Overcoming my fear.. pt 2... the POOL

[jwdizney]

as I anxiously await tomorrow morning and the confined water sessions...I'm finding some comfort sitting here reading all the great stuff you guys keep posting about this sport..

in case you're just tuning in... i've been chronicling my journey from PHOBIC "don't make me go into the water" to the possibilities of becoming open water certified. ( the journey so far is on this thread: Overcoming my greatest fear.... underwater!)

I'm doing this for a couple of reasons, one being that by venting my concerns and anxieties on this forum, i've gained some great encouragement and a better understanding of the sport from so many experienced yet understanding scuba divers and second, because i'm sure that i'm not the only person ever to say NOT IN MY LIFETIME to scuba diving because of fears, whether fear of water, drowning, etc.... hopefully, the aspiring diver will follow my experiences and have a better grasp of that big 'unknown'.... I am being as honest and forthright with my feelings for that very reason... you'll probably never hear me talking about DIR, BP/W, or 200' dives... not even remotely interesting to me... I would like to be able to dive the shallow reefs with my wife (DISNEYMOM) and our daughter, who is taking the OW with me. If I can someday go 60' deep, that will be awesome!

anyway, if you've read part 1, i've been diligently training myself in our pool for the past several weeks in anticipation of this class. i even practiced today with 400 yd. swim and worked on mask skills.. NONETHELESS, talk is cheap, and at 8 a.m. we begin the confined water training. i'm a little anxious.. don't know why.. DISNEYMOM has been VERY encouraging today... and, in reality, i'm sure i'll probably do okay, but as I mentioned before, the FEAR remains, I only understand the enemy better and know how i must defeat it...

nothing else to add right now, i'm going to try and rest well and we'll see what tomorrow brings.... i know i'm going to make it...

more tomorrow.........

[NitroWill]

Just RELAX! You'll do just fine!

[jwdizney]

Originally Posted by NitroWill

Just RELAX! You'll do just fine!

Thanks Nitro!

[diverdad]

I know you will do great, just stay relaxed and remember to just breath. And post tomorrow how things went.

[dmdoss]

Don't worry jw, you'll be fine. And remember that your instructor won't let anything bad happen to you. You'll feel much better after doing it.

[Liv7301]

Have fun!!! It will be awesome!!! We will all be thinking of you and wishing you a great experience

[DevilDiver]

Ahhhhhhh... The humanity of it all!!!!!!!!

[dallasdivergirl]

I know you are in class right now so I am sending you good vibes.

[Disneymom]

Just got a call from our daughter - she said "it's really fun!", and said they're both doing really good.

[jwdizney]

WHEW!! What a day! We spent almost 6 hours in the pool and daughter and I are exhausted.. but, in spite of that, it was an AWESOME day!!!

First thing I gotta share with anyone carrying around a similar fear of water and drowning…. You don’t sink to the bottom!! I was amazed at how much weight and effort was required just to get us under water.. In my mind, it was always the other way around.. you’ll go straight to the bottom and won’t be able to come back up! Boy, was I wrong! It exactly opposite! Most of the gear is designed to keep you neutrally buoyant and staying DOWN is the issue!

The morning started a little anxious! I didn’t sleep very well last night anticipating I’m not sure what.. Logically, I’d already confirmed the safety factor, but this was STILL one of my biggest fears, so I guess it was a natural response from 40+ years of hiding from it. the swim went swimmingly… really…(pun intended) next was the tread.. or “10 minute no drown”. This I think was what I feared the most, because once through it, I began to relax with the whole process. It really wasn’t that bad.. and an important skill.

It was a very detailed and thorough session. We started simply and built on each foundation. Breath with a reg…, recover reg, little water in mask, no mask, buddy reg, swimming underwater… buoyancy, gear removal and replace, out of air, etc..etc… vitually ANY possible recreational diving situation is taught and practiced until everybody gets it.. we had a great instructor to student ration (2:1) which gave everyone plenty of time to be proficient at each skill before moving on… we did so much I couldn’t begin to list it all here… surprisingly, those fears of mask skills and drowning went away quickly! I began being more concerned about buoyancy and swimming.. I realized that my air was always there! And if I should have a problem with it, I always had my buddy’s air! (I think I’ll be a big advocate of ‘buddy diving’). And you know what, as long as you have air, you can pretty much figure anything else out! We even learned how to deal with leg cramps!... we used weight belts.. which I already don’t like! And here’s something for your back inflation vs. jacket discussion… I was using a jacket BC and at one time, it tended to push my face forward in the water! (that should complicate the debate a little) and, you know what? NO BIG DEAL! I just rocked my center of gravity back so the I was resting on my back and ‘POOF’ very comfortable!

I’m tired, but I’m HOOKED!!... like I said before, I don’t even want to get in the water without scuba gear! It’s peaceful, relaxing, almost calming to the soul… I love it! I know I’ve still got a lot to learn, and next weekend we’re doing our lake dives. Deeper and unknown.. but I have learned enough to face that next obstacle with some confidence in my ability to survive and return safely…

I’m sure of it now…
I WILL BE A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER!