Fear of Fish?

[RumBum]

Many people I know actually have a fear of fish. Not just big dangerous toothy fish, mind you, but all fish. Have you had a fear of fish? Did your student have a fear of fish? What worked for overcoming this phobia?

:fish:

 

[String]

Try diving around Greece. Solves the problem as there are no fish!

 

[Meng_Tze]

LOL. Diving and fish kind of go hand in hand. Isn't that the main thing most divers want? Look at the pretty fishies?

If someone is afraid of fish, they should not dive, unless they want to cave dive. But even there fish can be found.

 

[Gombessa]

Cue videos of groupers attacking commercial divers.

 

[String]

I dive for wrecks - fish bore me.

Ive had a few students nervous of fish though. And even more scared of crabs.

Personally i just HATE jellyfish.

 

[Joe-Diver]

Weekend before last I had a student sent to me by another Instructor who couldn't do one of her OW dives, so I just rolled her into my group for that one dive. She said to me on the surface "Did he tell you I'm afraid of fish?" I thought, ***? Sure enough, each time a little sunfish or perch swam by, she swatted at it as though it were an annoying fly.

 

[Captain Morgan]

Many people I know actually have a fear of fish. Not just big dangerous toothy fish, mind you, but all fish. Have you had a fear of fish? Did your student have a fear of fish? What worked for overcoming this phobia?

Also known as Ichthyophobia, defined as "a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of fish." Regardless of how the causes are developed, it is an unconscious emotional attachment linking fish to some form of trauma, likely a bad scare as a kid, something on TV (perhaps Jaws).

So long as there is a negative association powerful enough, the fear will persevere. It's all in the mind. I believe the best approach to overcome the fear is what is called counter-conditioning. It's where you condition your mind to substitute the fear response with a relaxation response in the presence of the phobia. It's an anxiety, and the best way to overcome one is through relaxation. Start light and build upon it in stages.

You can overcome most fears that way. It was how I did it being an extremely claustrophobic individual myself when I first got into diving. That was my biggest obstacle, I had to confront it or it would control my life. I also had a fear of heights. I then went on to become an avid rock climber in my western states days and also a private pilot through college. Now I love the water...and I love the sky.

 

[Buoyant1]

Weekend before last I had a student sent to me by another Instructor who couldn't do one of her OW dives, so I just rolled her into my group for that one dive. She said to me on the surface "Did he tell you I'm afraid of fish?" I thought, ***? Sure enough, each time a little sunfish or perch swam by, she swatted at it as though it were an annoying fly.

We need video!!!