Open Water Day 1, Cove 2

[Paulicarp]

Saturday was the big day. The long awaited first open water dive finally came. I met up with BDub around 8:30 and after a coffee and a few minutes of chit chat with the Dive Club folks, we spent a little less than an hour briefing the dives and the goals for the day. General orientation dives, no drills, out and back max depth 30fsw. I make the first mistake of the day by asking, “what, no drills?”
CaptnJack is diving with us, and about the time he shows up we start getting gear ready, deciding on weight etc etc. BDub has me get the backplate on my tank and we get clips, hoses and routing issues worked out. (or so I think…)
Like three poor lost circus performers we make our way to the water’s edge, and I couldn’t be more relieved to finally get in the water and cool down. Mind you, I’ve built up a 50lb layer of personal insulation over the past year of nachos and brown ale at the Diamond Knot; I hardly need 7mm of neoprene to make me sweat like a rain cloud. But there I am, a big round black wetsuit wonder with a red Mohawk on my fashionably integrated hood. I have become my own walking steam room.
Right in and neck deep: there I am in the throes of ecstasy as the first trickles of cool liquid refreshment take me to nirvana. Like a distant voice from another world I hear BDub telling me I need to have air in my wing anytime I get in the water. Yadda yadda, no problem; I have a button for that right here…lemme see…pressing, pushing, ?? nadda nadda. Suddenly I realize this is one of those “learning in the milieu” moments.
With the satisfaction of knowing he’d taught me something that would be forever etched in my memory, Brian finally draws my attention to the little hose dangling limply alongside my left arm. Yep, didn’t hook up my BC. I’ll never forget the look of relief on CaptnJack's face when the cat was finally out of the bag. I’m sure it was ALL he could do to keep quiet and let me learn from my mistake. But I’m glad he did, and I’m glad BDub did- I think I’m going to remember that every time I approach the water for a long time.
I stumble through our pre-dive checklist, and we go down. This is really it! We’re headed down and out as planned and I’m trying to find that “zone” I had in the pool. Nope. Not yet. BDub gives me the “hold” signal and plays “Chinese fire drill” with my weights to help get me trimmed out a little better and after about five minutes of futzing, we’re back on the downhill trail. So much cool stuff! Jellies left and right, dungies and red rock crab, baby ling cod, three foot long Sea Cucumber (I thought they were all about 6 inches) and lots of stuff that I have no idea what it was other than COOL!
Thinking to myself, “I’m actually IN the aquarium!! I’m seeing lots of cool stuff, but I did not adjust well to controlling buoyancy change at depth. It was much easier in the pool, but now it seems my microbursts of gas into my BC are about as effective as farting in my wetsuit. Eh, nope, not even that effective. So… bigger bursts are called for… work on that for the next dive.
The second dive of the day, and I’m thinking, “more aggressive with the BC” and we’ll be good. We are joined on this dive by Pez and Sounder. (performance anxiety setting in) Proud of the fact that I hooked up my BC, this time my valve was off. This time the plan is to make it to the jackstraws. Well, I did make it there…
As we’re cruising along and I’m just starting to think that might have impressed everyone with how good I can do on my first day, I look up and right in front of me like a giant white wall are these logs with tons of big white anemones. I’m already on sensory perception overload borderline confusion not finding my D rings as fast as I’d like and my attention pizza officially charred in the oven. Head goes up, fins go who knows where, and I’m instantly (instant in my mind, anyway) turttled over and finning and flailing in every direction creating my own viz decimating silt cloud of obscurity. The last thing I see are pairs of blue gloves hovering around just above me in every direction. The last thing I’m thinking is, “well, at least they’ll get some entertainment out of this…” Little did I know.
So I recover from position “tango uniform” and quickly get some air in my wing to try to get off the bottom. Bigger bursts, right? Uh, yeah, not THAT big. No problem, just exhaaaaaaaale: no joy. Vent gas from wing…wrong orientation…butt dump…not located. Look at depth gauge and decide I better get as much drag as possible, keep whistling dixe and try not to hit anything overhead as I breech “Red October” style.
After offgassing a few choice four letter explitives, I’m happy the only thing I hurt was my shattered ego. BDub and CaptnJack collect the pieces and we head back down to finish out the dive. More cool stuff on the way back, and no regrets. Humbling? Yes. Fun? TOTALLY! My first day in the open water and it’s already starting to feel like where I belong.

[mz53480]

Saturday was the big day....it’s already starting to feel like where I belong.

:biggrin:
Great report....& congrats!

MZ

[Norris]

Awesome report!!! Fun to read.

[Dusty2]

now it seems my microbursts of gas into my BC are about as effective as farting in my wetsuit. Eh, nope, not even that effective.

Love it!! That's the best discription of a first day I've heard. Great job of controlling the ego and making it fun for us all. Sounds like you are on the right path and traveling in the right crowd. Love the bit about the microbursts

[dwashbur]

The first time I played golf, I made up my mind I was going to go out there, have fun, learn how to do it, and look like a complete idiot in the process. You wouldn't believe the pressure that last part took off. When I learned to dive, I decided the same thing. That's the beauty of this endeavor: everybody starts in the same place, and we've all been in that flailing where-the-heck-am-I position. Welcome to the world of diving!

[Peter Guy]

From the other side of the mask, this weekend was my first weekend as The Instructor -- and I'm looking at my students and doing the Astronaut's Prayer. Fortunately none of them broached (nor even got that close now that I think about it) but one had a very hard time inflating his BC with his snorkel! (For the 2nd dive I had him put his snorkel in his pocket and he found his inflator much quicker.)

The "Firsts" are always "interesting."

[dwashbur]

From the other side of the mask, this weekend was my first weekend as The Instructor -- and I'm looking at my students and doing the Astronaut's Prayer. Fortunately none of them broached (nor even got that close now that I think about it) but one had a very hard time inflating his BC with his snorkel! (For the 2nd dive I had him put his snorkel in his pocket and he found his inflator much quicker.)

The "Firsts" are always "interesting."

That's not bad; I tried to breathe off my snorkel when reaching for my Air II during the air sharing exercise. That's why I don't use Air II any more........

[LCF]

I grabbed my snorkel instead of my inflator CONSTANTLY. I gave up my snorkel long before I knew what DIR was . . .

[Sounder]

I grabbed my snorkel instead of my inflator CONSTANTLY. I gave up my snorkel long before I knew what DIR was . . .

Same here...............I was sooooooooo relieved when Doug told me I could dive without one! I had always been told :angry: "it's and essential part of your scuba gear."

Every NAUI instructor I know has one when they're teaching... in their pocket.

[Kalatin]

Ah, Sounder likewise freed me from mantra that "you must wear a snorkel." I was so glad to hand him the thing on our surface swim - 100 dives ago and I haven't missed it one bit. Stupid snorkels.
Paul - great report. Please keep them coming!

[Grateful Diver]

I gave up on a snorkel after the second time I tried descending while breathing off of one. That only works on really shallow dives ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Sounder]

Ah, Sounder likewise freed me from mantra that "you must wear a snorkel." I was so glad to hand him the thing on our surface swim - 100 dives ago and I haven't missed it one bit. Stupid snorkels.
Paul - great report. Please keep them coming!

Wow, that was a LOOOONG time ago!! I'd forgotten about that!! "Hon, take that off and let me put it in my pocket."

I need to get one of those DIR teaching snorkels - it rolls up, stuffs in a pocket, it's black, and I can put a bolt snap on it. Scott Christopher "DIRed it right up" and I want one too!! Presently, I have a "sawed off short-barrel" snorkel I keep in my pocket for classes.

Going back to the OP, I was really impressed with Paul's efforts to be like the people he looked up to. It was VERY clear that Paul knows what he wants to look like and how he wants to dive. Knowing this from having done his homework before the class, really put him ahead of the pack. He didn't look like someone who was doing their 2nd dive ever. This was a demonstration of a well prepared student being paired with a top-shelf instructor.

[kat]

too funny about the snorkels... when we dove sund rock a while ago, we got in the water, and the guy we were diving with noticed our snorkels, had us remove them, and flung them to the beach. "don't worry, no one will take them" boy was he ever right. haven't used them since. not a bad thing to learn to use, just mostly useless.

[trevorrowe]

Congratz on the dives. Glad it went down well. Those learning experiences are invaluable. I still feel stupid anytime I dive with somebody more experienced than I (which isn't surprising with just over 30 dives). I do come away from each experience having learned something or able to do something better.

[dwashbur]

I still keep my snorkel because I use it on surface swims. You never know what kinds of cool little jellies and worms are lurking just below the surface, so I keep it around for that. But I follow the practice of making sure I grab the thing on the RIGHT side of my body to breathe off of when I'm getting ready to descent, and I always take a hit off the reg at the surface just to make sure everything is working right.

As for mistaking it for the inflator, the hose on my inflator is so short it's practically in my ear, so I can only find it about half the time anyway!

[Sounder]

You never know what kinds of cool little jellies and worms are lurking just below the surface, so I keep it around for that.

P-valves closed.

[Nwbrewer]

My first OW dive after class was with a buddy who had been diving for a few years. I showed up with my snorkel, he asks if we're going diving, or snorkeling. I replied "Diving", he said "Great!" and threw the snorkel in a gear bag. Never used it since. Still keep it in my gear bag though.

[Diver_C]

I got rid of my snorkel after the first day of open water dives on Alki. On second day, my instructor didn't mind I wasn't wearing it. This was a PADI class mind you. Yay - great instructors!!

[lizard0924]

Oh, snorkels.....don't get me started! The uselessness of snorkels for diving is the best-kept secret from new divers. Usually, we all end up buying one (that matches our masks...HA HA HA) at the start of OW class and faithfully keep it dangling from our mask strap throughout OW classes, despite the fact that the damn things usually just get in the way and cause more trouble and stress than they're worth!!!!

I stopped wearing mine as soon as I got my first c-card, but for a long time afterwards I was afraid I would get in trouble from the scuba police (whoever they were) so I kept a foldable snorkel in my BCD pocket (I guess so I could produce one if requested....um, yeah, right). I finally ditched that one and I'm proud to say I've been snorkel-free ever since. I carry one in my dive bag, though, just in case the urge strikes to snorkel (like on a warm-water trip on the off-gas day).

Back on topic....Paulicarp, your post was excellent. Thanks for sharing!

[Mattleycrue76]

Thanks for your excellent and incredibly entertaining write up Pauli. You just brought a smile to my morning.

As for snorkels:

[girldiver]

When I first started diving, I'd already been in a pool with scuba equip on. So, I knew I could get air underwater.

But the snorkel... I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to blast the water out, I went to the pool before my OW class and practiced snorkeling. I'm not sure why we teach snorkeling as a required skill. And the one I've never understood is the surface swim with a snorkel...then without raising your head from the water, switch from your snorkel to your regulator. Like, who does that in real life?????

Paul...GREAT article. I wish more first time divers would write their feelings and experiences down. Great read...and funny too! (Can I use the microbursts and farts skill in my next class???)

[Paulicarp]

(Can I use the microbursts and farts skill in my next class???)

I thought it was just a DIR skill, but hey, diving is diving. I say go for it! :roll:

[Nwbrewer]

(Can I use the microbursts and farts skill in my next class???)

I thought it was just a DIR skill, but hey, diving is diving. I say go for it! :roll:

There are no DIR skills. Skills are skills. Good buoyancy is good buoyancy. I think too much stuff gets labeled as a "DIR skills" by people to lazy to learn to do it.

[Paulicarp]

(Can I use the microbursts and farts skill in my next class???)

I thought it was just a DIR skill, but hey, diving is diving. I say go for it! :roll:

There are no DIR skills. Skills are skills. Good buoyancy is good buoyancy. I think too much stuff gets labeled as a "DIR skills" by people to lazy to learn to do it.

easy there big fella! It was just a little joke. let's not start a flame war with microbursts and farts...or microbursts of flaming farts...hey, there's a funny picture!

[Nwbrewer]

Sorry dude. I wasn't intending to pick on specifically what you said, I don't think I did a good job of conveying my point.

I think my BNL (Blood Nitrogen Level) is approaching critical levels of off-gassing. It's causing reverse narc and making me an ass on land.