Things no one told you about diving

[AquaticLife]

Just got done with our first pool session

Is it possible to laugh underwater? I think I was laughing! The last 10 minutes we got to go swim around the deep end of the pool at 12'. I remember sitting on the bottom, just breathing, watching other students swim, watching my bubbles float up and feeling very relaxed, I started to laugh :blinking: . It was amazing, sitting at the bottom of the pool, not needing air just being there. I can't really describe it, kind of zen, also euphoric, different, yet calming. I hope that makes sense. I loved it!

 

[Rhone Man]

The one thing I wish I had known at your stage: scuba certification is a journey as much as a destination - enjoy the ride!

 

[TSandM]

AquaticLife, I suspect most everybody on this board can absolutely relate to your description of the pure joy of breathing underwater. Wait until you can hang in the middle of the water column, weightless, motionless, and do the same thing -- it's truly intoxicating!

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

If the water temps on your check out dives will be the least bit chilly, get a nice hood. I like the hyperstretch ones by Henderson. We did our check out dives in the local lake and someone on here gave me the tip about hoods. You lose most of your body heat through your head.

All of the folks in my class were chattering after the first dive and got out to warm up. I had them toss me a bottle of water and I snorkeled with the fish until time for the second dive. I never got cold. The second dive was a bit rough for some of the folks because they were still cold from the first.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Just got done with our first pool session

Is it possible to laugh underwater? I think I was laughing! The last 10 minutes we got to go swim around the deep end of the pool at 12'. I remember sitting on the bottom, just breathing, watching other students swim, watching my bubbles float up and feeling very relaxed, I started to laugh :blinking: . It was amazing, sitting at the bottom of the pool, not needing air just being there. I can't really describe it, kind of zen, also euphoric, different, yet calming. I hope that makes sense. I loved it!

Yes, you can absolutely laugh underwater. Just try not to lose your reg.

Watch this, and listen to the laughter at the end. How can you not laugh when a shark kisses your camera?

 

[AquaticLife]

Dirty-Dog that video is great! I would be over the moon! If I was this happy in a pool I can't imagine what I am going to be like in open water!

 

[Jax]

Just got done with our first pool session

Is it possible to laugh underwater? I think I was laughing! The last 10 minutes we got to go swim around the deep end of the pool at 12'. I remember sitting on the bottom, just breathing, watching other students swim, watching my bubbles float up and feeling very relaxed, I started to laugh :blinking: . It was amazing, sitting at the bottom of the pool, not needing air just being there. I can't really describe it, kind of zen, also euphoric, different, yet calming. I hope that makes sense. I loved it!

Never forget to laugh! And don't let people who "know better" tell you how much more your gas would last if you wouldn't laugh . . . it's not worth it! Don't give up one second of the joy of diving!

 

[jashaw]

Things no one told me about diving:
It's way too addicting (not a bad thing though lol)
Gear isn't cheap (at least good quality gear)
Great Lakes shipwrecks are simply stunning.
and
That I would be an AOW diver already, and taking advanced nitrox now.

 

[kmurray719]

I can't tell from your profile if you're female or male, but two things I wish I'd known earlier:

*It's damn near impossible to dive and be pretty at the same time; snot happens (a lot!), manicures and pedicures are shot in a day, you prance around in tight rubber suits in front of people, and you generally end up looking like a drowned rat at the end of the day.

*You will regularly find yourself in strange and compromising situations with near strangers. Get used to it. Just today I found myself in a parking lot with a guy I barely know kneeling in front of me trying to fasten my waist strap buckle (which was being difficult for some reason) while I was saying to him to "Just shove it in there. Push harder. Come on, just make it happen already." We definitely got some interesting looks.

The beauty of diving is that if you love it, you don't care about any of that. It doesn't matter what you have to do to make it happen or what you look like doing it, you just want to be diving. Remember that feeling in the pool, and keep trying new things to make it happen over and over!

 

[AquaticLife]

*It's damn near impossible to dive and be pretty at the same time; snot happens (a lot!), manicures and pedicures are shot in a day, you prance around in tight rubber suits in front of people, and you generally end up looking like a drowned rat at the end of the day.

That is so true! Especially the rubber suit prancing, I felt like a dork for a while there. And OUCH those snorkel masks really pull at your hair!