OW is this for me?

[beth_castroll]

SO I went down to Monterey for my OW Certification Dives this weekend and failed miserably. I couldn’t get past the first snorkel dive. I’m a plus size woman and am so completely weighted down by 14mm of neoprene and 38 pounds of weight that I couldn’t hold myself up as I tried to crawl out of the surf. I seemed to lack the strength to swim in and out of the surf zone with limited mobility and being so weighted down. I found myself being washed into the jetty boulders as I swam back in and it took all my energy. I was also a bit disoriented by the lack of visibility and felt confused. It was like I had never swam in the ocean before, yet I grew up jumping waves off the Jersey Shore and had done several all day snorkel guided trips this year in Belize. I know I can swim the surf zone without the BC and Weights.

At the end of that first swim in I was really upset and even if I wanted to go back in, which I didn’t my Dive Instructor said he wouldn’t let me back in because it wasn’t safe.
He said refer out, I’d be fine in Maui, but I kinda felt like I bruised his ego and he was done with me. I spent the rest of the day in tears.

In the pool I found once I could get past the poorly fitting gear challenges and get into the water I did fine on my skills, although, I’m not too fond of taking my mask off. But I was jazzed by Pool Scuba and really want to survive the ocean certification. When I was in the pool I could feel my confidence building and by the 6th pool class I even felt pretty comfortable beginning to get buoyancy. Saturday in Monterey just killed this motivation.

I was wondering if by referring out to a warm water certification in Maui would I have better luck? Is this surf crawling part of every certification, or can I just do giant stride off the boat, go down, do my skills, come up and get back on the boat to pass? Is warm water diving that much easier then cold water?

Also, I understand I would have less weight and less neoprene. Could that have been my major down fall?

Thanks for any advice including…pack it in babe and stick to snorkeling.

 

[WarrenZ]

There is no requirement for fighting surf for open water try it again in a better location. Warm Water helps also less neoprene and more scenery. Good luck and dont give up.

See ya out there!

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

I am not sure I would have survived OW with 38 pounds of lead and pounding surf. Try a different location. In the mean time, if you can, get a mask snorkel and fins and work out in a pool. While you are swiming laps, flood the mask a little and clear as you swim. Take it off once in a while and replace and then clear it.

Nobody that I know loves taking their mask off. Most of us do it as a necessary evil in order to enjoy diving. Everyone will struggle with something if they stick with diving long enough.

Hang in there and if you want to master scuba, in time with determination you will.

 

[Walter]

It's important to know your limits. Surf isn't a part of every dive and neither is 14mm of wet suit and 38 lbs of lead. How did you do climbing the ladder out of the pool? Boat diving is usually similar to that, although if you are diving in California, you'll still need the wet suit and lead. You may very well be weighted perfectly, but unless it was checked in the water, you could be overweighted. You might be able to shed some of that lead. When other conditions are the same, it is easier to dive in warm water. You may need to limit your dives to boat dives only, maybe warm water only or perhaps some combination. You may also consider strength and endurance building workouts. That will make diving much easier and much more enjoyable. No need to cry, just work with your situation as it is while trying to improve it. The guy who taught me to dive 24 years ago still uses me as an example in his classes - the worst student he ever had. If I learned to dive, anyone can learn to dive.

 

[spectrum]

My wife's story and situation is much like yours.The difference is that our instructor did not bring us to dive site that would beat the snot out of us. Rough water entry is a rarely taught advanced skill that used to be part of scuba training.

1. If you like the instructor ask to repeat at a less demanding site. Nothing in the requirements says you need to get pulverized.
or
2. Take a refferal to another LOCAL instructor and do it in your home waters. This will set you up to be a local active diver which is the key to excellence.

Doing it all from a boat is an option. It is no panacea however. Seas can be predictable and boarding can be a challenge for a person of size.

There must be a nice sandy cove someplace in your corner of the world.

Do not let this weekend diminish the good work you have done so far.

Sure warm water diving is easy, especially after you have licked cold water diving. Seas and surf can kick up anyplace.

We look forward to a full report

Pete

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Beth,

Hang in there. Its worth it.

The number of times I've seen 'instructors' put students in situations where they are buffeted by high surf, or had their legs knocked out from beneath them with currents, is astonishing. After awhile, at some shops, a sort of 'industrial processing' mindset appears to develop. No matter what the circumstances, the show must go on.

Three things to think about.

1. Private one-on-one open water sessions. More expensive. Much more enjoyable, and you feel a tiny bit more in control of the process of learning.

2. A different instructor. One who doesn't "refer you to Maui". (Assuming you do not live in Maui, and will primarily be diving in California...)

3. A different shop. One that doesn't make a habit of bouncing students off rocks when the surf is up...

Regards,

Doc

 

[scubapatton]

First of all, do not be discouraged. I just certified a 68 year old woman that has arthritic issues. She did not go all the way to open-water cert though. She is a PADI Scuba diver. She will have to dive with a dive professional, but the whole point of her getting certified was to go to Tahiti in a year with her daughter and dive warm water. She will not be diving without a dive professional anyway. She also will not dive surf or in the "termperate waters" of CA. She did go to the beach but I did not have her go through the surf zone with gear. The class DM pulled the BC past the surf zone and she got the gear on there.

I give all this history basically to snuff any claims that this woman should not be certified. In your case, the point is to let you know that people take up this sport for numerous reasons. You may not feel comfie breaking through surf yet. It can be very challenging. I would actually advise you to refer out to another instructor if you truly felt uncomfortable with your current instructor. You have worked very hard to get to where you are now. If you think the instructor was short-fused with you, ask for another instructor. It is a challenge on your behalf, and you need someone that can help with that. 14mm is a lot of buoyancy to deal with, so you need lots of weight to offset. If the weight was excessive breaking thru the surf, you can always ask the instructor to take a weight pouch or two for you.

You may ultimately enjoy the beach diving, but if you feel the need to step back and just do boat diving or warm water diving, then go for it. My first 45 dives only included a small handful of Monterey diving before I finally went full bore into beach diving. Now I love doing it and incorporate it into all of my teachings.

I hope this helps a little. Ultimately, it is your call on whether you continue. Do not let your instructor dictate your enjoyment. He may not feel comfie taking you out again at your current level, but if he is not going to help you overcome the challenges, look to someone who will. Remember.... YOU have to overcome the mental challenges. If you give up, no matter what level of an instructor you go to can really help you. If you keep applying yourself though, then you can complete the course.. in CA waters or in warm water.

You will find though that in warm water, you should shed a HUGE amount of the weight you are diving with in CA. You probably will dive with a 3mm at most on most warm water places. Losing 11 mm of wetsuit will shed that weight like you would not believe. Insofar as being a "plus sized woman", there are many people that consider themselves "larger" than the norm that are diving. If it does not stop them, why should it stop you? If your gear is not fitting that great, once you certify, think about getting your own gear semi-customized.. the only reason I say post-cert is that I would hate to say buy now and then have you just decide it is not your thing.... If you truly think you will stick with it in the very near future, think about getting a BC that fits you well, maybe even a wetsuit if you think you will stick with beach diving/CA diving.

Consider joining a local dive club too - even if you are not certified yet. You will be pleasantly surprised at the various shapes and sizes of people in the clubs.. That will likely give you a boost to realize it is not the size, but the person inside that matters.

I hope you consider continuing your cert process and do not get easily discouraged.

 

[Web Monkey]

SO I went down to Monterey for my OW Certification Dives this weekend and failed miserably. I couldn’t get past the first snorkel dive. I’m a plus size woman and am so completely weighted down by 14mm of neoprene and 38 pounds of weight that I couldn’t hold myself up as I tried to crawl out of the surf. I seemed to lack the strength to swim in and out of the surf zone with limited mobility and being so weighted down. I found myself being washed into the jetty

You had too much everything. Too much rubber, too much weight, too much surf, and apparently a dumb-***** for an instructor.

Find someone who will take their time with you and pick reasonable conditions. Doc Intrepid had it right on the money. Get a private or "semi-private" instructor who will take you out somewhere much gentler and more sheltered. Your checkout dives need to be in "Open Water", but there is no requirement that it has to be a horrible experience.

In fact, you can ask around here for a recommendation. OW instructors can only be evaluated by students in hindsight, which makes it difficult for new students to select a good one on their own.

One of the most important things to learn in SCUBA is "When to not dive". I did my first two checkout dives in March in horrible weather, right after the ice melted, then told the instructor that I wasn't willing to put up with the conditions for the second two dives, and rescheduled for August, when the water was warm and calm and beautiful.

Once you're certified, you can gradually work into different conditions, but there's no reason to have to deal with them when first starting out.

Terry

 

[Hemlon]

Beth,

You can do this!! Fighting surf is unrealistic for those just beginning in the dive world.

 

[beth_castroll]

thank you all for your support.
your making me feel better by the minute.

we going to maui on Saturday. we have booked with B&B and they will do our check out dives from the boat on Sunday and Wednesday which will give me a few days in between to recover my energy.

wish me luck and i'll report back hopefully with a resounding yahoo