Hey girl...there is not much more I can add other then "Been there...made those mistakes...MANY times....and now I know better!!' I'm sure I'm like others when I say that you have just described my early days of learning to dive! Ok...so no comments about how that seems like only yesterday!
You have also demonstrated the fine line between working through an issue to see if you can resolve it on your own...aka completing a zipping process in water...and knowing when you just can't resolve the problem(s) and you need to abort the dive.
And you have also NOW learned that some problems are not fixable in the water and will actually worsen at depth...i.e. weighted too lightly, regulator or other gear problems etc.
Poor conditions only compound other problems and those are defined by the person so no one answer is right for everyone. And you did not mention if you were over tired from diving all morning to get to the keys etc. All of which just compounds any other problems you may encounter.
However as your skills improve and they will with practice...thats the stuff we get when we go thru the dive school of hard knocks and all those pool/quarry dives or in your case shore dives. And yes I used to belong to the school of trying out new dive gear on a trip...ok so ocassionally I still do it out of necessity BUT I have a back up with me that I KNOW is reliable so if it doesn't perform I'm not in danger and/or have to abort the dive.
The point is that you learned some invaluble lessons and you got a LOT of them on one dive so to me THAT particular dive was well worth your money. Let me see:
1. You learned that ill fitting gear will not fit better in the water or once you are diving.
2. You learned that your equipment is delicate and that you need to really understand how it works and check it before you dive with it to ensure it breathes properly for YOU and your tastes.
3. You learned that bouyance changes dramatically from a 3mil to a 6mil suit and that you need to verify the amount of weight you actually need vs. guesstimating it.
4. You learned that you need to buy new gear WITH your existing gear to make sure it all fits properly ie. having your BCD with you when you buy a wetsuit for example. Most likely your bcd is fine but may need to be adjusted in order to fit you comfortably with your new suit. This is now a great time to learn how to make those adjustments to your bcd as if you adjust it for the new 6mil...it may not work for the 3mil.
5. You learned from a previous thread that wetsuits that are too loose will not keep you warm...and now you have learned that wetsuits that are too tight will constrict you too much.
6. You learned that there are several resources on this board NEAR YOU that can help you with skills...with gear purchases and with questions that you have...and yes all on a budget!!! Gotta love it....SingleDivers.com...help for those on a budget!!! LOL!! (Plus you learned that there is a lot of expertise on this board that is readly, willing and able to share with you and ANYONE else that asks!!! Don't you just LOVE divers???)
7. You learned to trust your own instincts and follow your inner instincts BEFORE you let them get out of control and panic and then have serious consequences.
8. You learned to work thru a panic situation in the water and listen to the DM's etc. as they worked you thru the situation.
9. You learned to make better judgement calls about weather and sea conditions and maybe next time you'll abort earlier if necessary and not take the risks you took on this dive.
10. You learned that if you do buy new gear that testing it out in a pool or shoredive is worth its weight in gold and most likely would have eliminated a number of the problems you encountered.
11. You learned that improving your dive skills is a great goal and in some cases a necessity if you plan to increase your diving destinations from your normal backyard diving venue.
12. You learned more about people and the interesting dynamics that occur when people extend their diving reach to new destinations or skills and how you felt when you had a problem etc.
Heck girl...your dive was VERY successful if you think in terms of how many awesome lessons you gained from it. Heck some of us get only one lesson per dive...you got over a dozen from just one dive!!!
But seriously...I think you did very well and I will be your buddy ANYDAY and I can't wait to dive with you in Bonaire!!! kamala
