Experienced Divers: What are the most common "oh, crap!" situations?

[Litefoot]

Hello. Thanks for letting me ask a basic question. I'm a brand new recently-certified OW diver. I know that buoyancy control may be the most important skill at this point. But my biggest fear is having a panic attack when something goes wrong. In your experience, what is the most likely problem I will face? Right now, in my limited experience, losing my mask is my biggest fear because I struggle keeping water out of my nose. Is that the answer? That is, focus my practice on those scenarios that I already know will likely induce panic. What do you say?

Note: I am reading and learning form the "What would you do?" thread that is pinned at the top of the forum.

 

[bradlw]

I'm very rusty, but thinking back on my experience both diving and working as a student divemaster and assistant instructor
the two biggest oh crap moments I can think of were
1) folks with lack of buoyancy control making unintended fast and uncontrolled ascents. I'd dive overweighted just so I had a fighting chance of holding folks down
2) I remember one dive on one of the wrecks down in SE Florida, probably in the 100-130ft deep range. It was a pleasure dive and I was buddied with an instructor. We spotted a lady diving maybe 30ft or so above us with her tank dangling completely loose from her BC. We approached and re-attached for her. Wasn't really an oh-crap thing but as I recall she was nervous.

For your mask concerns, I echo others. I'd suggest getting yourself in a pool or shallow low stress area some day with good visibility. Make yourself negative if you have to just so you stay in control and not worry about drifting off or up....and just do mask clearing drills over and over.
Work yourself up to fully flooding it and just practice taking a few breaths while it's flooded. eyes open
Eventually try taking the mask off (eyes open) then replacing it and clearing it.
Then try taking it off, wrap it around your wrist, open your eyes and go for a short swim before replacing it and clearing.
and yes you can do it in ocean water

I've never lost a mask and don't recall anyone on any dives I've been on loosing one either...but there are quite a few memories of folks with flooding masks and fogging masks.

An upside to getting comfortable with mask clearing....I've many times had a dirty mask and it would be fogging up on my during a dive. I'd just let a we bit of water in, and when the lens would flood I'd tip my head down so the water would slosh across the lens to wash the fog away. No big deal

 

[Gareth J]

inside a wreck reeling back in and i see the end of the line coming to meet me

I've had that - not nice.

 

[Wibble]

Getting the divorce papers and finding out how the dive gear is being split.

She doesn't know how much it's worth

The old diving prayer: Oh Lord, should I die, please don't let my wife sell my dive kit for what I told her I paid for it

 

[lermontov]

She doesn't know how much it's worth

The old diving prayer: Oh Lord, should I die, please don't let my wife sell my dive kit for what I told her I paid for it

my wife is getting cunning -when a parcel arrives she looks online to see what its worth

 

[Polarorbit]

As a DM, I was diving dry and playing the part of a panicked diver for a Rescue class. A student got behind me and inflated my BC while holding my LPI behind my head. I couldn’t dump air fast enough to stop the uncontrolled ascent. Exhaled and flared for all I was worth. Thankfully we were only around 30’ so all parties came out okay, but that sure got my blood pumping.

 

[hehatemefrisbee]

Not realizing one of my integrated weights had fallen out where I was sitting on the boat and wondering why I was struggling to sink and was lopsided on my first dive. Dumb dumb dumb

 

[VikingDives]

Not having a pee valve installed and having to hold it for 40 minutes?

 

[SlugLife]

Not realizing one of my integrated weights had fallen out where I was sitting on the boat and wondering why I was struggling to sink and was lopsided on my first dive. Dumb dumb dumb

There's nothing dumb about that, especially for a new diver.

The main thing would be to investigate why the weights fell out, and whether they're actually secure enough to not do the same during a dive.

 

[H2ODoc]

This past Wednesday, I backrolled off the boat, and realized my fins were still on the boat! Not good. Boat captain fixed my error by tossing me one fin at a time.

 

[hehatemefrisbee]

There's nothing dumb about that, especially for a new diver.

The main thing would be to investigate why the weights fell out, and whether they're actually secure enough to not do the same during a dive.

I think I just didn't clip them in all the way