How do you get over the nervousness/fear when jumping into unfamiliar dive sites?

[BoundForElsewhere]

Mario Andretti said, "if you don't drive with a little fear you drive into the wall."
Nervousness is perfectly natural. Overcoming it is the fun part.

I still say pretending to be a Navy SEAL is your best option.

 

[Knockneed Man]

I think many people mistake exhilaration for fear.

 

[Knockneed Man]

Edit: Double post

 

[alex_can_dive]

Hi @alex_can_dive, if you ask, I assume that's because you perceive that you feel to lack some training. Can you confirm it?

Yes - definitely under-trained (I've only done 6 dives so far)

 

[Bob DBF]

For what I read, using only accelerometers is not enough owing to currents. That´s why the use of depth meter and compass to correlate all the available information, as depth and heading is easy to measure.

The sensitivity of the accelerometer is probably one issue, if it can't detect very subtle motion it can't give good information to the computer to calculate position. Also, three accelerometers are needed to calculate for x,y, and z axis to keep track of where one is. Another issue is the computing power to track the data, although that isn't as much of a problem now as way back when the sub inertial guidance system was designed. The submarine inertial guidance system had no problem calculating position, regardless of current back in the 60's when I rode the boats. Of course you would need a fair sized truck to carry all the components.

 

[alex_can_dive]

I think many people mistake exhilaration for fear.

That is one interesting take. Hmmm

 

[ginti]

Yes - definitely under-trained (I've only done 6 dives so far)

Ok, so here's my opinion. You want to go too fast

You are diving in an environment that is slightly more complicated than others, at least to learn. At your level, I believe you shouldn't care if you "suck" at navigation because the reality is that you do NOT suck; the truth is that you are just new to this activity. Navigation in low visibility is a skill that requires time to develop, so do not rush.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the navigation right now at all. Dive with other people, more expert than you, and gain experience.

Also, if you feel that your instructor was not good, you may want to look for another one. However, remember that at this point, "you don't know what you don't know", so probably a better idea for you is to open another thread with a detailed report of your open water course and ask users for feedback.

 

[Julius SCHMIDT]

To clarify a bit, my fear/nervousness has more to do with fear of getting lost (as in, after a few rounds underwater, I surface at the wrong points and have to swim 300+ yards back to the boat or worse somewhere else I can't even see a boat, etc). I got lost once as a kid and it just terrified me to "get lost" in any condition - on land or underwater. I usually refuse to go anywhere without a GPS.

I hear people on the boat whispering that they got lost or that they had to surface to see where they are, and I don't get it, whispering, as what other people think has nothing to do with anything unless they're giving you advice. Some think ribbing is a rite of passage, it's contagious. When I surface 300 yards away from the boat, I abuse the captain for moving it.
After a million dives I'm still in a constant state of unhealthy apprehension about finding the boat, it just makes diving less pleasurable, especially when certain lazy captains groan about coming to get you and make stupid murmurings throughout the boat, it's incident promoting behaviour

and a slight slant on Edward3c stuff
Remember it's not getting lost, it's having insufficient time to orient yourself compared to the diver with more luck in the period allocated. I hate boats. Then there's always the shrinker

 

[rick00001967]

the above experience would probably cause a total panic and require deep clean of divewear. many say it is good to be nervous to some extent. When in difficult dive situations I find concentration blanks out nervousness.

HAHA

yes i agree. that little man (or woman) on your shoulder telling you that you should not be doing this, can sometimes be very useful. there can however, be a fine line between being nervous for a valid reason, and being genuinely afraid.

i also agree about concentration. a very useful tool to help control stress is to shift your focus from what ever is making you anxious, to something completely different. it is all about breaking that negative mental cycle.

I think many people mistake exhilaration for fear.

very true. i think mentally, different peoples minds interpret an increase of adrenaline differently. for some, that "rush" is exciting and envigorating. they crave it. but for others it is nnot a comfortable feeling. it makes them uneasy and fearful. for me, the key has always been recognizing what can trigger it, understanding how to manage it, and then how to get past it. for some of us it is not easy, but it is doable.

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

I have used a Dive Tracker off boats for years. I can go off in any direction, make as many turns and double-backs as I want and head directly back to the boat every time without ever surfacing. Not cheap but works fantastic! My 2psi.

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