[JokerGirl]

I got my PADI Advanced Open Water and Rescue Safety Diver Certification through my university a few years back as elective courses. They were both 12 week courses, twice a week for 3 hours each. One night was in a classroom, the other was in a pool. Due to this, my instructors (there were 3) had lots of time to work with people on an individual basis and to teach us a lot of safety stuff. Several of the things was being able to swim two laps without a mask, emergency ascents etc...

Needless to say, on my first dive in the quarry, I panicked about 15ft down. I missed the group dive, and my instructor took me around separately. After that I was fine and completed the rest of my dives fine.

My parents took me and my boyfriend to Hawaii the same year and I did my first ocean dives. I didn't have any trouble with my anxiety, but ended up running into some trouble. I had been sick the entire time I had been there, so was diving on the last possible day I could and still be safe getting on a plane (and not have my sinuses explode on the dive).

There had been a tropical storm coming in, so the water was very choppy, and I got disoriented on my safety stop. An old man was on the dive and was just coming down when I grabbed onto the anchor line. My dive master stopped to help him get down real quick, and in the mess of it all I had shifted my way to the surface without knowing it because the line was bobbing around in the water wildly while I was avoiding the old man. Thinking that my dive master was right behind me, I got on the boat. My dive master had no clue where I was. He did his safety stop, and surfaced to find me eating some cookies. I still feel bad that I had worried him.

After that, they were worried about letting me do my second dive, but I had gotten at least 10 minutes in on my safety stop. I did my second dive with no problems. Due to the tropical storm, the second dive was ended early. By the time my parents picked me up at the dive shop, there were 70mph winds.

I learned a huge lesson that day not to let commotion around me keep me away from what I am supposed to be doing.



I would love to do some more PADI courses and possibly get my dive master, but diving in rock quarries and having to use dry suits just doesn't excite me. The water was so cold during our certification dives that dry suits were a must. Never again...