Confined Water Dive 2
It’s been a busy couple weeks and I’m finally getting around to writing about my second confined water dive. This was the first dive in which we actually used a full scuba setup since there was an equipment shortage at the dive shop the first week. This was also the first week that we all wore wetsuits which, in my mind, was a great thing. A 79 degree pool feels quite warm for the first hour or so but at the hour and a half mark it starts feeling decidedly chilly without an exposure suit of some sort.
After the relatively boring knowledge review section of the class Tom took us out to the pool where he demonstrated the proper method for setting up our scuba unit. For the uninitiated, the scuba unit consists of the buoyancy control device, regulator, octo (aka alternate regulator), gauges, weights, and scuba tank. Once we had all put our units together and tested to make sure we had pressure, Tom had us put the gear into the pool with the BCD partially inflated. We all got in the pool and, with some help, got into our gear.
We practiced swimming with the gear and switching back and forth between snorkel and regulator while swimming. Then we moved to the deep end of the pool and descended to the bottom. Tom demonstrated the mask clearing process and had each of us try it in turn. For this exercise we were supposed to let our mask fill to just below eye level by letting in a trickle of water. Once the mask was partially flooded we were to clear it. Unfortunately when it was my turn I let in a bit too much water and completely flooded the mask. It wasn't a big deal as I just cleared it anyway but Tom did joke about it when we made it back to the surface... apparently I wouldn't have any problems the next week when we practiced clearing a completely flooded mask.
We practiced clearing our regulators both by blowing the water out and by using the purge button to clear. Both methods were simple and didn't really pose any problems for anyone in the class. Once we had completed the exercise Tom gave us some time to swim around and get comfortable underwater. To be honest I wasn't entirely comfortable underwater at this point. My breath control was poor which meant that I periodically aspirated small amounts of water which was a little freaky. Overall I left feeling relatively good but hoping that the next class would be more fun and that I would be more comfortable.
After the relatively boring knowledge review section of the class Tom took us out to the pool where he demonstrated the proper method for setting up our scuba unit. For the uninitiated, the scuba unit consists of the buoyancy control device, regulator, octo (aka alternate regulator), gauges, weights, and scuba tank. Once we had all put our units together and tested to make sure we had pressure, Tom had us put the gear into the pool with the BCD partially inflated. We all got in the pool and, with some help, got into our gear.
We practiced swimming with the gear and switching back and forth between snorkel and regulator while swimming. Then we moved to the deep end of the pool and descended to the bottom. Tom demonstrated the mask clearing process and had each of us try it in turn. For this exercise we were supposed to let our mask fill to just below eye level by letting in a trickle of water. Once the mask was partially flooded we were to clear it. Unfortunately when it was my turn I let in a bit too much water and completely flooded the mask. It wasn't a big deal as I just cleared it anyway but Tom did joke about it when we made it back to the surface... apparently I wouldn't have any problems the next week when we practiced clearing a completely flooded mask.
We practiced clearing our regulators both by blowing the water out and by using the purge button to clear. Both methods were simple and didn't really pose any problems for anyone in the class. Once we had completed the exercise Tom gave us some time to swim around and get comfortable underwater. To be honest I wasn't entirely comfortable underwater at this point. My breath control was poor which meant that I periodically aspirated small amounts of water which was a little freaky. Overall I left feeling relatively good but hoping that the next class would be more fun and that I would be more comfortable.
posted by KzooJason at 8:18 PM
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