Scuba - Day 1

 

A strange beginning with a cold jacuzzi.  No one ever turned it on so we abbreviated our morning soak.  (We had the whole place to ourselves though!)

Then our SCUBA class.  Fred and Melinda came highly recommended by several people.  Patient with all our questions.  Thorough in the plan and descriptions of each step.  I was feeling good about the process.  

Then the pool.  Chesla was patient, thankfully.  The process of mask fitting, vest and weights and flippers seemed straightforward.  We waded into the shallow end of the pool (3 feet) and donned our gear.  Flippers longer than I have used in snorkeling.  A weight belt with 12 pounds attached so I sink.  The vest (which can be inflated or deflated to ascend or descend) with tank secured and both a mouthpiece and gauges.  Mask. 

It was cool, windy and cloudy so we had the pool to ourselves and no spectators!  

A simple act of putting our face under the water and breathing through the mouthpiece.  No problem. (It was how we taught the kids to start swimming.)  Swim to the other end of the pool just under the surface.  No problem.  Just like snorkeling but with different gear.  Swim back.   Nope.  My brain decided I needed to breathe through my nose.  Back in the shallow end to practice just mouth breathing. 

It took awhile for me to breathe comfortably through my mouth only while sitting on the bottom of the pool (and without flippers that I had removed).  Gradually I became more comfortable but still seemed like I was using too much time thinking about my breathing.  

Paul meanwhile was clearing his mask of water, equalizing, swimming along the bottom of the pool and working on his buoyancy.  After an hour we called it a day and will reconvene tomorrow.    It was harder than I thought but I will succeed.  

We have a book to read and a test to take.  And they make it sound so doable.  And we have friends who have accomplished this, so will we!