Hi Tigerbeach, Actually we have now done more snorkeling than scuba diving, since it doesn't require the ears to be equalized. My husband is continuing to get more comfortable in the water. We knew about the fresh vs salt water differences and also full vs empty tanks. Since we are still renting equipment (BC, Regulator, tanks etc), I don't know if we have too much say in the type of tanks we use, but we have definitely decided that my husband will wear more weights. I am trying to get him to learn to breathe better and that is why we are planning to go toa quarry in Tenn for a weekend in late April to see if we can more practice just on our own. It will just take time and practice to get him more practice and we want some time where we are not trying to quickly follow a dive master, so that we can practice these skills. BTW, he had no ear problems in the pool at all, so this was a surprise when we went to the quarry in Ohio for our Open water skills test.

Thanks,

Rae