Deep dive hesitancy

[mhedstrom]

Hey all. I'm currently doing my AOW, and for some reason I'm nervous about doing the deep dive. I really want to, since I know if I want to see even more cool stuff (some wrecks, etc..) I need to be able to go down to 80-100 feet, yet I still can't stop thinking about it. I'm not scared, exactly, just nervous. What can I do to get over this hesitancy before I do the dive?

 

[ScubaTexan]

Just remember your deep diving studies -- stay calm, keep breathing normally and remember to equalise your ears every 15-20 feet or so. I don't think your instructor is going to take you deeper than you are comfortable with. You could get a little narc'd, but not necessarily. Just keep your wits about you and you will be just fine.

 

[Cave Diver]

Talk to your instructor first of all. A certain amount of apprehension prior to a dive is normal, and often even a good thing. OTOH, if this is a serious concern your instructor needs to know and perhaps do a few more dives with you and ease you into things. There is no rush, no contest and you certainly don't want to end up in a panic.

 

[letsgodiving]

100ft doesn't feel any different than 60ft...just relax.

 

[bolantej]

Couple more things: make sure you have a nice rest the night before, and keep an eye on your gauges. You really can't tell the difference as you go deeper.

 

[DiverBizz]

Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate. Relax and talk to your instructor. Remember you don't have to go anywhere that makes you very uncomfortable. You have read your chapter on the deep dive just relax and have fun.

 

[fisherdvm]

I think anxiety is a good thing. It reinforces the need for good buddy skill, frequent SPG checks, awareness of depth, air pressure, etc. And helps you not to get over comfy when narcosis sets in.

The problem I see is when your testosterone tells you that, hey, lets go deeper the next time, as so and so went to 130 ft and survives.

If the anxiety leads you to taking more training, get a pony bottle, or dives with redundancy - great... You will simply be a better diver, and buddy at the end. It scares me to heck to see buddy pairs 30 to 50 ft apart doing a hopeless race (usually the male is doing a sprint, while the female buddy is burning gas trying to keep up) without redundancy at 100 ft... All the OW air sharing drill isn't going to do squat when one runs out of air or have problems at that depth.

 

[BKP]

If you're diving in Colorado, it's a lake or quarry, and the only things you'll be dealing with is temperature (as you go through the thermoclines), and viz (which, surprisingly, is often better as you descend in a quarry/lake).

So if you normally dive a 3mm, bring an extra core-warmer, or a 5mm, and hood (or a 7mm, if you normally dive a 5, etc.).

Stick close to your instructor, and enjoy. You'll notice buoyancy control is easier as you descend (smaller changes in pressure the deeper you go). Other than the above, you won't know the difference between 30 feet and 100, except for what your gauges tell you.

Good luck, and dive safe.

 

[dab]

Don't focus on the depth, focus on you surroundings, your buddy or anything else to occupy your mind. As long as you are properly prepared and understand what to expect, depth is really just a mind game. The more you take your focus off the depth and place it elsewhere the more relaxed you will be.

 

[RICHinNC]

I agree mostly to the comment you cant tell the diff between 100 and 60. You might feel just a slight more pressure but nothing uncomfy. It is no big thing really.

If you plan to ever dive the wrecks of NC, most of the boats I go on make you show the AOW card or no diving. A couple of places in the Carib have done the same thing too.

Like said before, just relax and enjoy it. Believe it or not, there will be a day when you want to go deeper.