Cleveland: I’ve gotten close to writhing beehives for my job. I’ve eaten insects, flown in a tin can of an airplane and done countless other things most people would consider ill-advised.
But putting on a bathing suit in January? Now that takes guts.
Nevertheless, I swallowed my pride and gritted out the goose bumps Thursday to try scuba diving in an above-ground pool erected at the I-X Center just for that purpose. And you can do it, too — for free.
During the Progressive Mid-America Boat Show, the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association is offering introductory sessions in its Go Dive Now pool. All you have to do is show up with a bathing suit, a towel and a game attitude, although you can use one of the association’s wet suits if you forget your gear.
The purpose is to get people interested in the sport in the hope they’ll pursue certification, said Dave Reidenbach, the pool coordinator and my exceedingly patient instructor. Last year about 15 percent of the participants went on to take the certification course, he said.
I was a little tentative about my session, partly because I was hesitant to expose my midwinter-white thighs and partly because the organizers had warned me a couple of times that the water might not have time to warm up sufficiently before my lesson. Blessedly, the pool had reached a comfy 88 degrees by the time I arrived.
Getting in wasn’t the problem. Getting out was.
Equally comforting was the fact that the water was only 43 inches deep. If I was going to trust my life to bottled oxygen, it was reassuring to know I could get my head out of the water fast if I had to.
Reidenbach — he’s known as Big Wave Dave — got me suited up in fins, a mask and a vest with an air cylinder attached. The vest, called a buoyancy compensation device, weighed a hefty 40 pounds or so, which Reidenbach told me was necessary to keep me from bobbing to the top.
My first challenge was walking in fins, which I quickly discovered is harder than it looks. Walk backward, Reidenbach coached. Aha!
He then had me put in the mouthpiece and try breathing the air from the canister. Probably because I was a little nervous and breathing faster than normal, the air didn’t seem like nearly enough to fill my lungs, but Reidenbach explained something about the difference between air pressure and water pressure and blah blah blah. (I was an English major, I should point out.) At any rate, he assured me it would feel different underwater, and it did.
Still, breathing through my mouth turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought. The first time Reidenbach had me dunk my head underwater, I had to fight the urge to blow air out my nose the way I learned in swim class a million years ago. I had to trust that the air coming in through my mouthpiece was going to keep me alive.
Keep breathing, I told myself. Keep breathing. Keep … OH, MY GOD, YOU’RE GOING TO DROWN.
I shot out of the water and peeled off my mask. It’s OK, Reidenbach told me. Just breathe slowly and deeply.
Eventually I got the hang of it, sort of. At least I could stay underwater long enough to swim the 29-foot length of the pool and mug for the underwater camera. But I could never quite shake that panicky feeling that the next breath might fill my lungs with pool water.
If you want to try diving yourself, it’s best to go early or late in the day, when the demand is lighter, Reidenbach said. The session takes about 15 minutes, but allow for 30 minutes to include time to change and dry off. (The pool has changing rooms, and hair dryers are available, too.)
Just be prepared: That underwater camera will broadcast your session to a monitor, and anyone passing the booth can watch.
I told you it takes guts.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MBBreckABJ, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckABJ and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.