fustrated w/ anxiety level

[FFMDiver]

Hello:
I am an advanced diver with approximately 200 dives (only a few below 50') and I am beginning to question my suitability for the sport. I seem to have anxiety about being in water over 40' far from recognizable shore features. I completed my advanced dives but I was pretty anxious about the whole experience. Some of the dive budies I started with are moving beyond this depth and I am feeling inadequate. Another diver has been helping me to move through this nervousness without success. I even purchased a new dry suit to help with any temperature changes that increase my nervousness. Somehow, being out in the middle of a lake in water over 40 ft. makes me rather insecure, no matter who I am with. Can any experienced divers tell me if they have had similar blockages in their diving careers? How long did it take to used to diving below 40 ft. far from shore? Thank you.

 

[Pilot_dc]

Focus on navigating and checking your gauges. Concentrate on your breathing and thus your buoyancy. By always having something to focus on you'll not only increase your safety (cause you'll be very very aware of what's going on etc..) but you'll have no time to think about all the bad stuff that could happen to you.

Worked for a nervous pilot friend of mine who had trouble flying at night.

 

[BCS]

Hello:
I am an advanced diver with approximately 200 dives (only a few below 50') and I am beginning to question my suitability for the sport. I seem to have anxiety about being in water over 40' far from recognizable shore features. I completed my advanced dives but I was pretty anxious about the whole experience. Some of the dive budies I started with are moving beyond this depth and I am feeling inadequate. Another diver has been helping me to move through this nervousness without success. I even purchased a new dry suit to help with any temperature changes that increase my nervousness. Somehow, being out in the middle of a lake in water over 40 ft. makes me rather insecure, no matter who I am with. Can any experienced divers tell me if they have had similar blockages in their diving careers? How long did it take to used to diving below 40 ft. far from shore? Thank you.

Hi Brad,
Typically when I've had students that have had this kind of problem I have found that delving a bit more into the source oif the discomfort will reveal that the student is lacking in confidence and this stems from shortcomings in their comfort w/their own personal degree of competency in diving skills. I'm not sure if this is the case with you, but I would lay money on the idea that this discomfort you're feeling is rooted in a lack of confidence in your own abilites. Whether it's founded in fact or just one's own perception.
Just an opinion based on my experiences w/other folks who've mentioned similar feelings as you.

Hope all's been going well!

Best Regards,
brando

 

[randy54]

I ran into this after a bout with kelp intanglement. Didn't have a buddy with me, and went into a very short panic mode. Later I wouldn't go near kelp, which is rather hard here in SoCal. Then I had a couple surgerys, which took away a lot of my fitness level. What I found most helpful was talking about it, and realizing , most other divers have some level of anxiety on almost all dives. This is a dangerious sport, like sky diving. A little nerviousness helps keeps us on our toes, or fins as the case may be. Knowning I'm not alone in my thoughts helps to keep them down. Kelp doesn't bother me much any more, and as I get my fittness level back up, my confidence grows too. Is the sport for you? Only you know the answer to that. Good luck whichever way you go.

 

[FFMDiver]

hmm... good food for thought.
Thanks all.

 

[Xanthro]

Why do you want to go deeper than 40feet?

Only do dives that you enjoy.

If you don't enjoy deeper dives, then don't do them. There is nothing to feel inadequate about.

If you really have a goal as to why you want to go deeper, there is plenty of help here on the board, but unless you have such a goal, I wouldn't worry about it. There is plenty to see and much enjoyable diving at 40 feet or less.

 

[kabluton]

Hello:
I am an advanced diver with approximately 200 dives (only a few below 50') and I am beginning to question my suitability for the sport. I seem to have anxiety about being in water over 40' far from recognizable shore features. I completed my advanced dives but I was pretty anxious about the whole experience. Some of the dive budies I started with are moving beyond this depth and I am feeling inadequate. Another diver has been helping me to move through this nervousness without success. I even purchased a new dry suit to help with any temperature changes that increase my nervousness. Somehow, being out in the middle of a lake in water over 40 ft. makes me rather insecure, no matter who I am with. Can any experienced divers tell me if they have had similar blockages in their diving careers? How long did it take to used to diving below 40 ft. far from shore? Thank you.

Sounds to me like you are diving a lot of lakes (low vis, cold). What really helped me was diving warm crystal clear waters like Cozumel. You can be down and 60 to 80 ft and barely realize it because it is so clear. Depth, a lot of times, is really a psychological thing. You just have to become comfortable enough with your skills and it will get easier.

 

[jepuskar]

Every post so far in this thread has valuable information. You need to address why 40 feet? Why not 50 feet? Is it because if the crap hits the fan you can get to the surface easily from 40 feet?

Don't beat yourself up about this. Instead, try to really focus on what is bothering you (outside of the water) and then take steps necessary to correct it.

Also, if your comfortable at 40ft, get down to 40 ft and stay there for a little bit, then drop down just 5 feet and make that your new mark. Do this over a period of time that makes you comfortable and pretty soon you'll be diving deeper.

But as mentioned above, if nothing seems to work for you, just stay above 40 and enjoy. Some of my best dives have been between 30-40 feet.

Jason

 

[Saipanman]

I have to agree with a lot of what has already been posted so far.

Why lower than 40 feet? In the tropics, some great (and sometimes, some of the absolute BEST) diving is in 20-30 fsw. That said, when vis is clear like it can be out here, you can get to 80 feet and think you're at 30.

I"ve been in some less than advisable situations while diving (my own stupidity, thank you very much), and have found this thought to be very comforting....

"As long as I'm breathing, I'm OK."

You would be surprised at how many times that has calmed me down.

 

[Scuby Dooby]

Get comfortalbe with removing and replacing your mask, air sharing drills and other 'emergencies' in that 40' comfort zone. Once you've gotten really comfortable with the nasty things the could happen maybe 60' won't be such a big deal anymore. Give it a try, might make you feel more secure at all depths.