That actually happened on my very first dive. My wife finned me in the face and almost knocked my mask off. I fortunately didn’t panic and straightened it and then cleared it.
A wealth of knowledge here guys, thanks. 
Getting certified is on the list.
I do think with gear past your base stuff try things out a bit and see what you like after a bit more experience and also what you might be doing like if you live in FL near springs your gear is going to be dif than say living in the NW and diving up in cold water vs living working in the Caribbean etc…
even in warm water diving daily I always wore a full suit usually a 3/2 in winter a 5/3 sometimes or 3/2 with vest having a quality wet suit is so much nicer than borrowing something also !!! being comfortable and warm on a dive is major IMHO 
not against any one thing but buying good gear is a expense and everyone has opinions like guns owning a M&P vs a Glock vs Sig is not just only one option kinda thing so I still say dont rush out and buy everything !!!
fins mask suit ! 1st
2nd is your regs
3rd is your BCD wings or whatever
basically dont be in a hurry as you learn and dive you will discover what you like and have a better idea of what you want to buy !!!
some of my dive instructor buds hate wings and some love them some use certain brand of regs vs others ? again try them out rent them etc…
chances are you might end up with both ? or just love one style
I dont like integrated weight systems as much as a belt or distribution setup like has been mentioned 
for one some weight on a belt allows you to trim yourself much better than all the weight in one area
getting in and out of certain areas is nice to take off a belt and hand it up etc…
for regs get the best dont skimp they will last for ever if taken care of short of replacing hoses and rebuilding so its a good long term investment and top end regs often breathe so much nicer than cheaper ones !!!
I used to get custom mouth pieces just the warm in water types which are nice and not the strange long ones I had seen we used to get these nice shorter style ones ? when they are in your mouth daily and in some ways worth it ? but at first you might tend to chew your mouth piece remember its just has to sit in your mouth lightly you dont need to lock down on it to stay in that is a big thing beginners do is chew the tabs off
if you plan on doing diving around home a lot having your own tanks is nice if you plan on doing it on vacation no reason to own tanks
you dont need to pack lead or tanks
for night diving I like masks with black silicone sides vs clear which I like for the day ?
I swear by two lens ultra low profile masks and others like one piece glass ? again there is no right or wrong
I do think having two masks on a trip you like and fit is a good idea in case you break one etc…
when I was teaching full time I used what worked and held up to the rigors of daily use while many of us dive instructors can be sponsored none of the instructors I knew got overly bias on certain gear we were sponsored with but we tended to favor things for sure
all gear can fail so backup is key of course and being able to know you can get it serviced is important but maintaing it will keep failure down to a minimum like rebuilding your regs when needed not after something happens
tech diving multi tank stuff should be saved for another thread since its past beginner stuff of course
Your eustachian tubes are/can be flexible and when clearing/equalizing the more flexible the easier it is. If you do not dive all the time the eustachian tubes can be stiff and cause problems clearing and equalizing for a few days… so if you start practicing “softly” clearing a couple of times a day (just a few minutes is all) for a couple of weeks before diving the eustachian tubes will be very flexible and your first couple of days diving will be more comfortable.
Well, pool dives done. Was a lot of fun. It took a few minutes to get a handle on my buoyancy. I was thinking slow and deep, only I was breathing way too deep to maintain position in the water. I was up and down quite a bit. I finally realized that if I took shallower breaths I could maintain my position far easier and had my buoyancy down well before the “buddha” exercise. My friend was having a bit more trouble and was up and down 3 meters at a time before he finally settled down a bit and sort of stabilized.
I’m definitely going to do Advanced right after this, and the instructor agreed that as long as I don’t royally screw the pooch tomorrow I shouldn’t have any problems. He said I did far better than most of his students so that was nice, although I definitely think I can do a lot better than today. After seeing how easily the instructor was maintaining body position I decided I’ve gotta do Peak Performance Buoyancy.
I was sucking air way too fast. We started the day at 200, and I was down to just over 50 by the end of all the exercises. I’m sure part of that was free-flowing regulator exercise and the amount I was dicking with my buoyancy at the start, but I was concerned at the end of the day. I think it was in large part due to my breathing at the beginning of class and hopefully tomorrow I will be consuming far less. I should have checked how much air the instructor used by I forgot about it until after we had taken everything off.
I’m excited, this is probably going to get expensive. Next on the list is skydiving, although not in the same day. Although I can get all the scuba gear I need for less than the cost of a new container so I think it’ll take a while before I go full bore into jumping out of airplanes too.
One thing I wasn’t too keen on was a lack of stability with my BCD. It seemed like, even in a currentless pool, one side of my BCD was more buoyant than the other and I would list to my left. Weights were evenly distributed and I don’t think I’m fatter on one side than the other.
Overall even in a pool it was a blast and I’m stoked to hit the water tomorrow.
Your buoyancy will get better plus once you are actually diving and down around 30 feet its easier
Since most pressure change is in that last 10 feet or so buoyancy is actually tougher so sounds like your doing well
Some bcs dont do well with air and often take a few moments to move around inside
Biggest thing what ever way your head goes is which way you will go underwater
If you have sinus problems or allergies, get a scrip for Flonase.
There is nothing worse than not being able to clear your ears.
I haven’t been into diving for awhile, it sucks being a diver in a land locked state. We mud divers are a tuff bunch.
I’ve been through several complete outfits and found myself going for stronger and more heavy duty gear. I don’t know if any of this gear is outdated today or not but here is some of my favs.
Zeagle Tech BC,
Streamlined, D rings, good balance and love the split saddle strap, really anchors the BC.
Poseidon Cyklon reg,
Strong reliable, easy breathing, cold water performance. I could not out breathe this reg not matter how hard I was working or tried to.
Mask,
I was very hard to fit for a mask and I see their styles have changed since I’ve been out of the water but the only two that have ever worked for me were Oceanic and Mares.
The best advice I can give is get to the point where you are comfortable in the water. I was not the strongest swimmer but I was very, very comfortable and relaxed in the water. More so than any dive partner I ever had. When you become comfortable you will become more confident and your breathing will improve. Of course your bottom time will depend a great deal on your depth but I went from an average of 30 minutes per tank to one hour and fifteen to an hour and a half per tank.
There has been a lot of good advice here, read it, understand it, and keep an open mind. Continue to learn with each dive. Like driving a car, never violate the rules and you will be a much safer diver. Diving often changes people’s lives, enjoy and good luck.
My advice is to stay calm and carry something metal that you can bang on your tank to get attention. There are very few RIGHT F-ING NOW type problems under water as long as you have the right knowledge and set yourself up for success in the manner that any reputable NAUI/PADI course will teach you(I prefer NAUI though.)
My dive buddy had some capillaries blow in his nose about at about 80ft. Looked like he was having trouble getting equalized on our way down and I was actually looking at him when it happened. Looked like a shotgun blast hit him inside of his mask. He cleared it, gave me the OK and signaled to go up. We reached the surface a few minutes later, all was fine. He took the rest of the day off and was diving the next day and has for years since.
The point is that you will almost always have time to take a breath(or hold your breath in the event of a serious problem…unless you’re going up that is,) and address the problem.
We did start diving with the little noisemakers that you can pop against your tank for attention after that though. It’s easy to get focused on the fish/coral/wreck/whatever and not check in on your dive buddy…something to grab his attention is a must in my book.
one thing about taking meds is reverse block !!!
so if you are blocked up really know what you are getting into cause I have seen some reverse blocks where people come up with a mask full of blood and screaming in agony !!!
if you are sick skip it IMHO
also partial pressures can change some meds
for fun making noise underwater tank is good
I used to take my one hand make a open fist and smack the other hand down on it palm open makes a pretty darn loud sound !
our reasons were places like Molokini and popular dive spots to much tank banging ahhahh so ya got to make something unique !
for fun learn to blow bubble rings a bit later on very cool get two going and they kinda rotate around each other !
Good gouge. If you can’t clear, don’t dive. Sinus prob? Don’t dive. Afrin is good stuff, just use it by direction (twice a day no more than 3 days). I have been diving civvy and mil since the late-80s and I still use it before almost every dive.
I don’t give a shit how sexist this sounds so…
If you are diving with a woman, carry a slate with you. This will do two things: provide clear communication when hand signals go to shit and calm her down by focusing on communicating rather than the “problem”.
More gear advice:
Rather than bringing an extra mask strap (because silicon tears easily), buy one of these mask straps which is virtually indestructible. These are also awesome for the ladies since hair doesn’t get tangled in these like on the stock silicon mask straps.
SMB (Signal Marker Buoys) and Lift Bags:
SMB’s are awesome safety devices. They can be seen from long distances, act as a lift bag, and act as another means of flotation should your BC rupture. I take an 8ft. SMB with me when ever I go into the ocean.
Lift Bagsare also great. I use these for all freshwater diving. They also act like a signal, they can also be used as a secondary flotation device if your BC fails, but they can also lift treasure (or trash) off the bottom.
With either, you need a good quality finger spool and line, attached to your gear with a double-ender snaplink.
One rule of thumb, whatever size spool you buy, strip off 20’. This will keep a tangled mess from happening when the wet line stretches. There are tons of youtube vids showing how to set up a SMB/Reel and also how to stow, attach, and deploy them.
Others have mentioned a spare mask. When I go into the ocean, limited vis (also night dives), and with diver’s I don’t know I always carry a spare mask. I carry one that fits both me and my wife.
I carry it in a Dive Rite Thigh Pocket. A mask and a slate fit perfectly an this pocket doesn’t shift thanks to the rubberized ribs on the elastic. You can also research “Tech Shorts” which are neoprene shorts with cargo pockets that slide over your wetsuit. XS Scuba makes a nice pair. Or you can buy a pocket to glue on to your current wetsuit (very popular option due to no straps or hardware).
As far as computers go, I started with an air-integrated computer. These attache via HP hose to your first stage. The problem is that if it goes tits-up, you cannot trust any of the info it’s giving you especially your remaining air. I never had a problem with my Aeris Atmos AI, but I ditched it before I did.
I’ve gone to a mechanical SPG and a wrist computer. I have both the Aeris Epic and a Uwatec Aladin 2G. The Epic is nice because it’s the size of a normal digital watch but I have flooded it. The seal cap is not as robust as I think it should be; it’s hard to tell if you sealed it back up properly. The Uwatec Aladin is awesome. It’s bulky-er but easier to read underwater and I also like the setup better.
Keep in mind:
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Wireless tank transmitters are a waste of money and require another battery.
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If you are going on a trip, take a spare battery for your computer. You wont find a battery on any Caribbean island.
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Tether your wrist computer via a secondary method besides the typical strap buckle it comes with. These can come loose. I prefer to use 1/8" shock cord. If your buckle comes loose, the shock cord keeps it from falling into the abyss.
Here’s mine:
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Some companies make a tech-style bungee cord mount for specific computers and compasses. These are much smarter than the stock straps. You custom fit your own size with bungee cord secured by overhand knots. Even if one size somehow managed to be severed, your expensive computer is still held on by another bungee cord.
The wife and her Zoop:
My Suunto Compass mount:
*If you are diving in saltwater, do not use hose covers or hose “strain relief” gizmos. These cover your fittings retaining the corrosive salt water, making it harder to visually inspect your gear. These are a bad idea no matter how you look at it. If you are worried about hose issues, get a Miflex hose (for LP only, Miflex HP hoses have had a high failure rate).
If you carry an inflatable dive flag, get a BC Air Nozzle connecter. These will save your lungs.
If your BC has two cam buckle straps, do yourself a favor and make sure at least one of the cam buckles is stainless steel. I don’t travel without two SS cam buckle straps. You can get away with one, but you can save the day when someone cracks their shitty plastic buckle.
Wear your Octo on a regulator necklace. These are awesome because you can get to your safe-second
without using your hands. You can roll or invert to get the the mouth piece in. Get the smaller one so your reg is right under your chin.
Relax your jaw and dive in comfort with a custom-fitted mouthpiece. These mold in boiling water just like the ones you used playing football.
Don’t be a Dutch Bastard: Tip your dive leaders, they don’t get paid well otherwise.
the pay thing is correct
I made $75 a day base and tips and that was considered high pay
when I worked on Lanai though I made $120 base and tips which was great
but I also had my money from photography and previous business so life was pretty good as a dive guy for me
I can say after teaching thousands of folks woman are easier to teach cause they listen better and don’t have this I know whats going on attitude ! and of those that freaked out underwater on intro or OW classes I don’t think I ever had a girl freak out but had lots of guys freak out !!!
woman might have a issue but they usually surface and ask how to solve it
I do like slates ! actually what I used to love was this cool multi page thing I got from a Japanese guy one time who said they were common over their as a thanks for the class
I could have pre made out things to say on dif pages ! and packed super small
one other cool tip you can do if you get your breathing under control is put your regulator up to the other persons head and then talk but try to do it without breathing out the bone transfer method you will hear them talk but if to many bubbles come out hard to understand !
or learn sign language
kinda do one word at a time ! its pretty cool when you can pull it off
or dive with some kinda full face and coms !!! that is fun
also scooters are fun to have on a dive
First 2 dives done, I hope people are enjoying this thread at least a little bit.
Thanks for the gear recommendations Dave L. First on the list is mask (with slapstrap for sure) and fins and booties and a wrist slate. I figure I can easily travel with those as they’re all small and/or flat.
I think I’m going to end up getting the Suunto Vyper since a couple co-workers have the same and they can help with any learning curve. I had also considered the Mares Matrix but the instructor recommended the Suunto as well, but that’ll be a few dives down the road in any case.
Those shorts look like a great idea and I think I’d like carrying an SMB and reel in one of those rather than on my BCD. I’m finding a BCD kind of annoying as is, I don’t want it any bulkier than it already is. Any thoughts on using a snap shackle as opposed to a double-ended clip for stuff like the reel and SMB? I know it’s an entirely different environment, but coming from working at heights, I’ve seen those clips fail in the dumbest of ways, and having a rigging drawer full of Wichard rigging gear, I feel like a small snap shackle would be more secure (I don’t want to lose anything, ever) and of course dummy-corded until used. My friends have a Halcyon but I really can’t see spending $300 on an SMB when the one you linked seems to be very similar.
Going further with the bungee cord stuff, has anyone tried sewing one of the plastic bungee panels into a top of hand mount like for underwater lights or the LBT GPS hand mount? Maybe a skydiving altimeter strap is a better descriptor? It seems like it might be easier to use than the grab the elbow thing. I only ask because a friend of mine kept screwing up her nav stuff because she couldn’t keep the lubber line correctly oriented because of the way her arms naturally position with the technique they taught. Regardless it’s down the line a little bit.
The shop is run by a bunch of Bavarian dive hippes and some locals and they keep hinting that beers would be the best tip so I figure tomorrow I’m gonna show up with a case of Aguilas instead of cash.
Now that my gear thoughts are out there for you to correct me, onto the 2 dives!
First dive was entry into water without gear. BCD and weight belt went on in the water, pretty easy stuff, especially with the added buoyancy of the salt water. It took me by surprise a little bit. One thing that was far more enjoyable was that I was damn near neutrally buoyant at 9m with zero air in my BCD. Doing the fin tip exercise required nothing added to my BCD. Visibility was 8ish meters. Not great but easy to see my buddy and the instructor. We did the usual regulator/snorkel swap, buddy breathe exercise, basically all the stuff we did in the pool the day before only in salt water and most of it was at the bottom. Got in the water at about 175, up and safety stop at 50 with about 45 minutes in the water.
Surface interval’d on the beach, had a sandwich, enjoyed the break. Had about an hour total surface interval, with what we were doing there was no way we were running out of bottom time on either of the dives.
Second was very much of the same, more exercises, more work personally on trying to maintain my buoyancy. Both safety stops I had a little more difficulty maintaining position than I did yesterday in the pool. I royally blew the ascent from the safety stop. I completely forgot about 18m per minute and just swam on up. As soon as I broke the surface I was kicking myself in the ass, I definitely should have remembered but by then my mask was completely fogged and really starting to leak and I just spaced. Not good at all. I think if I had my own, better-fitting mask I would have had more fun. I was clearing my mask pretty regularly on both dives and it was definitely a distraction. Bottom time was around 40 minutes. We started dive 2 with me pushing my dive buddy in the tired dive exercise so when we first started I was sucking a little more air than the previous dive. I figure that contributed. The instructor was very happy though, he figured I’d get about half an hour out of the tank, “you have big lungs, you surprised me.” Of course my dive buddy was a trapeze artist and generally in fantastic shape and she ended up with about 60 bar left so I wasn’t too disappointed with my air consumption. It can only get better from here.
Overall, aside from the screw up on the ascent from the safety stop, I’m very happy with how I did. It was a ton of fun, got to see a stonefish, a couple jellyfish, some morays, and various others. A BIG ASS puffer fish (like 18" long). Stupid puffy fish, never do anything cool. And it’s not like you can poke them and make them do something…dickheads.
I would not go over gear crazy at first
And not get to much clutter on you
Unless you are doing penetration dives in wrecks or unmarked caves that need specialized gear keep it simple
As far as nav goes many also tend to drift to the opposite side of their strong leg !
Having done some pretty intense wreck stuff in micronesia and places where they are true wrecks full of dangers less things to snag the better and compas nav work even diving in ultra low viz cold water thats something that can be done better later
I dont like the one arm out squared off if that is what they were doing ? Prefer the more triangle your arms in front close in tight thing or using a nav board if you want to be super accurate
Not saying dont learn basics but its like shooting one thing at a time
As far as lights you can look into what wreck divers and cave divers use lots of great options and setups but just to bring back color and do some night stuff in the future which are awesome fun as you should do in the adv class ! Quality good light not overkill
Most of all sounds like you are having fun and that is what counts
Hell yes I’m enjoying it as it is a metric ton of solid info. SCUBA is somthing that I really would like to get into (time/money pending).
That’s what I’m trying to avoid. I noticed the instructors SMB pouch was just clipped off and hanging, it seemed inefficient, not to mention a drag hazard to coral. He was skilled enough to keep it from banging into stuff, but I know I’m not there yet, and want to avoid it at all costs. I would think putting it and a reel in a pair of those shorts would be great, and definitely keep my BCD from getting even bulkier. He mentioned that one-way boat dives it was super important to always throw up your sausage so I figure I should look into getting my own eventually.
I’m doing the nitrox so at some point I will need a computer. Although I’m going to go as long without one as I can.
After the second dive being super annoyed with my mask, I will definitely be purchasing my own. My desire for booties is that it bugs me knowing someone’s nasty fungus feet may have been in them right before me. It’s already a pain in the ass enough trying to keep from getting athlete’s foot from work, the last think I want is some bacterial breeding ground chilling on my feet any more than I have to.
I figure everything else I can easily rent. I don’t want to be the asshole that looks like the diver version of the internet commando, but I don’t want to forego any safety gear unless it really is unnecessary, and the instructor seemed to think an SMB was very necessary, at least here in Taganga. The shorts would just be a way to carry it and a reel off my BCD.
Honestly if I could dive without a BCD I think I would do it.
Some smb that are small and compact would be a good idea depending where you are and what boats you are on and one of those cheap things that could be handy
Especially some boats that are lower that might not have as good site line like we used in the caribbean
Kinda like insurance to be picked up
If you dive warm water foot pocket fins are way more comfy to use than booty style IMHO
When you look at masks sure you heard put it up to your face and lightly breathe in see if it holds a seal
Often to tight a mask makes it leak more than to loose ! Again light pressure just enough to hold it next to your face water pressure does the rest
Get as many dives as ya can in and try some wings and other setups though before buying
Anyone taking pics ?
Also as someone who taught for 15 years instructors also tend to have their own setup ideas and they can get beat up pretty quick and we tend to get kinda used to whatever in the water since its a daily thing
Finding a good tech instructor and taking a course in that will also expose you to some other thoughts and ideas
Since I was a wreck guy more than a cave guy I always said to my students try to learn something from me then another person for a dif way of looking at things
i would like to take a shooting course from both LV and Chris Costa
So I could learn tips from both of them
Same thing with dive guys
I learned cave/wreck stuff from Harry Averill back in the day who was one of the pioneer dive guys for caving
Took my instructor from Alex brylske himself so also trying to find good instructors is worth it
Been lucky enough to teach quite a few folks myself about the coolest guy was Gene Hackman for the movie “The Firm”
Henry Winkler back in the day and got to laugh he was a great guy and when we did the hand signals for up and down he had the thumbs up nailed hahahah
On the clip thing with the smb might look strange but can see it being good
Most of my stuff was clipped on properly and it works easy on easy off easy to share etc…
No lanyards no cords just clips and rings