Work on trying to relax when you dive and work on deep sloooow breaths... I'm sure the awesome buddy you're diving with the day after the class would like your sixths to last as long as possible... :P
Welcome to the Cave Diver's Forum.
Work on trying to relax when you dive and work on deep sloooow breaths... I'm sure the awesome buddy you're diving with the day after the class would like your sixths to last as long as possible... :P
Know your signals. And be able to do gas math on the fly
Sent from my Eris
Relax, take it one step at a time, and have fun. Remember, you are paying to learn and anytime it gets more than is fun for you, just say no. It's your class. You can do with it as you please.
skip
"Learning the techniques of others does not interfere with the discovery of techniques of one's own." B.F. Skinner, 1970.
+1 for knowing signals.Originally Posted by adam0321
"...some night, in the chill darkness, someone will make a mistake: The sea will show him no mercy." John T. Cunningham
From my Intro experience:
Try and be aware of your gear. Easier said than done. Know 'what' is 'where', what it feels like as it bounces on your hip as you swim and so forth, what it feels like when its not there. As others have indicated, you want to be comfortable with your gear so you can focus on the training.
Try and be aware of your surroundings. Easier said than done. Where is the line? Where are your partners? Where is the line?
You will swear that your instructor is trying to kill you and that they are really pissed off that you are not dead yet and its all your fault! They're not. They are trying to stress you. Understand that. In my experience, a big chunk of the training is mental attitude.
Accept criticism. You are there to learn.
Pay attention to everything that is said. Sometimes getting the 'gist' of the next exercise isn't enough.
If you are going to do something, be sure you can justify the action you took.
If you are breathing, then whatever else is happening is just an inconvenience. (there's that attitude part again.)
You are going to be challenged! Enjoy it!
no fairy fanning.
I also spent a long time between Cavern and Intro. For best results your buoyancy needs to be dialed in and trim and propulsion pretty good. If you only have 5 dives in the drysuit and doubles you might want to dive wet for the class (but then I haven't seen you dive).
Make sure you can read your pressure gauge without breaking stride and that you hold your trim during drills. Also, spend some time on the things you think you already have squared away. For whatever reason I had more trouble with those things than the things that I was more worried about.
I would disagree with this. If you're not totally comfortable with either drysuit or doubles, and expect to use drysuit and doubles when you actually cave dive, I would postpone the class and make dives in them until you are comfortable with both.
Whoever said money can't buy love never bought a puppy.
Don't hurry. Be steady and methodical in everything you do, no matter how stressed you feel. Remember that buoyancy, trim, position and team trump an instant response to anything. You can swim 25 feet underwater in full kit with no gas, so you have at least two or three seconds to steady yourself, no matter what the problem is. Every single problem can be addressed and solved; compounding problems with poor buoyancy or blowing the viz makes life much more . . . "interesting".
It seems we agree that you need to be totally comfortable in your gear before taking the class.
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