Progress report (success in step 1)

[WillAbbott]

For those of you who have been paying attention to what happened on my OW dives I had some pool time tonight while my friend and some other people were doing a Discover SCUBA (my friend loved it which is cool, but doesn't know if/when he will take OW ) So I tried some mask clearing and STILL had the same problems. After many many attempts, and just breathing with no mask (all in shallow end due to choking a few times on water) I found out what is happening is when I inhale from the reg I'm getting a little bit of water up into my nose/sinus's and sometimes into my lungs (hence the few times of choking) For some reason, not sure if its still all this sickness's fault or not. My nose isn't sealing entierly and when I inhale I get some water, as well as a tendancy for it to flow up there period, without my mask on. What I discovered and works like a charm is.... I need to keep my head tilted down while I flood my mask, then begin blowing out through my nose (head still tilted down) then tip my head back allowing the water out. This way the water doesn't flow up my nose at any point, and the only time it might have the opportunity I'm already exhaling through it. Going to try it a few more times in the pool durring the dry suit check out, but I think I've got it, I just need to remember to get my face cold in the water (to avoid the mamalian reflex) and to do my clearing, and removal/replacement with my head tipped down except after already exhaling through my nose.

WOO HOOO! So happy that even though the problem still persists I've found a way around it where thus far every attempt in doing it this way has been without a problem (except some minor tendancy of pushing water up my nose when replacing the mask, but hasn't caused me to choke or anything yet)

 

[dotyj]

That's great news.

I'm glad you were able to work out what the problem was.

I tend to tilt my head down just a tad when I first take off the mask then exhail a bit from my nose once in a while.

I haven't had to do this in OW yet but I'm sure I'll do okay.

Sounds like you'll do fine.

Let us know how the drysuit training works out. I still have to do that before my OW dives.

 

[WillAbbott]

Thx James,

I would highly suggest since you live in the PNW also, that when you goto your OW dives before doing dive 2, 3 and 4 go stick your face in the water without a mask, and breathe off either your reg or snorkel, but get your face nice and cold and used to the water. That way when you go down to do your skills you wont wind up having problems because of that mammalian reflex (which was probably about 25% of what happened to me) I plan to do this when we go back out, I'm doing all I can to eliminate any and every possible problem. I'm thinking about having the dive shop send a purge mask when we do our dry suit pool dives being as the way I have to work with my mask now is very similar to the way you do a purge mask. With a purge mask you never tilt your head back, you tilt it down, and being as thats what I have to do to keep the water clear of my nose, why have the extra step of then tiping my head back? Dunno if I will, next time I talk to the instructor I'll ask him what he thinks. Obviously I don't need the purge but for convience sake why not if it would take a step off of how I'm doing it.

Good luck on your OW dives whenever they come along. Just remember that diving in the PNW you get really used to low vis, and if you can dive here you can dive just about anywhere (least thats what my instructor says) We dove in 15-20' vis according to him, but when I was at the surface and looked down my fin tips were almost completely gone (pointing them straight down) I would have called vis about 5-10 feet at best. Deffinately different being as you can't see very far, but that doesn't mean you miss stuff

 

[dotyj]

Hi Will:

Yeah the PNW is a great place to dive, and more challenging than some.

We have some great places to dive though. I saw pix of an octopus taken at some dive site recently in Hood Canal. He was maybe 7 to 9 feet in diameter and just sitting in the open when the diver took the shot. Great photo.

I can't shore dive, but the club I belong to organizes plenty of boat dives during the year and anyplace with a boat ramp that isn't suicidally steep would make a fine place for me to enter the water (At least where that's allowed.) by using a manual chair and putting my scuba unit on at the surface.

If I get a running start it may turn into a wreck dive as we go looking for my wheelchair?

I'll take your advise on the cold water. Good idea.

I considered a mask with a purge valve but discovered in my first pool session that I'm really good at mask clearing. I had to be, my mustache makes my mask flood pretty easily.

I've learned since to trim my mustache down before diving and the problem is very manageable now. Though I'll likely never have a mask squeeze problem.

Tomorrow I want to work more on my trim. I think I could use a pound of ankle weight per ankle to help me be able to pull my scrawny legs down under me instead of floating horizontally. I tried 1.5 pounds per ankle on my fourth pool session. Worked great but was just a tad bit too much for my trim.

Again, good luck on your OW dives. I'm sure you'll do great.