SKIFFY

okay i took there normal open water whatever thingy. me and my friend brad pretty much dropped out of it. it was supposed to take more than a month to complete? and the class seemed pretty challenging to me. but then again im not the best swimmer in the world and dont have much muscle mass. it made it basically not fun....AT ALL and would tire me out. and it is supposudly based on navy dive standards. im wondering if i should take swimming lessons and try another class at mbt or something? like i said im not the most built kid on the block, i weigh less than a 100pounds. your thoughts?

if it helps any i freedived at bahia honda two days this summer for almost four hours each time. deepest icould stay atwas around 15-18 feet for a little less than a minute.

flappininthebreeze

Try a PADI or NAUI class. There are required skills you need to learn, but "survival of the fittest" is not the way to learn SCUBA. That was the philosophy in the early days and it doesn't work. By the same token, getting your OW cert in a couple of days is not the way to go either. You need to do a reasonable amount of work and cover basic skills, but you shouldn't hate it when you're done. If it hurts, you ain't doing it right. :doh

Sequoiha

I am YMCA certified and have been since 1988, the amount of time it took and the skill level that was learned is the reason i chose it.. I hope you find a class you can take,, there is nothing like it, I consider it the ultimate extreme sport, There aint nothing like being 120 feet down with a spear gun in your hand listening to your blood pump thru your body. complete peacefulness... good luck..

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Telum Pisces

Diving is not rocket science. You do not need to be super human to do it either. With that said, there are basic skills that you need to learn to dive safe. From what I read, the YMCA type class is almost a boot camp of sorts to get your certification. If that's for you, great. But both PADI and NAUI certs offered by local dive shops are more than adequate to get you certified in a safe way and prepare you with everything you need to know.

No matter what class you take, you need to soak in the basics. And then you need to follow up by going out diving on a regular basis and practicing on better techniques that work for you. I see too many people get certified and don't dive again till months or years later. At that point, all of the knowledge is lost. The old saying is true. Use it or loose it.

deepcelineman

i am a navy 1st class diver , i find it hard to believe Y M C A cert is as physical as military . if you need to brush up on somethin try swiming on your back with a set of fins ons as many laps as your legs can stand,after you get use to that say 500 yard easily. put some wieght on a wieght belt increase it gradually. after swimming on your back , try an tread water as long as you can. this will help you build up your stamina. you need to be able to tread water an swim on your back so you can get back to your dive boat. these exercises will also increase you lung capacity an being in decent physical shape . will help your body off gas the nitrogen your body abbsorbes while diving . hope this helps do give up so easy its really a fun sport omce you get comfortable with it

Evensplit

SCUBA is not supposed to be an aerobic sport. If you're comfortable in the water and are able to swim with a moderateamount of skill then you should be fine. We start a new class every week and there's no strict time limit to get through it. I'll be happy to sit down and go through the programs that are available with you if you'd like.

Just curious, is this something you did recently? The YMCA SCUBA program was discontinued at the end of last year.

SKIFFY

i took the class the begging of last summer. i love snorkeling to death and i thought i would love scuba but that class was like a job. I just talked to dad and im going to take another class from an area dive shop as soon as it warms up a little.

Pierce07

If you don't have your heart set on taking your SCUBA class when it warms up I'd recommend taking it in the winter. The class sizes are considerably smaller. I took mine in January about 4 years ago with MBT and there was only 3 other people in the class.

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sealark

If you think a basic scuba course is tough maybe a little physical fitness is in order. A little running and exercise program would help you get in shape. Your size has nothing to do with it when I went through Navy dive school a few years ago 1965 I was 143 lbs and 6' 1" I had no problem after they whipped me into shape. If you go to a class that is only interested in getting your money and certifies you quickly you will be an accident waiting to happen. Any of the Pensacola shops are not that way.

BADBOY69

I think you've received really good information and are pointed in the right direction. Consider what 'sealark' proposed as a greatstarting point. Bybeginning an excercise program you'll be more physically able and mentally prepared when you begin. That means that you'll be more confident and canhave fun when you're taking class! Take'Evensplit' up on his offer and check out the options you have for class. I think you'll find that SCUBA class can be fun and still provide the proper training. Good luck!