Open Water Diver Class, The Finale

Diver experiencing sinus squeeze

I want to be able to say that the rest of the class was mostly uneventful but that’s not true. The class was good, and I learned a lot, but I also had some complications.

Practicing Skills

The rest of the class was all in the pool. The pool exercises were supposed to be Saturday afternoon and Sunday as well. We practice clearing our masks. We practiced buoyancy control. There’s this cool exercise called a fin pivot that helps you see how you can control buoyancy with breathing. We practice removing the mask, putting it back on and then clearing it. We played catch with a ball underwater for a bit. It was all a lot of fun.

Removing the BCD and then putting it back on, all while underwater was one of the more challenging skills. Another was swimming across the pool without the mask, then putting it back on and clearing it. Then we practiced removing the regulator, letting it drop, and then recovering it and getting it back into our mouth.

Safety Skills

For safety, we practiced sharing air. We did all of these skills in a pool, but they have to be repeated in the open water certification dives. It’s all good because it’s about knowing what to do in case something goes a little wrong.

I sort of accidently got some extra practice on one of these tasks. When we were practicing taking off the mask and then putting it back on and clearing it, I knocked out my regulator. I kept slowly exhaling. You are ALWAYS inhaling or exhaling when diving and NEVER hold your breath. I first retrieved my regulator, following our training. After breathing normally through it, I donned my mask and cleared it. I did not find it too distressing. My instructor was impressed by my composure and how I managed the issues without panicking.

Sinus Squeeze

The big event for me was that as we were nearing the end of the day, I had some buoyancy problems. While descending I suddenly got a sharp pain in the sinus above my left eye. I recognized from the course that it was sinus squeeze. Sinus squeeze is VERY unpleasant. I ascended a bit, which is a method to reduce the pain. The instructor actually ended class at that time as we were on the last exercise. I explained what had happened, she gave me some advice and we were supposed to meet Sunday for the rest of the class.

Disappointment

I contracted a sinus infection just before my diving class began, though I didn’t recognize it at the time. Initially, I felt a sinus squeeze during my last dive on Saturday, which worsened by Sunday morning when I woke up completely congested.

Realizing that continuing with the pool session was unwise, Molly, my instructor, and I agreed that I should rest and recover. We decided I would make up the session later, which, due to various scheduling conflicts, took a few weeks to arrange.

When Molly and I finally met for the makeup session, we completed the training efficiently in a one-on-one setting. I was grateful for the flexible scheduling, viewing it as exemplary customer service and a commitment to diver safety.

Wrapping It Up

During the session, I demonstrated proficiency in several skills. I could clear my mask effortlessly, and assembling the diving equipment was becoming routine. Adjusting the BCD for comfort and locating necessary items by touch was also improving.

However, controlling my buoyancy remained challenging. I often found myself bobbing up and down with little control, which was incredibly frustrating. Yet, I discovered this struggle is typical for new divers, and the key to overcoming it is practice.

Husband, father, son, pastor, chemist, full time IT project manager (or something like that), server engineer, heavy reader, history fan, and now, scuba diver.

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