Today was my first ever day trying out SCUBA. I took a short course from my local SCUBA shop that basically just introduces you to the world of SCUBA. I got everything on, he taught me about how everything worked. Then I went under. And that's when the trouble started. I'm not sure if the anxiety caused the problems, or just how different breathing underwater is. I feel like I couldn't really trust that this "machine" was going to supply me with air and keep me alive. My first few breaths were pretty rapid, and I felt like I wasn't getting enough air. So I resurfaced within about 8 seconds. After that first experience I started to get nervous every time I went back under. I felt like I had to breath in a certain pattern or else everything would fail, so I sort of limited my breaths, inhaling and exhaling. My breathing did not feel natural at all. I would love to get into SCUBA diving but this whole first experience has gotten me kind of shook up. Any ideas on how I can better my breathing underwater?