It shouldn't be a problem, just don't hold your breath...

That was my pep talk for my first time breathing underwater. It was at Alexander springs, about three in the afternoon. Scott and I has arrived and already been in the water about half an hour. I have just begun open water scuba school and finished watching the video and the self-test book. I have been doing freediving on and off for many years, but have always wanted to learn scuba. Scott, among his many talents has done extensive work as a scuba diver and thought it might be fun to prep me for my class. After watching him at the headspring for fifteen minutes he looked up and gave me the share-air sign. I cleared my ears and swam down to the bottom, maybe 20-25 feet, he handed over his second stage and boom, I was breathing underwater. It was terrifying for me to take the snorkel out of my mouth and switch to the regulator.( It was a talisman against the invading water, If I died snorkeling they would have to bury it with me)But after a few seconds of sweet sweet air, I was able to relax and enjoy it. I gave scott back the reg and swam over to the headspring, gave it as through an inspection as my extra breath would allow, then began my slow accent. Knowing that the air I just took was under more pressure than on the surface, I began to slowly exhale as I rose to the surface. Later in the shallows scott handed the bc and tank to me a said "knock your self out" I counld'nt be any happier if it had been a 1000$ hooker and bottle of crown. sweet. I put on the bcd and checked the pressure 2000lbs, fixed my mask was ready. "Oh yeah, don't hold your breath, It could be bad....Anyway have fun" he said with a gleam in his eye and a smile.

I fiddled around in six foot deep water till I got the hang of things. Then slowly swam toward the spring. The decent to the boil is a slow hill with a drop to about twentyfive feet at the end. At that part I stopped and looked up. Being able to stop and look around while underwater has always eluded me. I'm either on my way down or up. Continuing down I was so fascinated by the light and the absolute quiet, I could hear my breathing, which I remembered to continue doing, the sound of the escaping bubbles on the way to surface...And that was it. At the spring I floated, just looking at everything, picking through the small rocked and sand, chasing a small mouth bass and waving to the other snorkeling. This was very very very cool. After about ten minutes I began my accent, slowly. Your cant go more than one foot every two seconds or thirty feet a min. Nor should you want to. I reached the top and went to the shallow end. I gave scoot back he BC and smiled...I was totally hooked to scuba diving. My open water class begins on the Aug 5 and I'll be done Aug 13. I am really excited about it. After getting a chance to play with some of the gear and fiddle around on my own. I might not look like a total monkey fucking a football in the pool on the second day of class. And that's a good thing.

later
sungod