Anxious and terrified Underwater

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

A couple of things come to mind...
First... relax, this will be ok. Eventually. With experience comes peace of mind

If you are struggling at 40' with fear, then don't dive down to 40'. Stay at 20'. Soon 20' will be a peice of cake and 30' will be nothing, and eventually, 40' will be just like 10'. Not everyone is comfortable in the beginning. But, I promise, if you keep at it, and slow down (everything), things will get better.

When you are setting up your gear... Take it slow, stupidly slow, so slow you feel like an idiot setting it up. After you set it up, relax a minute, there's no rush, and if people are on a boat rushing you, tell them to go phuck themselves. When you get in the water, sit on the surface, just relaxing, catching your breath, visualizing what you are planning on doing, and when you visualize it, visualize it being peaceful. When you decide to go down, do that slowly. Do everything purposefully and methodical and slowly. If you want to breathe deeply, great do that, but breathe slowly and naturally. This supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Don't feel pressured to go fast, or deep, or before you are ready. If people don't like it, tell them to go pound sand. This is YOUR Dive.

Things will get better. Find a good buddy, and stay near them. Get your own gear. Nothing can relax a diver more than having the same gear every single dive every single day. No surprises, no configurations that are goofy, or not just right or too heavy, too light. Every little issue adds to your task loading. We want to eliminate every bit of task loading we can. Having your own gear makes this easier. The easier it is, the less freaked out you will be.

And don't get stressed out that you are feeling this way. You are going to be fine.

Thankfully, I do own all my own gear. I don't think I could dive with rental gear. I at least know my gear and know that it has been well taken care of and not dived with 456895670 times. I did find that once I figured out my bouyancy I felt a little more comfortable, probably because it was one less thing to worry about underwater. My dive buddy is my fiance, who is the same skill level as me but he is TOTALLY comfortable while diving, and very level headed. He doesn't push me to go past where I am comfortable but he does wonder when I will be ready to go past 30ft because he is wanting to go deeper but doesnt because I am no ok with it.
 
It will get easier. Stay shallow, say 20 feet or so and just swim around getting the feel of everything. Also get more pool time if you can.

You will learn to trust your training and equipment given time.

Also dive with someone more experienced than you, which will help as you gain confidence.

Why did you take up SCUBA diving? The answer to this could be at the root of your issues.

I have always loved the water and been very comfortable in it. My fiance and I decided together that we wanted to get certified. He didn't push me to do it by any means, I am just a very apprehnsive person and I also have a fear of not being able to breath/drowning so I knew I was going to be a little uncomfortable. The dives have gotten a tiny better each time but I still have the fear of equipment failure. I am not worried about running out of air so much because I constantly check my gauges and surface with plenty of air. I am worried that my regulator or tank or something will fail in some way.
 
Well, if your fear is that your equipment will fail, get some training on how to manage equipment failures! There really isn't much that equipment can do to you -- it can leak, stop delivering air, or allow water into your mouth. All of those things are totally manageable. If you practice sharing gas with your husband until it's a non-event to do it, then your biggest problem is solved. Practice mask flood and clear until it's boring. Practice removing your regulator and putting it back in your mouth and clearing it until you don't have to think about it at all.

There aren't a lot of creative failure modes. Build skills to cope with them, and if your fear is truly of that, it should fade away.

If your fear is something else that's not rational, it won't make it any worse to do the practice, anyway . . .
 
Not sure if you used 40' as an example or if the fear is at any depth. If it's the latter, I'll be the odd man out and say find another hobby. This one can kill you. While things might get easier, it would seem when you run into a real emergency, all the old fears will resurface and prevent an efficient resolution. Imagine another diver runs low on air and grabs the reg out of your mouth in a panic. Would that send you into a panic and you fight over it rather than grabbing your own octo?

HOWEVER, if you're comfy at shallower depths, then I'll agree with the others and say just dive within your comfort zone. Better viz, wide open spaces (no entanglement hazard), etc. Practice your skills, especially removal/replacing reg, using octo quickly, clearing 2nd stages, mask removal/clearing and the sooner you get highly skilled at buoyancy control, the sooner that comfort level will rise.

Whichever way you go....good luck.
 
It probably doesn't help that I had a HORRIBLE expirience during my mask flood and clear during my OW class. I can't get that fear and panic from that incident out of my mind when I dive.

I agree with the others, there is plenty to see in shallow water. Diving is a fun recreation, so there is absolutely no reason to push past your comfort zone - for what?

I'm sorry you had a bad experience during OW class - but clearing your mask is an important skill that you should master without any panic feeling before diving. Perhaps mask flooding/clearing is something you could practice in a shallow pool till it feels comfortable.

Swimming around with a friend in the shallow end of a pool, mask off, eyes open and reg in your mouth might help build some comfort.
 
Hi
Thanks for posting. Unfortunately I can not give you advice, however I nodded as I read your post.
I am a new diver...I only have 4 dives total. I'm an anxious diver which mine has been due to not really being taught skills (I think). I also had an issue with my mask flood on one of my dives and I shot to the surface. :)no:)

I commend you for sticking with it and posting here. I think you got some really great advice. I'm taking a refresher course before I tackle my first salt water dive. I can't give up diving until I at least have an ocean dive. I do agree that it may not be for everyone but I think your search will uncover something to help you feel better and safer.
I do honestly understand your fears and frustrations. You are not the only person to feel this way in the beginning.
 
I honetly do enjoy it when I am not afraid that my equipment is going to fail and I will drown. I guess that would be my main fear. I have this thought in my head that you can only dive so many times before SOMETHING goes wrong. My fiance and I decided to take up scuba together, he didn't push me to do it. I am just a naturally fearfull person. It probably doesn't help that I had a HORRIBLE expirience during my mask flood and clear during my OW class. I can't get that fear and panic from that incident out of my mind when I dive.

It sounds like you're diving for the right reasons and the bad experience with the mask skill drilled in your head a negative and fearful perception about diving. As for equipment, a properly maintained and used set of gear is unlikely to fail on you. I agree with TSandM about taking courses on equipment failure management. About mask clearing, I'm with kathydee about the importance of the skill. Practice will make perfect. I've found that very few people will do a perfect mask clear on their first attempt (I was terrified with the cold water hitting my face on my OW dive).

People have different learning curves so don't feel awkward by comparing yourself to your partner or anyone else. When I started, I had a slow progress until I did my AOW course and something just clicked. I strongly suggest you get in more practice in conditions that you feel comfortable in Experience is the most important thing for: a. Confidence; b. Judgment and c. Knowledge.

Eventually, I would strongly suggest you try one of the Rescue courses offered by the certifying agencies. I truly believe that the rescue course is a great opportunity to address some situations and scenarios that you otherwise don't give much thought to. Equipment, emergencies and problem prevention are dealt with in the course and it's really good value for time and money.

I hope you keep diving and start enjoying it really soon! All the best.
 
Are you practicing you skills each dive and in the pool? If you had a bad mask experience, go back to the pool and practice it.
If you are afraid of drowning to the point of near panic than you may need to find a different hobby.
My first experience was euphorious. I felt I found the missing part of me. It was awe inspiring even though it was just Canyon Lake, TX.
 
Last edited:
I honetly do enjoy it when I am not afraid that my equipment is going to fail and I will drown. I guess that would be my main fear. I have this thought in my head that you can only dive so many times before SOMETHING goes wrong. My fiance and I decided to take up scuba together, he didn't push me to do it. I am just a naturally fearfull person. It probably doesn't help that I had a HORRIBLE expirience during my mask flood and clear during my OW class. I can't get that fear and panic from that incident out of my mind when I dive.

I agree with everyone. Re-evaluate whether or not you want to dive. If you choose to dive, do it. Dive within your comfort zone and don't push yourself. However, push yourself on every dive.

1. Re-evaluate whether or not you want to dive. Diving is not for everyone. If you panic you will endanger not only yourself, but your fiance as well.

2. If you choose to dive, do it. Don't just go on one trip per year. Make diving a regular event, several times a year. This will build your confidence, build your skill, and make you a better, safer diver.

3. Dive within your comfort zone and don't push yourself. Get your dive buddy on-board with this plan. Get in the water and get comfortable with your gear and skills. Work and trim and buoyancy. Buoyancy is most difficult in the top 30 feet of water (or so). If you can master buoyancy near the surface, you will have no problems at depth.

4. Push yourself on every dive. Were there any skills that you did in OW that were uncomfortable or that you didn't master? If yes, practice them on every dive. Do out-of-air drills on every dive. Practice holding a 20-foot safety stop in open water (floating) on every dive, even if you are nowhere near your NDL.

I would not view your fear as an impediment towards diving. I would view it as an opportunity to truly hone your basic skills. Fearless folks who complete OW and then compete to make ever-deeper dives are not necessarily better divers.
 
Maranda1389, I am also a new diver, certified in August with only 9 dives to date. I suspect everybody has some fear at the beginning. The most important thing IMO is your motivation for diving. You're the only one who really knows WHY you want to do it, but keep that in mind whenever you're in the water. Focus on what you will enjoy about diving once you get over your fear. As far as the fear, I think repetition will eventually help you overcome it. When I first started OW classes, I wasn't even able to get my head underwater without freaking out that I couldn't breathe. I could snorkel all day long...because I knew I could just lift my head up to get air. So I spent lots of time in my neighbor's pool with a snorkel and just sitting in the water with my head under and only the snorkel end out of the water. Eventually it got easier. So head for the pool or other shallow water with your Scuba equipment and just "blow bubbles". The more bubbles you blow the better you will feel!
One other thing that might help, put markers in your house or outside in the yard at 20', 40', 60', etc. Then just look at the distance...walk it. It won't seem as far and you'll realize that from 20' you can easily swim to the surface...or from 40'...Doing that in my yard took some of the fear from me. If I never go deeper than 60' (the OW depth limit for SSI, my agency), I know I can do a safe controlled swimming ascent, as long as I keep breathing.
Good Luck!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom