My 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.

"Von Fourche" <monaco8292@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:PpeVc.28376$9Y6.3338@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
>
>
> 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!
>
>
>

"Von Fourche" <monaco8292@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:PpeVc.28376$9Y6.3338@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
>
>
> 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.

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
> 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.

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
> 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.

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.

"chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> wrote in message
news:7EfVc.148935$M95.97802@pd7tw1no...
>>
> 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.

"Von Fourche" <monaco8292@hotmail.com> wrote:

> 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

On Fri, 20 Au 2004 03:41:35 GMT, "Von Fourche" <monaco8292@hotmail.com> wrote:

>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/progr...nt.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

chilly wrote:
> "Von Fourche" <monaco8292@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:PpeVc.28376$9Y6.3338@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
>> 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. :^)

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
>
> 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.

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.

bullshark wrote:

> 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.

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

"nobody" <anyone@home.net> wrote in message
news:ssoVc.37414$vc4.16305881@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv. net...
> chilly wrote:
> > "Von Fourche" <monaco8292@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:PpeVc.28376$9Y6.3338@newsread1.news.pas.earth link.net...
> >> 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. :^)
>
> 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.

Excellent point, I should have added that in the first place.