Posted by Margaret on September 18, 2000 at 11:54:38:
In Reply to: Progression of dives: how to get better posted by JRM on September 15, 2000 at 17:04:18:
My comments go along with those of Ed L. You need to get REALLY
comfortable (and I can't emphasize that enough) with your gear. Know
how much weight you need to wear in different situations: 7 mm wetsuit,
3 mm wetsuit, no wetsuit. Practice those skills with your buddy (I'm
fortunate in that my buddy is also my husband -- so as long as he still
loves me, I'll probably survive!). When I first started diving, I had a
LOT of buoyancy problems. I just worked on that every single dive and
am happy to say that problem is resolved. We practice navigations skills,
I lead one dive, he leads another. I'm just starting out on photography,
so that's a new skill since I now have equipment I need to take care of,
as well as myself and my buddy.
I've also found that it helps to dive with others who have more skills --
you can learn a LOT from watching others. We have two friends who are DMs,
and they are always willing to go diving with us (schedules permitting,
that is).
Dive as often as you can, wherever you can. Talk to your local dive shop
about upcoming day (or longer) trips. Then, if there is one particular area you find interesting, i.e., deep,
wreck, cavern, etc., find a resource (a Bulletin board, perhaps) or read
a book and see if you want to take a class.
I think that's enough .... at least for now.