Diver Panic Story

[BuiltLikeABulldog]

Hey guys, after diving for 4 years and a ton of logged dives, I had my first instance of diver panic today. I wanted to share the story, because I think it will teach us to not get complacent.

I was doing an easy 30ft shore dive, something I've done so many times that I didn't think twice about going out alone. Water tempt was around 52F and about 2 ft viz. Everything's going great, I hit depth and adjust my weight belt to compensate to the compression. Everything is tight and ready to go. I start heading through the kelp forest and I feel something tug on my ankles and won't let me kick. I figure it's Kelp so I calm stop and turn around and see my weight belt slipped down to my ankles.

I reached down to grab the belt and either I or the belt hit the snap of my fin which slips my fin off. I grab the fin and I adjust the weight belt so I can start putting my gear back on. When I adjusted the weight belt on my arm I end up hurting my shoulder and can't get my fin or belt back on.

While this is happening, my mask starts flooding at the sea floor. At this point I'm 100% calm and just realize that I can't risk hurting my shoulder more by trying to put my gear back on and continuing the dive, so I decide to call it. I clear my mask and it just keeps flooding. So I take the mask off, put it back on and clear it and the flooding slows down. I take stock as far as how I am mentally, and the rest of my gear and everything is good, so I start to ascend.

On the surface, that's when things start going faster. I inflate my BC and start to calm myself down and am having trouble doing so. I start to kick towards shore and it gets worse and worse and worse. I have to tell myself to kick and breathe in and breathe out. I get back to shore and start to calm down.

It was a perfect storm of incidents that just happened on a very very easy dive. But it did remind me, no matter how easy the dive and how confident you are, you're still underwater and anything can happen.

I can tell you, being this situation my first experience of diver panic. It is a feeling like no other I've ever experienced. Be careful out there!

 

[SCRedWolf]

Sounds like you did a great job of avoiding giving in to the panic and kept a straight head on your injured shoulders. I'm sure you felt like you were at the ragged edge of a full-blown panic attack but none of the actions you describe sound like you crossed over.
So for that

Have you had the time to do a situation analysis to see what you did and could have / should have done at each step of the way? I've never done this for diving but I've used the process for other activities, like the BJJ fights I lost. Our coach made us to the pre-fight game plan and the post-fight analysis. It helped us do rather than think on the mat. The process is essentially 1) what went wrong first, how did you try to fix it, if it didn't work did it make the situation worse, the same, or slightly better. What other ways you could have fixed it 2) repeat for each successive thing that went wrong. And honestly it's not necessarily a critique but simply planning ahead in case something similar ever happens again. It's always nice to know if 'x' happens you have three actions in your toolbox that you can do immediately. Much better than trying to come up with a plan spur of the moment.

Very happy to hear your were able to soldier through it and thanks for sharing. I hope your shoulder heals quickly.

 

[Shotmaster]

Good job!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Have you considered getting one of those stretchy weightbelts the freedivers use? I believe that should fix up one problem you experienced.

Sorry about your shoulder. Is it feeling better?

 

[RainPilot]

Its amazing how fast the small(ish) things can stack up. Any one of the issues you had were really minor and easily fixed in isolation. Its when they cascade that things get interesting, fast.

From the sounds of it, I suspect that what you experienced was not actually a panic attack per se. From your account it seems that you handled the situation admirably and as per training, compensating for complications (shoulder, mask continuing to flood etc)

This would have been the period of highest stress when a panic attack would have been most likely. I think what you experienced on the surface once the immediate danger was past was a post-adrenaline reaction similar to what soldiers etc experience after a firefight or pilots after an emergency situation has resolved. I have personally had situations where i was calm and collected and dealt with the emergency as trained and then couldn't stand up once i was back on the hardstand, requiring assistance to light the nerve-calming cigarette because my hands were shaking too much etc.

The symptoms are very similar and no less frightening but take heart that you were not as badly off as you thought you might be and perfectly normal. Whatever that might be

 

[rongoodman]

You might want to consider spring straps for your fins too.

 

[Bob DBF]

Panic is when you start using irrational actions to solve your problems.

When I refer to situations I've had that are similar yours, I like to say that I didn't panic but I could see how close it was.

Next time you have the experience to decide to quit earlier, drop the belt, and relax on the surface a while before deciding your next move. Or calmly continue the drill, you made rational choices and came out fine so now you know the choice is yours.


Bob

 

[Reku]

Good job handling the situation.

 

[BuiltLikeABulldog]

Hey guys, thanks for the support and I'm glad my post draw views. My shoulder and back are really really tight this morning, so I'm taking it easy.
Luckily I had a video camera going the whole time, so last night I watched the footage to listen to my breathing and see where I was at mentally. Something I didn't remember until I watched it, was that on descent my BC wouldn't deflate all the way, and I noticed my breathing slightly increased from that and it took a little while for it to get back to normal. So I might have been already a little on edge prior to reaching depth.

I'm currently visiting Cali on business, so most of the gear was rented (Had my own reg, computer and mask and bought new fins for the trip.) So the spring straps aren't here yet (but are ordered.) Like I said, I just wanted everyone to remember that safety is 100% the most important thing we can practice. Always work on your skills, dive with a buddy, and remember, breathe, kick, breathe kick.

 

[urbaneve71]

@BuiltLikeABulldog im glad everything came out okay.