claustrophobic new diver

[Sneak]

Hello all!!

I am new to scuba diving and have just finished my pool sessions. Soon I will be doing the open water dives. Unfortunately it will be in a querry. YUCK! I heaqr that you cannot see under there past 5 feet. Anyone had there OW in a querry as well? My question is this. I am a little panicky underwater. I feel a little claustrophobic. I have always snirkeled and swam and I am a little surprised at my scarred feelings and claustrophic feelings. Does this feeling ever go away? I know that I am just starting out but i almost didn't go back to the pool. I have a good mask but it tends to fog up a lot which may be adding to this panic feeling. Ifeel like Ican't stay down longer than 10 mins in a pool of 15 ft deep! I have trouble calming myself to stay underwater and pay attention to the instructor. The instructor said that I have a great mask but it is known for fogging a lot! Why make a mask like this? It is a Sea Vision mask. Any one else have this problem? Any suggestions or just get another mask. I am slightly petrified of going deep underwater ina cold dark querry for the finsihing of my class. Any suggestions or stories or medataion techniques I would love! Is this claustrophobic, panic feeling common amongst first timers? I am going to the Caribean in a week after....if only I could feel confident to get through the class andall of it's paniced exercises!! HELP!

Thanks!!

 

[sheck33]

Sneak once bubbled...
Hello all!!

I am new to scuba diving and have just finished my pool sessions. Soon I will be doing the open water dives. Unfortunately it will be in a querry. YUCK! I heaqr that you cannot see under there past 5 feet. Anyone had there OW in a querry as well? My question is this. I am a little panicky underwater. I feel a little claustrophobic. I have always snirkeled and swam and I am a little surprised at my scarred feelings and claustrophic feelings. Does this feeling ever go away? I know that I am just starting out but i almost didn't go back to the pool. I have a good mask but it tends to fog up a lot which may be adding to this panic feeling. Ifeel like Ican't stay down longer than 10 mins in a pool of 15 ft deep! I have trouble calming myself to stay underwater and pay attention to the instructor. The instructor said that I have a great mask but it is known for fogging a lot! Why make a mask like this? It is a Sea Vision mask. Any one else have this problem? Any suggestions or just get another mask. I am slightly petrified of going deep underwater ina cold dark querry for the finsihing of my class. Any suggestions or stories or medataion techniques I would love! Is this claustrophobic, panic feeling common amongst first timers? I am going to the Caribean in a week after....if only I could feel confident to get through the class andall of it's paniced exercises!! HELP!

Thanks!!

Well i see all levels of anxiety all the time and no it is not really something unusual. The mask might need some more cleaning with softscrub and will eventually not fog up anymore, so dont worry about the mask. Dont go by what 'horror' stories you might hear about a quarry, try it and see how things go, if your instructor is doing his/her job you will be supervised at all times by either the instructor or an assistant. If you can do it in the pool you can do it in openwater, at least that is true for 9 out of 10 people. And dont forget if you can dive in a cold dark quarry, if it IS which i really wouldnt know for the quarry you are talking about, you can dive anywhere and the Caribean will be paradise.

But evaluate yourself and be honest, in the unlikely event that diving maybe might not be for you you need to recognize that fact and find another hobby. But give it an honets try first and you will probably be ok.

I'd love to hear how it went, good luck

 

[Rooster1]

welcome to the board.
first-if you wash your mask with non gel toothpaste before you dive you will have no fog
second- you need to relax. Most of us were all very nervous when we were getting certified. Your panic and nervousness will go away with confidence the more you dive. The key is to never dive beyond your limits and only do a little extra at a time. If you plan your dive and dive your plan within your ability you should be ok.
If during your open waters you are sure that scuba is not for you then maybe it isnt, but I think you should give it an honest try.(remember most of us were all nervous when we started)

 

[builderbloke]

firstly hi and welcome to the board

secondly good luck with your ow cert

thirdly and most importantly theres no rush so CHILL out and have fun thats what youre doing it for remember that and the fear will pass
1 good rule is to slow down,then slow down a bit more and then when you think your going slow enough slow down a bit more
that way nothing races up on you and you'll have plenty of time to sort it out .

and about the stone qwarys here in the uk they can be a god send

anyway let us know how you got on with your ow

 

[Amber]

It does seem a bit scary and closed in at times underwater. My first OW dive...I thought I would be fine, I was but it just had a feeling of being closed in. It went away after I got used to it. "Practice makes perfect"...it's true..and the good thing about that statment..preacticing diving is a lot of fun.

oking:

 

[Scuba446]

Hello,
I can add that I was once intimidated at the thought of diving in poor vis. However, I found on my FIRST OW check out dive, that this was totally unfounded. I had no fear at all when we kicked up the bottom and had a 'silt out' with less than 3 ft vis. It’s really not scary, as you can always:

1. Swim out of it into a clearing...
2. Hang tight and wait a few mins for it to clear...

It’s all a state of mind. You can keep yourself calm and cool, just RELAX and BREATHE. If any fears creep in, just remain calm and reassure yourself that its OK. Most fears are perceived in our minds and many times not reality!

Always, relax. There is no reason to be claustrophobic, as the pool is plenty big and so is the quarry or lake, etc. Plenty of room. Its not like your in a cave or anything.

My suggestion, give yourself a good try. I almost let MY fear or poor vis ruin my getting certified last year. I was totally 'spooked' at the thought of it last year - to find it was totally unfounded. Now I love diving. I do not feel afraid or scared in the least bit when I dive. This is not to say that I am careless or stupid. I have great respect for water. I'm careful, but relaxed in the water.

My best advice, give yourself a chance.... try it, but don't punish yourself. This should be fun. If you’re not having fun, its time to have a heart-to-heart with yourself and ask yourself WHY you’re not having fun and if this sport is really for you. Don't torture yourself, but give it an honest try.

I think you'll find that many of your fears will disappear after you spend a little time in the water. If not, chalk it up to having TRIED and give it your BEST shot!

Remember - you have to learn to walk before you can run...

Good luck!

 

[emeyer36]

I will say that although I was not extremely "closed in" by my first mask, I didn't like the feeling of what I couldn't see. I went out looking for a more open feeling mask. I found one that is NOT high volume, but gives me a less "closed in" feel. It is a ScubaMax, you may not find it, but I understand several companies make something similar. It is a 4 window mask with a clear frame, it has no frame between the front and side panels. I think ScubaPro makes one exactly like it. I would just look around and try on some other mask, in the pool if you can, and see if any of them give you a better fit and less "closed in" feel. Anyway that's what I did.

I am now certified OW, AOW and Nitrox all in a little over a year, and I started my training at the advanced age of 52. If I can do it almost anybody can. It just takes time, patience and practice, practice, PRACTICE.

emeyer36

 

[chrispete]

One of the fears that I used to have was of that "closing in" feeling that you may get in low viz - the one thing that I have learned to do is to watch and trust your instruments - if you feel that you've lost all point of reference, you may start feeling like you are sinking or moving when you really aren't - take a look at your SPG and compass and you'll find that focusing on them will reassure you that everything's OK. Another thing to do is to slow down and take your time - if you do in fact get caught in a siltout or lose a buddy do to poor viz, stop and slowly turn around - looking for any slight movement. I used to look frantically around when I could no longer see anyone, and by not taking my time and looking at a spot long enough to see movement, I wouldn't see them - when you take your time looking, your buddy's fin movement, etc. should be visible.

 

[Scuba Barbie]

I remember feeling the exact same way during my pool training. I remember coming to the surface and bragging that I had stayed underwater for TWO WHOLE minutes!

In retrospect, for me, I think it was that I was overwhelmed with all of the information. If you surface too fast you will die, if you descent too fast you will blow out an ear, if you do this or that something worse than death.... you get the idea. Once I got comfortable with all of the do's and don'ts I was just fine.

Also, a huge improvement was when my skills improved and I knew I was in control. I remember during my first open water dive thinking "If I can just get through this". During dive two I reminded myself that diving should be fun. So I relaxed and voila, I had fun.

Good luck, I think you will be fine.

 

[Scuba Barbie]

I forgot to mention, my OW was done in a quary. With 12 students, the vis was very low. But you do get used to it.