Reef
Contributor
38 pounds of weight, 14 mil suit, and rough surf???
This is scuba, not survivor!
You will be fine in Maui.
This is scuba, not survivor!
You will be fine in Maui.
OW is this for me?
- Thread starter beth_castroll
- Start date
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DiveMaven
Contributor
B&B will take good care of you. Have a great time on Maui!
bleeb
Contributor
Previous posters have made some good points, and I'm glad you're still willing to give things a try.
Since you're new, I'll mention a few other possibilities. Of course, you may already be aware of them (for instance through your class), in which case please excuse the redundancy. These won't be appropriate for every beginner (most?), but I wanted to point them out so that you can be aware of the options, in case you want to research any further.
One is to use a steel tank instead of the common aluminum 80 cubic footer, which I'm guessing is most likely what you used. Because of the different buoyancy characteristics, this would reduce the amount of lead you have to carry by a few pounds. It's also possible to get aluminum tanks with similar buoyancy characteristics, although they cost more than standard aluminum tanks.
Another possibility: Once you've dove a few times and have an idea of your air consumption, you might find that you can get by with a smaller tank, and still end up with the same bottom time as dive buddies using Al80s. Not uncommon with women, who are generally smaller than us big hulking guys. This would save you another pound or two of lead.
Finally, if you decide you like diving, you might consider getting a dry suit instead of using a wet suit, especially a non-neoprene one. This would allow you to do without quite a few pounds of lead. Possibly the most expensive of the options, but has the biggest benefits, lead-wise.
Have fun in Maui. We hope to hear wonderful things when you get back!
Since you're new, I'll mention a few other possibilities. Of course, you may already be aware of them (for instance through your class), in which case please excuse the redundancy. These won't be appropriate for every beginner (most?), but I wanted to point them out so that you can be aware of the options, in case you want to research any further.
One is to use a steel tank instead of the common aluminum 80 cubic footer, which I'm guessing is most likely what you used. Because of the different buoyancy characteristics, this would reduce the amount of lead you have to carry by a few pounds. It's also possible to get aluminum tanks with similar buoyancy characteristics, although they cost more than standard aluminum tanks.
Another possibility: Once you've dove a few times and have an idea of your air consumption, you might find that you can get by with a smaller tank, and still end up with the same bottom time as dive buddies using Al80s. Not uncommon with women, who are generally smaller than us big hulking guys.
This would save you another pound or two of lead.Finally, if you decide you like diving, you might consider getting a dry suit instead of using a wet suit, especially a non-neoprene one. This would allow you to do without quite a few pounds of lead. Possibly the most expensive of the options, but has the biggest benefits, lead-wise.
Have fun in Maui. We hope to hear wonderful things when you get back!
MontereyCADiver
Guest
Beth,
Do NOT give up! If this is truly something you want to do, keep at it! Be sure you have a good instructor -- someone who will give you the extra attention you may need (and deserve).
It's not tragic that you did not make it through the class on your first OW experience; however, it would be tragic if you choose to give up after one attempt. Please do not deprive yourself of the wonderful under water world. If you were not passionate about the ocean and its life, you likely would not have put this much thought, energy, and money into learning how to scuba.
Keep at it; and, please let us know how you're doing! I am sure you can do this!
You have my support!
Jeff
Do NOT give up! If this is truly something you want to do, keep at it! Be sure you have a good instructor -- someone who will give you the extra attention you may need (and deserve).
It's not tragic that you did not make it through the class on your first OW experience; however, it would be tragic if you choose to give up after one attempt. Please do not deprive yourself of the wonderful under water world. If you were not passionate about the ocean and its life, you likely would not have put this much thought, energy, and money into learning how to scuba.
Keep at it; and, please let us know how you're doing! I am sure you can do this!
You have my support!
Jeff
oceancat
Contributor
Beth,
DO NOT feel discouraged. I may well have seen you this weekend. I came to Monterey from Boston with the specific intent to dive Monterey this past weekend. However, conditions were so lousy due to the surge and surf ALL of the dive boats cancelled their a.m. sunday trips and the local guy who was going to take me out bagged the dives in the afternoon because of the lousy conditions. I saw a bunch of classes heading into the water on Sunday and spoke with one of the instructors thinking I may get my stuff out of the car and get a dive in and he said if he didn't HAVE to finish the class he wouldn't be in the water. SO--experienced divers weren't venturing in the water and those of you stuck in a class were kind of forced to go in...I wouldn't give up on the diving--wait for calmer conditions. Conditions SUCKED this weekend to say the least. I work for a shop in MA and sometimes we have zero viz and if people are too freaked out (it freaks me out too to be honest), we reschedule the class. No instructor should make you feel as bad as you did. I would talk to the shop owner and see if he/she can get you another intructor to get you through the class. Good luck!
DO NOT feel discouraged. I may well have seen you this weekend. I came to Monterey from Boston with the specific intent to dive Monterey this past weekend. However, conditions were so lousy due to the surge and surf ALL of the dive boats cancelled their a.m. sunday trips and the local guy who was going to take me out bagged the dives in the afternoon because of the lousy conditions. I saw a bunch of classes heading into the water on Sunday and spoke with one of the instructors thinking I may get my stuff out of the car and get a dive in and he said if he didn't HAVE to finish the class he wouldn't be in the water. SO--experienced divers weren't venturing in the water and those of you stuck in a class were kind of forced to go in...I wouldn't give up on the diving--wait for calmer conditions. Conditions SUCKED this weekend to say the least. I work for a shop in MA and sometimes we have zero viz and if people are too freaked out (it freaks me out too to be honest), we reschedule the class. No instructor should make you feel as bad as you did. I would talk to the shop owner and see if he/she can get you another intructor to get you through the class. Good luck!
SparticleBrane
Contributor
38lbs of weight? :11: That doesn't add up.
Or really, I suppose it does...
Or really, I suppose it does...
Twiddles
Contributor
Okay flame on.... What instructor would take OW students to Monterey this weekend? My understanding (since I looked it up on chucks site before I drove to Monterey) was lousy diving, poor visibility, actual WAVES in breakwater and just all kinds of mess. I mean come on I dont care how good you are why would you put somebody at risk like that?
Beth, your lucky he wouldnt let you go back into the water since you had no business in it in the first place. Enjoy your dives in warm water but seriously consider additional training back home. Diving in full wetsuit with all the extra weight, the cold, the viz issues should be something you do with an instructor the first few times at least. Sorry to hear you had a bad start, it really should have been drinks instead of dives anywhere in Monterey this weekend. I rerouted to Tahoe, clear blue skies, 51 degree water 40 foot plus viz,. Thats what divings about
Beth, your lucky he wouldnt let you go back into the water since you had no business in it in the first place. Enjoy your dives in warm water but seriously consider additional training back home. Diving in full wetsuit with all the extra weight, the cold, the viz issues should be something you do with an instructor the first few times at least. Sorry to hear you had a bad start, it really should have been drinks instead of dives anywhere in Monterey this weekend. I rerouted to Tahoe, clear blue skies, 51 degree water 40 foot plus viz,
. Thats what divings about 
mikeguerrero
Guest
Okay flame on.... What instructor would take OW students to Monterey this weekend? My understanding (since I looked it up on chucks site before I drove to Monterey) was lousy diving, poor visibility, actual WAVES in breakwater and just all kinds of mess. I mean come on I dont care how good you are why would you put somebody at risk like that?
Beth, your lucky he wouldnt let you go back into the water since you had no business in it in the first place. Enjoy your dives in warm water but seriously consider additional training back home. Diving in full wetsuit with all the extra weight, the cold, the viz issues should be something you do with an instructor the first few times at least. Sorry to hear you had a bad start, it really should have been drinks instead of dives anywhere in Monterey this weekend. I rerouted to Tahoe, clear blue skies, 51 degree water 40 foot plus viz,
Beth,
I heard the same, Monterey Break Water was horrible for diving this past weekend. I acutally heard the offshore winds were hammering away on the surface and making swells just crazy. They would come in every third round of waves. Dock K cancelled its boat dives since they couldn't clear open water with 8 to 13 foot swells.
A lot of rescheduling took place for Sports Chalet as they canceled their dives after 12pm, conditions were too rough even at BW which is more protected than other beach dives.
I got certified about one month ago and conditions were nothing like what I heard, so just the thought that you went out makes me bow down to your valor of entering such conditions.
MG
aubie85
Contributor
Don't feel discouraged. I am kind of large myself. For my pool dives I wore a 3mm shorty that was size 13/14 in women's. For my checkout dives I had to wear a 7mm farmer john and jacket that was a size 2XL in MENS!!! I was so embarrassed! Also, being that the suit was a men's size, the legs were about 6 inches too long and had to be rolled up!(My instructor had to put ankle weights on me because my legs became super buoyant) I laugh at it now, but I was completely ticked off. I will never forget how fat, disgusting, and weak I felt those last two days of class. Also, I had some issues getting comfortable with mask clearing. The instructor had to pull me to the side several times to work with me on my mask clearing, that was also embarrassing. I am so happy that I had a great instructor to stick with me and work through my problems.
Here's my unprofessional and perhaps un-useful advice:
-Do some weight training and cardio exercises to build strength and endurance.
-Practice deep breathing(I find that this helps in many more situations than diving)
-Positive thinking is key(It wasn't until AFTER my instructor surfaced with me and gave me some positive ideas that I was able to get back to the bottom and successfully clear my mask!!)
Here's my unprofessional and perhaps un-useful advice:
-Do some weight training and cardio exercises to build strength and endurance.
-Practice deep breathing(I find that this helps in many more situations than diving)
-Positive thinking is key(It wasn't until AFTER my instructor surfaced with me and gave me some positive ideas that I was able to get back to the bottom and successfully clear my mask!!)
Be strong, don’t lose hope. Plus size people (like us) have different challenges than the skinny folk, however we also have advantages. My lovely bride was certified in Kauai by a lovely Instructor (Kakki). My lovely bride also struggled with shore entries but with practice and patients she now does it just fine.
The instructor makes all the difference in the world. If you, the one paying the tab, don’t feel comfortable with your instructor, get a new one. By that I don’t mean get a, I pay, I pass instructor, I mean get one that will teach you how to do the skills you need to learn but teach in a manner that works for the both of you.
After your lessons, and certification the undersea world will open new vistas and wonderment we all here enjoy!
The instructor makes all the difference in the world. If you, the one paying the tab, don’t feel comfortable with your instructor, get a new one. By that I don’t mean get a, I pay, I pass instructor, I mean get one that will teach you how to do the skills you need to learn but teach in a manner that works for the both of you.
After your lessons, and certification the undersea world will open new vistas and wonderment we all here enjoy!
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