Newbie to diving... But not a newbie to life...

[TN-Steve]

Evening All,

I'm new to the board, just getting back into diving after, oh, about 40 years out. I had gotten certified back in the 70's, but never really did anything much after that. I went to a family reunion down in the Keys, a cousin had some gear, took me out for a just a shallow dive and I fell in love all over again.

I have to say that the equipment has changed significantly to the better from when I did it last. I remember we primarily used dual hose regulators, no BCD, having a set of finger-spaces in your mask to simplify clearing equalizing was considered high-tech. (That's what I recall, but then again, it's been a while) I don't recall SPG's either, tanks had a 'reserve level' that you would pull when you got low (500 psi if memory serves)

Another huge difference is the training. Back then it seemed like the instructors seemed to actively try to kill the students, perhaps to weed out those who weren't really that interested. I remember drills like getting spun around, regulator pulled from mouth, mask flooded, all wearing a mask spray painted black on the inside so you couldn't see anything. I also recall having to ditch all the equipment at the bottom of the deep end, swim up... take a breath, swim back down and re-don everything. Lot more reading too, I remember learning the differences between upstream and downstream regs, balanced vs unbalanced.

I'm doing my confined water training right now, last week was my first pool session, and I do have to say that the old skills were still there. Cleared the mask first time, took it off, on, clear, do it again. 3 on a breath. I also remembered how to clear it by doing a side roll and letting the water run out the "Side" of the mask, rather than tip my head back.

I think the training is good, and as a professional trainer myself (computer programming / SQL Server) I've got a high opinion of the skills of my instructor in Nashville. The training now seems more oriented to the hobby / recreational diver, more emphasis on the routine skills required. I'm sure its effective overall, but it just seems 'lacking' to me in some regards. I know I'm new here, but I'd almost like to see a bit tougher training, or perhaps at least, a more complete training. I understand the philosophy and the model behind the accrediting groups, they've had great success, so perhaps it's just me being an old guy.

In any case, I'm looking forward to learning a lot from the very qualified people here, and having been around the internet and boards from the days of 2400 baud modems, I know that not to treat everything posted as gospel, and after a while the people with the most valuable content rise to the top. I've already seen some here who's postings get more weight in terms of 'humm. I should really think about this".

Steve

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

I live in Hopkinsville in southwestern KY, near Pennyroyal Blue Springs Resort, a quarry that's very popular for dive training in this region. There are other scuba sites in your region; Martha's Quarry (never dove it) and some trips to Dale Hollow Lake.

From what I understand training has indeed changed, and scuba has gone more mainstream. These days people who persist in the hobby tend to take some more classes beyond basic OW; AOW, Nitrox and ideally Rescue Diver are probably the big 3 add ons.

You're not the only one who believes modern basic OW training has been overly watered down, as you'll see on this forum in some of the contentious debates on the topic.

I see it this way; while the mandatory hurdles to getting an OW cert. have dropped a good deal, there is nothing stopping you from achieving excellence as a diver aside from your own limitations in terms of commitment, dedication/drive and resources to pursue the hobby. It's true your OW instructor may not make you do so as a condition of certification, but you can pursue the training/experience and make yourself, if you wish.

Richard.

 

[TN-Steve]

Richard,

I've read up on Pennyroyal, if I get my OW done in time, I'm planning on going up with the LDS here in Clarksville (Waterdogs) to there. I fully intend to extending my skills and knowledge. This is an activity that can be extremely unforgiving of mistakes, it's not that Mother Nature is cruel, she just doesn't care, if you get into trouble, you better know how to get out, or better yet, not get into the trouble in the first place. Because of that, it only makes sense to make sure that I've got the best knowledge base I can build.

I'm sure that we'll get together some time, if you see a 50 something guy with a shaved head, beard and a couple of tattoos, it might just be me.

Steve

 

[drrich2]

You will like it. At the end of the picnic table area where a large flooded parking lot area, that's really shallow, and out past that is a shallow plateau, maybe 20 feet deep or a bit more, with a number of sunken attractions. Or, right off to the side from the picnic area, is the large, wide deep section; 80+ feet in short order, and on out in the quarry I think it's somewhere in the 120 - 130 foot range at some point. I've been just over 100 feet there; gotta warn you, water down there's around 45 degrees even over in the summer, and cold! Point is, there are different areas for whatever you want to do.

I'm easy to recognize by my avatar picture. I tend to solo with a yellow 30 cf pony tank.

Richard.

 

[TSandM]

There is still careful and thorough training out there, but you're right; the majority of OW training is geared at the casual recreational diver.

If you are looking for something scuba-related to pass time during your class, take a look at the articles at divedir.com. Gareth and Imogen have written some really useful articles for new divers.

 

[TN-Steve]

There is still careful and thorough training out there, but you're right; the majority of OW training is geared at the casual recreational diver.

If you are looking for something scuba-related to pass time during your class, take a look at the articles at divedir.com. Gareth and Imogen have written some really useful articles for new divers.

Thank you. Believe it or not, I had already bookmarked that site. I see a lot of wisdom in the DIR philosophy. Now I know that DIR / GUE / UTD isn't without controversy and strong opinions, and I'll be the first to say that I'm not in any way qualified to weigh in on the particulars of any of that issue, but the overarching concern, of highly trained divers that can perform tasks to a high standard, and a standardized and optimized process for critical tasks makes a lot of sense.

That is a direction that I can easily see myself going down.

Steve

 

[Subcooled]

Gue offers a recreational rec1 course, as you have probably already noted and I'm sure that UTD isn't a bad choise either. Choose the one that feels best.

 

[jimbeeler]

Evening All,

I'm new to the board, just getting back into diving after, oh, about 40 years out. I had gotten certified back in the 70's, but never really did anything much after that. I went to a family reunion down in the Keys, a cousin had some gear, took me out for a just a shallow dive and I fell in love all over again.Steve

Pretty much duplicates my experience... Was a hippie in the '70's after I mustered out of the service. Gravitated to the Keys on my old motorcycle, where I lived and bummed around for a while before I came back to join "the establishment". I dove in the keys with old J-Valves, double hose regulators but never had any training other than a guy telling me not to hold my breath when I ascend and don't go too deep. I never really understood the physics behind diving and I'm amazed I didn't kill myself int he old days.

Pretty much got out of it for the next 40 or so years (career in IT), and have gotten back into it in the last couple of years. Am in Bonaire right now getting ready for the last couple of dives before I come home. I did find out that I need to strengthen my leg muscles more before I come down here again (sitting at a desk job does little to keep in shape). Other than that, it's been an easy transition back into the sport.

Good luck...

Jim