Open Water Concern

[sixgreatboxers]

Hey, I am making a special trip to FL. just to get my "open water" test done. can anyone tell me what to expect and maybe some specific "what not to do's".

Thanks

[drako]

Where in Florida?
A simple rule is do not touch anything.
Aside from that expect warm water, if you tell us where your going I can help you out better.

[Rileybri]

Do not hold your breth and dont hand your DM a rubber chicken in lue of your octo! I did and it did not have good results as the chicken only holds a limited amount of air at depth!

[Quero]

It's not so much a matter of being "tested" but rather of demonstrating what you've already learned how to do in the pool.

What to expect:
Specifically, you will spend a few minutes of each dive demonstrating a subset of the skills you practiced during your confined water dives. In my experience with students, nearly all are pleasantly surprised at how well-prepared they are for the skills demos. Remember, it's not a race, so try to relax, take your time, and simply show what you know. Although your instructor will be watching carefully and assessing your performance, these dives continue to be opportunities to learn, so please don't look on them as tests, but rather as a time to solidify your training.

Ideally, the skills demo part of each dive will take a relatively small portion of your dive time, with the greater portion being dedicated to a "tour" of the dive site. This is when you really learn how to dive--when you begin to get a feel for your emerging buoyancy control, position in the water, effective finning, and so forth. Again, be patient--it's not a race; give yourself time to adapt to this new environment. It takes a few dives, but by the end of the tour for your fourth dive, you should be pretty much in control. The more you dive, and the more often, the quicker you will acquire the kind of control and comfort in the water that your instructor models for you!

[comet24]

Relax and enjoy the dives. Listen to your instructor. Bring some suntan lotion. Nothing like putting on a wetsuit the second day of a trip when your burned.


Really the best advice is to relax and have fun.

[monant]

Originally Posted by comet24

Relax and enjoy the dives. Listen to your instructor. Bring some suntan lotion. Nothing like putting on a wetsuit the second day of a trip when your burned.


Really the best advice is to relax and have fun.

I second the quote above. Do you have any concerns, fears, etc?

[James1010]

Agreed but just stay calm and don't look at it as a test. Have fun, and enjoy it.

[fireblossom4]

well my open water was a complete disaster and the worst diving experience ive ever had butonly cause of where it was DO IT IN SALT WATER thats pretty much all i personally have to say based on my experience
just stay relaxed and have a good time, oh and if you run out of air before everyone else dont let the dive master put a tank twice as big as you on that back of yours, that was horrible getting in that pool with that thing on

[coloradopomi]

Relax, pay attention, and enjoy. If you get a bit flustered just stop, breath, and think. You'll enjoy the warm salt water and seeing things. I did my first stuff in a cold and murky quarry in NC.....I could barely see the instructor in front of me.

[Scubling]

I love diving in Flordia. Expect warm waters and wear a thin wetsuit...Sometimes theres jellyfish swarms, but other than that its a BLAST!!!