Second pool session, thinking of quitting

[Walter]

Your problem can be solved. Of course it would be easier to solve if you lived next door, but you can do it.

My methods may sound unrelated to your problem at first, but they will work. Often, important skills are left out of OW classes. Take your time and practice each step until you are comfortable before moving to the next.

Leave your SCUBA gear in your bag. You only need 3 things at the pool at this point. 1. Mask 2. Snorkel 3. Weight belt with weight.

At no point will you leave the shallow end of the pool.

Take your snorkel off your mask and put on your weight belt. With your mask on the pool deck, your snorkel in your hand and your weight belt on, get into the shallow end of the pool. You should be where when you stand you are no deeper than chest deep, waist deep is even better. Put your snorkel in your mouth and breathe from it. Now, bend over and breathe through your snorkel while you dip your face into the water. If you are comfortable, stay awhile until you feel natural. If you have difficulty, think about drinking through a straw while you practice the excercise. Remember, you can always stand up straight to end the excercise at any time. If you need to, you can slowly build up your time until you feel comfortable.

Next, practice dropping underwater, allowing the snorkel to flood and coming up to blast it clear, leaving your face in the water. Continue until you are comfortable

At this point, you have accomplished three important things.

1. You lowered your anxiety level by working in a no risk (shallow) environment.
2. You became an expert in no mask breathing.
3. You know you can breathe with a flooded mask.

Now, put your snorkel down and pick up your mask. Put it on and drop down to your knees. Break the seal just enough to allow a small amount of water in. Clear the mask. Do not pull out on the bottom, merely push in on the top while looking up. The biggest mistake most people make is not looking up. The second most common mistake people make is not exhaling through their nose. Keep your mouth closed. Repeat this until you are comfortable. Don't forget to stand up and catch your breath between clearings. Now, increase the amount of water you allow into the mask to about ¼ flooded. When you are comfortable with that level, move to ½, then to a fully flooded mask. When you've reached the point you can clear it easily every time, see how many times you can clear it on one breath. After you are at this point, clearing your mask will be easy. You will have reached it in a step by step manner that was easy to accomplish.

Remember, you can always stand up if you feel uncomfortable.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Walter honey, you are a doll.

 

[Twistedarts]

Never give up! Never surrender! When I took the class as a kid, they did not find out that I could not swim until that point. They took me out of scuba class and put me in swim class. Get a real swimming instructor, then your watermanship skills will give you all the confidence you need to master the mask skills.

or

Do what walter is telling you. You can not go wrong with his advice!

 

[Merrimorte]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents worth in... I too had some issues with water going down into my sinuses... You can over come it! I did... and during ow, i had no issues what so ever with this.

Try this thread for some sugjestions... http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...diving/223091-ideas-taking-your-mask-off.html

And good luck to you!

 

[AggieManda]

So what happened? Are you completing your certification?

I just happened upon this thread, and let me tell you, it was like reading my own certification account!

I was *terrified* of water in my nose. (See "New and Terrified" under the Introductions and Greets section). Like you, I had never been underwater before without pinching off my nose. I had never been snorkeling or anything. So imagine my suprise when the first day in the pool, we had to take our masks off underwater! Yikes! Of course, my nose was flooded and my sinuses felt like they were flooded and on fire. From then on, it was freak out city. I think I bolted to the top more than a fishing cork.

If it hadn't been for the DM, I would have quit after the first day.

Listen to everyone on these boards, they really know their stuff. The drills that Walter and Dee Dee suggested helped me get through my certification. Between the pool days and open water days, I was in the pool as much as I could be with my mask and snorkel. At first, not even that. I just practiced putting my face in the water and breathing out through my nose a few seconds at a time. Then, I made it a little longer. And a little longer. After that, I practiced going under without breathing out (or in of course), just feeling that feeling of the water on my face and around my nose. After that first day of just doing that, I put the mask on and practiced flooding.

Then, I would go underwater and just sit there with the mask on in 3 feet of water (don't forget your weight belt). When I was comfortable with that, I would flood it a little (I was still standing up after every flood). When I was comfortable with that, I would take it off and stand up. Then I moved on to taking it off and replacing it and standing up. Then I moved on to taking it off, replacing it and clearing it underwater.

You just have to be patient with yourself. You are going against years and years of programming that tells you water in your mouth/nose/face is bad! And just think, you only have to demonstrate the skill a few times and you are done. But it does need to be something you are comfortable with just in case you ever lose your mask. By the time you do it a couple of times, it will seem like no big deal. I promise.

I worked through my fears and mental blocks, and am super glad I did, because it got me the Open Water certification I am so very proud of. You can do it too! Just practice, be patient with yourself and keep telling yourself that you CAN.

:14:

 

[jenlaur]

Just like the last poster, reading this post was like reading about me. I had all but given up. Decided that snorkeling was fine for me. I did the sit on the pool with my weight belt thing several times. What it came down to for me was mind over matter. That and this: when I removed my mask I exhaled through my nose with my chin tucked slightly down the entire minute. My instructor was great and held my hand the whole time. When it came down to removing it in my OW checkout I shook my head "NO" twice to my instructor until I decided I was ready. I would encourage you not to give up. I just completed my 27th dive and am truly addicted. Once you get through class and get out into the open water you will be so glad you did. Diving is nothing like dive class.

 

[CamG]

Greetings nebrunner and welcome to SB. You have come to the right place for help! I can hear and feel every word you say and tell you with firm resolve it will get better! I must confess I struggled, and contemplated quitting myself. My wife and I would have good pool sessions then bad ones but never the same as my wife. She was a natural I was not!!! This is what made me the diver I am today. The struggle, and work it took to overcome my hurdles only strengthened my resolve. It is possible to beat your issues and I have full confidence you will. It gets a lot better and one day you will be able to take your mask off at will and swim with out it no big deal. Hang in there and keep practicing a little extra pool time helps. I personally had a easier time with mask skills in OW. I like colder water, sounds crazy but it is true. If you are discouraged please PM me and I will do my best to help you out. I have been there my friend and I have also experienced scuba that changed my life. When things come harder for people like us we appreciate it all the more. Take heart, dig in and conquer! Good luck and keep us posted. CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[OceanGirl125]

This happened to my fiancee. We did the class together, we did the first day and everything was fine. Then came the mask part.. all he talked about the night before was that he could just not do it! I told him to put on the mask, get in the bathtub, take a shower with it and just practice. He did that for about an hour. So the day came. We went on a boat to a Spring in Crystal River for our OW. On the boat he kept saying "I cant do the mask clearing, I just cant" Our instructor said "Stop saying that, you are freaking yourself out before you even try" It sounded really harsh when he said it lol, but it helped. He got in the water, and he did it. I was very very proud! He also has bad sinus problems.

He actually did it on the first try on the second day! After that, he felt like he could do anything.

I am sure you will be fine! I agree with what some others said.. use it in the bath, shower. Walk around the house with the half full. That helped out my fiancee get used to the feeling.

Keep us posted!! Good luck im sure you can do it!

 

[Inalara]

Ultimately, I want to be safe, both for me and my wife. I would never do something that put her in danger and if this would do that, through my own fear or inability, I would have to give up on scuba.

Knowing your own weaknesses/fears means that you will ultimately become a better diver for it, because if you follow the rest of the advice others have given you in the thread, it will turn that weakness into a strength.

Because you won't be complacent over "how easy it is" and you will probably end up doing the drills until it becomes 2nd nature (I know I did), rather than doing it once on the course and never doing it again.

It doesn't matter if it takes you 5 or 55 times to get it right, what matters is that you don't rush it and get yourself comfortable in the water.

 

[thillghill06]

You would not believe how much company you are in! My husband and stepson just got certified this past weekend. I passed the written part but quit during my confined water training mainly because of the mask issue. My instructor says I still have 3 sessions, he is just waiting on me. I believe I have up to a year to get my water sessions done. You guys have been such an encouragement ment I think I am going to try the shower thing with the mask, sounds like a good idea.