Rules for a New Diver?

[Adgie]

Help, I'm stuck!

OK, So I finished my PADI OW and got my C-card. Being now fully committed to diving, I spent months agonizing over gearing up. I ended up with:

ATX50
Seaquest Pro QD+ w/ integrated air source
Suunto Cobra
Bare Velocity 7/6mm (jury still out on this one)

But now, I'm still sitting here on dry land. Why? Because I can't seem to figure out the next best way to get my feet wet. I'm signing up for an SSI AOW certification, which should help, but my anxiety is still this:

What do you more advanced divers look for and/or expect in a newbie diver looking to tag along for a fun and safe experience? I want to keep meeting new people and gain experience, but I'd hate to slow down or inconvenience more advance divers in the process. Is there a "Top 10" rules to live by as a newbie?

Thanks in advance,
-A

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

In no particular order:

An AOW card teaches you some useful stuff, but it doesn't make you an advanced diver.
I think the Y calls it OW 2, which is a better description. But it's still worth doing.

Join a dive club.

Work up to things slowly.

Work on your buoyancy control. And get your weighting and trim spot on. This wlil
take a few dives, and will change a bit as you get more relaxed and your suit
compresses a little.

 

[Parrothead_Diver]

The best this you can do, is go diving.

Like Chuck said, join a local dive club. They have plenty of people for you to dive with of all experiance levels.

When you do dive with someone new, be sure to tell them about your relative lack of experiance. Most divers are fairly nice people who will not mind making a few adjustments to the dive plan so that it can ocommidate your experiance level.

P.S. Welcome to Scubaboard.

 

[MyDiveLog]

The Ten Commandments of Diving:

1. You are responsible for your safety
• There are old divers and there are bold divers, but darn few old, bold divers
• Dive within your limits, not your buddy's
• Have the courage to turn down a request to 'buddy up'

2. Never hold your breath
• If you want to see a liquid fizz, shake a soda and open it!

3. Use your equipment for it's intended purpose
• Don't swim with your hands while wearing perfectly good fins
• Never use your BC as an elevator

4. Remember that Murphy dives too
• Stop, think, then act
• Underwater problems need to be solved under water
• Complacency is Murphy's best friend; you are never done learning

5. Righty tighty, lefty loosey
• Say it mentally every time you open any valve or screw

6. Practice skills regularly
• Rehearse them mentally often; remembering under stress needs to be automatic
• Make it part of your dive plan
• "Need More weight" & "Need Additional Equipment" usually equals "Need Better Technique"
• Perfect Practice Prevents Piss Poor Performance

7. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you.
• Own as much of your gear as possible
• Clean and check it after every dive
• Fix small problems before they become big ones
• Get it maintained annually
• Make sure ALL your gear is functioning before you begin a dive
• Never end a dive with less than 500 PSI in your tank
• Own a well-stocked save-a-dive kit

8. Be fit to dive, mentally & physically
• Never be afraid to call off a dive for any reason
• Plan your dive & dive your plan
• The best place to get in shape for water sports is in the water

9. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
• Try not to laugh at the "turtles on the beach"; they know not what they do
• Give back to the sport by helping others along
• No one loves a know-it-all; nudge, don't push, when helping others

10. Just dive, baby!
• A fire left untended will soon die down
• The world has enough fantasy divers
• Join a dive club, take a trip, take a class, find a buddy … JUST DIVE!

 

[wreckchick]

As long as the divers you go out with know in advance that you are a newb, MOST of them will be more than happy to help and mentor you when possible. I dive with people of all skill levels and I'm more than happy to slow down and take the time to make sure a new diver is happy and comfortable during the dive. That means I'm going to ask you how you're doing a lot. I'll probably ask about your air supply a lot. I want you to be aware of it without me asking, but newer divers seem to get into the dive and forget to check. I also do a lot of things in a far more exaggerated way with new divers in tow than I would with an experienced buddy. I'll make a show of clearing my ears, checking my gauges, adjusting the air in my BC. I don't venture as far afield as I would otherwise so I'm close to the boat just in case.

What I expect from a new diver is to do their best to remember their training (check gauges, watch buoyancy, stick close, etc.); be honest about how they're feeling, if I ask if you're OK and you're not, tell me; if you're not sure what I'm saying or asking, don't agree with me, let me know that you don't understand; and finally, I want you to enjoy the dive, if it's not fun we can stop and talk about why, don't continue a dive that you aren't comfortable with because you're worried about ruining my dive. I'll dive again, and I want you to do the same.

I hope this helps!

Rachel

 

[miket]

What I expect from a new diver is to do their best to remember their training (check gauges, watch buoyancy, stick close, etc.); be honest about how they're feeling, if I ask if you're OK and you're not, tell me; if you're not sure what I'm saying or asking, don't agree with me, let me know that you don't understand; and finally, I want you to enjoy the dive, if it's not fun we can stop and talk about why, don't continue a dive that you aren't comfortable with because you're worried about ruining my dive. I'll dive again, and I want you to do the same.l

Exactly! Very well stated.

I like buddying with new divers, it's fun to show them how to find and see all the hidden creatures.

- MikeT

 

[ckaspar]

I am a fairly new diver myself(approx 40 dives) and I have already taken newer divers out.

I am very comfortable in the water as I have been in SoCal my whole life so the beach is nothing new to me and I am proud to say that although I am failry new I also follow the rules posted above espescially when I am diving with a newer diver.

I want to try to be the best buddy possible and I remember when I as brand new how my instructors branded in to my head to check gauges, remain neutral and have fun.

I try to express that to the new divers I go with.

 

[ChrisM]

Tons of excellent advice above.

Dive groups to look at - www.divevets.com, Wednesday nights in Redondo, www.southcoastdivers.com, used to be Saturdays, now it's like every day of the week practically. Both groups welcome new divers.

The only thing I cn add to what others have said is that the most important lesson I learned from doing LOTS of beach diving, is know when NOT to dive. Learn to read conditions and follow your instincts.

Welcome
Chris

 

[The Kraken]

You asked:

"What do you more advanced divers look for and/or expect in a newbie diver looking to tag along for a fun and safe experience?"

The honesty and forthright gumption to say, "Hey, I'm a brand new diver and don't have much experience. Would it be OK if I buddied up with you on this dive?"

To which I would respond, "Sure! Let's go diving!"

the K

 

[Adgie]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm really looking forward to getting out there!