Stuffy

Well, Louche had the right of it I'd say on the previous post comments. Scuba is an awful lot like naughty business- what with the rubbery constricting onesies and all that breath control. Overall I thought scuba was okay but not brilliant. I am not at all convinced that it is going to be something I add to my repertoire beyond this certification- if I get the certification. We'll see. I'll get through this first bit, but the open water dives are yet to come.

The main issue for me is the breathing. Well, lets back that up. The main issue for me yesterday was that I think I'm coming down with a cold. I'd been sneezing for two days and while I didn't feel overly stuffy, as soon as chlorine hit my sinuses, I was clogged like a mofo. On the one hand, this made breathing through the mouth easier. On the other hand, this made me feel like every breath was a struggle. This is either true, or this was mild panic. I'll be able to tell more next week when I do it all over again.

But really, there is this cold to consider as well. Today I am definitely feeling like I have a cold. So I'm sure there were some initial stages of it making its presence known yesterday. And it did make the whole thing a bit more complicated. I knew that the breathing was going to be my biggest concern anyway. I just don't do well with not having air. I panic. I suppose this is a natural reaction, just like how when you start breathing through your regulator and let your head slip below the water, the first thing my body wanted to do was stop breathing. Because that's what you do when your head goes underwater- makes sense to me. Of course, as we all learned, the fist rule of scuba is to keep breathing. You see the problem.

Then there was the clicky ragged breathing that was happening under water. I felt like I had to 'work' to inhale. Suck in harder as it were. Just like when you have a cold. So either this is normal, or it's because I actually have a cold. We can all stay tuned for that one.

So one of the first things you learn is how to take your regulator on and off underwater. This one I don't like at all. Not one bit. And this was when it was all controlled and I had my hand on it. Imagine if someone kicked it out of my mouth. I don't see how I wouldn't panic. I need air. I need a constant supply of air. I don't like being cut off from air or possible chance of air with no warning. This makes me panic. Panic is no good when you need to grab hold of your floating regulator, open your mouth (to the water- fuck it, I know you're supposed to be blowing bubbles, but water gets in there and again, call it a natural reaction but my mouth just doesn't want to open) and get that regulator back in, clear it, and start breathing again.

Fuck me. Next week we work on what happens when your air supply goes off. For me this will be the same as having your regulator removed by mistake. I envision total panic. I'm not sure I'm going to make it but we'll see.

Of course the wetsuits provided endless entertainment. I've never worn a wetsuit before and it was a bizarre experience. Getting it on was a huge chore- I'm sure it wasn't sized quite right for me, though it did get on, the legs and arms were slightly long. If every anything has ever made me feel like a sausage in a casing, this had to be it. Go go bondage wetsuit. It did get more comfortable as it adjusted in the water. But it also heated up in the water, and I kept needing to pull at the wrists and neck to let cool water flood my hot little suit.

Last, everyone on my course except me is going someplace sunny and pretty to do their open water dives. One couple is going to the Maldives, another guy is going to Bali and S is going to Corsica. Me, I'm going to a puddle by Heathrow which is apparently so murky you have to follow a pole down as you descend into muck.

And I'm going to have to take my regulator out in this? Fucking hell.