Are you a natural???

Pinkpadigal · Post by **Pinkpadigal** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 7:33 am

I am watching OW students in the pool last night, a thought occured to me. There are a few people in the class that are natural divers; they take to the water like they were born in it. Then there are people who love it, yet have to work at it. And, there is one woman who is convinced that diving is not her thing.

All of us dive and are in this club because we love to dive. I love to dive too and it is my passion but I work at being good every time I get into the water. Diving did not come easy for me. That was part of the reason I became an instructor so I could get good. So...out of curiousity, which group do you fall into?

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:24 am

I had to work at it too, in the beginning. I was fairly comfortable in the water, but not with the gear, body image issues etc. I loved it, but I was definitely not a "natural." I took class after class after class so I could become more comfortable and be around experienced folks in the process. But, I also find that having been thro that I have a bit more empathy with students and can use that experience to help out others.

I guess whatever road is taken is all good.

-Valerie

lurch · Post by **lurch** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:57 am

The way my instructor and other (far more experienced) dive buddies treat me makes me think they consider me a natural. Or at least "not completely inept".

Personally I take it as a compliment.

Seaslave · Post by **Seaslave** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 2:56 pm

Natural, definately natural. I'm a big guy and definately not sure footed or gracefull on land. But when I get in the water, it's like I belong. All my clumsiness disappears and I'm fast and gracefull and comfortable, nothing else matters. I have always been that way, even before I dove. I've always been a swimmer for fun and competetively. In school I struggled to run a mile but when I got in the pool I could out swim anyone. If I could I'd never get out of the water. When I put dive gear on for the first time and dropped to the bottom of the pool I was in heaven. My instructor asked several times if I was sure I had never done this before. Sounds kinda sappy, but when I dive, I'm home....

Mathue

dsteding · Post by **dsteding** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:05 pm

Definitely not a natural. Ask my dive buddies . . .

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:21 pm

A natural? hmmm.... interesting question...

I've been in the water since I was a kid, loved snorkeling, dreamed of scuba, never did it till I was a geezer... love the water!

An athlete? Definitely not, and that is what I think of when I think of a "natural".

Cold water scuba takes some getting used to for anyone IMHO. Claustrophobia, weight, cold, dark, etc. etc. are not anyone's favorite conditions for being in the water, let alone under the water.

Some of us deal with and even thrive in those conditions easier than others. Obviously the stronger and more athletic have an advantage. But that being said, many of the best divers I know are not people that would be chosen in a pickup basketball game! :rr:

But those that are willing to work through the tough conditions to the joy that is PNW diving, and work on their skills over and over, can become great divers... naturals or not!

Pringster · Post by **Pringster** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 12:49 pm

That's a good question, Amy. I've been swimming since I was a youngster, so I'd say I'm pretty comfortable in the water. However, I couldn't qualify myself like Seaslave as diving didn't come natural for me in some respects, so I envy him! I don't have issues with crappy vis or claustrophobia, but I know there are other things I need to work at that don't come easy for me. Since I started a little later in life, this could have some bearing on it. I find myself to be more conservative and try to be careful and dive within my abilities, so that' one good thing. I very much enjoy diving with others with more experience as I try to glean from their behavior and dive habits. But that's like anything else, if we golf with better golfers, it tends to improve your own level of play. However, I haven't golfed since I've taken up diving, so if anyone wants to play 18 with me, ya better be alert and be prepared to duck!!!

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 2:45 pm

Fore!!!

I too have seriously decreased my golfing frequency since beginning to dive.

Pinkpadigal · Post by **Pinkpadigal** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:11 pm

My golf game was bad BEFORE I started diving. I can't even remember the last time I have been to the driving range

Diver_C · Post by **Diver_C** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 8:41 pm

Natural. I find it a bummer it took so long to start though.

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 9:17 pm

The only thing I'm a natural at is eating ... everything else I have to work at.

With diving, nothing came easy ... it was aggravating to watch my dive buddies easily mastering skills that I had to put real effort into. On the other hand, I've never been able to stay interested in things that came too easily ... so having to work hard to get the skills helps motivate me to get out there and dive often ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Sergeant Pepper · Post by **Sergeant Pepper** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:17 pm

Natural, my younger years were as a competitive swimmer, but with the caveat that I maintain full respectful for the situation I am in, whether that be a day dive with great visibility to 40', or a night dive with "holding hands with your partner vis" to 100'.

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:51 am

I feel very comfortable as a diver. Perhaps a "natural," but have had to practice skills... and continue to practice. I consider myself very fortunate to have found such an enjoyable activity to add to my life.

runamonk · Post by **runamonk** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:52 am

Hell no I'm not. I have to fight tooth and nail to not look like a convulsing idiot under the water. It's been a long hard road hehe. My wife and my best friend are both "Naturals" when it comes to diving though. So they get alot of enjoyment out of me.

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:54 am

I certainly was NOT a natural when I did my first backward-roll off a boat... I had all the grace of a beached whale!

runamonk · Post by **runamonk** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:54 am

Grateful Diver wrote:The only thing I'm a natural at is eating ... everything else I have to work at.

With diving, nothing came easy ... it was aggravating to watch my dive buddies easily mastering skills that I had to put real effort into. On the other hand, I've never been able to stay interested in things that came too easily ... so having to work hard to get the skills helps motivate me to get out there and dive often ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Amen Bob! It's frustrating to watch friends sometimes.

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:34 am

Not a natural. I've always been atheletic even though I've slowed down in recent years so it was indeed frustrating. Since I was a kid I've done lots of watersports and do a lot of swimming still so I was comfortable in the water. My biggest problem, like many others, was buoyancy control. Who knew I was extremely buoyant? I had a very hard time figuring out the weight distribution. It was a struggle. But, like others, I had good mentors and I watched and learned from those more experienced. Still do that.

GillyWeed · Post by **GillyWeed** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 10:07 am

I think I was a natural. I am NOT athletic but I have always been a good swimmer and felt comfortable in the water. I took to breathing underwater very easy and no stress at all. The only things I think I wasn't a natural at was walking on land with all the gear. I felt (and still do sometimes) like a turtle trying to walk on two legs. But once in the water I felt graceful and comfortable. I probably wasn't as good as I was imagining in my own head (bouyancy) but I felt extremely comfortable and at ease from the get go...

BASSMAN · Post by **BASSMAN** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:39 pm

NATURAL as far as being in Water, Yes!
As far as Learning bouyancy and Air consumption or the Conservation of air for better bottom time? No!

I'm at nearly 100 dives and I'm still working at it. I have seen a big improvement since about dive # 80 (not sure why).

I have learned all of the tricks, its just going to take more diving to get them down.

Being comfortable
Breathing full, slow breaths
Using my internal BC (Lungs) for a controlled, neutral bouyency.

All of this stuff has not come Natural for me. It is a fine tuned skill I plan to master one day. Or at least keep getting better, with each dive.

BbbleMkr · Post by **BbbleMkr** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:10 pm

Is there some third category? I don't know if there is a way to describe the lightswitch effect that happened after about 150 dives (I really don't count anymore. How many times have you run 5 miles, eaten at El Gaucho's or picked wildflowers?)

When I first got in, it was beautiful and awe inspiring. I remember kneeling down (yeah, I know...but it was my 10th dive or so, so take it easy on me) in front of a GPO wondering if I could take my regulator out and have it adopt me so I could live with it forever. (Or for the next year until it died, but I didn't know of their short life spans then.) Yet, as much as I loved being underwater, I was scared of drowning and of making stupid mistakes that would kill myself and my dive partner. I was an ungainly bottom-hugger who left huge silt outs behind me for any unfortunate divers who followed. And diving was flat out uncomfortable sometimes. Panic was my close buddy below 40fsw. Once, I had an "attack" at 44fsw that left me shaken for the next 10 dives. I worked through it and never put anyone at risk, but overall I was an unaware diver.

One day, and I remember it vividly, the water closed over my head as I descended and instead of fighting, I relaxed and invited it. On that dive, my body seemed to glide rather than chug. I was able to float above the ground and hold a hover. Moving became more automatic and less a juggling death match with my BCD and the ground. Once that was taken care of, I was able to pay attention to other things; the environment, navigation and other divers. Like Sounder, every dive for me is still working on skills and I can certainly have an "off" day, but now it feels like the water is where I'm supposed to be.

It just took some time to get there.

Tangfish · Post by **Tangfish** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:51 pm

I've had a lifelong aversion of the water, and more specifically, the ocean. This was due to the fact that my first memory in life was drowning in the pool in the backyard. That's why I found it very surprising that I took to diving the way I did. I realized that it wasn't the ocean I didn't like, it was being on the surface (waves, seasickness, etc.). Once I discovered the underwater world I took to it very easily and quickly. The gear, preparation and safety considerations came rather easily from backcountry skiing. The pressure calculations, etc. were easy due to my background in science. Inorganic chem was a favorite so gas laws and such were a breeze to remember. The only thing I had to 'work' at was my air consumption, which was very poor up until about 50 or so dives and it literally 'clicked' after that. Now I feel more at home in the water than on my own two feet

Dmitchell · Post by **Dmitchell** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 1:57 pm

No doubt about it Natural. Diving has always been easy for me. It think learning to dive at 17 was a big part of it.

My dad and brother are the same way.

Dave

Neutral Buoyancy · Post by **Neutral Buoyancy** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:10 am

Natural. Yeah I think I'm pretty confident with that answer. I grew up in Arizona. My parents have had a house with a pool since I was in the first grade. My friends all had pools. We swam for hours on end, all summer long. Played a lot of "Marco Polo". I never really learned to do the traditional swimming "strokes" very well. I never really tried. I always wanted to be under the water. Sometimes I would just lay there on the bottom for as long as I could hold my breath which I couldn't do unless I vented about 1/2 of the air in my lungs. I remember my friend and I would get into a "cannon ball" pose, holding our breath, at the surface and float. Then we would exhale a little and sink. So doing the buoyancy drills came real easy to me. (Makes me wonder how many feet I would have to decend in a pool with a full breath to be neutral. I'll have to try that sometime.) I remember reading about the "frogkick" and thinking I used to do that all the time as a kid.

When I did my open water certification Eric, my brother-in-law/dive buddy, said I was like a fish. Shortly afterward, looking back, I realized I may have been too comfortable. I remember sometimes being as much as 20 feet away from him. Oh I should mention this was in the caribbean and the vis was like 80 feet. Not like that is any excuse. I would never get that far away from my buddy now, much less in low vis. That would have been a long swim if one of us needed to share air!

I also spent many years doing medieval reenactment

, much of it in armored combat

, and I did quite a bit of hiking, so walking around on the surface in scuba gear doesn't bother me much either.

What I'm not comfortable with is the cold. And right after our trip to Cancun/Cozumel, this Feburary

I'm going to be all over that drysuit course.

I'd also like to point out that being comfortable/feeling natural is still no replacement for experience/knowledge

and I don't let the fact that I feel natural go to my head. At least not anymore.

girldiver · Post by **girldiver** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:07 pm

Not natural. Nothing natural about it. With the gear weighing almost as much as me...and the whole add air, subtract air...oops...up to the surface again! And what's with the 35 pound weightbelt removal on the surface when there's snow falling and my fingers are frozen.

If it wasn't for the fact that I had already paid for my Advanced class, I'd have never dove again. Discovered the draw to diving on dive 5 (luckily!!) but the gear issues...consistent on every dive until #40.

Now...well, I've been noticing some odd formations on my neck. I may be spending too much time beneath the water...

runamonk · Post by **runamonk** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 5:41 pm

I was a natural silter, does that count? ; )

Northwest Dive Club

Are you a natural???

Are you a natural???

Weird Hybrid

Nooo...