Anxiety issues NEED solving!

[Diver0001]

Has anyone ever had the unexplained panic attack?! I cant pinpoint anything that i was particularly frightened of, just mind-racing, heavy breathing, fear. I know that I am supposed to breath deeply and slowly to calm myself (like I did successfully in class) but even a few minutes of this did not help.
Can anyone relate and do you have any advise?? This CAN NOT continue or i am worried that my boyfriend, who is currenty very supportive of my recent handicap, will not want to be my dive buddy anymore! Whats wrong with me?!

Have you ever had panic attacks for any other reason or is this the first one?

R..

 

[Jupiter31]

Nothing is wrong with you - diving, while safe and very enjoyable, is (at least when you are new) a lot of heavy, unfamiliar equipment, in an alien environment.

What might help you is doing a few dives with more experienced divers - if this is not an option, look to hire an instructor or a DM to make the next 5 or 10 dives with you.

What helped us many years ago was diving for a week in the USVI with a great operator; he was calm, helpful, and we felt so much more confident and comfortable after 10 dives with him.

It does get easier w/ practice as divers are "made" not born.

If this does not help, or you are still experiencing panic after 25 dies or so, you might need to reevaluate if diving is for you - but IMO, you are going to be fine; all you need is a few dives with a more experienced diver, especially if you don't experience panic attacks in any other part of your life.

Good Luck!

 

[emoreira]

I've seen that you have less that 49 dives.
I'm also in those numbers.
My recent dives were with an occasional buddy with less experience than I.
I was directing the dive and was ahead. I had to worry constantly if he was following me. I could not get him by my side or make him go ahead so I could be sure we were together. That made me nervous and rose my SAC to the clouds.
What's the point, the last dives have been my first dives without a DM or an instructor. Many of my previous dives have been checkout OW and or specialities. Now I'm on my own. Sum up poor visibility, cold water, cloudy weather, gear malfunction, etc.
Many reasons can make you panic. Don't give up. Try to find the reason you panic and act over the point.

 

[TSandM]

It's a great idea to work in a pool or in shallow water, to get through anxiety issues . . . but I think you first have to figure out what the issues ARE. (It would make no sense, for example, for someone to go down and take their mask off repeatedly, if the fear was related to a regulator breathing wet.)

So, what was different about this lake? I can think of a few things that might be likely: Lower visibility/decreased light; cold water (and the associated heavy exposure protection, possibly constricting and making it hard to breathe); possibly different regulators (regs which are improperly adjusted can make breathing difficult, causing CO2 retention and high anxiety); different BC (perhaps a jacket sort, which when inflated, constricts the chest?); different weighting (easy to be overweighted in cold, fresh water, and the sense of rapid falling can be anxiety-producing). It's worth looking at each of these factors, because some are very simple to fix. Others, like not liking low viz, will require time and experience to defuse.

I am assuming (or hoping) that your description "I had to surface" meant that you did it in a controlled fashion. If so, what you had was fear, and not panic. Fear can be worked through, if you can identify the stressor and figure out how to cope with it. Panic, on the other hand, is a bad thing in a diver. If your trip to the surface was an uncontrolled bolt, you need to think long and hard about why that happened. If you have a temperament that tends to panic, diving may not be a great sport for you.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

I consider myself a relatively experienced diver with a lot of dives in very different environments and settings, but lakes still freak me out. They just do. Always have. Recently, I experienced a near-panic attack in a silt-out on the muddy bottom in a local lake that took me by surprise and definitely put me in my place. Don't sweat it, take it slowly and take your time to get used to the lake. Start with very shallow, easy dives and gradually go from there. And if you simply can't get used to that lake, screw it. Dive elsewhere and enjoy. I know plenty of great and confident divers who hate lakes. Don't let it question your motivation and enthusiasm you appear to have for diving. When I read your headline "Issues NEED solving," I immediately knew here is someone who doesn't question their abilities or ponder whether they should give up diving. That's the main part and you appear to have made it past that. That's great. Keep it up and don't worry too much.

 

[Teamcasa]

Are these your first local dives? Local lakes, quarries, and the temperate ocean often present the challenge of diminished visibility that is not present in the tropics. Perhaps it's claustrophobia or perhaps fear of the unseen demons just outside the limits of your sight. I don't have a solution for you, but perhaps being aware of the cause might help.

I've seen this affect other divers as well. Good divers can sometimes get spooked when the visibility drops. I notice my lovely bride holds my hand more as the vis drops. She is no fan of lousy vis diving but a good diver none the less.

This may get better but it may not. Just let your buddy know what to expect if he vis sucks. You should also be honest with yourself and limit your diving if the vis is edgy.

 

[Drewski]

I'd suggest doing a little drill.

Do you have a closet in your home that is relatively "tight" (not a lot of room) and very dark with the door closed?

With someone to monitor, help and make certain you are OK, put a coat on, pull on a wetsuit hood (if you were wearing one in the lake) put your dive mask on, go in the closet and close the door. Stand inside for about 10 minutes, in the dark, alone.

I know, I know, sounds weird and here's another crazy instructor trying to screw with someone, LOL.

Just try it and see if anything happens...

 

[diveactive]

OK . Firstly I take my self back to the fist time of my OWT. It was OK but never prepared me for what was to come. I got in all sorts of trouble, as most of the coursed are all geared up for the tropics. Yes I learnt in devon and dorset in cold water bad Vis . and heavy weight belts and thick wet suits. But that still took me forever to get used to. and for some one who loves the water. Lakes dive I felt totally spooked.
Now after many years and teaching and taking out divers from all walks of like. Not forgetting my back ground in 30 years of Martial arts and having to deal with peoples fears. As well as in diving. It all boils down to getting it right and diving in your comfort zone.
I have found that sadly many divers get this problem by not having things explained. We all fear what we do not understand. Do over come this we must understand our selves first.
If your ever in Borneo in my time here look me up!
So many divers get this hit on panic from not being comfortable and not in control , due to many things. But to name three. One Not prepared . 2 Over weighting. 3 badly maintained equipment. just as a start for ruling out the fist points.

More then happy to help.

 

[Jan Kruger]

My first bad panic attack happened in 40 m of water in a quarry - relatively bad viz - total panic- went up 3-4 metres and i was fine to continue.I think my panic attacks has something to do with the depth-if i dare dive deeper than 25 to 30 metres i start to get 'out of breath' at some stage after which i get this 'mad blood rush' through my veins -i feel my heart pumps at a terrible rate-and try as i might i just can not control it . I then normally swim to a rock if available or acsent a few metres and just hang there for a few minutes before i am able to continue.My dive buddy knows about the situation and doesn't even notice it anymore as i am fine after it happened and will always carry on with the dive.This previously only happened in quarries but it recently happened in the ocean as well-nothing brings it on- it just happens and i feel like an idiot - i was hoping to do the DM course but now i know it will never happen.I dream about diving but if this happens i really get angry with myself for this limiting factor.

 

[diveactive]

its strange the effects of the depth in fresh water and the feeling you get in tropical seas. Diving at 45m is like diving at 25 m in the UK . Ewwww In the UK or when I dived Vobster Bay. I was amazed on how more pressure it put on the mind. Yet I trained in the UK.