New diver having a flap

[Kharon]

Laura, don't worry. No one takes a class and gets a card that has everything down perfectly. Any class and any cert is merely to give you the information and innitial practice you need to get in the water and perfect what you have learned.

Think of the card as a learners permit. It's just a piece of paper that says you understand and can perform rudimentary diving skills at an acceptable level. To be honest, I'm not sure that I should have been certified on my first OW dive tests - I don't think I would have passed me. But over time I've practiced the skills and now have a SDI Solo card.

In fact, a drivers license is pretty much the same. You pass a test that shows very basic and very limited knowledge and skill. Just enough that you aren't going to kill yourself or anyone else. Then you practice, practice, practice and become very knowledgable and skilled. You can drive you can (will) learn to dive. Take your time and be patient and enjoy the journey. It is a trip worth taking.

 

[Mike126]

Moonfish - you will feel a little overwhelmed at first since all the gear can be a little overwhelming. See if you shop will let you do a private session with you to get you more comfortable.

Safe diving.


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[Altamira]

Most of us are our own worst critic, and this is especially true when trying to learn something new that is completely foreign to us. Operating under the water, with a regulator in your mouth, a mask stuck on your face, and wearing a bcd that at times will seem like it has a mind of its own, is about an alien environment as most of us will ever experience. Realize that all of us started where you are, and most have had the same issues, uncertainties, and insecurities as you are feeling. Look at diving as a never ending educational journey, where you are just at the first step, and don't be so hard on yourself. Ask your instructor for honest feedback on your progress, and I'll bet you are doing just fine.

 

[bmlbytes]

I love swimming underwater but I'm finding some of the skills a bit difficult - even simple things like clearing a regulator! After swallowing half the pool last night my instructor said the equipment wasn't very good although I suspect I may not have been blowing hard enough.

Is there some reason you can't just push the purge button on the regulator instead of blowing harder to clear it? I know a few people in my class preferred that.

 

[Moonfish17]

Can you elaborate on this? Is this your gear or rental gear from the shop. Either way I would be concerned. If it is your gear, then the instructor may have a valid concern (or be trying to sell you something). If it is rental gear from the dive shop, well I would be worried about it especially using it in OW at depth.

Usually it is a skills problem not an equipment issue, but your instructor mentioning that the gear wasn't very good may warrant further inquiry by you. Ask her and let us know what she says.

Is there some reason you can't just push the purge button on the regulator instead of blowing harder to clear it? I know a few people in my class preferred that.]

It is rental gear from the shop. I was using a buddy's alternate and the water wouldn't clear from it despite me giving it 2 blows and purging it. I'll have another go with it and make enquiries if it happens again. However I'm inclined to think it was my technique more than anything else.

 

[bmlbytes]

Did you have a hard time with the primary too? Sounds more like an equipment problem then a technique problem. As long as you keep your mouth closed around the mouthpiece, you shouldn't have any issue with getting water in the regulator or clearing it with the purge button.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Actually clearing a reg should not take the same effort it would take the big bad wolf to blow down the straw house of the pig. If the reg does not clear easily on the first regular exhale through it and requires a second effort of any kind it's not a reg I would let anyone I cared about use. Think of a heavy sigh like after lifting something. If it needs more than that demand a different one. Usually shops will not use top end regs for rental. Some may use the least expensive in a line. What some do not understand is that no company will make junk. They can't afford to. On the other hand the motivation for a shop to let you use a reg that has not been properly tuned and serviced is that they can use that to convince you to buy your own more expensive one.

Scuba is not a race. Everything is done slowly and with purpose so that you are not fighting the gear and the water. Unfortunately a number of training entities seem to have forgotten this. Get em in, get em out, get the contents of their wallet, and get the next group going.

What you need to remember is the instructor may be in charge of the training but, YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF THE OVERALL PROCESS! You should be dictating the pace and the way the information is presented to you. This is why the club model works so well.

You are paying someone to teach you how to dive. They are performing a service. They are therefore your employee! Treat them as such. I wrote a book dealing with these issues and a number of others that new divers and soon to be divers run into. I have gotten a number of compliments on it from readers in 24 countries now. I'd suggest you get a kindle copy if you have a reader and use the information as you see fit.

I am betting that you didn't interview your instructor like an employee and tell him/her what you expected to get out of the class and how you learn best. That's a common mistake. They probably told you what you are going to get and this is how you are going to get the information. That's the way it usually goes and most of the time it's ok. Not always though and people think that it's their fault. It's not entirely. To some degree yes, but that can be corrected by stopping your employee and saying this is not working. This is what I need and how I need to do it. It's your right to do that.

 

[htatton]

Moonfish, relax and hang in there. I'm a new diver who didn't discover scuba until I was way too old to start. I was certified on my 71st Birthday. Being advanced in years, somewhat overweight and not as flexible and vigorous as I once was caused me problems in the training phase. My solutions: 1- Arranged for some extra practice time with my instructor outside the class time. I can learn it, just not as quickly as the others. 2- After I was certified I arranged for pool practice time at a local health club (I'm a long ways from the ocean in Montana) to keep practicing. I'm finally becoming very comfortable with the skills and my responses. It is the most enjoyable thing I have ever learned how to do. Good luck with your training. Let us know how you progress.

 

[KDAD]

Laura, read Jim Lapenta post regarding gear issues. If you continue to have difficulty kindly ask the instructor to use your reg and confirm that it is a gear problem. Swapping to a different rental set may solve your problem.

 

[Scubagolf]

My wife had issues in OW, so she arranged a couple private sessions with her instructor in between the regular sessions. Worth every penny. 9 years and 200 dives later.