Yayyy I'm finally certified!!

[silvernotch]

silvernotch, congratulations on your certification. I know you had problems at the beginning, and I can't remember whether anybody gave you the links on the ear video and other websites with information about equalizing techniques. If not, say so, and I will put them up.

A lot of people go directly into AOW, and in fact, the program is really pretty much designed for people to do either immediately or in very short order. The problem really is that deep dive, because new divers often really don't have the buoyancy skills to be diving that deep (although it is not the deep portion of the dive that causes problems, it's the ascent!) Hopefully, your instructor will execute that dive so that a) your bottom time at depth is brief, and b) you have some kind of visual reference on the way up, whether that's the bottom contour or an ascent line you can grab if you have to.

Jim, there are two ways to look at it: Teach an AOW class that is really advanced, and advise people to wait to take it until they have some experience (as NW Grateful Diver used to do) or teach an AOW class that's really OW2, and have people take it immediately. I don't have a problem with the second approach, but the deep dive is pushing it.

from what I've been told the deep dive will be about 80ft and will be along the back wall of the quarry and I believe there is an ascent line also.

as for the videos. I think I may have watched it years ago but if you wouldn't mind posting it up again i'd be grateful for the refresher!

 

[clay144]

First of all congrats on joining the world of certified divers. Your problems are VERY common to new divers. I've had students with the same problems. Experience will teach you the best way to clear your ears, and how to do the other things you had issues with. Keep diving and keep learning.

 

[knowone]

not sure if that's sarcasm or not

Obscure. Hook up with Lapenta the Lamenta. He's next door. I have a mint Oceanic Veo 100Nx for sale.

 

[TSandM]

Dr. Key's video is here: Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page

DAN's excellent pdf on the diver's ear: http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/download/DiversGuidetoEars.pdf

A good essay on equalization techniques: Freediving Explained - How to Freedive Manual: Equalization Techniques

 

[ScubaDiverRyan]

Great Job

 

[Jim Lapenta]

silvernotch, congratulations on your certification. I know you had problems at the beginning, and I can't remember whether anybody gave you the links on the ear video and other websites with information about equalizing techniques. If not, say so, and I will put them up.

A lot of people go directly into AOW, and in fact, the program is really pretty much designed for people to do either immediately or in very short order. The problem really is that deep dive, because new divers often really don't have the buoyancy skills to be diving that deep (although it is not the deep portion of the dive that causes problems, it's the ascent!) Hopefully, your instructor will execute that dive so that a) your bottom time at depth is brief, and b) you have some kind of visual reference on the way up, whether that's the bottom contour or an ascent line you can grab if you have to.

Jim, there are two ways to look at it: Teach an AOW class that is really advanced, and advise people to wait to take it until they have some experience (as NW Grateful Diver used to do) or teach an AOW class that's really OW2, and have people take it immediately. I don't have a problem with the second approach, but the deep dive is pushing it.

I prefer the third way. teach an OW class that really is OW 1 and 2 (by what seems to be today's standards) and then have them get a few (my requirement is 10) dives in to practice what they just learned and then teach the AOW like Bob and I do. Works much better for the students I have had so far. In fact today I just turned down someone who wanted to do my next AOW class that starts this week.

I trained him and IMO he needs more practice before tackling the skills he would be presented with in this class. He is a good OW diver but is also 62 and I would like to see his buoyancy just a bit better and do more low vis dives with me or someone I'd recommend as a mentor. I like his enthusiam but it needs some tempering. I've known him for 10 years and he has a tendency to jump in with both feet but sometimes forgets a shoe! I have no doubt that by end of summer he will be ready for it but not yet.

 

[Robert B. Rubenstein]

Silvernotch:
Congratulations on your certification. I recently was OW certified in Vortex Springs,FL after a 43 year hiatus. Yes, I also had a few problems with bouancy, but finally got neutral. Also got to do a couple of night dives as well. My better half and I are going on Blackbeard's (out of Nassau in August 2010). We can hardly wait!
Safe Diving!
Bob In Arkansas

 

[boulderjohn]

Congratulations on your certification!

As TSandM said, there are several schools of thought on when to do AOW. I myself did it right after my OW, and it worked out very well for me. I learned a lot of good stuff I was able to apply to the diving I did next as my experience grew. Keep a positive attitude and keep learning!

 

[Diver0001]

Here we go again. I already wrote a response to this but my laptop isn't cooperating and I lost it. Here's take 2 (the cliff notes version)

Here's another vote for getting a few dives in between courses.

Most diving courses teach you what you need to know and you get some cursory exposure to putting it in practice but really grinding those new skills in to the point where they're comfortable takes more time than you usually get in the course.... it takes getting out and doing some dives.

10 dives between OW and AOW, like Jim was suggesting, isn't such a bad idea, although I wouldn't be so harsh about you not doing it as he was. It gives you enough time to grind in the skills you learned in OW but without gaining so much more experience that bad-habits are getting rooted or that you've gained so much experience that you can't really learn anything from AOW.

Second point I wanted to make was about your willingness to take medications before a dive. I hope your instructor told you that some medications can have a different effect under pressure than they have above water. I don't know what's in Claritin D but before you just take stuff and go diving, ask a doctor about it. When I was going to university I used to take Benadryl to make myself sleep if I was nervous about exams or whatever. It's not something I'd want in my system while diving!

Finally, 43F is really cold. If you're planning on doing any local diving then until the water is up another 15 degrees or so you really should be in a drysuit. I never train students in wetsuits in water under about 50F because it sucks and turns your dives in to something you have to endure instead of something you enjoy. Local diving *can* be enjoyable..... if you have the right gear for the job. I'm sorry you had to suffer through that.

R..

 

[merxlin]

Congratulations on your cert and welcome to a great group of people. If you spend any time on Scubaboard, and we hope you do, you are going to find a wide variety of opinions and thoughts about training, procedures and equipment, so be prepared to get conflicting input from time to time (well, honestly pretty much all the time ). Read, learn, ask questions and I am sure you will become the diver you want to be.