I cannot believe....

[John N]

My advice is - go abroad and dive in nice warm blue water as soon as possible after your course.
It will really build your enthusiasm for diving which might take a bit of a bashing by learning in relatively poor conditions.

Drysuit - you will get your legs squeezed if you are vertical on the surface or underwater. Try not to be vertical too much.

[jamesp]

Capenwray used to do a damn good steak butty, and the hot chocolate was not bad either.
Stay warm between the dives.
Any fool can be cold and wet, it takes a bit of nouse to keep warm.
regardless of what the water is like, you will be spending more of the day out of it, make sure you have warm, dry gear for after the dives. It will give you something to look forward to during the dive.
my 1st dive was Vivian quarry, 3C water and a 7mm semi. I envy you starting with a drysuit, sensible move though!

[Keith Whittaker]

When i did my AOW @ Vobster Quay in feb '04, water temp was 3 degrees and the air was colder. I was in a 5mm w/s and suffered the incredulous stares of evryone else there. On recommendation of my inst i spent the out of water interval stood under the hot shower b4 going back in.
BIG MISTAKE!!!
Although i survived the dive, i spent the next 2 days with my body temperature yo-yoing up and down and was as sick as a dog!!!

If you are in a d/s , try pumping your suit with lots of air once you get out of the water and put a nice warm hat on. A warm drink, eat some chocolate or mint cake and try to stay out of the wind. ( difficult that bit, as your inst will be hogging the only sheltered bit within 30 miles )
Other than that. Enjoy yourself and Good luck

[GlenT]

normaly, because of my noobness i wouldn't post, but i did my OW only 3 weeks ago. It was in dosthill wich i think is warm for a quarry (im told) and 3 weeks ago to.it felt colder than i've ever been in my life (at the time) im sure..or felt so at my new abyss like depth at 17.3 m.

While our instructor put us through our tests one at a time from a platform at about 8m we waited.. ..sitting on your knees waiting was cold.....then the dms keeping an eye on the rest of us had us do underwater "jigs" to keep warm while we were waiting for our go at ascents and clears and the like. then we played scissors/paper/stone a bit ....new to me too..and it works honest. It also just takes your mind off the cold.

2nd day (trusted to move by now..)) mini swims around the platform to keep warm and investigation of a nearby old car with a pike living in the back seat ..only 3m right an 1m down but never saw it on day 1. never noticed the cold that dive and it was colder than the the day before. and 2nd day i also remembered to pop some air into my suit when it crunched..i was the only one who kept forgetting and got accused of enjoying it.

Oh ..and expect cramps..i had em before ..but these came on super quick ..unused muscles/cold and all that.

..sounds like "my first dive" sorry

Glen

[markymark]

Goodluck I'm at the cape today!

[Hazel W]

tip for keeping warm ....take two pairs of gloves and two hoods ......the worst bit is putting you head into a wet cold hood on the second dive....

[NotDeadYet]

Tips for keeping warm... stay in bed, that's what I'm doing! A flask of something hot is a miracle cure as is some comfort food for between dives. I know it is probably wrong, but chocolate is brilliant! At the risk of sounding like your granny, a warm hat for between dives. There's not a lot you can do to re-warm when you are in and out of the water all the time, all you can do is minimise how much heat you are losing. Evaporation can be seriously cooling on the surface (usually worse in neoprene suits as they hold more water in their top layer) especially if it is windy too so a cheap waterproof over the top on the surface can help. At the end of the diving, get dry as soon as possible.

[LisaR]

I'm at Capers tomorrow come over & say Hi
Black RR Vogue, Reg ??? TUK

[Simon TW]

First, welcome to YD i hope that you learn and have fun here.

I hope all's well and warm. Your instructor should sort this, but if your suit is two tight and crushing you then the thermal properties of any undersuit will be reduced. Try a little more lead and a little more air in your suit.

Originally Posted by Keith Whittaker

On recommendation of my inst i spent the out of water interval stood under the hot shower b4 going back in.
BIG MISTAKE!!!

NEVER take a hot shower after diving, it greatly increases the risk of DCS (Decompression Sickness). When you finish the dive wrap up and go into the warm.

[Dangerous Dan]

I was diving out of Plymouth(1st dive Jenny Cliff Bay, 2nd dive South of the Breakwater just outside Fort Bovisand) on Friday and surfaced the first dive to find it was snowing.
Once we were on the boat wet gloves straight off and nice warm thermal gloves on, wet hood off and YD hat on.
The people that had forgotten their gloves were struggling to dekit kit as they had the power of little girls when it came to loosening the din fittings.