PADI - Open Water Cert

Scuba Diving – PADI Open Water Certification

Course: Open Water (PADI)

Date: 24,25 May 2014

Duration: 1 day of theory - 1 day of pool session – 2 days of diving (4 dives)

Location: San Carlos beach (Monterey Bay, CA – USA)

Dive sites: Breakwater, Pipe

Instructor/shop: Tropical Adventures Scuba & Travel (I haven't been elsewhere, but I've had the best learning experience, fun and have met great folks here!!)

Fun-factor: Amazing! 

*(c) All picture credits to Umesh Chaudhari & Khushboo Goel

It’s been quite some time and hadn’t gotten around to writing it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to write this one down here since the PADI certification comes with a logbook, which is to be updated for every dive. This site however allows me to write freely, unbound by the number of lines in a page.

Taking the Plunge: My Journey to Becoming a PADI Open Water Diver

Scuba diving—this was something I'd yearned to do for a very long time. Inspired by my cousin Sanjay, countless online videos, and a vital push from Nileema, I finally committed to enrolling in the PADI Open Water Diver course. We snagged some discounted coupons online in January 2014 and officially signed up that March. Having taken up windsurfing the previous year, I was somewhat comfortable in the open ocean (with a PFD, of course!). My last formal swim training was in school back in 2012, so it hadn't been that long. I could barely swim a single 50-meter lap, but my interest in scuba diving was unwavering. So, it happened! Before our first class, we hit the shops for essential personal gear: booties, a snorkel, mask, gloves, and fins. All excited, Nileema and I drove to Santa Cruz for our first day of class.

We were greeted by John, our expert Scuba Diving instructor—a seasoned professional brimming with diving stories and adventures. He introduced us to fundamental concepts like buoyancy and the "super cool toys" divers use: BCDs (Buoyancy Control Devices), regulators, weights, air tanks, suits, underwater scooters, and more. I was thrilled at the thought of being "suited up!" The theory session was followed by quizzes, even a fun competition. For the next day, we were instructed to go directly to a nearby pool for training.

I'll never forget that first breath underwater in the pool. Those five dives focused on various critical skills a scuba diver needs for safe diving: mask clearing underwater, CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent), buddy breathing, handling out-of-air situations, regulator recovery, auxiliary second stage usage, regulator air leak management, and free breathing. It was a lot to learn! To my surprise, I accomplished all the skills without too much trouble, leaving me quite confident about diving from a boat (which is what I thought would happen, not a beach entry!). Exhausted but accomplished, I returned home, with open water diving scheduled for the following week. Unfortunately, I came down with a cold and had to postpone. Weekends kept slipping away, and slots were often full. Finally, Nileema found me an open slot for the Memorial Day long weekend in May. In the interim, I had started swimming at least once, sometimes twice, a week. I gradually built my stamina and improved my technique, progressing from 4 laps to an impressive 24 laps in just 12 sessions, including both open and closed turns, without even water breaks! I was incredibly excited for the dive, though a little nervous about having practiced the skills so long ago. I quickly brushed up on my hand signals, confident I'd do well.

On Saturday, May 24th, I drove to the shop, collected the gear, and reached the beach by 7:15 AM. Dan and Katelyn were our instructors. The first ocean dive, with a beach entry, was the most thrilling few hours. Katelyn set up the buoy with a guideline extending to the bottom (22 feet). I descended first, following Dan. It felt strange yet fun; I couldn't tell if I was diving down or merely floating on the surface. I gripped the rope tightly, slowly sinking while equalizing my ears. Visibility was abysmal—only about 2-3 feet—and the water was a frigid 52°F at 22 feet. I moved to the far end of the rope and waited for the others. Dan swam over, and I began practicing and demonstrating the skills we'd learned in the pool. After the skills, Dan tried to lead us on a tour, but the visibility was so poor we all surfaced. We got out, changed tanks, and grabbed lunch.

The second dive was fun, at the same location, for more skill practice. CESA, which was initially scary, felt great once completed. We did three dives during this session, and during the third, we spent about 10 minutes swimming around. Dan led the way, showing us numerous fish. Visibility improved slightly, to about 6 feet. We stayed very close together to avoid losing each other. We spotted a one-legged crab, many starfishes, various fish, and some spider-like crabs. We were moving closer to a wall, meaning decreasing depth, but before I could react and vent air from my BCD, I surfaced! Alas, my dive was over. This was the first time I thought, "Why did I surface? I should have stayed underwater longer!"