11-11-05
I’m hitting the water today; I’ve got my slowly growing collection of gear packed along with a couple of changes of clothes and towels. I’m on my way to meet Walter first at the dive shop, so I can get a weight belt then off to the pool. Mind you I’m having a mild stress attack on the way as it’s been years since I’ve been in a pool!
Ok, we meet a couple of other diver’s at the shop, I get my weight belt and we’re off…
Gear brought in and set up poolside and I’m looking at a very lovely pool which is now going to be my worst enemy I fear….
First thing I’m asked to do is swim underwater the length of the pool and back…UT OH! (Now I know I cannot hold my nose underwater in front of Walter and this is going to be a problem, water in the nose!!!!) ok…I can’t even get ½ way across the pool (Di run fast! You can’t swim under water!!!)…..
ok next….I have to swim 300 yards…my biggest fear with this is my shoulder and I’m afraid of it giving out on me….I start swimming back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…I’m using a Scissor stroke I remembered from when I was a kid (my ex used to make fun of me for that, but Hell it paid off! Cause it came in very handy today….your legs do most of the work…and my legs can take a lot so this is a big plus for me). I get to one point and I’m thinking UGH! Isn’t it 300 yards yet? When will it end! Someone drown me!!! But then I concentrate, I’m not giving up…Walter will not see me be some whiney baby….I can leg press 400+ lbs I can swim a lousy 300 yards….suddenly he’s telling me how if I were doing any other type of certification I’d be done, so not fair! But.ok 100 yards to go! Finally finished! I’m rather impressed with myself as it’s been years since I actually had to swim any distance and this was the part I was most worried about. Thank you Walter, Thank you Walter it’s over!!!!!!! YIPPPEEEE!!!! Ok it wasn’t really all that bad…LOL
I’m allowed to take a rest, sit in the sun, warm up a bit…did I mention the water is only like 72 degrees? Then back to swimming under again….ok this time I get all the away across and rip a nail off (OUCH!!) ..But I forgot to make the turn and start back (UGH!)l
We’ll put that one on the back burner….now I have to tread water, drown proofing and float for 15 consecutive minutes. Walter gets in the pool with me and we are both treading water, (5 minutes is a long time actually) so we are sharing jokes (Walter is very good and has some great jokes) I start laughing too much and feel myself going down LOL, treading water is a cinch…it’s like sitting on a bike bicycling underwater…now drown proofing (UT OH!) I can’t do this cause I CAN”T KEEP MY FACE IN THE WATER! I’m thinking that’s it Did, you’re done, you’ll never pass but no…Walter tells me to just float, so I start floating, I relax….and I am listening to my breathing and the trickle of the pool filter under water and anytime I feel myself going down I just pick up my hips…and before I know it I could just doze off but then the shivering chills set in and I’m like dang I could’ve used a nap about now! After 10 minutes of floating I’m like ok, that wasn’t so bad.
Now we get out booties, snorkels, fins and Walter explains the beer rule, ok it goes both ways, fair enough but I’m thinking by the time I’m done Walter will probably have a case or two of his favorite beer. We are in the water again with the snorkels and he’s showing me how to blow..(I’m not going there, I’m going to behave myself), now to stick my face in the water and breath through the snorkel…ut oh! Problem…my first reaction is you’re suffocating!!! Obviously I’m not I can breath through the snorkel so it’s just taking me some time to get the hang of this cause I automatically want to breath through my nose and I can’t. I go slow, force myself to relax and just concentrate on relaxing (ok one point I grabbed hold of the side of the pool and was reminded that the ocean does not have any sides to hold onto grrrr why not? LOL) well before I know it my face is actually in the water and I’m breathing through the snorkel.
Now Walter drops his snorkel and tells me to do the same. Hmmmmm I notice that mine is just laying on its side however Walter has a very erect snorkel. So Ladies take note when you’re diving and Walter is around…ask to see his Very Erect Snorkel *wink* You will not be disappointed!
Walter has me sinking to the bottom (mental note, keep out of the deep end with this weight belt weighted down like this!) to flood my snorkel and then coming up and blasting it clear while I’m still in the water…only problem I’m having is that my body automatically once I blast wants to take a deep breath, again through my nose so I’m UGH! Concentrate!!! I do get it finally and we get out to warm up and break for lunch.
I’m hitting the water today; I’ve got my slowly growing collection of gear packed along with a couple of changes of clothes and towels. I’m on my way to meet Walter first at the dive shop, so I can get a weight belt then off to the pool. Mind you I’m having a mild stress attack on the way as it’s been years since I’ve been in a pool!
Ok, we meet a couple of other diver’s at the shop, I get my weight belt and we’re off…
Gear brought in and set up poolside and I’m looking at a very lovely pool which is now going to be my worst enemy I fear….
First thing I’m asked to do is swim underwater the length of the pool and back…UT OH! (Now I know I cannot hold my nose underwater in front of Walter and this is going to be a problem, water in the nose!!!!) ok…I can’t even get ½ way across the pool (Di run fast! You can’t swim under water!!!)…..
ok next….I have to swim 300 yards…my biggest fear with this is my shoulder and I’m afraid of it giving out on me….I start swimming back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…I’m using a Scissor stroke I remembered from when I was a kid (my ex used to make fun of me for that, but Hell it paid off! Cause it came in very handy today….your legs do most of the work…and my legs can take a lot so this is a big plus for me). I get to one point and I’m thinking UGH! Isn’t it 300 yards yet? When will it end! Someone drown me!!! But then I concentrate, I’m not giving up…Walter will not see me be some whiney baby….I can leg press 400+ lbs I can swim a lousy 300 yards….suddenly he’s telling me how if I were doing any other type of certification I’d be done, so not fair! But.ok 100 yards to go! Finally finished! I’m rather impressed with myself as it’s been years since I actually had to swim any distance and this was the part I was most worried about. Thank you Walter, Thank you Walter it’s over!!!!!!! YIPPPEEEE!!!! Ok it wasn’t really all that bad…LOL
I’m allowed to take a rest, sit in the sun, warm up a bit…did I mention the water is only like 72 degrees? Then back to swimming under again….ok this time I get all the away across and rip a nail off (OUCH!!) ..But I forgot to make the turn and start back (UGH!)l
We’ll put that one on the back burner….now I have to tread water, drown proofing and float for 15 consecutive minutes. Walter gets in the pool with me and we are both treading water, (5 minutes is a long time actually) so we are sharing jokes (Walter is very good and has some great jokes) I start laughing too much and feel myself going down LOL, treading water is a cinch…it’s like sitting on a bike bicycling underwater…now drown proofing (UT OH!) I can’t do this cause I CAN”T KEEP MY FACE IN THE WATER! I’m thinking that’s it Did, you’re done, you’ll never pass but no…Walter tells me to just float, so I start floating, I relax….and I am listening to my breathing and the trickle of the pool filter under water and anytime I feel myself going down I just pick up my hips…and before I know it I could just doze off but then the shivering chills set in and I’m like dang I could’ve used a nap about now! After 10 minutes of floating I’m like ok, that wasn’t so bad.
Now we get out booties, snorkels, fins and Walter explains the beer rule, ok it goes both ways, fair enough but I’m thinking by the time I’m done Walter will probably have a case or two of his favorite beer. We are in the water again with the snorkels and he’s showing me how to blow..(I’m not going there, I’m going to behave myself), now to stick my face in the water and breath through the snorkel…ut oh! Problem…my first reaction is you’re suffocating!!! Obviously I’m not I can breath through the snorkel so it’s just taking me some time to get the hang of this cause I automatically want to breath through my nose and I can’t. I go slow, force myself to relax and just concentrate on relaxing (ok one point I grabbed hold of the side of the pool and was reminded that the ocean does not have any sides to hold onto grrrr why not? LOL) well before I know it my face is actually in the water and I’m breathing through the snorkel.
Now Walter drops his snorkel and tells me to do the same. Hmmmmm I notice that mine is just laying on its side however Walter has a very erect snorkel. So Ladies take note when you’re diving and Walter is around…ask to see his Very Erect Snorkel *wink* You will not be disappointed!
Walter has me sinking to the bottom (mental note, keep out of the deep end with this weight belt weighted down like this!) to flood my snorkel and then coming up and blasting it clear while I’m still in the water…only problem I’m having is that my body automatically once I blast wants to take a deep breath, again through my nose so I’m UGH! Concentrate!!! I do get it finally and we get out to warm up and break for lunch.
