Starting Out Too Fast?

[ciret]

You guys have all helped me get a much better idea of the BIG picture here. The excitement of learning a new sport, the opportunity, (being in Puerto Rico, at a hotel that has a dive operation) aceing all the written tests, doing really good in the water skills. . . I think I and the dive staff got sort of carried away. However, one of the things I think I do pretty well is continue to research and try to learn about things that I'm doing, whether it’s a hobby, sort, work what every. Which is why I’m here. . . And why I love this internet stuff, I can almost instantly find a group of experts of all abilities on almost any subject I’m interested in.

I'll slow down, ask more questions, insist on dive plans that fit my ability, and include time for practice.

Thanks again for all of your input. I hope to have more discussions and the opportunity to share with you again.

 

[Shrew]

I also felt like I got a bit carried away when I first learned. It's kind of easy because your instructor and the other divers make it look so easy. Ascending was repeatedly discussed during our pool sessions, but once you get out there you find it so easy to move about that it may slip your mind. On our third dive instead of remembering what I was taught I quickly followed my 18 year old instructor to the surface. My thought was "follow the leader" and not follow my safety lessons.

Since realizing that I so easily forgot what I had just learned, realizing that our instructors never made us to a safety stop in our first three dives, and also getting swept up in the "follow the experienced instructor" mindframe (we didn't ask questions about our dive sites and didn't plan our dives, nor did they instruct us, suggest to us, or help us to do this) I came home with the realization that I better make sure I understand the seriousness of what I am doing before I dive again. Like others have said above, your safety ultimately rests on your shoulders.

I've since been on the boards making sure I have all my questions answered, reading and rereading others' experiences, visualizing dive procedures, preparing dive site questions to plan our dives, and anything else I can do to make sure I am prepared for my next dives.

This realization that I also shared w/ you is an eye opener. You are on the right path coming here to ask your questions. Because of this board you and I will both be safer divers. Good luck to you.
Andy

 

[digitale]

I'm a fairly new diver myself, and have also been a bit deeper than I should have, but did so knowingly. I did my open water in extremely cold water and had 2 freeflow regulators during my certification, after which I became a bit more cautious than I probably would have otherwise been. Now I try to imagine if I had the same problem (or a different problem) at deeper depths, could I handle it. Like I said... I'm pretty new as well, but that's how I handle my desire to go deeper... can I handle an emergency 20 ft deeper than where I am.

 

[Walter]

If you don't have your own computer, you need to be following the tables. Diving another diver's computer will get you bent.

 

[kent_1848]

Maybe 10-15 min into the dive I hear my instructor rattling to get my attention, they signal me to come up. I check my depth gauge and start up, I was at 95 ft. I didn't have any problems, ears ok, buoyancy control good, basically everything is good.

That's where you are wrong. You did have problems, you just didn't see them as problems. A huge problem is you thought your buoyancy control was good, and you didn't notice that you were dropping. Since you had to have that called to your attention, you are very lucky to have not gotten bent.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I agree with the others on the point of getting more experience in shallow water, there's more to see there anyway. "Dive Training" magazine has had some good articles about dive planning among other things and a subscription can be a valuable asset for a new diver. I often use it as a reference when writing lectures for my dive classes.

I'm an instructor and I have started to meet and dive with other instructors since I've been on the board. One thing I have found myself doing that I'm going to stop doing is falling into the "we're both instructors so we'll be fine" trap. I've had a few dives that weren't much fun because we failed to do a proper pre-dive review. The "depth/time/air/objective" plan was there but we didn't review the hand signals we like to use (we've seen them all and we'll figure out what our buddy wants right?). Misunderstandings and quite a bit of frustration ensued and that can take all the fun out of a dive and we're diving for fun right? Don't be afraid to be thorough with your dive briefings even if the person you are diving with is an instructor. You don't have to accept a position of "follower" your input and leadership is just as valuable to the team effort. Don't be afraid to take charge of the dive plan, not the briefing (unless you are more familiar with the site than your buddy) but the plan. I tell all of my students that even though we are doing check-out dives my safety depends on their ability just as theirs depends on mine.

I had an advanced student question my fitness for diving on a particular day because I hadn't had any sleep and I looked like death warmed over. It was an easy, shallow (18-25 feet) dive but he didn't think I had any business doing it and he wasn't afraid to say so. I would have pushed and gotten the dive done had he not said anything, that's what instructors do right? Instead we postponed the dive until the next day so I could get some rest and be on top of my game. I have a lot of respect for him as a diver and I'm proud to say I trained him.

One thing you need to understand when you are diving with the group DM as your buddy is that you are essentially solo diving. If something happens to anyone in the group the DM is obligated to take care of the problem and the odds that he will be paying attention to you as a buddy are slim to none.

Your instructors do seem to be setting a bit of a bad example for you and this isn't necessarily because they are bad instructors. Your comfort in the water may have given them a mental comfort with your ability that causes them to assume you know more than you do. We all know the problem with the word assume. You are right to seek answers from other sources, it's a great way to learn. You need to take control of your dives and the dive planning, dive your tables or get a computer and learn how to use it. Make yourself a cheat sheet explaining your computer's functions and laminate it then keep in your logbook as a quick reference for the functions you don't use a lot. Pay close attention to your gauges and your buddy's gauges as well as what's going on around you. You have the right attitude now it's time to apply it to your diving

Good luck!
Ber :lilbunny: