Things I learned the hard way

[OceanObsessed]

Non: Never try to split apart frozen hamburger patties with a big freakin butcher knife.

Good advice! When I was a kid I ended up with 6 stitches in my hand doing the same thing.

 

[Walter]

Sorry, Walter. I wasn't clear on this one. I was open water certified and had done all of my classroom work toward my advanced cert. All of my training to that point had been in a quarry and this was my first OCEAN dive day of my first real dive trip (Blackbeard's liveaboard). An instructor from my dive shop was along to sign off on the dives I needed to get my advanced but that's a whole 'nother story. A lot of mistakes were made by both of us on this particular dive.

So it was your third day of diving?

 

[keytofreedom]

So it was your third day of diving?

Man, you are tough! I got certified in a rock quarry in Alabama with an instructor by my side. Everything to that point had been in a pool. If you want to call any of that dive days, go ahead. I loved it and did my classroom studies toward my advanced certification when I got an email from our dive shop for a half-price slot on the Blackbeard where I knew I could do the necessary dives to finish my certification. I was 50 years old, knew not a soul on the trip and went. I was no more "advanced" than my 81 year-old father is young. On the Blackbeard, the divemasters don't enter the water with you and I had to learn by fire that first day. An instructor was with me that night to certify the "night dive" portion of the advanced certification. My point was and still is, I learned something the hard way that night - a lot of things actually - but was trying to be humorous by poking fun at myself. Please allow a little poetic license and not let the thread turn into a "mine is bigger than yours" thread, like so many of these do. This is supposed to be fun.

How about something YOU'VE learned the hard way, Walter?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Diving: "Trust me" doesn't constitute a dive plan.

Non-diving: "Follow me" doesn't constitute a ski lesson.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DHMO Diver]

Never assume that your dive partner understands "righty tighty, lefty loosey" as it applies to tank valves. Closed, then a 1/4 turn open does not equal open, then a 1/4 turn closed"

As far as out of water examples, I have to second "There is no such thing as a free dog."

 

[waytooslow]

Life:

Don't try get a faster lap time by going fast into turn 8 at OHR - cost me a collarbone explosion and 3 ribs

 

[Walter]

If you want to call any of that dive days, go ahead.

Not the days in the pool, but the two days in the quarry are open water dives and they count. Don't sell yourself short.

How about something YOU'VE learned the hard way, Walter?

That will have to wait till I have a little more time to type, I've screwed up so many times and in so many ways...............

 

[octopuppy]

At the end of your dive trip when you can only snorkel...remember you're not on a reg.

 

[under water]

When you are trying to compensate for a lot of neoprene compression as you descend, you really do need to add just a little bit of air from your BC at a time and wait for the reaction. Otherwise you will go airborne. .. Lesson learned .. first time in a 7mm farmer john after only having dived previously with no wetsuit.

Don't assume you can get back to shore where you want by just turning 180 degrees after going 'straight' out.

Don't say bad things (or agree with bad things said) about a friends ex-spouse or ex-girlfriend until after they are apart a long time!

 

[AEIOU]

It is a lot easier and less painful to hook up your dry suit hose while on land. Hooking it up a 100 feet not so fun.