14yr old came up at end of 2nd open water dive and is now scared

[Pauly854]

I guess I had it lucky with my 15 year old son. He had a little trouble in the pool with mask clearing, but had it down well by the end of pool sessions. I went with them to the open water dives, and suited up for the first. As we were waiting for everyone to get in the water, he was floating there with a deer in the headlights look. He started to hyperventilate, and got very anxious. I swam over and talked to him, calmed him down and stayed right beside him for the descent. As soon as we broke the surface, he was fine. I agree that the 1 minute mask removal is pretty absurd. I am very comfortable in the water, and do ok with mask removal...but I would have a hard time with that. Good luck.

 

[RedCash02]

I'd just add that if his father does dive with him next time. Make sure dad stays supportive and understanding. If he starts to pressure your son it may exacerbate things.

That is some frigid water. He can remove his mask at the surface and put his face in the water to help reduce the temperature shock when he pulls it off underwater.

 

[Stacelou]

Okay, that clarifies the referral for us, thanks. Husband is a very good teacher, patient, calm... not pushy or "man up and do it" type of guy, so he will be good with my son. If we can afford Florida before June he can do it there... I will check with the dive shop here and see what the water temp at the quarry they dive in will be in May.
I'm not sure why the instructor didn't suggest going part way down instead of the full 30 feet. I'll have my husband check around to see if anyone recommends a different instructor for divers who need to go down a bit more slowly. I'm amazed at how many divers still go to the quarry this time of year, and not all of them have the "best" wetsuits for the temp. As for my family, everyone who got in the water took a long nap afterwards, I'm sure their bodies burned some fuel to keep them warm.

 

[scubajo007]

He is not the only person who has or has had issues with the mask removal; I for one was struggling with that as well.
That he is “thinking” yes he is, and again he is not the only one.
Try and train mask removal in a swimming pool using mask and snorkel only, I find that is a bit more difficult than using scuba gear and be patient he may have to do this over and over to gain the necessary confidence but at least that worked for me. To support him I suggest you or your husband train with him in the pool until he gains enough confidence to give it a go in the open sea.
The minimum depth for the open water skills per Padi is 5m and he only have to remove and replace the mask not have it off for 1minute, however I think the Instructor is entitled to request a more stringent approach.

 

[Robert Gillcash]

I'd just add that if his father does dive with him next time. Make sure dad stays supportive and understanding. If he starts to pressure your son it may exacerbate things.

That is some frigid water. He can remove his mask at the surface and put his face in the water to help reduce the temperature shock when he pulls it off underwater.

What he said!!!

I took 4 young boys out for their open water dives last weekend, the water temp was 48 at the surface.

Before they even put on their masks, I had them stick their face in the water as long as they could.

Mask R&R? No problems whatsoever. They actually did better in the ocean than in the pool.

Your son can most likely succeed quite well in any water temperature, just make sure to dunk face before ANY mask skills....

 

[flots am]

Then on the 2nd dive he had to hold his mask off for one minute and put it back on.

The instructor is an ***hole. You might want to tell him that when you demand a refund and go somewhere else.

There is no requirement for keeping a mask off for one minute.

flots.

 

[a22shady]

I got certified in May at Dutch Springs water so no warmer. I used a drysuit and got cold during checkout's ofcourse I am sissy and dont like the cold water to start lol. But i can say it does make a difference doing it in cold water vs warm water. One thing that really helps is once your on stagging area before you jump off into the water put the reg in your mouth leave mask off and breath off reg with your face in the water. This will help your face acclimate to the cold water helping that rush cold feeling.

 

[matsat64]

Best of luck, Maybe if he is certified in warmer water til he becomes more comfortable that's what my daughter was....then she cannot buy enough gear or get enough of anything scuba.

 

[cocoajoe]

Maybe he's just not diver material. First and foremost, he/she needs to be comfortable in the water. I can't imagine anyone freaking out because they have to actually use their eyes (w/o a mask) to see underwater.

 

[Robert Gillcash]

Maybe he's just not diver material. First and foremost, he/she needs to be comfortable in the water. I can't imagine anyone freaking out because they have to actually use their eyes (w/o a mask) to see underwater.

The freakout usually happens when the mask is taken off and that COLD water hits the face! The normal response is to breathe in quickly and if the mask is off your face its easy to inhale some water thru the nose.
That, plus the shock of the cold water causes instant panic, even among the people who have done the same skills no problem in the pool.
It is usually nothing that cannot be solved with a bit of preperation, as noted before, by dunking your face in the water at the surface before you put your mask on.