What Did You Self-Teach Yourself?

[ligersandtions]

In my OW class, I learned how to breathe from a regulator, how to clear it, kind of how to flood my mask and clear it, how to put my gear together and on me, and how to swim around with everything. That, imo, is not learning to dive.

After my class, I read a lot, went out with experienced divers, and taught myself pretty much everything I know. I've been out with divers who have said, "you only have xx dives?" or "who taught you to dive?" and have generally been complimentary....that makes me feel good because I didn't get much in the way of instruction. I do plan on taking a class or two in the future (nothing like my useless OW and AOW classes....but ones like UTD Essentials where I will really learn to dive and be a good buddy). I have a long way to go, but I feel like I've come a long way.

I also kind of self-taught myself how to dive in a drysuit. I had an experienced buddy take me out and she explained the basics (but I had already done my research online as well)....we did some drills, and when she couldn't get me to cork, we decided to just poke around and have fun. The best dive for learning to dive in a drysuit includes an "irregular" terrain....one where there are rocks or something that you want to go up and over a few feet above....that forces you to stay on top of venting the suit, and then adding more when you descend again. The first drysuit dive in that kind of conditions was probably the dive I learned the most from so far.

I also taught myself how to dive Nitrox, but have only done one dive on Nitrox....I think my buddy did not know I wasn't certified when they filled the tank, but that was okay because I had done plenty of reading and learning. I'll take the class when I feel like it, but I hate to think I will get crappy instruction and really just be paying for a plastic card again.

 

[Teamcasa]

Most of the specialty's aside from AOW and Nitrox.
Drysuit, photography, videography, fish ID and so on.
Having the certs for AOW and Nitrox just make diving off charters less of a hassle.

 

[Slonda828]

This is a cool thread, I feel like it is the antithesis of most of the "you have to have a card or you are going to explode" sentiment that goes on around here.

I have learned the following with just a mentor or a book:

-Dry suit diving
-Vintage equipment diving
-Deep diving (gas consumption, etc)
-Peak buoyancy (8 hours, a pool and a fish scale solved this one)
-Diving without a BC
-Regulator repair (I repair and dive all of my own regs)
-Nitrox cleaning
-Boat diving
-Drift diving
-Wetsuit repair
-Visually inspecting cylinders
-Tank valve repair

I try to pass this information along whenever I can. I am also with Dave in that I have AOW and Nitrox, but I only got the cards so people would leave me alone. I probably could've taught the nitrox class I received as the guy just read off of powerpoint slides.

 

[PToone]

Underwater photography. Since I understood proper lighting, aperture, and shutter speeds; underwater photography came somewhat easy to me. Turbid water is sure a fun one to learn to shoot in...

 

[dkktsunami]

Solo diving, slowly, a little at a time, using pony, becoming comfortable with navigation, problem solving, etc. I am now more comfortable alone than with another diver. I have also learned minor modifications to wing and plate and modified hose routings to allow for a more perfect fit.

 

[ghost pipefish]

Blowing really good air rings on hang offs. Took me years without instruction. I'll be offering a class and certification shortly.

Oh and drinking water underwater. Ever get to the point on a long salt water dive that you feel like your chewing your air? a small hydration pack with a bite tip solved that problem.

Now there's a great idea for a distinctive specialty! What a great idea about the hydration pack - I knew I logged on here for a reason today! -GP

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I taught myself how to do frog kicks and helicopter kicks in split fins ... most of my friends who knew those kicks claimed they couldn't be done in splits (translation ... they didn't know how).

I taught myself underwater picture-taking ... I'm still working on underwater photography, and took my first class on the subject a couple months ago in Bonaire.

Solo diving ... the only class available on this subject is pretty basic, and by the time I got around to wanting to dive solo, it would've been a complete waste of time.

I've got more than 30 c-cards, from five different agencies ... and yet most of the really important subjects (gas management, for example) I learned outside of a class. I got a lot of info from mentors like Uncle Pug ... and put it all together myself as my diving skills developed.

Classes are generally only good to create a baseline ... and to help you discover what you need to learn. The real classroom is underwater, and most divers end up being their own best instructor.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Guba]

Dive computer use. (we didn't use computers in my open water course...still a bit of a novelty for newbies)

Oh, and I also taught myself how to build an underwater housing for my video camera.

 

[Walter]

What Did You Self-Teach Yourself?

As opposed to what I self taught someone else?

I never took a class for Dry Suit

I read about dry suit diving, the borrowed a dry suit and dived it. I don't understand why people have trouble with them, they are extremely easy to dive.

Solo Diving

Solo class? How in the hell can solo be taught? I do not believe it can, besides, I'd logged about 500 solo dives before there was such a class. Not much point in taking it now.

Scootering.

There's actually a class for scootering? You're just messing with us, aren't you? I just grabbed a scooter and took off with it.

Do you penetrate wrecks or caves without a C card?

I taught myself wreck penetration. The first wreck class I ever attended was one I taught. I have a Wreck Instructor card, but no Wreck card.

Dive below 130

While we were told not to dive below 100 ft, we were taught how to do it. I really don't give it much thought unless my buddy is inexperienced (I have no problem with deep solo dives) until I start getting deeper than about 170 ft.

do deco dives without formal training?

While we were told not to make deco dives, we were taught how to do them in Open Water and now that everyone is taught how to make safety stops, everyone should know how to do them.

I took an excellent Nitrox class after I'd taught myself about nitrox.

In retrospect, was that the right./best thing to do? Why did you skip the class?

Drysuit - yes/there was no reason to take a class. Dry suit was extremely easy to learn.

Solo Diving - yes/there was no class at the time. I'm not convinced the skills can be taught.

Scootering - yes/this is just silly, like a boat diving specialty.

Wreck Penetration - yes/at the time, there was no class available to me. Had there been, I could have learned in a shorter time. As it was, I had an excellent mentor.

Dive below 130 - yes/experience is the best teacher. Gradually expand your range and gain that experience.

Deco dives - yes/experience is the best teacher.

Nitrox - yes/I studied it at a time I wasn't in a position to take a formal class. There was no reason to put off learning.

 

[tfsails]

In 1971 when I was young, dumb, indestructible, and poor, I wanted to go diving with a friend who was certified. He told me you don't have to be certified to dive, but you have to be in order to rent gear. We decided that I would use his gear, I would give him money to rent gear, and we would go diving off Key Largo.

I bought a book (still have it!) read it, took what I read and his gear and went into an apartment swimming pool (solo!!!!!) and taught myself the skills. Then we went to Florida and did it all over again in the surf off Miami Beach (South Beach didn't exist then...). After that, we went to Key Largo, got on a dive boat, went into Pennykamp, and made a dive. And I lived through it!

I didn't dive again until 2000. I am not convinced that I was the sharpest knife in the drawer when I was 21, but I am proof positive that if you can read, understand, and heed the book you can teach yourself how to dive.

PS--I had absolutely NO trouble 30 years later when I finally did take an OW course.