every time i go more 20 m i feel panic and I'm professional diver !

[sam008]

updated **
i made my Co2 blood test and as the doctor said it's normal
tomorrow I'm going to check another doctor heart specialist , because it's still happening and I don't do diving now.. only to check how it going..
also i changed my regulator and i checked the aire

 

[Alex Ouroboros]

I think we can safely discount witchcraft.

Let's look at more likely causes:

1) Bad air - you say you've checked this.

2) Regulator issue - it could be restricted airflow or (my guess) something that doesn't allow the first stage to compensate for the depth like a broken or weak spring. Can you borrow a known working reg for a dive to see if it makes any difference? If it's a reg issue it's most likely the first stage in which case switching to your octo won't help.

3) Medical issue - let's see what the doctors have to say, but I'd check on the regulator first.

4) Psychological issue - unless there was some sort of emotional trauma that could have triggered such a reaction, I'd hold off on this possibility until you've explored the others.

I’m going with this
Try not to worry yourself as this could worsen then problem, firstly though (after ensuring the gas is good) try and go for a casual non working dive with a friend somewhere familiar to try a relaxing dive and go from there, if problem persists you must see a doctor, I do hope things get better.

 

[duke dive medicine]

updated **
i made my Co2 blood test and as the doctor said it's normal
tomorrow I'm going to check another doctor heart specialist , because it's still happening and I don't do diving now.. only to check how it going..
also i changed my regulator and i checked the aire View attachment 820242

That's on the surface and not using diving gear. pH is high normal but everything is within normal limits.

Did you get a chest x-ray?

Best regards,
DDM

 

[AVANTI4]

hello friend's i have a big problem now and i need to get your opinions..
I'm a professional diver with more than +1000 dives, i went more than 40 and 50 meters many times... also i work as dive guide .
last few dives if i went more than 18 _ 20 meters i feel like I'm going to panic and heavy breathing and heart beating so fast ( some times i feel like i will run directly up )
and it fix when i go up for 12 _ 15 meters
...
it happend in separate times and in different dates ..
and i never had this befor I'm smoker and non alcoholic and i take no medicines.. i tried to stop smoke for cuple of days and went to dive again and same thing happened..
what do you think guys ?!

Diving since '99, instructor since '17, 37yo, 1500 dives and I know how you feel. I used to be totally comfortable at all recreational depths, then I had a mild 15sec traumatic experience with overexertion at ~25m with strong currents and an unbalanced reg that resulted in me feeling claustrophobic for months afterwards. You may not have had trauma but maybe a few things I did to get back and comfortable may help you also if your troubles continue. I dive and teach regularly again now. I don't think i'll ever feel as comfortable as before, but I still dive safely, still love it.

1) I got myself a new reg with a better flow rate and the difference was huuuuge. I actually don't think I could go back to diving with unbalanced reg comfortably now.
2) Did a bunch of dives with other professional buddies and lots of solo. Luckily it was covid so I had many chances to do this without students. It's amazing how much more relaxed we are when we don't have the responsibility of students. That gave me a lot of confidence again.
3) Worked on freediving breath exercises with freedive training app. I DON'T freedive, but this taught me so much about how my body reacts to low 02 and high C02 levels and how to be more comfortable with it, and how to breathe to stay more relaxed.

 

[CG43]

Hello sam 008

You havn't given a comment to "The chairmans" remark about breathing .
What you decribed is very likeihood to insufficient breathing if there are no very serios
health problems .
You are a very experienced diver and diving is nothing unusualy for you . This may stimulate
you to breath like ashore . There are some people who even teach to do so .
This does not work well in greater depht .
Ashore getting rid of the CO2 goes 2,5 times quicker then get O2 .
You may breath 20 times 0,5Liter or 5 times 2 Liter , both will work .
You are breathing to get O2 and getting rid the CO2 is a side product .
In 15 m depths the partial pressure of the O2 is 2,5 times as ashore and the CO2 had lost
is advantage . Now we breath to get rid of the CO2 and getting the O2 is a side product .
Under higher PO2 we will regulate a higher CO2 partial pressure . This regulation stuff is not
only very complex it's even a littel bit different between different divers .
The way to avoid that CO2 partial pressure raises up is to breath deep and enought dependet
to the effort .
On a relaxed deep dive this is breathing deep and very slow or very deep with rests .
The diving suit , weightbelt and especially the BCD may be bad for breathing deep .
It must be fun to use your belly and brest for deep breathing otherwise your gear is bad .
Thats much more important than compensated 1. stages . I don't know any reg. on the market
that isn't abel to apply enought air for an relaxed diver in more then 50 m dephts .

Greetings Rainer

 

[CG43]

Hello AVANT14

3) Worked on freediving breath exercises with freedive training app. I DON'T freedive, but this taught me so much about how my body reacts to low 02 and high C02 levels and how to be more comfortable with it, and how to breathe to stay more relaxed.

You should go on this way and start freediving in an very gentle way .
Don't look for time or distance , simply enjoy a few seconds .
Being under water is the freedom from breathing .
You can do this even on your job during scuba diving .
Take your reg. out of your mouth and hold it in your hand for a few seconds before
breathing again . What your mind and your body may learn is that your life does not depended
on your scuba . It's nice to have a scuba , but is it nessesary ? No !
This may be helpfull to come back to your old comfort level .

Greetings Rainer

 

[sam008]

i still have the problem, I tried everything but unfortunately still there..
i think maybe it's my brain now ..
i will visit a psychologist and keep updating the post here..
thank you all and i really appreciate your kind replies

 

[The Chairman]

i made my Co2 blood test and as the doctor said it's normal

Sure. You're relaxed and sitting in an office. Most CO₂ hits come as a result of over-exertion and skip breathing. In an effort to conserve air, many (most???) divers try to slow their breathing in a vain attempt to conserve air, and it usually backfires. Why? CO₂ increases your breathing rate and induces panic. It becomes a vicious circle. Solution? Get a big ass tank and breath like a mad man.

 

[34109411]

most likely she could stay also very shallow and dont aim to go deep. From there i will try different equipment and configuration. Sometimes a change is needed and the problem is solve.

A part from being an experience diver i don't know how fit she is. I pretty much run every day about 25 min and hit the gym 2-3 times a weeks...and this especially for diving.( oh i am not saying i am fit just saying i notice it help a lot when i go dive).

I push my self when i go running and than when i go diving i think about the effort it took me and it s just so easy to breathe and relax.

I will still tell her to do breathing exercise outside and it the water in order to establish a breathing pattern. And check sac rate and rmv.

At a certain points getting old shift things in your body and metabolism to be on top you need to stay on top ! I am 48 now i start diving when i was 30. In that 18 years my physical endurance is obviously not the same or my capacity of adaptation to certain activities. But actually diving is the lost relaxing thing ever besides carrying tanks for my old back and knees. Years of snowboarding and downhill mountain biking make them weak.

(obviously years of smoking are not paying right now i will strongly suggest to stop doing that, oh i just get your 32 ! So anyway i am old your young trash the cigarette please).

I don't things she needs to go see any others specialist as i it will create just more anxiety and not aim at the real problem, otherwise she will have other issues anyway besides diving and it doesn't seem to be the case fron her storie.

Cheers

 

[34109411]

i still have the problem, I tried everything but unfortunately still there..
i think maybe it's my brain now ..
i will visit a psychologist and keep updating the post here..
thank you all and i really appreciate your kind replies

Sam with all my respect...

I don't know where you look in all directions, stop smoking right now ! Years of smoking are leading you to this situation.

Why are smoking into the first place ? Stress ? You need to get rid of this.

Second you need to get back in shape and avoid smoking. You should go run on a daily basis for at least 45 minutes without any problems and hit the gym 3-4 times a week and do strength training.

I am 48, when i was 32 i could go run for hours without any fatigue what so ever. So 45 min will not kill you. Now i run 25 min 4--5 time a week and hit the gym 2-3 times a week. Obviously i don't smoke.

I will say that physical condition and body health is a major impact on the quality of diving you could experience. Eat well especially the days before eat light avoid heavy meals. Personally i try to avoid coffee one day before diving and the morning of the dive also.

Stay shallow for now don't aim deep. Swap gear to see what happens get regulator with a venturi effect. A balanced regulator will be good also. Take out the regulator out of your mouth down there exale see what going on , focus on your breathing pattern.

Part of my training in sdi solo diver was to swim without a mask i had anxiety at the beginning but prior to d-day i did practice a lot the skill to realize it was really easy to do so and as you perform the skills you are much more relax and concentrate on your breathing at a point i was nearly falling a sleep without a mask.

Psychological aspects is not to consider in you case. Just get rid of the damn nicotine.

Be safe.