What hardest thing to overcome as a new diver?

[mi000ke]

Dealing with all of all the posts demanding that you immediately purchase a BP/W

 

[rongoodman]

Becoming able to be flat and still in the water in your new BP/W.

 

[admikar]

Fear of being underweighted. Most of us were trained on our knees, and told to beware of runaway ascents (boats overhead, AGE, DCS). It took me a few dives to get dialed in on my weights.

 

[TMHeimer]

Fear of being underweighted. Most of us were trained on our knees, and told to beware of runaway ascents (boats overhead, AGE, DCS). It took me a few dives to get dialed in on my weights.

This relates to the many threads on "knees training" and weighting. The key here is "It took me a few dives". Not rocket science unless you're uncomfortable in water (but still got certified......). It took me just a few dives to get my buoyancy pretty similar to what it is today.

 

[admikar]

This relates to the many threads on "knees training" and weighting. The key here is "It took me a few dives". Not rocket science unless you're uncomfortable in water (but still got certified......). It took me just a few dives to get my buoyancy pretty similar to what it is today.

Not to hijack this thread, but OP asked what was hardest to overcome. Some people think that clearing mask is the hardest thing to do. For me, this was it.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

I had a friend that was a runner and a nose breather. I took, what seemed forever, to get past that.

 

[KeithG]

Getting past the FUD being spewed by your friendly LDS?

I know this was a big one for me since in the dark ages we did not have many sources of information. A recent thread asking about a $625 annual service charge jogged my memory on how I feel about my LDS.

 

[Hou s4m]

The hardest thing? The anxiety to go back into the water when you're already on your back after a weekend trip and having to face reality that monday is back to life-as-usual.

 

[Hoag]

Many have already mentioned getting control of buoyancy and skills such as mask clearing. In addition to these, I had a pretty bad case of what one person referred to as "Cocker Spaniel Puppy Syndrome". Everything was so new and so amazing that I would "bounce" from one thing to another with no focus of thought and with the attention span of a Cocker Spaniel puppy. I would be so busy going "Look at this! Oh now look at this! Oh wow I didn't see this!" in my head for the whole dive and the result was that not only would I use up my air far too quickly, but in the long run, while I was bouncing from one thing to the next, I would actually miss seeing most of what was going on in the dive.

Forest for the trees.

 

[AlexL]

Dealing with all of all the posts demanding that you immediately purchase a BP/W

BP/W is love. BP/W is life. Come to the shiny side, we have tri-glides and cookies! help yourself to some kool-aid on the table to your right, I find its quite tasty.

Some people think that clearing mask is the hardest thing to do. For me, this was it.

three years later and I still despise mask removal / no mask swims.