kgallowaypa
Registered
Hello everyone!
A bit of back-story about my diving [accident] and hopeful future.
When I was 16, I was first certified through PADI with the Boy scouts (circa 2004) under the guidance of an instructor in Georgia we will call John. On my PADI checkout dive in a creek near Chatanooga, we performed familiar exercises such as mask clearing, equipment removal, and buddy emergency ascent to get our bearings in a real-world diving experience. The checkout location was at a popular cave entrance with a 30ft diameter on the surface which funneled into a 10ft diameter cave entrance about 30ft below surface. This creek also had 2 large tree trunks about 3 feet in diameter crisscrossing above the surface because of natural fall-in from rot. With no wetsuit, only pool experience, and a general nervousness about breathing underwater for the third time, I was anxious and tense. Things only got worse when during the "buddy check" procedure, my buddy had drifted off and was observing the tech diver precaution sign at 30ft before entering the cave. With no dive tool or method of making a signal, I could not get my buddy's attention, and that's when my air supply was shut off by my instructor. In a natural moment of panic, I accepted mild DCS vs. drowning and exhaled as I swam to the surface from 30ft. That was my introduction to diving at 16.
For a while nothing had been nagging at me more but to face my fear of diving and stop putting that fear on one instructors 'test'. I figured before I was re-certified through SSI (Fresh Start) that a tank would not just shut off randomly and if a malfunction occurred, I would be of more mature, and sound mind, to handle the problem at depth with a competent buddy. With that, I re-certified through SSI with my college and have been browsing these forums since March to educate myself on Diving and face an unfounded fear I have already put to rest.
It's good to be here in this community, I am glad there are a lot of divers posting on equipment and topics that I can keep in touch on, and its good to be back into a great and healthy recreational activity..especially here in South Florida!
-Kevin
A bit of back-story about my diving [accident] and hopeful future.
When I was 16, I was first certified through PADI with the Boy scouts (circa 2004) under the guidance of an instructor in Georgia we will call John. On my PADI checkout dive in a creek near Chatanooga, we performed familiar exercises such as mask clearing, equipment removal, and buddy emergency ascent to get our bearings in a real-world diving experience. The checkout location was at a popular cave entrance with a 30ft diameter on the surface which funneled into a 10ft diameter cave entrance about 30ft below surface. This creek also had 2 large tree trunks about 3 feet in diameter crisscrossing above the surface because of natural fall-in from rot. With no wetsuit, only pool experience, and a general nervousness about breathing underwater for the third time, I was anxious and tense. Things only got worse when during the "buddy check" procedure, my buddy had drifted off and was observing the tech diver precaution sign at 30ft before entering the cave. With no dive tool or method of making a signal, I could not get my buddy's attention, and that's when my air supply was shut off by my instructor. In a natural moment of panic, I accepted mild DCS vs. drowning and exhaled as I swam to the surface from 30ft. That was my introduction to diving at 16.
For a while nothing had been nagging at me more but to face my fear of diving and stop putting that fear on one instructors 'test'. I figured before I was re-certified through SSI (Fresh Start) that a tank would not just shut off randomly and if a malfunction occurred, I would be of more mature, and sound mind, to handle the problem at depth with a competent buddy. With that, I re-certified through SSI with my college and have been browsing these forums since March to educate myself on Diving and face an unfounded fear I have already put to rest.
It's good to be here in this community, I am glad there are a lot of divers posting on equipment and topics that I can keep in touch on, and its good to be back into a great and healthy recreational activity..especially here in South Florida!
-Kevin
