All signs point to DCS, but it's not...

[Skittl1321]

DCS is next to impossible to get in a pool since the amount of nitrogen absorbed will be too small to be of concern no matter how long you stay.

Yes, I know. Which is why I said repeatedly in my first post that I KNOW I don't have DCS. More just how annoying it is that all the tiny symptoms keep appearing, and the paranoia that sets in.

 

[dytis-sm]

It is going to be hard to get the type of help you need on this board as we both agree that you need a help of a therapist to conquer the type of phobia you have. Yes it is pricey and so is everything else involving scuba. Before you head to Cozumel (as I noticed on your other thread) and force yourself in a situation where they might be more risk, you may want to go through the expense and talk to a phobia expert. Last thing you want is deciding that you have DCS while in the water...or worst in the middle of a trip on foreign land. Diving is supposed to be fun not a torture.

As far as breathing better with a regulator versus the snorkel, I think that you need to look at a better snorkel since some are better than others plus you may be using it incorrectly. My experience from classes is that nobody bothers to look at how you mount and breath with the snorkel. I find snorkeling a fun activity before scuba diving particularly in places where the water is crystal clear. You may want to give snorkeling a chance outside the pool...

Good luck and have a nice and safe trip

 

[Skittl1321]

You may want to give snorkeling a chance outside the pool...

I've gone snorkeling many times in the ocean, over many years. I'm not good at it, but I'm trying to learn to do it better, as we have a Galapagos trip planned next year and I'm going to snorkel come hell or high water! (Not a diving trip- Galapagos would not be safe for me...)

I think my main problem with snorkeling is I'm not a mouth breather, so I get such shallow breaths, I end up dizzy. With scuba, I can blow the bubbles out of my nose- which allows me to clear my lungs well enough to get a deep breath in the next time (over the course of the day, I end up a little dizzy- but snorkeling, it is like in the course of minutes). For some reason, I haven't found I can exhale through my nose when I snorkel.

 

[dfx]

I also have a fear of driving, but I have to do that everyday; a couple times a year though I have to pull over and talk myself through a panic attack when I allow myself to think of the danger you put yourself in when you allow yourself to fly down a highway at 70 mph.

Given that the most dangerous thing while diving is panic, and that the equivalent of "pulling over" is a very dangerous bolt to the surface, I'd advise caution...

 

[Skittl1321]

Given that the most dangerous thing while diving is panic, and that the equivalent of "pulling over" is a very dangerous bolt to the surface, I'd advise caution...

Don't worry, I'm realistic about this. I took myself back to redo pool classes even though I "passed". I'm going to do OW checkout in two weeks. If that isn't perfect, I'll be back to the pool again. My husband and I plan numerous trips to the quarry before we go to Cozumel.

Due to the DCS fear, not to mention proximity to surface fears, there is no way I'm exceeding the 60 ft OW recommended limit. I know in Cozumel that sometimes is tough. I'd personally have no problem telling the DM I'll sit on the boat during the first dive and just do the second dive of the day, which is more shallow.

If the OW checkout doesn't go well, extra practice doesn't get me ready in time, well Cozumel has wonderful beach clubs, and my husband can dive. There are options.

But I really hope I'm able to just enjoy diving, knowing I can do it safely. It's not like I'm underwater freaking out about nitrogen loading. The freak outs are things like "my buddies octo sucks and I'm breathing in a ton of water"- I KNOW I need to be able to act well in an emergency, so I will continue to practice those skills. But if my regulator is in my mouth, I'm doing fine. Maybe I'll just have to spend the money on a private divemaster and it will just be like a Discover Dive- those divers don't know how to do the emergency skills, so really, I'm a step ahead there. I at least know what I should do, and can hopefully do it.

 

[boulderjohn]

I can tell you with full assurance that breathing is a big issue with you, and life in general will be much better for you when you get it under control. It will be especially helpful to you in scuba.

You really should not have to exhale through your nose while in scuba. You should be able to have long, slow, controlled breaths through the mouth, only using the nose to exhale when equalizing the mask (which takes so little you should not even realize you are doing it) and to clear water out of the mask.

If you are not breathing--especially exhaling--properly, whether on scuba or while driving down the road at 70 mph, you bring on a host of problems. Most importantly, you get a slow and steady buildup of carbon dioxide in your system. When you hold your breath long enough to get that panicky feeling that you need to breathe, that feeling is not generated by a lack of oxygen, it is generated by a buildup of carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide begins to build up, you begin to feel panic. When you begin to feel panic, your breathing gets shallower. When your breathing gets shallower, more carbon dioxide builds up, and you feel more panic. That is called the panic cycle.

Carbon dioxide buildup during dives will also cause headaches.

Work on long and full exhales through the mouth while you dive. Make sure you empty your lungs from time to time. Everything will be much better for you.

 

[dfx]

Due to the DCS fear, not to mention proximity to surface fears, there is no way I'm exceeding the 60 ft OW recommended limit. I know in Cozumel that sometimes is tough. I'd personally have no problem telling the DM I'll sit on the boat during the first dive and just do the second dive of the day, which is more shallow.

I was actually thinking much shallower than that. 60 ft can be quite deep for a panicky diver. I'd suggest staying above 30 ft or so, until you get more comfortable with the whole idea of being under water. You absolutely don't want to panic during a dive and bolt to the surface, never ever. Remember, it's not the dive itself that causes DCS/DCI, it's the ascent.

 

[Skittl1321]

You really should not have to exhale through your nose while in scuba. You should be able to have long, slow, controlled breaths through the mouth, only using the nose to exhale when equalizing the mask (which takes so little you should not even realize you are doing it) and to clear water out of the mask.

Hmmm, the instructors have never said anything about my nose exhaling. It's certainly clear I do it based on how the bubbles flow out of my mask. I do make sure to clear my lungs, and get better deep breaths this way.

But I'll add mouth exhaling to the list of skills to practice when we head out to the quarry after cert, or if I'm in the pool again (hopefully won't have to).

 

[boulderjohn]

How it turned into a "diving is clearly not for you" is baffling to me. It isn't just baffling me, but also the few people who have emailed me to express a WTF about the turn of the thread.

I think a lot of people missed the somewhat self-mocking tone of some of your posts. I enjoyed it myself--you have some writing talent, but your tone was a bit more subtle than we are used to here.

 

[Skittl1321]

I was actually thinking much shallower than that. 60 ft can be quite deep for a panicky diver. I'd suggest staying above 30 ft or so, until you get more comfortable with the whole idea of being under water. You absolutely don't want to panic during a dive and bolt to the surface, never ever. Remember, it's not the dive itself that causes DCS/DCI, it's the ascent.

Well 60 ft would be in Cozumel, and would be my 'floor'.

The quarry we checkout in is only 32 feet deep. After cert, if I pass, my husband and I plan at least 4-5 trips (8-10 dives) to practice, so that would be at around 20-25 feet.