OW is this for me?

[Thalassamania]

Beth,

I am assuming that this was not only your first diving experience but was also the first time that you had all that gear on. Correct? Anyone would have trouble with that steep beach face and that much gear. If your going to enjoy beach diving (and Monastery is well worth it) you will need to get used to the gear and the site, but you may have to work up to both.

I would never take a student out into open water who has not had a chance (actually several chances) to get comfortable with their gear in a pool first. Back up, take it slow, move forward one step at a time. Work on overall fitness at the same time. You'll love diving in the end and it will change your life.

 

[rfranks1658]

First, I am so glad the people here are giving you so much encourgement. My wife is a larger lady and I wanted her to scuba with me. I am one of those husbands who heaven forbid, loves to do things with their wife.
She did fine in the pool and even the open water at the quarry.
But when I took her to a Florida spring and she need a thick wet suit and more weight, it almost floored her.
The extra weight needed to sink with a thick wet suit and her physical condition was just too much. I mean it would be hard for me with that much weight much less many women who don't have our strenght.
You will do so much better in warmer water. My wife said enough was enough so I booked us a nice water water trip and she was thrilled. One thing I also did was get her a shoulder strap weight system. This takes the weight off the hips and puts the load on the shoulders, much much easier, DUI makes these.
So I know you will do better in Maui and you go girl, scuba is great!!!!

 

[scratchmyback]

Beth, I'm just reading this thread a little late and you are hopefully in Maui and certified by now. Please do come back to tell us how you did.

I had issues with lead and neoprene during my OW checkout dives too. I am not a small woman. I didn't have pounding surf to deal with however. My bet is that you are seeing how much easier it is to dive in warm water without all the neoprene and weight. I have my fingers crossed for you

 

[darylb]

In my opinion, cold water diving is quite stressful. I HATE wearing anymore than a 3mm shorty and all the extra weight. More than that though, I REALLY HATE cold water! Couple that with a rough surf, long swim, and from my perspective, that makes for a really crappy day. I'm very lucky to live in Florida where cold water isn't an issue - but if I lived in a cold water region, I'd find a warm spot to dive and suggest that every new student do the same.

Case in point - when my wife finally decided to get certified, we lived in Colorado. It was winter time, so we went to a hot spring near Park City Utah to do her checkout dive. The water was 90d+, they wouldn't let you wear a wetsuit it was so warm. It was clear and sheltered from the outside environment. Homestead crater for anyone in the area... Anyway, she checked out and got certified - no problem. Later that summer, we decided to go out to the local reservoir to log some bottom time and work on her skills. This is the place where all the local shops go for OW dives in the summer. The water was cold - 65d even though it was 100d outside. We had to swim a quarter mile with weight + 7mm wetsuits just to get enough depth to descend. We were tired, cold, and to top it off, the visibility was only 6' - 8' (that was considered a good day)!

Anyway - long story short, we didn't log much bottom time... She told me that if we'd have had to do a checkout there, she'd never have gotten certified. Doing my DM training there, I ran into several individuals that gave up due to the stress and conditions.

As far as I'm concerned (and several others concur), diving is supposed to be fun & enjoyable. If it's not fun, if you're not enjoying yourself, don't do it! Just remember that stress due to equipment problems, environmental conditions, water condition and even other people you're diving with all play into your experience. I'd be willing to bet that if you eliminate most (all) of those sources of stress, you'll really enjoy yourself.

Go to HI - dive and have a good time! Come back and let us know that you're certified!!

 

[TSandM]

Beth, hope you are having a great time in Maui. I'm sure you've found things are MUCH easier with less exposure protection, less weight, and the ability to see what you're doing.

But don't give up on local diving. Yes, cold water diving is more work. Yes, you need more weight. And I'll be the first person to say that surf is daunting, since I've been rolled about half the times I've ever tried to get into "moving water".

But the diving in Monterey is spectacularly beautiful, and well worth the effort. In addition, you will be a safer diver, and have a great deal more fun, if you use your skills more often than you can travel to Maui (unless you're a flight attendant on a Pacific route run, that is!)

When I started my open water class, I could not climb out of the pool in my gear, with an Al63 tank. The other day, I climbed three flights of stairs in LP95 doubles. This change has occurred over a two year period, and has not involved any trips to the gym. It has, however, involved over 400 dives -- Hauling gear around, not just for diving, but in and out of the dive shop and the car and the storage shed, has built an enormous amount of strength I didn't have before. This can happen to you, too.

And when you are not in a class, you have the option of looking at the water and saying, "Naah, I don't like that," and going out to breakfast instead. I have a feeling I might do that a lot if I lived in California and had to face surf on a regular basis! (Actually, I'd hook up with somebody with experience and get a bunch of coaching on surf entries, and accept that some of them were going to be rather embarrassing . . . )

Anyway, hope you had fun with B&B. They're very good at taking care of new divers, and conditions in Molokini are almost always wonderful. But don't write off Monterey.

 

[zen_man]

Excellent post TS&M!

Beth, as TS&M said, don't give up on the diving in Monterey. I feel it truly is world class and a different and incredible environment you will not see in tropics. Many of us are regulars there and Breakwater is kind of a default place for us to go and has awesome night diving!

Yes, it can be load tasking and stressful, at first. It gets easier and more comfortable each dive you make. What it can also do is hone your skills and take your proficiency to another level. Then, when you go to come place like Maui, Bahamas or Coz, it is a walk in the park.(Just remember to not go too deep since you can still see the bottom of the boat at 100')
Come visit us at the NorCal section of the board. I and many others would be more than happy to help you with diving this area. You don't have to do it alone and we all started on dive number one. In fact, I remember taking my OW out there and I didn't go passed the surf break to don my fins, I was basically in it! Well, needless to say, I lost and the surf won! Lesson learned.

Remember, scuba diving is a skill, and with any skill, it takes practice, learning, correcting, practice some more. The more you practice that skill, the more proficient you will become.

I have faith that you can do it! Don't give up on diving here because you're really missing out!

 

[Brewski]

Sounds like a bad day at the breakwater. Since your going to Maui you might as well take your referral dives there. You’ll trade the 7mm farmer john for a 3mm full or even just a bathing suit. Trade 38 lb for something close to 10. and the vis...

When you come back with your C card. go ahead and try Monterey again. This time see if you can find a one piece 7mm suit, that makes a HUGE difference.

My wife being frugal bought a cheep 7mm farmer john suit and hated it. The amount of lead she required was ridiculous. As a result she struggled in mild surf and avoided Monterey. She now has a nice one piece 7mm suit that fits well and requires much less lead to compensate for it. Her monterey dives are much more enjoyable.
If you want to PM me I'll take you out as a guide and show you around. In the mean time enjoy Maui.

 

[Hinalo]

For me the difference between a 1-piece 7mm jumpsuit with hooded vest and a 7mm 2-piece farmer john suit with bibbed hood is a full 10 lbs off my belt. However, there is a little less thermal protection with the 1-piece. It may not be for everyone, though it works for me even in high 40 degree water.

When I did my OW checkout dives at the breakwater I was wearing 42lbs and a 2-piece farmer john. I fell down in the surf getting out and couldn't get up. It was embarrassing. Another student in my class was behind me and helped me up. After that I began regular weight workouts to strengthen my lower body, got fitter in general, and bought a 1-piece wetsuit. I continued diving. Now I wear 24 lbs in cold salt water and am having fun.

 

[Nick_W]

I'm kind of shocked by the number of people who seem to have instructors take them for their first OW experience in Monterey when it is rough. But I'm one of those crazy people who believes the first experience should be in as ideal of a situation as possible.

 

[Ann Marie]

Hi Beth,

I hope that Hawaii turns out wonderful!

If you WANT to dive; stick with it. Find someone that will work with you.

I have wanted to dive for as long as I can remember. I grew up at the beach and am very comfortable in the water. My first open water dive was miserable. The surf was big and I got rolled coming out. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath (only to get an extremely bad cold the following day) and just felt miserable. When we were debriefing, my instructor could tell I was upset. I had a tough time keeping the tears at bay. How could I fail at something I wanted so bad???

Well, I kept at it. My instructor was very supportive. I started diving with a wide range of people; most I met through ScubaBoard. I found some mentors. I'm an instructor now. I look back and think that my first experiences made me a much better instructor and diver than I would have been if I hadn't had the difficulties I did in the beginning.

It gets easier. You'll get more comfortable in the water and in the gear. You'll find that once you get more comfortable, you will be able to trim some of that weight down off your weight belt. You'll find your rhythm!

Find some people that are really used to surf entries and dive with them. Heck, if you ever find yourself down in So. Cal. shoot me a PM and we'll go diving!