USVI-On-Line

I'm planning on taking my first scuba diving lesson at Hull Bay on STT this trip.

I have been trying to get my husband to do it with me for years, but he's had some claustrophobic problems and he thinks that he'll panic. Had a similar problem with him snorkeling in Grand Cayman once and he could of drowned me. He's the one that's making me nervous about this.

I'm not scared of the water, although I respect it.

I think I need some reassurance on this. I really don't know what to expect.

Scuba diving is a fantastic sport! I have been an avid diver for 15 years. You will be learning skills that seem awkward in the beginning, but if you'll relax, you'll master the skills much faster. You will be amazed when you realize you can breathe underwater and being weightless is amazing! Frankly, I am more comfortable scuba diving than I am snorkling. You'll do great. Just relax and remember that panic is your enemy.

Scuba is wonderful! I have to agree, I like it and find it more comfortable than snorkeling. It's probably not good for someone that doesnt like confinement, as you cant just pop up out of the water if you panic. I had trouble with the mouthpiece at first, gag reflex, but relaxation is the key. I'm hooked! I now dive as much as possible and Im getting rescue certified. There are some serious risks involved. If you can relax and abide by the safety rules, it can be really enjoyable. Take a discovery class, it'll give you a chance to try it out in the shallows, before going deep. If you dont feel comfortable in a pool, then dont move forward with the dive. Coki Beach on STT has a simple beach entry site with great instructors. I think the beach entry is a good introduction for beginners.

Connie, I'll bring an alternate viewpoint. I do think it's a great idea to try a dive resort course. I invested in lessons and was on my third certification dive before I hit my stopping point. If I'd tried a resort course first, I probably wouldn't have done lessons.

I digress. Here's what you can expect (I know because a friend traveling with us did a resort course): they'll teach you a few basics and get you to try them underwater. Just so you know, one of the skills they should have you practice is removal and retrieval of the mouthpiece. This didn't bother me, but it does bother some people. You will be asked to pull your regulator (air supply) out of your mouth, toss it (it's attached with a hose, but you kind of have to throw it), retrieve it, replace and clear.

You will also be asked to partially fill your mask with water and clear it. After the dive instructor thinks you are good, you'll actually get to do the fun part.

I thought diving was cool, but it wasn't for me. In the end, I had a big problem with removing my mask underwater. I would aspirate on the water and it was a big problem. My dive instructor at home should NOT have let me dive without mastering this skill, but he did and as a result I wasn't fully comfortable.

Which leads me to your husband. If he's really that scared, he won't be a good dive partner and you shouldn't dive with him. Partner with someone else, or the dive instructor. Diving is fun, and people treat is very cavalierly at times, but it's a serious sport with serious risks. Having a dive buddy you can trust is very important. See if the resort will let him try the skills in the pool first. He should be able to figure out how crippling his panic is before he gets in open water.

Best of luck. You should try it - I don't regret it, and I may return to it some day. I just feel very strongly that it's not a sport for everyone, and you cannot pressure someone into doing this sport if they are panicky. The risks can be high.

It really isn't that hard. I am addicted. I was just certified in May. If you have a good instructor that helps. All of mine have been great!
I have a similar situation as you. My husband is chicken.
Just relax and don't panic. If you love the water and aren't clausrophobic you will do fine.

I second Nannerz about the Discovery SCUBA coarse. Our local dive shop offers a try scuba thing once a month, and SO and I tried it last winter.

It was fun and the breathing part was really no big deal. My problem was stepping off of the grate in the pool and going down about a foot lower to touch the bottom (in the shallow end). I was fine once I got up the nerve to step off of the grate. I think it was more a fear of falling than anything.

I have had some people that are afraid of heights tell me that they get freaked out sometimes when they are diving. I think that was my issue.

I am glad I did the trial thing but still haven't decided if I want to take the plunge and go further. It wasn't expensive to try it, and I am so glad I tried it in a pool first.

If it's something a person really wants to do, then I'd invest the time to take a certification course at home before heading to the dive destination.

If there's something that you feel may be an issue, discuss it with the instructor up front and let them know that it's a concern and that you will need and want their help to work through it.

When Leslie (my wife) took her cert course she went to quit before the second day of pool work because she had been so uncomfortable and claustrophobic on the first one. Fortunately she had a good instructor - he told her that while she was well within her rights to quit, he didn't think that she should give up if she really wanted to dive, because even though she had some issues during her pool session, he noted that she worked through them in the water, and that told him that she could likely overcome them. He let her know that not everyone gets to the same level of comfort at the same time, and that he'd be willing to allow her as much time as she needed to do so.

And he did - all through her course, and even during her check out dives. And from watching him work with her, it helped me to learn how I could help manage her nervousness once she had her C-card and she no longer had Rich as a crutch.

Hundreds of dives later, she is incredibly happy that she didn't give up. And so am I!

Hull Bay seems to give 45 minutes of out of water instruction before taking you in the water for a shallow lesson, then they take you out on the boat for a 40 foot dive. I feel like I can handle that.

Also, some of you may know Sherri from the other forum. She is right now getting her certification and has offered to come with me on my first day. She's a great person who lives on STT and owns 2 villas. I feel comfortable with her.

I think I'm going to go down to Hull Bay and watch some others and see what's going on before I take the dive

I don't like the idea of getting certified back here at home. It's done in a cold pool and then a quarry, which I know I would NEVER do. Can't handle that cold water.

This will be interesting. My biggest fear was parasailing, I did that in Florida...I won't do it again, but at least I did it.

Thanks all for the information. Appreciate it.