Trying to get certified...Can't seem to get there....

[lsorenson]

Relax... Relax... Relax...

Oh... and Relax...! If it takes a while to get comfortable with the mask on, then leave it off until you feel comfortable enough to put it on... Put it on and leave it flooded... See how that goes... then start working with a clear mask...

By the sounds of it, you are more than comfortable in the water; deep water at that... more so than most people starting out... Relax... To much on you mind... you know good and well you have the ability to reach the surface from twenty feet no mater what the heck happens...!!!

Quit thinking and relax...!

I know you want it... best to you...

lee

oh, one more thing... Relax, quit thinking so much, and visualize!!!

PS Its not a race to see how fast you can get your OW... Over the weekend, 3 weeks, 3 months... Take your time, relax, and do it at your own speed... Not mine, not your husbands, not your best friend... this is all about you...!!! enjoy!

 

[daz88]

Another vote for RELAX. I know easy to say, harder to do. When my son was going through the classes he had the same issues. I think he tried using EVERY mask they had. None would work! He had problems with EVERYTHING! He is the type of person that everything is easy and he pickes up things very fast, very comfortable in the water, but scuba was just not happening. He had to work at it, and once things became comfortable, little by little, it finally "clicked" for him.
it's just a matter of getting comfortable underwater and comfortable with the gear. Your system is on overload, with too many new things going on at once. And the #1 thing, IT'S NOT NATURAL TO BREATHE UNDER WATER! take your time, go at your own pace and things will work out. Try to only change one thing at a time, so you can think about task at hand.
My son got his cert and is totally loving diving. He even bought all his own gear. Including the same mask he used the 1st time, the one he said "doesn't work for me". So try and just relax and enjoy being under the water. good luck!

 

[TSandM]

Wow -- two different stories, two entirely different sets of data. I am beginning to think that the OP and I have more in common that I would have suspected. From the husband's account, it doesn't sound as though there was ever panic, but rather anxiety or apprehension which was kept under control, which is a completely different kettle of fish.

I would suggest that Sonja read the journal of my OW class that's linked in my sig line. I had a horrible time in my class, part of it (although I didn't realize it at the time) to gear that didn't fit me, and part of it due to having no talent for this sport whatsoever. But I made it through and became addicted to diving, and now have tech and cave certs that I wouldn't have believed were possible, when I finished that first class.

Klutziness and being overwhelmed can be overcome, so long as one can remain in control. I'll take my discouraging remarks back; if your husband is right, you should keep at it.

 

[redacted]

My wife had similar anxiety problems when we started. She had never even snorkeled so scuba was a pretty big step. She was very unsure. We went through a couple masks before she could clear and problems initially peaked in the pool where she encountered an octo with a defective mouthpiece (don't trust rental/training gear) and make the 20 yard share air swim on a mix of air and water. OW dives were a struggle but with a little extra help (and controlled trips to the surface) she finally passed. She continued to be uncomfortable with many new and somewhat out of control situations. But she stuck with it and worked through her discomfort and is a great diver and dive buddy now.

As long as you can control the urge to panic, take it slow and easy and you will reach your goal. And remember, as long as you are breathing, the situation can be managed.

 

[wilderydude83]

Stop and think.

 

[RobinG]

I had the same issues as TSandM (and apparently as Sonja) when I was learning to dive. I was certified in Panama under less than optimal conditions, so the choice of rental gear was limited (and nothing fit me). But I will also ask if she is on thyroid meds. Once I started taking thyroid meds, I started having anxiety attacks, mostly related to diving! I had my meds adjusted a couple of times and, oddly, get stressed thinking about diving sometimes, but am very relaxed while diving!

 

[Blue Sparkle]

I had a lot of discomfort with the gear of SCUBA when I first started. In fact, I think that's what led me to basically not dive from when I was first certified, in 2005, until late 2009.

The thing is, I love swimming and being in the water, and I had done quite a bit of snorkeling prior to learning to dive. All during that time, I thought about how fun it would be to learn to dive, too. When I finally did take SCUBA lessons, I was really surprised at how uncomfortable and "controlling" the gear felt. Not to mention that it (the gear) was different each time. It was quite stressful. What happened to my inner fish?

In late 2009, a good friend suggested we meet somewhere on a trip, and I said how about if we meet someplace warm and learn to dive? (I took the class too, as a refresher.) Then I came here to do some trip research, and in the process asked some questions about gear, and what types might fit and feel better.

Ultimately, that thread led to my finding gear on that trip that fit --- or at least came a lot closer. I still had to deal with the fact that it was rental gear and so not totally consistent or "tweaked" to my liking, but it was MUCH better and I felt so much more like "me" in the water.

Six months later, on my next trip, I had all my own gear (except tanks and weights) and what a huge difference that made. This may not affect everyone as strongly, but for me it was night and day. The reasons were that 1) It fit me; 2) It was the same every dive so I could change one variable at a time and really get it right; 3) I lost the stress of wondering about the gear before each dive/trip.

The BC is what made the most difference. I just could not find one that fit (before), and having that "tank monster" on my back seeming to wrestle with me at every turn was really off-putting.

I don't know if this would be the same for you (I know I'm definitely the type who it affects more), but in reading your and your dive buddy's posts, I noticed a few references to ill-fitting BC/gear.

Blue Sparkle

PS: One more thing. I'm not sure where you are located, but I did my initial certification in a cold pool and 58º lake water. That required a lot of neoprene, which made for more complications with gear and buoyancy all at once in the beginning. If you are working in lots of neoprene -- and you have a chance to instead try it in minimal exposure protection -- you might find that pleasant.

 

[tstormdiver]

Hi,

I am Sonja's husband and wanted to offer a different perspective.

First, thanks for a all of the comments thus far, I am sure Sonja will be on later to answer the questions a few of you have asked.

As far as the mask goes, she is on about mask #10 (luckily LDS helped by letting us try a ton without having to purchase them all) After the first time when the mask leaked like a sieve which caused issues, she was able to ditch the mask, drop down and breath on just the reg with no issues. First BCD was too loose and caused tank rock which further added to the issues so now, the mask was flooding constantly, tank was rocked and she was trying to learn new skills.

Second time out, better seal on mask, spent time at another LDS and got some tips so the bcd was better, due to a lot of reasons the class ended up getting split up with part going with the DM and part still in progress coming to 20ft platform. Sonja ended up at the 20ft alone for a short while unsure of what she was supposed to do and that seemed to causes issues. Also, she had a nightmare with her buoyancy control so that made it even worse (first time out, they ended up splitting her off from the rest of the class, while this was good in some ways, she didn't learn everything the rest of us did, including some of the things that would have helped with her buoyancy). She ended up surfacing with our son and did a normal, safe ascent. But due to the panic attack, it was game over for the weekend.

Third time out was yesterday, she handled the decent to the 20ft with no issues, we did mask clearing skills, etc but her bcd was floating up around her neck so she surfaced to deal with that issue and never was 100% able to get it squared away. We ended up doing multiple decents down to 20ft, instructor stayed closer to her as I SLOWLY made my way down the line due to issues equalizing. Vis was 5ft so she couldn't see me coming down the line but could see it moving. The instructor signaled for us to come off of the platform but used a hand signal she didn't understand (again, missed from first class) but we went over the rail and decended. She lost sight of the instructor who was below us (directly under us actually) at that point and I think the unknown caused some issues. We were about to head out on first actual ow dive but when the instructor asked if she was ok, she just shook her head. She then signaled that she needed to surface. She said later she didn't realize it but she was in a perfect hover about 2 feet off of the bottom at 30ft depth. The three of us started ascending normally so at no time did she bolt but what she forgot was to let air out of her bcd and started accelerating so we grabbed her bcd to slow her down (we weren't coming up a line so she couldn't grab it to stop/slow down) while the instructor dumped some of the air. Unfortunately that really freaked her but after she surfaced, she inflated bcd and stabilized at the surface. We swam her to the dock and exited the water. She wanted to go back after lunch but we all confered and decided about the same thing some of you have said and that is until the root cause can be determined, it might be counter-productive.

That being said, we have only been in the water about 3 days total (2 full days and 2 half days) and she did make tons of progress this time over the previous.. The root cause is still escaping us...

From what I am reading, here, it sounds like your wife may benefit from having her own equipment that is fitted to her, along with more sessions in the pool to become familiar with it. I'm talking BC & regulator, since you say she is currently using rental equipment. I think comfort would be built by having equipment that is comfortable to her & that she knows where everything is. I sort of wonder if the dive shop really did much of a fitting process for the mask, to have had to go through so many before finding one that worked for her. I am in no way saying it is their fault,.... there are times when, even with a proper fitting session, things won't fit right, but its rare.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I have a slightly different perspective, and one that will encourage Sonja to succeed, which I am confident she will. First, husband reports lots of gear issues, all related to ill fitting equipment. Start over, and get someone with a clue to fit her. Second, she is probably not weighted properly. Overweighting makes buoyancy control more difficult. Start over above the water with proper equipment fit, then on the sirface with a proper weighting check.
Once those problems are eradicated, Sonja needs to enjoy the dive and not overthink it. Training dives focus on tasks and students are running the tasks over and over through their minds. I think if Sonja just did a little leisurely dive, interrupted by a task, she would breeze through.
Finally, take heart in knowing that the conditions in which you are diving are high stress- especially the low visibility. She should stay within touching proximity to her buddy in these conditions. Hopefully you have plans to dive in better conditions after certification.
So here is my prescription: 1) get proper fitting equipment; 2) be weighted properly, 3) Don't over think, just experience, 4) stay within touching distance of your buddy at all times, and 5)relax and have fun.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Sonjarms]

Thank you all for your replies. Will try to reply to all without typing a book.

I ride motorcycles. I have my own. And I think of diving like I do riding. I know every time I mount my motorcycle, I might die that day. I know everytime I put on gear something could happen and I might die. I also know that in the process I could cause my buddy to die. So I understand that because of the hazards some people are not meant to dive. So for those who said it might be best not to continue diving, i get it.

Yes, I have had and still have panic/anxiety attacks outside the water. If anxiety attacks only effected the mind, it would be so much easier to deal with. It is the physiological effects that are killing me. I am able to think. I am able to force myself to wait until I can pair up with my buddy or instructor and let them know I need to go up. So far I have never rabbited up and have been able to do controlled ascents. What is causing me to have to come up are the physical effects of the attack. I thought at 1 point I had it whipped. Had an attack and was able to stop the attack and go on with instruction. Relaxed and OMG! Attack snuck up on me. No building up, just WHAM.

Have been spending time with hubby talking over each time attacks have happened. Have been trying to figure out what causes them. 1. Stress seems to be the starting factor. I definitely understand the frustration of wondering where the inner fish went. Relaxing after struggling is hard. 2. That leads to the fear of failing. I realized that the attacks, after the first weekend seem to coincide with the areas of struggle. Once I make it past the point I first struggled the attacks about that particular thing goes away. Hence the ability to improve. They say memories are powerful things. So I am wondering if that has some to do with it. 3. Yes, have been fighting issues with gear. If money was no object, even though I do not yet have certification, I would probably already have my own gear. Spent time in a shop with a wonderful lady who showed and fitted me with different gear. She probably spent an hour just explaining gear. It seems, though, that I have expensive taste. Lol. The gear I want total cost is around 2 grand.

My long term goal for scuba is to get at least a Tech Cert. I want to be able to go to some wrecks. I have no desire to go inside. But I would like to photograph and say I have seen it. I would like to touch a bit of history. I don't know exactly what my next step is to movement that direction, but will keep researching and keep trying. I KNOW I can do this. I know I can overcome my challenges. Who knows. Maybe after I achieve this my next goal will be getting my flying license. I love to fly..... And then maybe try to parachute out of a plane...lol.