case out here of a dad who presumed his son had "inherited" the skills. Although your guy does not sound nearly that bad, it may be nice when you are approaching the challenging sites that you admit to be uncomfortable with that you encourage him to buddy with other groups & let him know that you will be enjoying some quiet time on the boat while they explore. If he is not counting on you to get his dives in, the pressure will be off.

You are quite an amazing lady to be so devoted to your underwater education while you are planning a wedding! I postponed our honeymoon for 1&1/2 years because there was no way to manage the time/money of both at once! (Although we began our OW just 2mo after our wedding.)

 

[deignor]

The pool practice went great! The temperature was the same as Cozumel water, the 3mm felt great and fit well, and I dropped a lot of weight (just used the weight integrated Diva and ankle weights). I forgot how nice the warm water was since I have doing the quarry that is at 47 degrees.
I was very comfortable in my equipment, practiced buoyancy, picked up pennies, swam right side up, upside down, etc. I had fun and relaxed and tried the humming thing to conserve air and not suck air.
Art-Chick- Hubby is not DM but has his AOW and a ton of dives. He has been thinking about the DM path. We had a pow-wow and I told him I may be uncomfortable with certain dives and would prefer to stay on the boat or on shore. No problem, he will buddy with some of the others.
So, I am now extremely excited about the Coz trip. The pool session really helped me. I am hoping that the fact I will be a quarry diver (that is what is here where I live) will make me a good warm water diver. The buoyancy and skills are harder when I am a "Michelin Man" with the 6.5 mm on!
Thanks.

 

[kelpmermaid]

Deignor, you'll still have to check your weights for salt vs. fresh water when you get there, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. My first warm water dives were in Florida, and I remember how "liberating" it was. Cozumel was our first big dive trip, and once you see how beautiful things are, I think you will want to do more. Just remember - it's supposed to be fun! Have a great time.