Lessons Learned during OW checkout dives..

[RonFrank]

One thing a love about this forum is reading and learning from others experiences.

Overall the OW class and skills went well, but here are a few things that I could have done better. I post this not looking for anwers but rather to share with other new divers the experience in hopes that it may help others.

Decending too fast. On my second dive, I decended too fast, or did not clear enough. When I got to the platform, I was experiencing some discomfort. Fortunately I was able to equalize. On the next dives, I decended more slowly. We were diving at altitude (4500') so that may have compounded this.

Keeping a clear head, and concentration. I thought I was paying close attention to the list of skills that we were required to perform for each dive. On the second dive, after experiencing some equalization problems, the instructor picked me first to start the skills. My mind was a blank. The instructor swam up to me first, and started signaling. Initially I think I just stared at him with that look my dog gives me when he knows I want him to do something, but has no clue what.

If memory serves, he was telling me to do an alternate air exchange between my reg and alternate air source, and after a short pause (which seemed like forever), I understood what he was telling me. I regained my focus, gave him the OK, and proceeded to complete the skill without issue. What I learned is that it's very easy to loose focus underwater, and it's important to stop, think, and get a clear focus. Before the next two dives I did a mental rundown of what we are to do BEFORE decending.

At the end of the third dive we did the emergancy swimming ascent. I did not take a deep enough breath, and then proceeded to do a VERY big AHHHHH to the top. I ran out of air with maybe 3 feet left, and knowing I HAD air, took a breath! Back down I went to repeat this excercise (three others also repeated this skill). Again focus was IMO what I lacked as I should have taken a better breath before the ascent, and then should NOT have used my air so fast going up.

Well in any event, the OW certification was all good, and we had a very good group of students and instructors which made the dive fun. We were diving in 60F water with 7mm suits, at alititude, and wearing a lot more weight than in the pool. IMO this type of environment likely helps the learning process by adding a few variables.

Others feel free to share any of their experiences. I'm not sure this will help anyone, but if it helps ONE person that is getting certified, or a newer diver, than that is the goal.

I have become fast addicted to diving

Ron

 

[DORSETBOY]

Hey Ron thanks for sharing your experiences with us, it's great that you feel that you can be so candid and I think it's positive that you have a self critical outlook as you've identified areas that you know yourself you can work on.

Don't worry to much about having prob's concentrating and remembering what skills you were doing, you'll soon find they become second nature and you don't even have to think about each stage... at ow course level it's natural to feel stressed or to forget what you are doing as it's all so new.

anyhow, have fun and keep on enjoying the diving... it's seriously addictive!

greg jenkins

 

[slipslop]

i too am newly cetified and i also had to redo my emergency ascent. i think a lot of people get flustered doing this excercise, i too had moments where i didnt have a clue what the instructor wanted of me even though it was explained in detail before the dive. luckily we had a great instructor who was patient and obviously undertood how nervous we were.

 

[doos]

During my OW dives, I had just completed a skill, and the instructor was giving me the "wait here" signal. Well, in all my excitment, I thought the instructed wanted a pair of "high fives" since I obviously must have done so well on the skill. Man, I felt like a super-dork after I realized.....

I can't believe I'm telling you people this....

 

[Rick Inman]

At the end of the third dive we did the emergancy swimming ascent. I did not take a deep enough breath, and then proceeded to do a VERY big AHHHHH to the top. I ran out of air with maybe 3 feet left, and knowing I HAD air, took a breath! Back down I went to repeat this excercise (three others also repeated this skill). Again focus was IMO what I lacked as I should have taken a better breath before the ascent, and then should NOT have used my air so fast going up.
Ron

I am glad to hear that your PADI instructor actually had you do an ESA in open water. Most don't. So it sounds like you had the most important ingredient to a good OW class: a quality instructor.
Congrats on you certification!

 

[Dean810]

I remember my first open water. For me, it was a demonstration of why the skills you learn are so important. On my very first dive, my regulator separated from the mouthpiece at about 20 ft. At first, I had no idea what happened. I had thought my regulator had flooded somehow, and I started hitting the mouthpiece I still had in my mouth to purge it. it wasn't until the dive master started waving at me and pointing by my alternate that I realized what happened. I did the exchange, with the dive master catching the mouthpiece as it fell from my mouth. I finished the dive with the alternate.

I realized during that whole time, I didn't panic. Even though I couldn't breath, I knew there was air available somewhere. I won't have reacted that way without my training.

One thing a love about this forum is reading and learning from others experiences.

Overall the OW class and skills went well, but here are a few things that I could have done better. I post this not looking for anwers but rather to share with other new divers the experience in hopes that it may help others.

Decending too fast. On my second dive, I decended too fast, or did not clear enough. When I got to the platform, I was experiencing some discomfort. Fortunately I was able to equalize. On the next dives, I decended more slowly. We were diving at altitude (4500') so that may have compounded this.

Keeping a clear head, and concentration. I thought I was paying close attention to the list of skills that we were required to perform for each dive. On the second dive, after experiencing some equalization problems, the instructor picked me first to start the skills. My mind was a blank. The instructor swam up to me first, and started signaling. Initially I think I just stared at him with that look my dog gives me when he knows I want him to do something, but has no clue what.

If memory serves, he was telling me to do an alternate air exchange between my reg and alternate air source, and after a short pause (which seemed like forever), I understood what he was telling me. I regained my focus, gave him the OK, and proceeded to complete the skill without issue. What I learned is that it's very easy to loose focus underwater, and it's important to stop, think, and get a clear focus. Before the next two dives I did a mental rundown of what we are to do BEFORE decending.

At the end of the third dive we did the emergancy swimming ascent. I did not take a deep enough breath, and then proceeded to do a VERY big AHHHHH to the top. I ran out of air with maybe 3 feet left, and knowing I HAD air, took a breath! Back down I went to repeat this excercise (three others also repeated this skill). Again focus was IMO what I lacked as I should have taken a better breath before the ascent, and then should NOT have used my air so fast going up.

Well in any event, the OW certification was all good, and we had a very good group of students and instructors which made the dive fun. We were diving in 60F water with 7mm suits, at alititude, and wearing a lot more weight than in the pool. IMO this type of environment likely helps the learning process by adding a few variables.

Others feel free to share any of their experiences. I'm not sure this will help anyone, but if it helps ONE person that is getting certified, or a newer diver, than that is the goal.

I have become fast addicted to diving

Ron

 

[sweatfrog]

I am glad to hear that your PADI instructor actually had you do an ESA in open water. Most don't. So it sounds like you had the most important ingredient to a good OW class: a quality instructor.
Congrats on you certification!

I'm sorry sir, you must be trolling. Not only is it against standards to skip the ESA. Its important enough that PADI periodically sends out questionaires to newly certified divers and thats one of the questions. Your information is bogus, so maybe you should concern yourself with things you know.

 

[nauifins73]

I'm sorry sir, you must be trolling. Not only is it against standards to skip the ESA. Its important enough that PADI periodically sends out questionaires to newly certified divers and thats one of the questions. Your information is bogus, so maybe you should concern yourself with things you know.

This is what I know because I have been there and done that. I did a PADI course - I received no survey - guess my name wasn't picked out of the list. I did not do a ESA. I could make a very long list of what I didn't learn. The main reason I know what wasn't taught in my class is my husband is a diver of 30 + years; I talked him in to doing it with me as my buddy. So he had a very good idea as to what should be taught. A lot was missing. Not all classes are equal - the standards might be there but that doesn't mean the Instructor will following them. Yes it is all about the Instructor and I had a poor one.

NAUI in my name - classroom and confined water was PADI - open water checkout was with a NAUI Instructor. The LDS offered both agencies. Wish I knen then what I know now.

Becky

 

[DORSETBOY]

I'm sorry sir, you must be trolling. Not only is it against standards to skip the ESA. Its important enough that PADI periodically sends out questionaires to newly certified divers and thats one of the questions. Your information is bogus, so maybe you should concern yourself with things you know.

It should be the case but unfortunately not, I know of a few instances where instructors in other schools are reputed to either miss this skill or at least not conduct it properly.

When I did my internship post IE, I was pulled up by the supervising instructor for having stopped someone on the cesa who took more than one breath, his argument was that I would be taking too much time to get everyone to do it properly and that I would be putting my health as an instructor at risk by undergoing too many ascents in a short period of time.

 

[wedivebc]

I am glad to hear that your PADI instructor actually had you do an ESA in open water. Most don't. So it sounds like you had the most important ingredient to a good OW class: a quality instructor.
Congrats on you certification!

How do you know most don't? Have you dove with most PADI instructors or are you just guessing? ESA is a required skill for the PADI open water course and must be conducted in open water so anyone who does not do that skill in the ocean is violating PADI standrds.