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Scuba Forum / General / August 2004My Second Lesson!
Well, scuba diving lesson number two has come and gone. Over all it was all pretty simple and easy. We reviewed tests three and four, then I took two quizzes. I do have a complaint about the quizzes. Some of the questions are worded in a way that is tricky. They are worded in a way that doesn't really make them recognizable to anything in the Padi book/CD rom. For example, one question went something like this "how do most people say out of trouble on the water?" Choices - A. use the best equipment available B. always dive with a buddy C. never dive in a place you have never dove in D. float on your back to conserve energy. Well, according the to the Padi book/CD rom, you stay out of trouble on the surface by staying within your diving limits, staying relaxed and calm, and establishing positive buoyancy. It says nothing about floating on your back. I thought all these answers were wrong, but I chose B. always dive with a buddy. I figured that was the closest to the right answer that was available. Well, it was wrong. The answer was D. float on your back. Stupid set of answers. During the first two quizzes I noticed a couple of questions like this one. What's the freaking deal with Padi and their quizzes? Are they trying to make people miss on purpose? I practically memorized that cd rom. Don't throw me a curve ball unless it's in the book/CD rom. Anyway, I set up my equipment and my instructors equipment. It was all pretty simple. I entered the water using the giant stride. I was actually a little nervous. Having all the equipment on and stuff. And we were using the big tanks this time. After hesitating a few seconds I jumped in and came back up. That's something I probably need to practice. After that I practiced using the snorkel. I can definitely say that using a snorkel sucks after you use scuba. You really have to put in effort to suck in that air. For the first few minutes I kept sucking in water. I had to take my mask off underwater and breath for a minute. The thing is, when I took the mask off, everything went blurry. Without that mask, and my glasses, I couldn't see underwater. I managed to complete the task tho. Breathing from a free flow regulator was pretty easy. I thought that might be the toughest thing to do. But no. Easy as drinking from a water hose. I also tried to do the buoyancy control push-ups. I guess I did manage to do it. Not as good as my instructor, but I was able to ascend a little by inhaling and descending by exhaling. Again, I can see buoyancy control is something that is mastered over time. I was surprised that if I rose a few feet the air in my bcd would expand so much, and I would start going up faster. I can see why some people might get accidentally into a rapid ascent and the need for dump valves. My instructor did one thing that surprised me a little. We were underwater, and he surprisingly yanked my regulator out of my mouth and put it in his mouth, pretending to be out of air and scared. I stayed calm and just put my octo in my mouth. My instructor was happy with my reaction. Anyway, now I just need to get thru the 50 question test, and the last closed water session. And then I'm ready for the open water part. My instructor did say that he thought I wouldn't have any problems in the open water. One thing I didn't do was mention to my instructor my ear problems I've been having. I did make sure I equalized as soon as I was under water. I really couldn't feel my ears equalize. All I know is that I didn't really feel much pain or pressure in my ears when I was at the bottom of the pool. When I did feel a little pressure, I would ascend a foot or two, pinch my nose and blow softly, and descend again. My instructor is super nice. No complaints at all. But I will mention that I did get a little speech on supporting local dive stores. I mentioned I could buy all my equipment off the internet, like I buy everything else (cars, Christmas, etc...) and without a C-card too. He went over how much better and safer it is to buy from a dive store, supporting it and stuff. I got the feeling he was doing his best to get me to by future equipment from him and not the internet. I can understand his side of things. But, what do I do when I find a nice bcd on the net for $260.00 and the dive store wants $400.00 for the same thing? Anyway, if I decide to ever purchase the regs/bcd, I will try to throw my business his way. Now, just seven more days until lesson number three. If only I could get my ears to clear or whatever. Time to celebrate class two with a my favorite scotch - Highland Park 12! Yea, those padi questions can be a bit convoluted. I think they do that on purpose just to make you think and if you get it wrong, then you will likely remember it for the next time (when it really matters). Is your course a once a week thing? When i took my course it was 2 weeks for everything including the ocean dives. It sounds like your doing great. Don't worry about the ear clearing, that will become natural after a short time. Just don't go diving when you have a cold or your nose is stuffed up. You will blow the boogers into your sinuses and it will take a long time to go away, or you could get an infection.. One thing I find that isn't really reinforced in the course, but you develop over time, is how important it is to develop a pattern in your diving.. what i mean by this is, there are a number of things you have to do when diving, and these include; - clearing your ears - clearing your mask - controlling buoyancy - checking dive time - checking depth - checking compass bearing - checking air - knowing when to turn around or surface - watching your dive buddy for signals - following your buddy (if he is leading) - keeping an eye open for problems with your equipment, or your buddies equipment. - watching for cool life in the sea/lake (this is what you came for really right?) - diving your plan. stuff like that... to keep all this under control, you need to develop a kind of timing. It takes a while to figure out a pattern that works for you. The other day I was out diving at Whytecliff park in West Vancouver BC and the visibility was about 4 to 6 feet (lots of planton blooms this time of year), i turned my head to check my guages and when I looked back my dive buddy was gone.. I couldn't even see a dark spot where he might have been.. I searched for about a minute heading in the direction I thought he went, but no sign of him. When I surfaced he was right where I had lost him. I guess he did a circle. The point of this is that my pattern of checking needs more work since I should have waited until he stopped before checking my consol since he was in front of me. Another example is.. same dive.. my buddy was leading.. he stopped. I noticed something odd about his equipment.. the dive tank had slipped right out of the backpack strap and was only held in place by the first stage hoses. I was sure glad he was stopped and we were on the bottom already. Lots of stuff you have to pay attention to. Live and learn.. Have fun. It's a fantastic sport. > Well, scuba diving lesson number two has come and gone. Over all it > was all pretty simple and easy. We reviewed tests three and four, then I [quoted text clipped - 82 lines] > Time to celebrate class two with a my favorite scotch - Highland Park > 12! > Well, scuba diving lesson number two has come and gone. Over all it > was all pretty simple and easy. We reviewed tests three and four, then I [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > with a buddy. I figured that was the closest to the right answer that was > available. Well, it was wrong. The answer was D. float on your back. You need to read the questions well. In this instance, if I understand you correctly, the question was on how to take care of yourself on the "surface". Ergo, the answer is D. How do you take care of yourself on the "surface"? Answer: D. > Stupid set of answers. During the first two quizzes I noticed a couple of > questions like this one. What's the freaking deal with Padi and their [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Anyway, I set up my equipment and my instructors equipment. It was all > pretty simple. Don't forget how to do it. A person can find themselves doing Caribbean diving where the operator looks after everything for you and you can get out of practice. Then one day, a new op will tell you to set up your own gear so that they can see how you do. :^) > I entered the water using the giant stride. I was actually a little > nervous. Having all the equipment on and stuff. And we were using the big > tanks this time. After hesitating a few seconds I jumped in and came back > up. That's something I probably need to practice. No, that's what happens if you are doing a proper stride entry. You'll have a little air in your BCD and with your neoprene on and all, you are supposed to surface again and give the big OK signal to the watcher on the boat or your buddy. In this case, you would generally put your one arm up and around with your hand touching the top of your head to indicate that all is OK. In other words, you haven't whacked your head on the boat upon entry or some such. > After that I practiced using the snorkel. I can definitely say that > using a snorkel sucks after you use scuba. You really have to put in effort > to suck in that air. For the first few minutes I kept sucking in water. Keep the tip of your snorkel out of the water. (wg) > I had to take my mask off underwater and breath for a minute. The thing > is, when I took the mask off, everything went blurry. Without that mask, > and my glasses, I couldn't see underwater. I managed to complete the task > tho. That's the point of the exercise. You can find yourself underwater with your mask knocked off (buddy kicks you in the face or whatever) and so you need to be confident that you can still breath from the reg without getting water up your nose, etc. (snip)> > My instructor did one thing that surprised me a little. We were > underwater, and he surprisingly yanked my regulator out of my mouth and put > it in his mouth, pretending to be out of air and scared. I stayed calm and > just put my octo in my mouth. My instructor was happy with my reaction. That surprised me. I thought PADI didn't allow that particular exercise, despite the fact that it's a pretty good one. > Anyway, now I just need to get thru the 50 question test, and the last > closed water session. And then I'm ready for the open water part. My > instructor did say that he thought I wouldn't have any problems in the open > water. Good for you. > One thing I didn't do was mention to my instructor my ear problems I've > been having. I did make sure I equalized as soon as I was under water. I > really couldn't feel my ears equalize. All I know is that I didn't really > feel much pain or pressure in my ears when I was at the bottom of the pool. > When I did feel a little pressure, I would ascend a foot or two, pinch my > nose and blow softly, and descend again. Sounds like you are doing it right then. If you didn't experience any discomfort or when you did, you ascended slightly and dealt with it, then all seems to be well. > My instructor is super nice. No complaints at all. But I will mention > that I did get a little speech on supporting local dive stores. I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the dive store wants $400.00 for the same thing? Anyway, if I decide to > ever purchase the regs/bcd, I will try to throw my business his way. This could start another whole thread in and of itself. Keep in mind, that you can negotiate with your dive shop. But if everyone were to start to order over the internet, then where will you get your fills? Where will you go and hang around and get to talk diving? etc. etc. etc. > Now, just seven more days until lesson number three. If only I could > get my ears to clear or whatever. From what you said, it sounds like your ears were clearing while you were diving or you'd have had quite a bit more discomfort. In any event, if you are still having that watery sound in your ears, you'd probably better see your doc and have him take a look. > Time to celebrate class two with a my favorite scotch - Highland Park > 12! Oh, yeah, you are going to be a recreational diver for sure!! ;^) Welcome to the wonderful world. > This could start another whole thread in and of itself. Keep in mind, > that you can negotiate with your dive shop. But if everyone were to start > to order over the internet, then where will you get your fills? Where will > you go and hang around and get to talk diving? etc. etc. etc. He did mention that the air compressors are very expensive and dive shops don't make much money from filling tanks alone, especially after upkeep on the compressors. He even mentioned that one of his compressors was from the 1970's and a new compressor costs around 25-30 thousand dollars. I was shocked at the price. Yes, I can see why one would want to support their local dive shop. I believe that my instructor even has a night job. Works nights and is at the dive shop around early evening and weekends. I suppose if he was making a fortune off his scuba business he wouldn't be working the night job. Then again, he seems to dive a lot. Maybe he has that extra job to make money so he can fly to the Caribbean every other month to dive. Or he has kids to put thru college. It that case, he better have more than two jobs. > (snip)> > > My instructor did one thing that surprised me a little. We were [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > That surprised me. I thought PADI didn't allow that particular exercise, > despite the fact that it's a pretty good one. From what little I know about PADI standards, this isn't allowed and the instructor could get in trouble if a student complained to PADI about it. Fortunately, this instructor seems to have the right attitude about instruction (and a healthy dose of disregard for the PADI oversight machinery) , which is to prepare the student for some of the unexpected things that can happen underwater. Sounds like you found a good instructor :-) Alan >> Anyway, I set up my equipment and my instructors equipment. It was > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > of practice. Then one day, a new op will tell you to set up your own gear so > that they can see how you do. :^) And never assume that the operators know what they are doing with YOUR life support equipment! That could be a fatal assumption. I always rig my own gear, or at worst, stand over the guy doing it for me and then double check it. Then I check my buddy's gear. After hesitating a few seconds I jumped in and came back >>up. That's something I probably need to practice. Sounds fine, but don't 'jump' in; just take a giant stride straight forward with your head level ... and a hand over your mask AND reg. >> I had to take my mask off underwater and breath for a minute. The > thing > >>is, when I took the mask off, everything went blurry. Without that mask, >>and my glasses, I couldn't see underwater. I managed to complete the task >>tho. > That's the point of the exercise. You can find yourself underwater with > your mask knocked off (buddy kicks you in the face or whatever) and so you > need to be confident that you can still breath from the reg without getting > water up your nose, etc. Every course teaches this and rightly so. Especially since, even with a mask on, you could easily find yourself with zero visibility and you will need to be able to deal with it. >> One thing I didn't do was mention to my instructor my ear problems > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >>When I did feel a little pressure, I would ascend a foot or two, pinch my >>nose and blow softly, and descend again. The adage, clear early and often is one of the great truths of diving. One trick - pre-equalize at the surface BEFORE getting your head in the drink, ie. just after bobbing up from your giant stride. The percentage change in pressure is greatest near the surface and pre-equalizing will help insure that your eustachian tube flap will open easily within the first few meters of your dive. Safe diving! Bart F. > >> Anyway, I set up my equipment and my instructors equipment. It was > > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > my own gear, or at worst, stand over the guy doing it for me and then > double check it. Then I check my buddy's gear. Excellent point, I should have added that in the first place. > Well, scuba diving lesson number two has come and gone. Over all it > was all pretty simple and easy. We reviewed tests three and four, then I > took two quizzes. I do have a complaint about the quizzes. A lot of people have probably complained about the quizzes. It does IMO appear that some are purposefully constructed to not be straightforward, so as to make the student miss them and be less cocky. > Some of the questions are worded in a way that is tricky. They are worded > in a way that doesn't really make them recognizable to anything in the Padi > book/CD rom. It can really take some real reading to be sure exactly what it is that they're asking, so that you can derive what's the answer that they're looking for. > Don't throw me a curve ball unless it's in the book/CD rom. FWIW, I think this is a reasonably valid complaint: if you don't save the "tricky" word questions for when its really important, students won't differentiate important stuff from bullshit nonsense. > I entered the water using the giant stride. I was actually a little > nervous. Having all the equipment on and stuff. And we were using the big > tanks this time. After hesitating a few seconds I jumped in and came back > up. That's something I probably need to practice. The "popping back up" is the important part for a novice, and the trick is simple: having air in the BC. If you don't have enough air in the BC, you'll sink like a stone...which can be quite unhealthy if you forgot to turn your air on (hence why there's air double/triple-checks, & why its important to be able to reach your valves with your gear on). > After that I practiced using the snorkel. I can definitely say that > using a snorkel sucks after you use scuba. You really have to put in effort > to suck in that air. For the first few minutes I kept sucking in water. A lot of times, the snorkle is angled too far forward and the tip gets buried. Get into the water with it and then run your hand over to it to help you 'visualize' its position as vertical (or slightly raked back) while you're snorkeling. You can also determine by feeling how many inches of the snorkel is sticking above the water...it can be a lot less than you think. > Again, I can see buoyancy control is something that is mastered over > time. I was surprised that if I rose a few feet the air in my bcd would > expand so much, and I would start going up faster. A "mixed blessing" of dive training in a pool is that because its so shallow, these buoyancy changes are accentuated. This makes it harder for the Novice to be in control, but it also gives them better feedback and insight into the physics of what's going on. > My instructor did say that he thought I wouldn't have any problems > in the open water. A good sign. FWIW, what messes up a lot of people on their OW checkout dives is the water's visibility...frequently, there's a significant reduction in the number of visual reference cues, and this is stressful. > One thing I didn't do was mention to my instructor my ear problems I've > been having. I did make sure I equalized as soon as I was under water. I > really couldn't feel my ears equalize. All I know is that I didn't really > feel much pain or pressure in my ears when I was at the bottom of the pool. > When I did feel a little pressure, I would ascend a foot or two, pinch my > nose and blow softly, and descend again. He probably noticed ;-) But do discuss it with him...its a lot easier for him to visually observe you and see what's going on than for us to take educated guesses and post suggestions. Besides, its part of what you're paying him for. > Time to celebrate class two with a my favorite scotch - Highland Park 12! Do you share with your dive buddy? I have a Glenmorangie 18 that I've been looking for an excuse to open... ;-) -hh In article <{NOSPAM-rm_to_reply}rec-scuba-91716A.06412120082004@news-east.dca.gigan ews.com>, H. Huntzinger <{NOSPAM-rm_to_reply}rec-scuba@huntzinger.com> wrote: > > Time to celebrate class two with a my favorite scotch - Highland Park 12! > > Do you share with your dive buddy? I have a Glenmorangie 18 that I've > been looking for an excuse to open... ;-) You have way too much self-discipline :-) >Don't throw me a curve ball unless it's in the book/CD rom. Tell it to the ocean. Could it be that PADI is anticipating firebrand memorizers and trying to make a point? When you're out there diving, the water isn't going to adhere to your stringent demands. >I had to take my mask off underwater and breath for a minute. The thing >is, when I took the mask off, everything went blurry. When you need to scratch your nose, it doesn't matter if you can see or not. > Again, I can see buoyancy control is something that is mastered over Don't waste much time on it in the pool. Nobody dives a 10 ft, and most people dive in saltwater. It sounds like you have already developed newbie paranoia about inflating your BC. Now you're going to be riding the bike for the next 100 dives believing that any air in your BC will cause a runaway ascent. It doesn't work that way at 60, and at 10 you're not supposed to have any air in there. Congratulations, you haven't even finished class and you're already brain-damaged. > My instructor did one thing that surprised me a little. He shouldn't have done that. You tell him for me, that if he ever yanks a regulator out of my mouth without permission, that I will see him jailed for assault and willful endangerment. Being underwater does not suddenly suspend the rules of orderly and responsible society. Threats to my life and personal safety are among the exceptional circumstances that entitle me, by law, to defend myself with any means necessary. You and your buddy can make any arrangements you want to, but don't make the mistake of thinking that anyone else is bound to them. Did he teach you how to NOT RUN OUT OF AIR? That is a slightly more important lesson. Equally important is being aware of your surroundings so that when some idiot hoover runs out of air, you can stay away from him/her. Tip: descent is the best defense. OOA divers will hardly ever follow you down. I usually point to the surface to show them where all the air is. It shouldn't be necessary, but I'm a good sport. >One thing I didn't do was mention to my instructor my ear problems I've >been having. Keep it secret or he'll kick sand in your face and flunk you. >I did make sure I equalized as soon as I was under water. I >really couldn't feel my ears equalize. Then you didn't make sure of anything. Don't "equalize"; *PRESSURIZE*. I can do it right here, right now, and I can feel it in each ear. It feels *exactly* like my eardrums are reshaped and it *never*, *ever* hurts. >All I know is that I didn't really >feel much pain or pressure in my ears If you felt any pain, ever, then you didn't get the job done. >When I did feel a little pressure, I would ascend a foot or two, pinch my >nose and blow softly, and descend again. Screw the "softly" stuff. Have you ever caught a 200 MPH sneeze? Did your eardrums explode? You don't need to blow that hard, but you can't equalize if you pretend your eardrums are made out of gossamer, either. They are very tough. The most important concept when equalizing is to "inflate your nose". Many/most newbies pinch the nose and pressurize the mouth cavity instead of the sinuses. It's a subtle difference, but crucial. When you pinch your nose and blow, you must see/feel your nostrils deforming slightly or else you are not doing it right and/or with enough force. If you have DSL: http://www.researchchannel.org/program/displayevent.asp?rid=789 (select one of the options under Window Media and it will start) If you don't have DSL, forget it, it's a 55 minute presentation. > My instructor is super nice. No complaints at all. But I will mention >that I did get a little speech on supporting local dive stores. Where do you live? It's CRUEL to support the local dive store in Moosecrotch Nebraska. The owner is obviously disturbed, and giving him any business at all just postpones the inevitable. Divers in Moosecrotch don't need a fill station; they need plane tickets. >But, what do I do when I find a nice bcd on the net for $260.00 and >the dive store wants $400.00 for the same thing? If you used the dive shop to determine size and fit, then you buy it there. Anything else makes you a scumbag. >Anyway, if I decide to >ever purchase the regs/bcd, I will try to throw my business his way. Why? What happens if you are in Miami when you decide to buy a BC? Should you wait until you get home? Or should you go shop up the best price at one of a thousand retail shops? Your LDS will be just as pissed. These guys tend to think you're their personal money tree because you live in their town. > Time to celebrate class two with a my favorite scotch - Highland Park 12 Another drunken sot with bad taste learns to dive. Nothing impresses me like a connoisseur of liquids that smell/taste like vomit. safe diving, bullshark > Another drunken sot with bad taste learns to dive. > Nothing impresses me like a connoisseur of liquids that smell/taste like vomit. Don't mind Bullshark. He's on a lot of very strong psychotropic meds and they sometimes react with the nitrogen. Yer doing just fine. >Don't mind Bullshark. He's on a lot of very strong psychotropic meds and >they sometimes react with the nitrogen. Don't come begging when you run out again. .. >took two quizzes. I do have a complaint about the quizzes. > > Some of the questions are worded in a way that is tricky. They are worded >in a way that doesn't really make them recognizable to anything in the Padi >book/CD rom. ... I have experienced questions in tests, quizes and reviews from at least four SCUBA certifying organizations. My conclusion is that the people who write such questions do not understand how to maximie the eductional value of the questions. Live with it. But don't complain too much if they make you think rather than just repeating the same words you read.  SignatureCharlie Hammond -- Hewlett-Packard Company -- Ft Lauderdale FL USA (hammond@not@peek.ssr.hp.com -- remove "@not" when replying) All opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily my employer's. |
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