Diving Dilemma

A few of you know that I am planning to become a certified diver so I can join Matthew in diving at the Great Barrier Reef.  I was really excited about it and we had our first classroom meeting with our instructor on Monday.  It went well and I was feeling pretty confident. 

Then, Wednesday, we had our first pool session.  Matthew did the private class with me since we will be "buddies" when we dive.  He has done all of this before so the instructor really geared everything to me. 

First, I had to do my swim test.  Now, I've been snorkelling many times in recent years but I haven't swam in a pool or done laps since I lived in Brawley, which is a LONG time ago.  I've never been comfortable with freestyle so I chose to do the breaststroke.  I normally have no problem with it.  Well...that didn't work out so well.  By the end of the first lap, I thought I'd have a heart attack.  I knew there was no way I could do 7 more laps like that.  I contemplated switching to the backstroke because I felt like I wasn't able to get a good breath but I decided to stay with the breaststroke.  That lasted 1 more lap...then I had no choice.  I switched to the backstroke and, to my amazement, I did that really well.  I swam completely straight and I was able to breath continuously, which was good because I was really panting.  I didn't remember swimming being such a strenuous workout but I'm feeling it today.  I think I should work that into my normal workout routine.

Anyway, after the laps, I had to tread water or float for 10 minutes.  I thought I'd switch back and forth but I just ended up treading water the whole time and watching some other diving classes do their thing.  There was also a water polo game going on at the other side of the pool.  (It's a big pool.)

Finally, it was time to do some diving skills.  I had to put on a 7mm wetsuit which is what they use in California because the water is pretty cold.  That sucker was thick and it was a little restrictive.  I didn't really like it but I thought I could handle it.  The real problem for me was that it was so tight around my neck.  I felt like someone was lightly choking me the whole time.  We unzipped the suit a little but I still found myself grabbing at the neck and pulling it down the whole time I was in class.  Next, I put on my booties which are the same material as the wetsuit but slightly thinner.  Next was the diving gear.  This is where it got difficult.  It's just a vest but it has a heavy tank strapped to the back of it; a tank that I could barely lift with my arms.  There are also 4 lb weights stuck in the vest so you don't float...not just 1 weight but 6 of them.  That's 24 lbs of weights in addition to everything else.  Granted, the stuff doesn't feel as heavy in the water but you still feel the weight pulling on your shoulders. 

Then it was time to go under.  I put the regulator in my mouth and went down.  I took a breath.  I was fine for a second and then I lost my balance and my tank dragged me backwards.  I was completely helpless like a bug that gets flipped on it's back and it's little legs just flail in the air.  That was me but I was in the water and I was starting to freak out a bit.  Keep in mind that the surface of the water was probably only 12 inches above me but I couldn't get to it.  I had the regulator in my mouth so I wasn't going to drown but I didn't like that I had absolutely no control over my situation.  My instructor finally got me upright and I managed to stay on my knees after that.

We did a few more skills and some were easier than others.  I had a problem with the one where you take your mask off entirely for 1 minute and then put it back on.  It seems easy but, in diving, your nose is inside your mask.  For some reason, the second my mask was off, I felt like I couldn't get a breath.  On the third try, I realized that I had to hold my nose in order to last that 1 minute.  It wasn't good.  I felt like it was a cop out...and it only got worse from there.

I soon started to become aware that I was experiencing some nausea.  Eventually, it was so bad that I had to stop and take off the tank and vest.  I thought just getting all of that weight off would help but it didn't.  We unzipped the back of my wetsuit and it helped because the cool water rushed in.  I should mention here that our gauges include temperature.  I know it wasn't accurate because it said the outside temp was 78 degrees earlier and it was probably only 70.  Still, even with a 10 degree error, my gauge in the water said 100 degrees.  Let's assume it was only 90.  When I opened my suit, the water felt cool.  That should tell you how hot it was inside my suit.

I think I was overheating at the same time that I was swallowing air.  Eventually, I was so nauseous that I just had to be out of that suit.  I walked over to the cold showers and stood under it for a second and then I went in the ladies locker room and just pulled and tugged the upper half of my wetsuit off.  I sat in there for a while just trying to cool down and calm down so the nausea would pass.  It wouldn't.  I knew it wouldn't no matter how long I waited.  I knew it was over.

I went back and told my instructor that I couldn't do any more that night.  She knew I was talking myself out of the class.  We cleaned up everything and she said we could come to a class she was teaching today if we wanted so that we could finish the skills I would need before I could do an ocean dive.  Let me just say that the thought of an ocean dive at that moment was probably right under skydiving on my list of things to do.  There was no way it was going to happen.

All the way home, I just laid in my seat.  I felt completely spent.  I had to take a shower when we got home to get the chlorine off me but I could barely make it through my shower.  Matthew and I were both pretty tired so we just went to bed.  Neither of us slept well that night.  Matt had insomnia but I couldn't stop thinking about diving.  When I'd sleep, I'd dream about diving.

Did I want to try again?  That was the dilemma.   All day today I went back and forth.  Yes, I want to try again.  I was just overheated.  I won't have to do the swim test next time so I won't increase my body heat before we even start.  We will only have a few skills in the hot pool and then we can move to the deep, cool pool.  I'll take charcoal so it will absorb any air that I swallow.  But, I always swallow air and I can only take 1 dose of charcoal a day.  What's going to happen when I have 2 or 3 dives?  Am I going to be nauseous again and then I'll be on a boat so that will make it worse?  Was I just overheated or was I having a panic attack?  

You see the mind games going on in my head.  Aside from all of that, I was disappointed in myself.  I really want to dive in Australia and I know Matt doesn't want to dive with strangers. I was angry at myself for giving up so easily but the remembrance of how I felt physically barred me from thinking of diving as enjoyable.  You know when you get sick after eating something and then you can't eat that thing ever again? 

This lasted most of the day.  Finally, I talked to Matthew and I realized that I had to try again.  If it doesn't work out next time, well, at least I be able to say that I tried.  I will be disappointed in myself always if I just give up after one time.  So, we have our last classroom session on Monday and then I'm going back to that pool on Wednesday.

Wish me luck!!!