After two years out of water, I did a private pool refresher class at Wallin's Scuba with GUE instructor Susan Bird today. To date, I only had 24 dives in various tropical locations, in Monterey, and also Catalina. I am up to AOW cert, which I took mostly because I felt uncomfortable not knowing Navigation. Briefly, we got to know each other and discussed what I wanted to accomplish. And then into the pool...

First, Susan had me swim on my back for a two lengths. Then she had me do it regulator in and face down. In the deep end, she had me descend and float into a hovering position. For that initial try I couldn't get myself underwater because I would take a deep breath, let it out, then immediately hiccup in another one. She added some weight to the original 10 lbs stashed inside my BC chest/waist pocket and instructed me to take a deep breath and then expel it powerfully, simultaneously start equalizing and then hold my breath for 3 seconds. Then, while sinking, take a shallower breath and exhale slowly with my fins/feet underneath the body vertically. Once I started to relax, this got a lot easier.

But then my Tusa X-treme split fins were floating me up and up before I could get below the surface fully. Apparently, they are super buoyant. She noted that I probably had this issue before and I replied, "Yes. Usually when wearing my coldwater stuff I had some trouble with boat descents but not so much in warm water." She pointed out that the double thick neoprene actually would work better than my single in that case, aside from any trapped air. When I went home and thought about it, I realized that my more recent tropical dives usually involved a line and possibly some flailing and downward kicking and excited fish spotting, while the coldwater dives were always free falling descents where I was more consciously trying to fall down like a feather between a stand of kelp with very little luck. With either scenario, I don't have much trouble avoiding coral or rocks or maneuvering when I'm at depth. Or so I think...

We ended up strapping on a set of Large Scubapro Jetfins which immediately dropped my legs, easier especially when swimming at the surface. However while attempting to hold a horizontal at 8 ft, my bottom half was still floating away like a hot air balloon. I was having a real hard time keeping myself flat for some reason and kept wondering - am I just this bad? Maybe I just never realized it before because I'm usually trying my best to keep up with my buddies or follow the leader, or rolling around like an astronaut for sheer pleasure. I tried on Susan's very nice, but leaky, Halcyon BP/W rig while she swapped my aluminum 63 out for an 80 (a size and length which I'm more used to). We also slung the tank down as low as we could. This configuration kept my rear end down when the tank was full at 3000 psi, but not so much by the time I hit only 2000 psi. Consequently, she strapped some ankle weights around me, a practice not recommended in general, partly because they promptly caused me to drop my toes like anchors. I guess I was doing some decent fin pivots but that's not what we were after!

The right position for those ankle weights was to hang them down from the D-rings off the hem of the BC. That made sense to me since I've always worn a weight belt, usually slung kind of low so as not to interfere with a rental BC's usually ill-fitting cummerbund. Susan really stressed for me to maintain a platform by keeping my chin up and arms stretched out - either cupped in front, extended a la Superman, or better yet in my case, with elbows lifted up at the level of the ears. Getting this right finally achieved some stability and elicited a couple underwater handclaps from my very patient instructor.

After that initial round, there were still a few more minor test swaps, but basically Susan concluded that the rest was all me - meaning that while I am truly a floaty 95-100 lbs, I should be able to get down and stay trim without much more monkeying. However, since I'm head heavy, Susan suggested a lighter aluminum plate with a waist belt or other low pockets. Susan also thought a stainless steel tank will probably be easier for me to stay in charge of my horizontal position, especially on the shallower, end portion of a dive. I will just have to work on my body positioning to solve any other off kilter inducing problems. My final weight was 14 lbs, way too much for fresh water with a 7 over 7 wetsuit without a hood. That much lead with no air in the BC had me scratching the bottom and it was hard for me to get hovering by breath alone. I had to puff a little air in the BC to get a foot or so up.  She reminded me that my weighting will likely lighten up as I start working out, since even though I'm very thin, I have very little muscle mass right now.

Stuff I did relatively right...
I took my sweet time, but got through the mask clearing and regulator drills without a serious complication. Keeping my horizontal trim while doing those tasks was very awkward. I never realized how much easier everything is when you are planted on the ocean floor on your knees. Susan thought that I was fairly comfortable in the water and with my gear, that my buoyancy was generally alright (ain't I already buoyant? so what exactly does that mean regarding trim vs. like, peak performance type buoyancy? why am i so confused all of a sudden?), that I wasn't overworking the regulator or anything, and my swimming was, well, getting me to move. I asked her about proper form and she answered to p.p. "one thing at a time", which gave me the giggles because I easily imagine myself thrashing around like a total dork. She also pronounced me "not unsafe", which translates literally as "OK for open water diving", but was also a euphemism to me that I still need to do a lot more work!

We actually ended up nixing the rest of the original "dive" plan, which included removing the valve and auto-inflating the BC. Instead, we just stuck with trim because that is "what presented itself" as my main issue...

One reoccurring problem? Leg Positioning. I am seriously over-arching my back when trying simultaneously to flatten out and keeping my chin up. This is tiring and also makes me bend my knees and forces my legs up and over my head making me spin like a ferris wheel. Other times, I wriggle them around too much in an attempt to get straight and throw myself in a tangent, or I try to bend my ankles when I noticed they are upright, which caused more face planting. Sometimes, only one of my fins were cockeyed and correcting it would start me off in a dinner roll. Those Scubapro fins seem more sensitive than my splits, though I'm still not sure how yet, so I will have to get used to them.

Strangely enough, Susan says that when I tilt my head far, far back to clear my full flood mask, I somehow slip right into the proper trim position - albeit at what feels to me like a 45 degree angle. I really need to remember - fins horizontal with ankles at 90 degrees, knees slightly bent, and hip tucked in. Bending at the waist and hinging legs forward a tad seems to help the arching issue. Also, although spreading my legs helps me with stability, I have to work on bringing them closer to the center line.

Other stuff I learned...

• I still have trouble removing the BC to hose valve connector. I need to push the hose/connector with my palm, preferably on my right hand, and then pull down the spring with my thumb and forefinger. With the system pressurized underwater, pulling/pushing with the left and sliding the valve sleeve with the right seems to work better for my dinky finger strength.
• To remove the regulator underwater, clasp the hose in your fist adjacent to the 2nd stage with the right fingers towards your face rather than grabbing the mouthpiece. I'll have to ask her why that's so. 
• Ladies have different needs, body fat distribution. So some of the textbook setups will eventually need some adjustment. A newbie will probably not clue in as much. An experienced diver will be sensitive to the issues. And the uber diver will be able to control whatever gear/setup/stuff that might come up instead of having it control them.
• Most lungs need only 6 lbs of weight to counterbalance.
• Fins should come up to the top break in your ankle, maybe a finger away. They should not slosh from side to side, though this can be controlled somewhat by tight strapping or may depend on the type of suit/shoe you are wearing.  
• I really need to review my hand signals
• Remember to tighten the mask strap and bring my ponytail elastics! 
• Need to review ascent procedures

One question Susan asked that I've never been able to answer before. How do I learn? Am I visual, verbal, conceptual? My Godfather, who taught me how to ride, always felt I was a verbal learner, that I liked to follow directions. My friend Chris thought I did best learning things on my own. But after today, I feel that, at least with Scuba and Motorcycles, I learn by doing. Theory based tests are usually a cinch for me data wise, though they often run out of my brain like water once I'm in the field. I personally feel safer going into a task when I see or hear the instructions in some form, though that doesn't guarantee absolute success. When I'm nervous I sometimes miss steps, even while watching and repeating. I essentially only "get" my lessons by feeling my way through the process until it clicks. This sometimes involved my Godfather holding my hand on the clutch till I could tell where the engagement point was, or following someone step by step as I am doing the task myself, then repeating. This method also inevitably involves making several mistakes. But now that I know, I think I'd rather make them all in the pool rather than out of it.

I think it's interesting that little things like having trouble with valves on dives, shows up as improper technique during a pool session. I really enjoyed having a one on one with someone who knows the ropes and could pinpoint these things out to me and show me how to alleviate the trouble with precision. Unfortunately, this method also highlights all those other things I need help on that I never did before! Seriously though, I had a lot of fun and cant wait to get back in the water.

Note to self on proceeding with further diving...

First, begin an exercise regimen

• Stationary bike: Work those quads for finning.
• Weights: for strength and lots of it.
• Trim position: Tense, Release, and Repeat at least 5 times per session/day.
• Swimming: Good for cardiovascular and getting used to being in the water again. GUE Fundies will require me to swim 300 m in about 14 minutes.
• Running or Walking around in full gear while sopping wet! I could really only do maybe max 2-3 laps before getting sorely winded.

Start trying on gear to see what is most appropriate for me. 
More pool sessions
Drysuit instruction
Complete some newbie dives in the ocean
Try GUE day
Complete some newbie dives with Susan in the ocean
Attend Fundies book classes
Add to gear set
Familiarizing with gear on land and off
Training for 6 months hopefully with classmates
Fundies Test