MgicTwnger

[quote=Resqdivemedic] I sufaced a bit and shined my light on the object only to see to big round eyes staring back at me. After pulling my reg from out of my throat and finishing the wetsuit warmer I realized I found a stuffed Garfield with a rock tied around it. [\QUOTE]

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I am not the one who needs mental help. I just need to vent.

Vegas

I LOVE THAT STORY!!



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-The power behind me is greater than the task before me.

Balzoa5

I had a similar problem. I couldn't 'feel' where the air was coming from, my nose or through my mouth. I finally found that by placing the tip of my tongue at the roof of my mouth and then by 'sipping' through the reg I was able to breath without the water coming through my nose. You can practice this while sitting at the computer as someone said earlier. Can also practice with a snorkle.

petershank

You would not have passed the pool sessions in the cert class that I took. I had to:
1) exchange masks with my instructor, and he never accepted any skill performed in a hurry
2) take off my mask, clip it to my gear so it wouldn't get lost, communicate with my buddy using hand signals, (up close and personal because of the reduced vision), and then don my mask again. Students who had poor vision and wore serious eyeglass prescriptions were NOT exempted from this. What if whatever knocks off your mask also stirs up so much gunk that you're all of a sudden in black water?

Are there any instructors out there who can quote chapter and verse on required skills?

Scuba Mama

What course did you take? PADI does not require such a skill. I would look for this from my divemaster, who have to do a full gear exchange as part of there skills. Beginning divers no. PADI requires a swim with out your mask, so there is some skills being exchanged there but after the swim you place your mask back on and clear it underwater.

I agree with your instructor to some extent but as a required skill, no its not.

petershank

I got an SSI open water cert, but my instructor was a bit of an unusual case. He used a curriculum that exceeded both the SSI and PADI requirements (and maybe even another, though I don't recall exactly) and let the student specify upfront which cert they were going to have. He always recommended SSI simply because he found them easier to deal with as an organization. I believe in the adage that you should choose an instructor, not an organization.

We all did a complete gear exchange, BTW. I've come to realize over the years that we did all sorts of stuff that isn't "required", but certainly made me a better diver. My instructor was a retired military diver. Taught me a bit about life, as well.

petershank

Which PADI requires (a "swim without mask") as Scuba Mama points out. I presume that means "swim without mask but with mouth underwater while breathing through a snorkel".

bhanse01, do you remember whether you tried this during your class?

Scuba Mama

PADI swim without mask, underwater. It is done with the student fully submerged breathing out of the reg. mask removed. Swim is done to a required distance then once reaching the distance the mask is replaced and cleared underwater.

This is not a surface skill.

simondiveintheblue

Hi

This is a tip i tell my students.

As i am sure you are already very aware, you are breathing in through you nose and not your mouth.

Concentrate not on breathing, but making the bubble noise, or the noise that is made by breathing through the snorkel.

You can only make the noise if you breath through your mouth.

Let me know how you get on.

Simon

www.diveintheblue.com