Ryan Neely
Contributor
Okay ... I am fully on board with the analogy of comparing your Open Water Certification like obtaining a Learner's Driving Permit. I have some information, some theory, a very limited amount of practical experience, but am in no way confident or comfortable enough to consider myself "ready" for a "drivers license."
To help improve my confidence and comfort, my buddy (wife) and I have been diving in the lake that is (literally) in our front yard here in northern Minnesota. Over our past couple of dives, our goal has been to work on our trim and buoyancy. Unfortunately, there are so many variables involved with any given dive that getting to practice these things has yet to happen.
So, we're in cold(-ish) water (between 50° and 65°). It's not the greatest visibility (5 to 15 feet depending on the day). The lack of visibility requires that we use our compass to navigate. Without the navigation, we either surface in the middle of the lake and swim back to shore or risk getting lost on the way back. Per local regulations, we're required to tow a dive flag behind us. It seems like the drag from the dive flag buoy pulls me off course, driving me to kick with my right fin three times for every one kick with my left.
I'm equalizing every foot or so. I'm trying to use my breath to keep my buoyancy in check but (likely thanks to a little over-weighting) find myself using my low-pressure inflater to stay out of the muck which is the bottom of our lake. My consumption rate is [likely] on par with any other newbie, so it's important I keep my eye on my gas levels. All of this task-loading likely doesn't help my stress levels and, therefore, likely makes my consumption worse.
So ... my question ... how do you handle doing all of these things and still find time to run drills, practice skills, or even enjoy diving?
To help improve my confidence and comfort, my buddy (wife) and I have been diving in the lake that is (literally) in our front yard here in northern Minnesota. Over our past couple of dives, our goal has been to work on our trim and buoyancy. Unfortunately, there are so many variables involved with any given dive that getting to practice these things has yet to happen.
So, we're in cold(-ish) water (between 50° and 65°). It's not the greatest visibility (5 to 15 feet depending on the day). The lack of visibility requires that we use our compass to navigate. Without the navigation, we either surface in the middle of the lake and swim back to shore or risk getting lost on the way back. Per local regulations, we're required to tow a dive flag behind us. It seems like the drag from the dive flag buoy pulls me off course, driving me to kick with my right fin three times for every one kick with my left.
I'm equalizing every foot or so. I'm trying to use my breath to keep my buoyancy in check but (likely thanks to a little over-weighting) find myself using my low-pressure inflater to stay out of the muck which is the bottom of our lake. My consumption rate is [likely] on par with any other newbie, so it's important I keep my eye on my gas levels. All of this task-loading likely doesn't help my stress levels and, therefore, likely makes my consumption worse.
So ... my question ... how do you handle doing all of these things and still find time to run drills, practice skills, or even enjoy diving?