Scuba II

Second scuba lesson went well. And by that I mean I didn't drown or humiliate myself in some unspeakable way. After a run-through of all the equipment I'd be using and instruction in its proper use, I strapped on a BC, tank and regulator and hit the pool.

The first half of class was taken up with safety/recovery drills. Basically, I had to learn how to recover my regulator if it somehow came out of my mouth, remove my BC and tank in case it became entangled, and clear my mask if it came off my face. None of this came naturally. The first thing I had to do was learn how to breathe. Turns out, I was instinctively taking very deep breaths before going under, then breathing very shallowly, which left a lot of residual air in my lungs. Extra air = float to the surface. Every time. Once I learned to exhale deeply and inhale shallowly, that problem resolved itself. Recovering lost regulators went well, too. Removing the BC and air tank, not so well. I lost balance half way through and toppled over, needing rescue by my instructor. Clearing my mask went well... and by that I mean it only took one nose full of water to remind me to only breathe through my mouth.

After that, I got to swim around 12 feet under in the pool for a good long while, learning how to control myself and move underwater. It was pretty fun, although it still doesn't quite come naturally for me. By the end, when I learned proper exiting techniques, my stress levels had almost subsided to normal. Unfortunately, I was pretty darn cold by the end, which really messed with my concentration. Next time I'll opt for the wet suit.

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