Pool session one

Had my first pool session as part of the PADI Open Water Diver course on Saturday night and I loved it!

Diving Unlimited is a really nice bunch of people and I set off full of excitement, rather than apprehension, this time. Got to the swimming pool to see a friend's brother-in-law there to do some compass work and it was great to see someone I know. I didn't even know he dived, let alone that he was with the club...

I squeezed myself into my new shorty and assembled at the side of the pool with the two other learners, the instructor and a couple of assistants. We practised putting the kit together, taking it apart, and putting it together again, ran through the pre-dive buddy check, and then got ready to attempt the giant stride entry. Me first. It was interesting and not in the least bit graceful, but I managed not to land on top of another diver and stay buoyant at the surface.

Then we went through mask clearing, regulator clearing, regulator recovery, breathing for 30 seconds with your buddy's octopus, and ascent/descent and swimming about.....

When it came to breathing from the octopus I didn't get off to a good start. I have no idea what went wrong, but I totally lost control of my buoyancy for a bit and found my legs going haywire and myself heading for the surface, while desperately trying to right myself and kick back down to the bottom. I did get on my knees again - but I do wish the instructor wouldn't keep making "on your knees" hand signals at me at times like that. I know I should be on my knees, but clearly I'm having the devil of a time recovering it :-)

It was also funny when the instructor turned the tank off to simulate out of air - I was laughingly accused of trying to cheat my way out of it by making the out of air sign when he hadn't really turned the tank off yet!! I didn't know what to expect so was playing cautious.... I gather that's not allowed.

We all went to the pub after, and my lovely hubby came down to meet everyone - and spent all night yabbering to a woman he went to school with, who, it turns out, is married to the dive master who's assisting the instructors! Small world indeed.

Can't wait for Stoney Cove now as well!!