First Dives after OWC

[sungurl]

So Saturday, went out to Les Davis for my first two dives following open water certification. Many pros, a few cons, and some residual bruises to commemorate the occasion.

Overall I had a blast - visability was around 25-30 feet; saw some sea cucumbers, some jellyfish, a nudibrink, starfish, the wolfeels, some rockfish, and other assorted fishies I have no idea what they are called. Got to confirm that diving is fun, even after open water class, lol. I used some rental equipment which has confirmed that having the best fitting equipment can make a HUUUUGE difference in a diving experience. The wetsuit I used was a much better fit than what I used during OWC - didn't get cold while diving at all, had a separate hood which made my neck feel better, and overall my core didn't get cold. My toes got a little chilled during the surface interval, but I managed to warm them up on the warm pavement as well as by doing a little jogging in my wetsuit to get warmed up, lol. Nothing like entertaining the folks along Ruston, lol...

The BCD I used was a rear inflate, which was much more comfortable than the kind I used at OWC, however, had trouble getting it to dump fully when I needed to, but did manage to keep a more streamlined profile overall while underwater...the biggest negative of the BCD was that it did not have integrated weight pockets, which meant I had to wear a weight belt....Here's where the residual bruises come in....OUCH...From one standpoint, I was thankful to have hips, as I didn't have to worry about the weightbelt going anywhere, but from the other standpoint, having hips was also the big negative because where the belt rested on my pelvis has left me some very tender and sore bruises. The other negative related to the gear was that the mouthpiece was just too big - I couldn't bit down on it without pinching it and that made my jaw really sore, and even then, the slightest bump would threaten to push it out of my mouth, so I ended up having to hold the mouthpiece in place...

Overall though, got two good dives in, was pleased that I didn't get too cold, and was able to spend time with a couple of great guys :biggrin:

I was planning on diving today at Redondo, but given the soreness of my hips from the equipment, I am not. I think I'm going to have to see about making sure I have a different BCD with integrated weights before my next dive. I can't wait though....I hope it will be soon...as I want to have a few more dives under my belt before the Club Dive

[Kalatin]

Erika,
I am so glad you had a good time on your first OWC dives. It just gets better from here.
Sorry to hear about the weight belt suckage. It just takes some time to come up with the best combination to carry your dive weight. One option is to purchase two of the cam band weight pouches that go on your tank bands. I dive with two of them, for a total of 10 pounds on my tank and not on my hips. I found that made wearing a weight belt bearable and helped out my trim. If you are borrowing/renting gear, you would have to unthread the cam straps to put the weight pouches on, but it might help with the weight belt issue. I found that even when I was diving a weight-integrated BCD, putting half of my weight in a weight belt helped out my trim dramatically. Or you could always try a backplate and wing...
Kate

[dwashbur]

What time were you out there? We were there around 10 AM in a green Ford Windstar with Idaho plates. We definitely gotta hook up some time soon!

[sungurl]

What time were you out there? We were there around 10 AM in a green Ford Windstar with Idaho plates. We definitely gotta hook up some time soon!

Did you bring the puppy dog with you? There were some folks that had a black lab there that were parked just opposite of us that I was just wanting to go over and pet, lol.....we were there around 1 pm and finished up (packed and heading for dinner) by 5......
I was in a white 4Runner....

[sungurl]

Erika,
I am so glad you had a good time on your first OWC dives. It just gets better from here.
Sorry to hear about the weight belt suckage. It just takes some time to come up with the best combination to carry your dive weight. One option is to purchase two of the cam band weight pouches that go on your tank bands. I dive with two of them, for a total of 10 pounds on my tank and not on my hips. I found that made wearing a weight belt bearable and helped out my trim. If you are borrowing/renting gear, you would have to unthread the cam straps to put the weight pouches on, but it might help with the weight belt issue. I found that even when I was diving a weight-integrated BCD, putting half of my weight in a weight belt helped out my trim dramatically. Or you could always try a backplate and wing...
Kate

Hey Kate...Thanks for the repluy....I had a great time, just realize how important the equipment fitting right really is...and I can definitely see the pros to trying different set ups. I know that as I get more comfortable, my weight needed to carry might drop so I need to be flex in that.....I'll have to check out the cam band wieght pouches.....but I think the BP/W will be the next thing to try.....would lighten the load I would need to add for extra weight due to it already weighing so many pounds.

Dont' think they rent those though, so might have to bat my eyes a little and see if someone can help set me up with one to try....otherwise, I might just go for the BCD that I used during OWC until I get more tech savvy and need the upgrade only because I felt pretty comfortable with the workings of that BCD...
HUGS

[dwashbur]

What time were you out there? We were there around 10 AM in a green Ford Windstar with Idaho plates. We definitely gotta hook up some time soon!

Did you bring the puppy dog with you? There were some folks that had a black lab there that were parked just opposite of us that I was just wanting to go over and pet, lol.....we were there around 1 pm and finished up (packed and heading for dinner) by 5......
I was in a white 4Runner....

Yup, that was us. Or that was we. Or we was that, or them was we, or we was they, or however the heck you say it! Next time c'mon over and introduce yourself. He'll take all the petting he can finagle, and he's definitely a charmer.

[sungurl]

Yup, that was us. Or that was we. Or we was that, or them was we, or we was they, or however the heck you say it! Next time c'mon over and introduce yourself. He'll take all the petting he can finagle, and he's definitely a charmer.

Next time most definitely will Especially now that I know who y'all are
Hopefully will be out again soon...a lot of folks out yesterday......another gal was doing her first dive after OWC..and it looked like a class or two as well....did you enjoy your dives???

[LCF]

Placement of the weights on a belt can make a big difference in comfort, too. And, once you know what you need, you can buy the soft weight belts. I use two curved, solid ten pounds weights for my singles rig, and find them to be quite comfortable (unnoticeable, really).

[dwashbur]

Yup, that was us. Or that was we. Or we was that, or them was we, or we was they, or however the heck you say it! Next time c'mon over and introduce yourself. He'll take all the petting he can finagle, and he's definitely a charmer.

Next time most definitely will Especially now that I know who y'all are
Hopefully will be out again soon...a lot of folks out yesterday......another gal was doing her first dive after OWC..and it looked like a class or two as well....did you enjoy your dives???

Yep, we had a great time. The viz was as good as we've seen it there. Our friend smallrun is just getting familiar with taking pictures and had a great day at it, taking some truly excellent shots. Her friend Mike was visiting from Hawaii, and he had the time of his life, including nearly getting rammed by a big lingcod! Of course we found the wolf eel den; just so you know, just uphill from that is a slab of the artificial reef, mostly buried with just some of the end sticking out, and in one of those holes in the end is a nice octopus. Look for him next time you're at the wolfie's house.

Definitely come over and say hi; aside from the puppy and the Idaho license plate, we're easy to spot 'cuz I'm a middle-aged, overweight nerd who currently walks with a pretty good limp :geek:

[psundquist]

I recently learned of a weight belt tip - I never tried it since I use a DUI weight harness. Once you reach 20' you should tighten the belt again, due to the suit squeeze making your waist narrower. In theory this should keep it in place.

[sungurl]

I recently learned of a weight belt tip - I never tried it since I use a DUI weight harness. Once you reach 20' you should tighten the belt again, due to the suit squeeze making your waist narrower. In theory this should keep it in place.

I will definitely remember this should I happen to use the weight belt again..however given this experience, I definitely will be pursuing other options :biggrin:

[renoun]

I recently learned of a weight belt tip - I never tried it since I use a DUI weight harness. Once you reach 20' you should tighten the belt again, due to the suit squeeze making your waist narrower. In theory this should keep it in place.

Both the rubber wight belts and the Seasoft weight belts with neoprene shot pounces have some some stretch in them. This allows you to pre-tension them in to a degree that would be uncomfortable with a traditional webbing weight belt. I dive with entirely with integrated weights but many of my friends split off 10-15lbs in to a belt and most are happier with a stretchy belt.

[Dashrynn]

I recently learned of a weight belt tip - I never tried it since I use a DUI weight harness. Once you reach 20' you should tighten the belt again, due to the suit squeeze making your waist narrower. In theory this should keep it in place.

but if ya had an integrated bc you don't have to worry too much about this because ur not wearing a weight belt (most bcd have the elastic stretch stuff on the band to keep your band tight) but i do really enjoy my integrated aeris lx very much its comfy and is a hybrid bc that has trim weights...if i want to pop up on the surface straight i just fully inflate! if not and I'm underwater i normally stay laying down unless i stop and intentionally drop down straight... maybe im just a bit bias but i have fallen in love with my bcd :luv: only issues i have with my bc is having small pockets i can barely use but i never use pockets anyways....what it boils down in the end is ur choice in equipment.

[smike]

Caution: long post...

You will want to try lots of different equipment - try it on at the shop, then when you have seen what some of the choices are, then try them diving. I made the mistake (lots of us here have) of buying early and then suffering with the equipment we bought until we can afford to buy it again, to get closer to what we really needed in the first place. Go slow with equipment purchases.

Body shapes are different. I have really long legs and a fat belly, so I needed to have a lot of weight low on my body. When you put that BCD on in the water, you have to find out how to distribute weight so that 1.) you can easily manage to stay flat under the water 2.) stay vertical on the surface.

Now, as you progress in Puget Sound waters, you will get a slower metabolism under water, as you get more comfortable, and your dives will become longer, as you breath slower - I believe we all go through this process... Then, you will very likely get colder and you will want to step up to a dry suit. When you do, your buoyancy and center of gravity will change, and you will have to re-adjust your weight situation.

I have been very happy with splitting my weight between BCD and weight belt, I use small hard weights that are distributed all around the belt. OK, that works for me, but others I know don't like that arrangement. One reason that I liked that so well is that as I went from wet suit to my first dry suit, and then to my second (which should have been my first -- this one is so much better for me...), I could make small adjustments to my weight belt that compensated for the changes in my equipment.

If you find that you need more weight on the top end of your rig, the weight pocket on the tank straps works real well for a lot of people.

I suggest you try a couple of things: A weight harness, I used one during OW, and it was very good, but, also (I thought), expensive. Try small weights on a belt, might be easier on the bod. Try soft weights. One reason I don't like them is that I would have to buy weight pockets to use them, unless they are integrated into the belt, then I can't move them around. Then, buy either a weight belt or harness, you will probably need for whatever BCD / backplate&Wing, Wetsuit/Drysuit configuration you end up using down the road.

Weight also have a safety factor. If you have all your weight in one place, and, if you have to dump weights at depth (has anyone ever had to do that???), then you will shoot to the surface uncontrollably, good chance to get bent. If you have weight split, you can dump just some of your weight and make a slower ascent (someone else chime in here and tell us your opinion of these statements )

I know this is all very heavy , so, relax some, head out to the shop and look around, ask lots of questions, and buy slowly. Craigs list is a good place to buy weights BTW. I paid way less than I would of at a shop, and they are really nice weights too.

Mike

[Dashrynn]

craigs list is a good place to buy weights BTW. I paid way less than I would of at a shop, and they are really nice weights too.

Mike

If ur lucky enough I could never find any weights on cl so i had to buy em from my lds i believe 115ish? for 30 lbs

[LCF]

Discount Divers has weights, too, for less than new prices.

[dwashbur]

Instead of a weight belt, try a weight harness. I have a DUI and my daughter has, I think, a Sea Wolf. Both have quick-release pouches, just like the kind normally used in integrated BCD weights, but the harness fits over your shoulders just like the BCD and is much easier to work with. Plus, it doesn't change size and slip off of you at depth