I sure wish we had a "like" button! Nice job, Tradd !
I sure wish we had a "like" button! Nice job, Tradd !
Originally Posted by lmerullo
Thank you! This is a huge personal accomplishment for me, in much the same way passing the customs broker license exam and getting my license was. But this is it in a different way, because I stared some fears in the face. The gal instructor asked me yesterday what I was going to do in the quarry when I was looking at jumping in where the depth was 20 feet. I told her that since it's not a pool, I don't have issues. She was amazed I had no issues underwater, but that the issues were all on the surface.
Certification dives are this weekend!
I've teamed up with someone local off a diving forum to go diving the 24th and I'm doing a Lake Michigan dive on either the 25th or the following weekend (my guy friend is doing the Lake Michigan charter with me!). Not far off Hammond, IN, there are a number of wrecks in shallow water, just perfect for newbies.
That's terrific, I know you'll do well. I had no idea there were that many wrecks that a new diver could go check out.
Well, my cert dives were supposed to be last weekend, but I only got 1 of 5 done.
Saturday was a perfect storm of discombobulation. I slept badly, got to the quarry to encounter a long check in line, and then was behind in getting my gear set up. Visibility was very bad, arms length. Lot of divers churning things up, plus there was a lot of rain the night before. I was unable to get comfortable in the water. Tried to descend with group on Dive 1, but it wasn't happening. After trying several more times, instructor had me get out of the water and take my gear off to take a break. She tried solo with just me after the group had done that dive, but it just wasn't happening. I hung out the rest of the day, as there was some other land stuff it was good for me to be in on. Instructor told me to have a good dinner and a lot of sleep. Made all the difference.
On Sunday, I completed Dive 1 solo with an instructor. He was great and was the one who did the pool swim with me. He's a firefighter/rescue diver and used to dealing with nervous people. Took me in the shallows and got me comfortable. Then we went on a tour of part of the quarry. Let me hold his hand at the beginning when I was a bit nervous. But once we got going I was fine. Got about 22 feet down. The tour was a sneaky way of getting me to the training platform (think big wooden deck on the bottom) to do some skills (flood mask and clear it, take regulator out of mouth, let it go, and find it).
We got partway into Dive 2 when we had to stop as instructor was having issues with his ear.
I was so happy to get past the hurdle. Viz was much better on Sunday, about 10 feet. I go back on the 1st and 2nd to finish up my other 4 dives.
I have all my own equipment now (except for tanks, which are easy to rent) including a drysuit. I do not fit into stock sizes and the rental drysuit I used for one session in the pool just did not fit. Let's just say my own was not cheap, but once you have your equipment and maintain it, you're good. Drysuit was custom, but the custom fit was only $150 over stock size pricing, which was a bargain compared with some of the other manufacturers (Bae, I went with USIA, based in Oregon). To dive up here in any comfort, you need to dive dry. My dive shop is their biggest dealer and somehow got the manufacturer to have it done in time for my dives last weekend. Black with purple accents.
I'll post an update after next weekend.
Tradd, that is all good. Is it realistic to think that you could get all of your certification dives in on one weekend, or even two weekends? Seems fast to me.
But you are goong at a good pace.
After you are certified, what does that mean? That you can go out by yourself on dives? Or?
Yes, many people do get all the dives done in one weekend. But some have issues like I did and have to go back another time to finish.
Think of the cert like the gun FOID card (can't buy ammo, shoot at the range, etc.) in IL. You can't rent hear, get air tanks filled, dive off a charter boat (the CG checks), or dive at controlled sites (like the quarries) without being certified. Too dangerous and opens up liability issues if dive shops rent gear to people who aren't certified or boats let people dive from them. The only difference is if you can show you're diving under the immediate supervision of an instructor.
You don't dive by yourself. Have to have a buddy.
More details later, but just a quick update. I passed all my dives and got certification today! Yay! Instructors were fab.
That's terrific, very big accomplishment!
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