Learning to dive and becoming a novice diver are exciting times. You are learning and gaining new skills and experiences. However, often, being a novice can be a bumpy ride. So what are the most common problems facing novice divers? Being comfortable with the gear, issues with their mask and regulator, or difficulties adjusting to new underwater accessories and equipment like waterproof iPhone cases, the list is endless. So here are some of the most common problems novice divers face, and more importantly, how they can fix them effectively and fast!
Mask And Regulator Issues
If you ask a hundred novice divers what their main issues are with diving, the majority will reply that they have mask or regulator issues. Most problems revolve around inhaling water when they have a little in the mask or when removing and replacing their regulator. The critical issue here is insufficient airway control.
When it comes to scuba mask problems, many people have a habit of inhaling simultaneously through their mouth and nose. Obviously, If your nose is in a partially flooded mask, things won't go too well. Breathing exercises, similar to those practiced in Yoga, are a great way to control your airways. Practicing on land with no scuba gear, slowly breathing in through your mouth and exhaling through your mouth, lets you develop control.
A great tool to use to gauge your efforts is putting your scuba mask on while doing this. If you breathe in through your nose, you will feel your mask press onto your face as you create a vacuum. Alternatively, if you feel the mask slightly pushing off your face when you exhale, you know you are breathing out through your nose. Remember, you should always fully control your body and airways when scuba diving.
Dealing with regulator problems is easier than the technique needed for mask control. First, when you replace the regulator in your mouth, breathe slowly and softly (see air consumption section). If some water is still in the regulator, and you inhale sharply, you will suck the water into your lungs. On the other hand, by breathing slowly, you will feel the water enter your mouth and can stop before inhaling it.
Another great option is to place the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth when inhaling. This creates a physical barrier when you inhale; air can pass around your tongue, while water droplets hit your tongue, saving you from inhaling them. If you want to know how good your airway control can get? The answer is very! An old trick taught to technical and military divers what to breathe from a tank with no regulator at all!
Buoyancy problems
Developing good buoyancy is another major problem faced by novice divers, and often things seem to be difficult no matter what they try. While most have figured out the basics on their open water course, putting it into practice all the time on every dive is tricky. Unfortunately, there is no easy trick to improve your buoyancy since it is a skill like a hill start when driving a car-assuming you are driving a manual with no hill assist.
Excellent buoyancy is developing the touch or feel for what it is like to be neutrally buoyant. It takes time and lots of practice. While lots of small tips help, like mastering your trim and developing good fining technique, you need “time in the water” to perfect your buoyancy.
Taking up an advanced buoyancy course is worthwhile if you struggle with buoyancy after a few dives. Receiving instruction and spending a few dives solely focusing on buoyancy produces excellent results. Experimenting and playing games is a great way to rapidly improve your buoyancy in a few dives.
Fatigue and Tiredness
When you start diving, it is not uncommon to develop fatigue and tiredness. After all, diving is a physical activity, and you may use your muscles in a way they are not normally used. Take, for instance, developing your frog-kicking technique. There is no land activity where you use your legs in that way. Unsurprisingly after a while, your calves may ache a little, and even your thighs may become a little sore. In situations like this, you need to switch to a technique that puts less pressure on your body and give it a break.
Even diving itself can put your body under stress. As you move forward, lying flat in the water can put pressure on your lower back. Your weight belt and scuba cylinder do not help this. Having a strong back and core goes some way to avoiding this particular issue. When it comes to fatigue and tiredness, ensuring you have an excellent level of basic fitness for diving is the first step. In fact, the fitter and stronger you are, the less problem you will have in the first place. Also, a little practice and experience will soon build up and strengthen the muscles you are using, making your dives effortless and relaxing!
Equipment Task Loading
Equipment task loading is a common pitfall most divers can fall into, especially novice divers. While you are still mastering the basics and building up general diving experience, throwing yourself a curve ball and introducing a new BCD, Dive Computer, and underwater iPhone housing can lead to problems.
While you can take each one independently and have a fun, safe dive, taking all three is biting off a little more than you can chew. This is doubly true if you are still perfecting and ironing out other technical issues with your diving, like buoyancy or mask and regulator comfort.
The key to success here is small bite-size morsels of experience. If you have a new BCD, use it for a few dives before adding more equipment. Take your time to get comfortable and competent with every piece of kit before you add another one. That way, you manage your learning curve as a novice diver and always set yourself up for success!
Excessive Gas Consumption
One of the biggest bugbears novice divers have is excessive gas consumption. Many divers get frustrated because they are burning through their air supply especially compared to other divers and instructors. While several factors affect your air consumption, you need to have realistic expectations of your achievable levels.
Physical size is a huge factor in determining air consumption. A 200lbs, 6-foot male diving instructor will almost always consume more air than a 120lbs, 5’2” female diving instructor with similar experience. It is a matter of simple biology. 80lbs of additional human tissue matter need to be supplied with oxygen and flushed off carbon dioxide. When judging your air consumption expectations, compare yourself to someone of similar size and experience. Otherwise, you may end up with wildly unrealistic expectations.
Improving your air consumption on a dive is a function of two things. First, improve your buoyancy since the better your buoyancy, the less adjustment you make, and the less air you waste making changes. Secondly, your breathing rate. You need to develop a slow relaxed breathing pattern. (Remember never to hold your breath and avoid skip breathing). Inhale slowly and deeply and exhale slowly and deeply while remaining relaxed.
To put a number on it on land, the average adult breathes between 12 to 20 breaths a minute! When scuba diving with practice, you can have a relaxed breathing rhythm of around 4 to 5 breaths per minute. Developing this rate will show a vast improvement in your air consumption.
Your Own Kit is A Shortcut
The easiest step to quickly become comfortable in the water is buying your own gear, from a mask and snorkel to a BCD and waterproof iPhone case. Every piece of equipment you own and use repeatedly increases your comfort and muscle memory using your gear. With time you instinctively know where to reach to find a BCD toggle or hose to inflate and deflate. You get used to and comfortable with your mask and how it fits.
Once you have your own kit, it is only a matter of time before you find yourself absent-mindedly reaching without looking or even thinking much to make a minor adjustment or clear your mask from a small amount of water that has seeped in.
Developing this level of comfort in rental gear is virtually impossible. This is due to minor differences that mean inflators, toggles, and masks all fit slightly differently. Therefore, developing the automated muscle memory of reaching for a spot on your body and being guaranteed to find what you are looking for is very difficult. Arguably starting to buy your own gear is some of the best steps a novice diver can take.
