Mouth breather

[TheDivingBear]

..seems to be cake for me, as is swimming without the mask. So far, my diggest hill to get over, and this is in both classes, is the snorkel/regulator exchange. I can swap it once, twice, sometimes three times...but that forth one seems to get me. I've tried everything.

What seems to be happening is I am getting a small amount of water in my mask each time. Though ADI does not see hardly any, there is enough there that I inhale a little in my nose. Now, just a general question, but WHO is going to swap their breathing aperatuses 4 times in a rapid succession?? (Note: I've tried to take a break between 2-3 to clear my mask and it has been frowned upon.)

Oh well, I'll get that skill down (actually did it my last night of my first class go around).

 

[jepuskar]

I just read thru this whole thread and I wanna know the outcome!!

Any updates? Did you get certified?

Inquiring minds wanna know.

JP

 

[Mouth Breather old]

TheDivingBear once bubbled...
I had thought that breathing off a regulator would be second nature. However, it is proving to be more difficult for me than I thought.
The Diving Bear

Hmmmm...I've never had a problem with this.

 

[mndolphin]

I want to know too. Did you get certified?
How did it go?

 

[Bookgrl]

Diving Bear- Did you get certified? What happened? I'm just curious because I really identified with parts of your post.

I was recently certified. I took my OW classes at the same time as my boyfriend (and about 10 other people). He'd been certified when you was a teenager in military school and hadn't dove in so long that he decided recertification was the safe way to go. Needless to say- he was my buddy in the pool- but was speeding through the skills faster than I was. It mad sense, because he'd dove before- but I did worry about disappointing him or holding him back. It didn't help that the rest of the class seemed to find the pool exercises fairly easy too. I really felt the performance pressure.

I was fine up until mask clearing- which I had trouble with. I know that wasn't your problem skill- but I thought at times that it would beat me. I would shoot to the surface, too, when I got water in my nose.... etc. I was also told that diving isn't for everyone. I kept going back to the pool and eventually overcame my problems. One of the things I discovered was that I was having trouble performing the skills when I felt I was being tested and judged. I would concentrate too hard on all the steps- kind of like a new student in a ballroom dance class having to count 1-2-3, 1-2-3 in order to remember the steps- and executing them with no grace whatsoever. What helped me- beside extra pool time and some one on one- was actually taking several hours during pool sessions not working with the rest of the class or with an instructor. I sat in one end of the pool and just practiced and practiced the skills with no one watching. With no immediate performance pressure, they eventually started to become much more second nature and I eventually could do them on command for the instructor in the pool and later on my open water dives.

The good thing is I'm proof that you can overcome skills you're having blocks with. You can become comfortable with them. Since then when I've had to do these same skills I had difficulty with in class- on actual dives- I experienced none of my original anxieties. Plus- I just got back from a dive trip to the Bahamas- and all that work was worth it. I love diving!

 

[JDostal]

Like others have said,j it's probably the regulator. When I breathe off of my Poseidon regulator, it's like breathing on land. I don't even think about it. However, when I practice with my Air2 - it's damn near work to breathe!

I'm not advocating one brand of reg over another...just try some different ones out! Rental gear that you use in your OW course is usually not the best quality in the first place, and it's rental gear! It's been beat, bumped, drug through sand, silt, weeds and god knows what else.

Try something different - see if you can get a diver to loan you a good reg. It's all the difference in the world.

 

[scubafanatic]

I agree with Omicron......I've got 3 Poseidon Odins, they're GREAT for supplying masses of air......just take a look at the size of the mouthpiece orfice, and compare it to the 2nd stage of any other regulator......it's much bigger in diameter, one indication that it's built for tremendous air flow.

All 3 of my Odins are equipped with identical 'primary' and 'safe 2nds'.......since I want all my octos to be just as high performing as my 'primary' 2nd stages......so both divers get plenty of air in an emergency.

Rental gear tends to be well used/low dollar stuff.....a well tuned high quality reg will make all the difference!

 

[michaelkuznet]

bear-
although this might be a bit to late, it is still something to consider
my mom is very uncomfortable with breathing through the crappy regulators most dive shops have, and buying a regulator is out of the question seeing that we do not take dive vacations more than once *twice if we're lucky, but none yet this year*
so what did she do? she now has a seperate mouthpiece, and she takes it with her whenever we dive
this is very nice, because a big part of the discomfort of the regulators is that everybody's mouth is slightly different, and especially when you start, you tend to clamp hard on the mouthpiece, thus increasing mouth fatigue, thus making breathing harder....etc.
there are some sites online that will make custom mouthpieces with ur dentist, and people say that they are very nice
best of luck
:box:
MK