I wrote this narrative with the intention of giving other dive students an idea of what to expect on their own check-out dives. I ended up sending it to my dive instructor in case he wanted to share it with his future students. Here, I share it with you, aspiring diver! Check out www.anchorshack.com for excellent dive instruction in Concord/Pacheco (East San Francisco Bay Area), CA.
Fifty-two degree water rushed over my ears and into my neoprene hood. My hand flew to the zipper at my clavicle to draw it all the way up and over my chin to close off the flow. Chilled, I bit my teeth down hard into the regulator’s silicone mouthpiece as I exhaled, sending a stream of bubbles rushing out and up to the surface three feet above me. A squeezing sensation suddenly grew in my forehead, yielding when I pressed my nostrils shut with my right hand, blowing gently into my pinched nose to equalize the water pressure. When I un-scrunched my eyes, I could see the rest of my classmates’ big yellow fins flapping in the water a few feet above me, waiting their turn to descend on the first of four check-out dives we would do to earn our open water SCUBA certification.
Fifty-two degree water rushed over my ears and into my neoprene hood. My hand flew to the zipper at my clavicle to draw it all the way up and over my chin to close off the flow. Chilled, I bit my teeth down hard into the regulator’s silicone mouthpiece as I exhaled, sending a stream of bubbles rushing out and up to the surface three feet above me. A squeezing sensation suddenly grew in my forehead, yielding when I pressed my nostrils shut with my right hand, blowing gently into my pinched nose to equalize the water pressure. When I un-scrunched my eyes, I could see the rest of my classmates’ big yellow fins flapping in the water a few feet above me, waiting their turn to descend on the first of four check-out dives we would do to earn our open water SCUBA certification.