Lisa0825
Contributor
(OK, I probably made plenty of mistakes, but I am being honest about my bumbling experience, so be gentle with me!:10
I had no problem with equalizing, which was what I worried about because of the problem I had during my checkout dives! (YAY!)
The trip to the Keys started out hectic, but fine. I rushed to pack before work, rushed to work, rushed from work to the airport, and rushed from the airport to the hotel to meet a friend from another internet community. FINALLY, I had time to relax, have a beer, and hang out with my friend.
I got back to my hotel and arranged for a wakeup call at 8am. I woke up at 9am, no wakeup call. So more rushing around to make sure I could get to the hotel and then my dive appt in time. The drive went smoother than I expected, and I was ahead of schedule, despite the missed call that is, until I got to mile marker 84 and came to a standstill. Turns out there was a major accident on Hwy 1at MM 78 and it was closed down. I lost about 2.5 hours and was 40 minutes late to the dive op in Marathon, but they waited for me.
Considering all the rushing and stress, I should have just postponed, but I really wanted to get out there. Setting up the equipment was in a rush, I had a borrowed BC, which I hadnt worn in the water yet. We didnt check it out ahead of time (other then me trying it on in my living room back at home over a thin t-shirt. I tried the regulator and sure enough, air came out. I didnt take enough breaths to be sure of the ease of breathing. (mistake)
When we got to the dive site, the water was quite choppy, and visibility was not good. I got suited up, felt fine, no anxiety, eager to get in, but just a little nervous excitement. I put the BC on at the edge of the boat, and my breathing was a bit labored. I thought it was from the exertion of pulling up the wetsuit and lifting and moving equipment around. I checked the Velcro waist strap, and realized it didnt wrap around nearly as far as when I tried it on in my living room. Not much room for adjustment. I told the DM I needed a few deep breaths first, and then I did the backwards roll into the water.
I remember having my eyes open and seeing the surface coming, and for that moment, I felt fine. But as I tried to take my next breath, I felt like my breathing was more labored. I tried deep, slow breaths, but the deeper I breathed, the more constricted I felt in the BC. Shallower breaths just didnt seem to get me enough air to catch my breath. I tried putting some air in the BC to float more comfortably on the surface, but it made me feel like I had a blood pressure cuff around my body, and breathing became even more difficult.
I briefly took the regulator out of my mouth to get more air, and of course, I was told not to do that, but it felt like I just couldnt get enough air through it. I said I didnt want to dive. I couldnt catch my breath, I thought the BC was too tight, and I needed help to get to the boat. I couldnt even reach my fins to take them off, because of the way the BC fit me, so the DM helped me with that.
As soon as I got back on the boat and removed the BC, I caught my breath within a couple minutes. I was very disappointed that I missed the dive, but I didnt think I was able to go through with it. I still felt determined to try it another time. I put my snorkel, mask, and fins back on, and jumped in to snorkel for a while. I felt fine. Visibility sucked. I didnt see a single fish. But at least I got back in the water.
Saturday, a front moved through with high winds, and none of the boats were going out, so I posted on SB looking for advice on somewhere to go to get a dive in and said they could call me at the hotel. I got a phone call from Conch Republic Divers (not the same op from Friday). They said the weather and vis would be improving and they were going out on Sunday, so I made plans to go with them, with an instructor.
I do not believe what happened Friday was due to anxiety. I didnt feel anxious at the time. But after that, my confidence was shaken. Now I really was a bit anxious, but determined to get a dive in. Andy, the instructor, gave a thorough briefing to me and a couple of discover scuba students he had. I could already tell he was much more thorough than what I experienced on Friday. The captain went over how important it was to take roll and make eye contact with every diver when they answered. Everything seemed very careful and professional.
I got my wetsuit halfway on immediately, so Id have time to relax, in case the breathing issues had anything to do with the wiggling and tugging of getting dressed. I was pleased to see that the visibility was looking much better than Friday, though it was still quite choppy. I finished getting ready, and ended up being the first one to go in after Andy. My breathing felt fine. I thought positive thoughts. I stepped off the boat. I took a breath. And another. I surfaced. I kept my face down, held the line, and breathed. I felt good. Except that I couldnt sink! Andy put more weight on me, tugged me a bit, and I was able to go down.
The dive was going pretty well. I didnt see anything big and exciting, but lots of fish, coral, etc. I was just really happy to be breathing and equalizing. I did still have problems with buoyancy control, but all in all, this was going much better than Friday. As I used up my air, I started having increasing buoyancy problems, and on the way back to the boat, I found myself having to swim against a current. I was having to work very hard to not surface quickly and to swim in the right direction. When I got to the surface, I was quite winded.
I wasnt having much luck catching my breath through the regulator. I rolled over on my back and held the regulator at my mouth, but took a big breath of fresh air. I told them I was very tired and needed help to get back to the boat. When I got to the ladder and got up high enough, I took the regulator out and took some big breaths. OH, that felt good! As soon as I caught my breath, all I could think of was that I had accomplished what I set out to do, as clumsy as it was! I got underwater and completed a dive! Granted, it was far from perfect, but it was more than I arrived with!
It wasnt a fantastic experience, but it was definitely a learning experience, and Im still determined to get back out there and get more practice. Hopefully the combination of timing, equipment, experience, and preparation will all be better next time. Oh, and by chance, I happened to meet diver_matt on the boat, so I have a SB witness that I did indeed complete a dive!LOL
I owe a big Thank You to Conch Republic for calling me and assuring me that Id have all the assistance I wanted as a new and inexperienced diver. They definitely delivered on what was promised, and were very nice and professional.
I had no problem with equalizing, which was what I worried about because of the problem I had during my checkout dives! (YAY!)
The trip to the Keys started out hectic, but fine. I rushed to pack before work, rushed to work, rushed from work to the airport, and rushed from the airport to the hotel to meet a friend from another internet community. FINALLY, I had time to relax, have a beer, and hang out with my friend.
I got back to my hotel and arranged for a wakeup call at 8am. I woke up at 9am, no wakeup call. So more rushing around to make sure I could get to the hotel and then my dive appt in time. The drive went smoother than I expected, and I was ahead of schedule, despite the missed call that is, until I got to mile marker 84 and came to a standstill. Turns out there was a major accident on Hwy 1at MM 78 and it was closed down. I lost about 2.5 hours and was 40 minutes late to the dive op in Marathon, but they waited for me.
Considering all the rushing and stress, I should have just postponed, but I really wanted to get out there. Setting up the equipment was in a rush, I had a borrowed BC, which I hadnt worn in the water yet. We didnt check it out ahead of time (other then me trying it on in my living room back at home over a thin t-shirt. I tried the regulator and sure enough, air came out. I didnt take enough breaths to be sure of the ease of breathing. (mistake)
When we got to the dive site, the water was quite choppy, and visibility was not good. I got suited up, felt fine, no anxiety, eager to get in, but just a little nervous excitement. I put the BC on at the edge of the boat, and my breathing was a bit labored. I thought it was from the exertion of pulling up the wetsuit and lifting and moving equipment around. I checked the Velcro waist strap, and realized it didnt wrap around nearly as far as when I tried it on in my living room. Not much room for adjustment. I told the DM I needed a few deep breaths first, and then I did the backwards roll into the water.
I remember having my eyes open and seeing the surface coming, and for that moment, I felt fine. But as I tried to take my next breath, I felt like my breathing was more labored. I tried deep, slow breaths, but the deeper I breathed, the more constricted I felt in the BC. Shallower breaths just didnt seem to get me enough air to catch my breath. I tried putting some air in the BC to float more comfortably on the surface, but it made me feel like I had a blood pressure cuff around my body, and breathing became even more difficult.
I briefly took the regulator out of my mouth to get more air, and of course, I was told not to do that, but it felt like I just couldnt get enough air through it. I said I didnt want to dive. I couldnt catch my breath, I thought the BC was too tight, and I needed help to get to the boat. I couldnt even reach my fins to take them off, because of the way the BC fit me, so the DM helped me with that.
As soon as I got back on the boat and removed the BC, I caught my breath within a couple minutes. I was very disappointed that I missed the dive, but I didnt think I was able to go through with it. I still felt determined to try it another time. I put my snorkel, mask, and fins back on, and jumped in to snorkel for a while. I felt fine. Visibility sucked. I didnt see a single fish. But at least I got back in the water.
Saturday, a front moved through with high winds, and none of the boats were going out, so I posted on SB looking for advice on somewhere to go to get a dive in and said they could call me at the hotel. I got a phone call from Conch Republic Divers (not the same op from Friday). They said the weather and vis would be improving and they were going out on Sunday, so I made plans to go with them, with an instructor.
I do not believe what happened Friday was due to anxiety. I didnt feel anxious at the time. But after that, my confidence was shaken. Now I really was a bit anxious, but determined to get a dive in. Andy, the instructor, gave a thorough briefing to me and a couple of discover scuba students he had. I could already tell he was much more thorough than what I experienced on Friday. The captain went over how important it was to take roll and make eye contact with every diver when they answered. Everything seemed very careful and professional.
I got my wetsuit halfway on immediately, so Id have time to relax, in case the breathing issues had anything to do with the wiggling and tugging of getting dressed. I was pleased to see that the visibility was looking much better than Friday, though it was still quite choppy. I finished getting ready, and ended up being the first one to go in after Andy. My breathing felt fine. I thought positive thoughts. I stepped off the boat. I took a breath. And another. I surfaced. I kept my face down, held the line, and breathed. I felt good. Except that I couldnt sink! Andy put more weight on me, tugged me a bit, and I was able to go down.
The dive was going pretty well. I didnt see anything big and exciting, but lots of fish, coral, etc. I was just really happy to be breathing and equalizing. I did still have problems with buoyancy control, but all in all, this was going much better than Friday. As I used up my air, I started having increasing buoyancy problems, and on the way back to the boat, I found myself having to swim against a current. I was having to work very hard to not surface quickly and to swim in the right direction. When I got to the surface, I was quite winded.
I wasnt having much luck catching my breath through the regulator. I rolled over on my back and held the regulator at my mouth, but took a big breath of fresh air. I told them I was very tired and needed help to get back to the boat. When I got to the ladder and got up high enough, I took the regulator out and took some big breaths. OH, that felt good! As soon as I caught my breath, all I could think of was that I had accomplished what I set out to do, as clumsy as it was! I got underwater and completed a dive! Granted, it was far from perfect, but it was more than I arrived with!
It wasnt a fantastic experience, but it was definitely a learning experience, and Im still determined to get back out there and get more practice. Hopefully the combination of timing, equipment, experience, and preparation will all be better next time. Oh, and by chance, I happened to meet diver_matt on the boat, so I have a SB witness that I did indeed complete a dive!LOL
I owe a big Thank You to Conch Republic for calling me and assuring me that Id have all the assistance I wanted as a new and inexperienced diver. They definitely delivered on what was promised, and were very nice and professional.