Favourite memory from your open water course?

[ospreysfan]

I have to confess as an instructor I have a bias in this as I like to know what people like from their courses and potentially dislike too!

I know I said open water (PADI) but that's just because I'm a PADI instructor and I dont know the details of other training agency entry level courses!!

So come on guys (and ladies) what particularly sticks in your mind from starting your diving??

[PeterM]

It wasn't so much the course that really stuck in my mind in a mind blowing way, although I do remember it. My main early dive memory is my first post qualifying dive, still in Malta with the company that trained me the week before was kneeling on the sand at c18m, looking back toward the shore and a rock shelf at c5m, looking back in crystal clear water to the cliff up to the rock shelf and the water shimmering above my head and looking round a large underwater amphitheatre.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:cool::cool::cool::cool:

[chris]

My best memory was on the last dive of my Openwater course in Mallorca we went to a site called Cala Erotica ;) and on the descent from the RIB were me and the instructor first with a few others behind. 5 minutes into the dive we came across a sunken speedboat that the dive shop didnt know about, there was a frame attached the back of the speedboat and we used this for bouyancy controlled swim throughs (later detached and taken back to the shop for future use). We all took shots of sitting in the "driving" seat, then shots of pretending to water ski behind it. It was a great laugh and you see the genuine excitement and pleasure in the instructors face as to this find, and then the chatter all the way back on the boat. This really rounded of the course perfectly!

[scubagranny]

My first Giant Stride!! Couldn't believe I was so brave!!

[Scuba-Doh!]

I done my Advanced immediately after my OW course in Malta, best dive out of both courses had to be the Deep Dive on the advanced. We had to do a simple skill at 30m which we did kneeling on the deck of Um El Faroud a few feet from the gaping hole in the deck which had resulted from a welding incident while the tanker should have been gas free. Combining the Deep dive and my first wreck I had an awesome time, possibly the biggest stride entrance (of the OW and AOW) from a pier and a lengthy enough fin to the wreck, then we knelt on the deck to do our skill and finished off with a swim through and up around the chimney stack before heading back to the pier.

Grinning now that I'm recalling that dive. Man, I need to get back to that wreck.

[Yogi Diver]

It was the whole experience.
August 2001, I decided to fulfill a lifetime ambition and learn to dive.
Mrs Yogi and I had agreed to have seperate holidays for the first time in 22 years because we were caring for an ancient (13 yrs old) Pyrenean Mountain dog and couldn't leave it in kennels.
She went with friends to Protaras, I booked my week, on my own, in Larnaca with PADI Open water course booked with Dive In.
As I stepped off the plane into the August Cyprus sun, I thought "Yeah:)"
immediately followed by "Sad B*st*rd. On holiday alone!! Yogi no mates!!:o"
However,I needn't have worried. The guys at Dive In were first class, as were all of the other divers using the centre and I never ate alone any night, even being invited to the owner's home for a barbeque one night.
My Instructor, Duncan Brogden was brilliant, and extremely patient as I was not his best student ever.:o Even had a panic attack just before my 3rd dive and had to abort but he never criticised, even though he knew I had been rat &rsed the night before.:eek::o
Because of the aborted dive, I had to go back for a 4th day to do my final dive and, once qualified, (Look at me Mum, I'm a real diver!!:D:rolleyes:) Duncan asked if I wanted to do another dive that afternoon.
"Might as well, seeing as I'm here," I said. "Ok, you can do the Zenobia with me." he replied.
Excited, but apprehensive, we boarded the boat for the short trip just 1000 metres from the Dive Shop to one of the top ten rated wrecks in the world. The Zen lies on her Port side in 45 metres of water with the shallowest point only just within PADI OW Limits at 18 metres but Duncan took me a little bit lower and we swam under the Starboard Funnel at 22.9 M which I found a little scary. (My first time without a clear line straight to the surface.:rolleyes:) The funnel is about 5 metres wide but it seemed a long swim under it at the time.
Ascending from this to rest on the ladder, we watched a massive shoal of barracuda swim past just a couple of meters from our noses. Absolutely awesome. Also saw Groupers, Amberjacks and thousands of damselfish.
We surfaced after just 34 minutes and by this stage I was completely hooked!!:):)
To be honest, I don't know if I would ever have done much more diving if I had just completed the course and gone home but because of this dive, I have now done over 500 dives including some amazing locations in exotic lands. I am a SAA Open Water Instructor and waiting for an operation just so I can continue diving.:p
4 years later, I did my PADI Divemaster in Larnaca and accompanied a holiday diver, PADI Open Water for 2 years and never dived since apart from his Scuba review I did 2 days previously, to the Zen. On the boat trip out, I told him, to the absolute horror of my Instructor, you are about to have the most expensive dive of your life!!:eek:
I was right. He surfaced, promising to join a club when he went home, buy his own kit and return later that year, without his wife, for a diving only holiday.:D:D
I have been back to Larnaca several times since and dived with Dive In all but once, (and I regretted that!!) I cannot recommend them highly enough.:)

[ospreysfan]

Diving is pretty cool isnt it, I always think your first dive kinda sticks in your head! Scubagranny, I'm with you there with the giant stride, I always used to have a total fear of heights and wanted to chicken out of doing it but my mate kinda pushed me (not literally) into doing it as I knew he would never let me live it down if I didnt.. Damn stupid really as it was only a couple of metres off the back of a boat!!

[ospreysfan]

hey yogi how awesome is the Zen?! Only managed to do it a couple of times and if I go back to cyprus will deff dive the Zen again. I havent been inside it yet through the cargo hold but I thought it was pretty cool swimming over, around and under lorries strapped to the deck at 90 degrees.

[Yogi Diver]

hey yogi how awesome is the Zen?! Only managed to do it a couple of times and if I go back to cyprus will deff dive the Zen again. I havent been inside it yet through the cargo hold but I thought it was pretty cool swimming over, around and under lorries strapped to the deck at 90 degrees.
Fantastic Wreck.
140 Trucks still on board, c/w cargo.
I've done it 20 times now and still keep wanting to go back. Haven't done the cargo holds yet. Planned do do them last year and then got bent!:(
Will do them when I'm fixed.:)

[dive granny]

I think mine was my seventh open water dive. it was the first dive I didn't hold hands ( in limpet like fashion) with my instructor:D It was at Finnart and I was with Grant our regional coach. It was his 400th dive and people said he was mad to do it with a trainee, but he said he got such a kick out of my excitement it was worth it.:D Lovely man.

Next best was the Red Sea. First time in a plane, first time abroad and couldn't believe i was jumping from a hard boat into 1000m app of stunning clear blue water when 18 months before I couldn't even swim. I was thrilled. I was also 55 by then so well pleased with myself.:D

[chris]

Yeah, I want to go back and do the Zen too, I dived it very early on in my diving experience but swimming up through the galleys with everything on its side was spooky for me. I think I would enjoy it even more if I went back again

[scubagranny]

Dive Granny, I know exactly what you mean, apart from the giant stride, my first dive after qualifying was in the Red Sea, and my first time jumping off a boat, I was terrified, but totally exhilerated(spelling?) - all that water,and like you my swimming skills were non existent before I took up diving, I couldn't swim on my own, and certainly not out of my depth, so yes, one helluva an achievement for both of us!! ( I was 56)SG:D:D

[diver_cam]

the thing that sticks in my mind about my open water was 1. the water temp (warm) and 2. my instructor. she was erm great