Ahhh, the infamous stress test. It makes you very stressed out (if you haven’t already figured). Everyone’s worst nightmare. Be it individual, or be it as a group, Lenny and Zoë always find a way for it to be a pain. If you’re a sophomore you have probably only had to do the challenge with your gear removed, but wait, there’s more. Recently the junior class had to do it with no mask, fins, or gear. For the people who have not had the chance to attempt it, the stress test is essentially our mentors placing everyone’s gear in a jumbled up ball underwater, all taken apart. You are timed on your ability to get it done quick, but also your entire group has to be ready in order to ascend. Our group ran into quite a few issues, involving BC’s floating immediately to the surface, or regulators falling out of certain tall male students mouths. But thats all in the past. Let’s talk about what you can do to be successful:
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Make a strategy before going down.
-You’ll want to conference with your group and make sure everyone is ready and sure of a plan. We usually send a few down before in order to get some air ready for the rest of the group.
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Go for air first.
-It’s obvious but a lot of people are only thinking about the time they will get. If you want to be successful you will want to be alive and breathing.
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Have fun.
-The test isn’t only about your ability. It’s about working as a team and experiencing what what task loading underwater feels like. So go at it with the right mindset and you’ll do a-ok.
Professional Diving 