24 replies to this topic

[Parrotman]

I had absolutely no interest what so ever in learning how to dive. My sister married a man that was a dive instructor and she got certified and then they kept bugging me to learn. I finally gave in when they invited me to go on a trip to Roatan. This was back in the days of the little shack airport and when the La Ceiba airport was just flat scary. Anyway, I took the OW course in Oregon and flew threw the classroom studies. Did fine with the pool and then did my open water in a lake in Oregon in winter. It is truly a wonder that I ever dove again. At that point I could see not point what so ever in diving. I was freezing my butt off, I could not see much past my hand and I was wearing so much rubber that it had to wear 40lbs of weight to stay down. Then on top of that my weight belt broke. Anyway, when I got out of the water I thought "that was a big waste of time and money cause I ain't doing that again"

However I had already paid for my trip to Roatan and when I got there and found that there was warm clear water and I did not have to wear all that rubber or weight I got much more interested.

After that trip I was hooked.

[madlobster]

Great post Kamala, I think many here may not realize how difficult it was for you. So glad you did stay with it or we would not have this great site to play in . I did show Janet your post and what you had to overcome, not to PUSH her into diving but to SHOW her others have walked that walk and if she decides to, give it a whirl, it can be done. Thanks again

[WreckWench]

Great post Kamala, I think many here may not realize how difficult it was for you. So glad you did stay with it or we would not have this great site to play in . I did show Janet your post and what you had to overcome, not to PUSH her into diving but to SHOW her others have walked that walk and if she decides to, give it a whirl, it can be done. Thanks again

Thank you Monte...it takes a bit of nerve to admit having so many issues....BUT I did and I survived them all despite the difficulty involved or inspite of myself!

BUT...I am happy that I did...and I am happy that others can see they aren't the only one. For the longest time I thought that I was somehow unique in my inability to 'get it' or to learn it. However over time I realized that others struggled as well.

A very good friend of mine has been very frustrated that they can't 'get it' the first time or even the fifth time they attempt things. I wrote this post to show that sometimes it takes hundreds of dives to get it right. Lord knows it took me that long. But you know what? Who cares!!! I am a very proficient diver now and I love helping others who might be struggling too. Why? Not because I'm so good but because I understand what they are going through.

And Monte...I'm thrilled that your wife read this...if she realizes that its ok to have some issues or alot of issues BEFORE you start the sport and then a few more after you first try...that its ok. If you want it, you can achieve it. I wanted it...and I've proved you can do whatever you put your mind too!

[WreckWench]

But just because you have some problems the first time...or even the 3rd or 4th time...don't give up if this is something you want to do. Diving will last you the rest of your life...so taking some extra time to get it right is just fine!

Reading through these posts couldn't come at a better time! Almost through my OW cert class and I'm wondering if I'm the only one that's having a hard time getting the hang of it. Then I happen to come across this post!!

Mask clearing, regulator sharing, etc. aren't a problem, it's that dang buoyancy control thing that is aggravating the life out of me! The other guy in my class is so comfortable doing everything, I'd swear he almost could be taking a nap. (However, I have a strong suspicion this may not be his first class. but he won't admit to it)

Seeing him knock all skills (including buoyancy control) right out of the park the first time is discouraging to me, but reading how others had a little difficulty too gives me a bit more confidence that I just need to practice, practice, practice. And once I do 'get it', it will be that much more rewarding. Thanks for such a good post at the RIGHT time (for me, at least)!!!!

Aw

I hope you feel better in fact...be thankful you didn't have ALL the problems I did!

And congrats for hanging in there...

You are soooooooooooo right about things being much more rewarding when you have to work for them!

p.s. come on a trip with us...I'll be your buddy and I can show you a trick or two to help your bouyancy and air consumption if you need it!

[nurseshark]

Thanks Kamala , this IS a great post...
I could very well be a reincarnated marine mammal of some sort , being in the water for me seems more natural than on land..in my younger years , I believed I was a Dolphin or something sleek, in a former life, but now I'm thinking maybe a Manatee ..
I do have to admit though my biggest fear. I have a big problem with low visability and night dives.It takes all my courage to hop into the ocean for a night dive, my buddy will verify this one....
Perhaps also in my past life was I not nocturnal...

But kidding aside, I have a very close friend who also was a near drowing victim, also requiring full resusatation. After I got into the sport, her husband also wanted to try , as he had always wanted to dive.
As you can imagine, she was terrified and had many of the issues you outlined in your post. I sat with her on the pool steps for about 6 weeks, slowly getting her trust and getting her into the pool.
She flunked the mask removal multiple times, panicked in the lake, panicked in our first open water trip to Cozumel( panic being a nice way to put it), but she kept perservering, and is now a pretty good diver.
Last year she and her husband joined me in BonAire, her proudest picture I took of them, was her removing her reg for a picture, smiling, being completely at ease ,and accomplishing something she never believed she could ever do. So if you are having a hard time, but have the desire, keep trying, there is no shame in working hard to overcome your fears.

Edited by nurseshark, 15 April 2007 - 10:10 PM.

[GrumblePhish]

I am a big advocate of starting right. Of course I say that now after doing everything wrong the first time. I think diving can be for everyone and you shouldn't judge anything like diving after one class or experience.

My first experience was in a swimming pool at a resort in Ibiza. I was in no condition to be in this pseudo class and it was certainly not legit. Right in the pool I wasn't a fan of the Oxygen it just didn't smell? taste? or feel right. It wasn't claustophobic but it made me feel.. hmm.. isolated.

But I didn't let that deter me I was going to join up with some people I had met while living there for their twilight excursion. Needless to say I didn't see all the wonderful Sea Horses. I'm not going to go into the details of how it all went wrong but it did.

Yet I am wise enough now to realize that I can't let that experience taint what may be an exciting hobby. Oddly, I want to feel that isolation in the water silent, drifting, a stranger in a strange world.

So my wor dof advice is go to a certified class/instructor and give it a few classes.

Get Wet!

[TraceMalin]

My first statement on this topic might surprise everyone especially coming from me, but I believe that diving is for everyone. To deprive a person of an experience that we all share and the joys that it can bring is wrong.

Years ago, two courageous men decided to go skydiving and their landing zone would be in a local lake. Why? Because they were quadrapalegics and the water would allow them an easy landing under canopy deployed by static line. Local diving instructors and chase boats were in place to get to them and rescue them upon landing. The jump was successful and the men were able to experience something few people ever will and experience even more through their breakthrough courage and determination.

Thanks to the HSA, Dive Heart and others people with disabilities are discovering the physical and sensual magnificence of the underwater realm. Years ago, the diving community had little to nothing in place to encourage those with disabilities from participating in the activity. Now, divers are trained to instruct and buddy with those with special needs. This is a step in the right direction.

Diving is an activity that is as safe or as dangerous as you want to make it. A family can enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving on a 12 foot reef on the same day and at the same time as another diver is solo diving at 400 feet in a cave on a rebreather. Because of this unique aspect of the sport that can be experienced from the water's edge to depths humans have yet to swim, almost anyone can experience and enjoy diving. I believe even those with certain medical conditions that are contraindications to diving should be allowed to experience the sport and should be allowed to assume responsibility for increased risks of death and injury.

If someone told me today, that by diving tomorrow I had a 95% chance of dying, I'd dive because diving is living. The opportunity to experience something unique would be worth the risk. What if one's only dream was to see a great white shark underwater before he died and his health pretty much determined he soon would if not while underwater? Perhaps that is the stuff of the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, or perhaps that is an unalienable right to decide what experiences are worth trading one's own life to behold?

While some organizations and charities strive to help the ill and the disabled glean more from their lives, the major problem lies in the gray area between the well-trained, mentally and physically fit diver and the realities of the public at large. Our hearts and sympathies go out to those with special needs and our admiration and respect goes out to those who make new strides that benefit the sport, the environment, the military, and diving related sciences. In between is a general public of everything from heroes to villains and a diving industry composed of the same.

The poorly trained and the purely stupid share the water with the well-trained and the thinking divers. Accidents cause concern over legal hassles, government intervention, further restrictions, etc., so preventing accidents is often more about preventing people from "lawyering up" and thereby fouling things up for the community. Some people may actually care about the victims and the families, but to read the shameful message board follow ups to diving accidents one often wonders which is the majority -- the caring or the uncaring?

We have so many levels of scuba certification now that there is almost a level for any diver. I recently led two people on a refresher dive that should never have had a certification card. Both were highly intelligent, pleasant, charming and super nice professionals, but the current open water standards let them down because my DM student and I had to dive for them. I enjoyed keeping them safe and showing them a great time as I had my "Island Dive Guide" personality turned on that day, but despite being intelligent and healthy, their skills were not just a train wreck, but a Katrina. They realized that, too, and told me so despite my efforts to find positive things to say. I've had untrained divers perform better during their first resort courses. All they did was leave the diving to us.

While I believe that certification standards should be higher to create self-sufficioent divers who can also be part of a unified buddy team, I also see that the training available to today's diving professionals would allow them to take almost anyone into the water in 1:1 situations. Rather than dummy down diving, I think the industry should strive for complete courses and better diver in-water skills. But, I also believe that it can somehow get those who want to experience the sport into the water if under total supervision.

Maybe I'm wrong and I'll regret this opinion when I walk into DEMA and see "Discover Multiple Stage Multiple Scooter Extended Range For Retards" and "Surface Supplied Rebreather for Dummies" courses being offered.

[Scubatooth]

<Stands up from chair giving a round of applause> Bravo , Bravo and Amen Trace Say it again, and preach on.

[ScubaDrew]

Diving is not for everyone. Diving can be for anyone.

Some people lack the inner strength needed to climb over the obstacles one can encounter in training, not everyone is as stuborn as the Wench. Those people will never realize the joys of diving, they aren't strong enough. Just like those too afraid to fly.

And, hold on to your seats folks, this is a tough one to imagine BUT, not everyone likes diving. So it's not for those people.

But if the question is...is diving something that not everyone CAN do? I would have to say barring some medical issue, no, diving is something everyone can do. It is as easy as, well, taking a long walk down a short pier!

That being said, I don't think that diving is something that everyone should do. If you are someone who loses focus easily, might forget to check on your buddy and get lost, or forget to check your spg and run out of air, then diving isn't for you. It is not the most dangerous sport out there, at least statistically, but the learning curve is steep and can be un-forgiving. The rules are pretty easy to learn, pretty much common sense, but if you can't follow them...

Edited by ScubaDrew, 04 October 2007 - 04:01 PM.

[drbill]

Although I love the sense of inclusion that Trace's post reflects, I think there are people who shouldn't dive. Most of them are the ones whose physical conditioning leaves them at higher risk for a serious incident. Of course this can usually be remedied by some exercise and training. There are others who have serious mental blocks due to fear of having their mask off underwater, claustrophobia, etc. In many cases this can also be eliminated by appropriate professional help.

And for those who either lack the serious interest and initiative to try it, or those who really can't, there is always "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill..." no wetsuit or cold water required!