fustrated w/ anxiety level

[TeddyDiver]

Is it bcs the depth or the darkness? Have you done night dives? It may help you to get rid of your anxiety...

 

[toodive4]

Spend time diving with some local diving pros. Many Instructors and Assistants will be happy to dive with you to help you overcome your anxiety. By diving with experienced divers to greater depths - you will begin to overome the anxiety of going deeper. Eventually you will realize you can achieve and overcome your fears and break away from the "security blanket." I offer all of my students the opportunity to dive with me anywhere - anytime. Those that have taken advantage of this dive more often and have become more advanced divers. Those that do not seem to discontinue the sport very quickly. Be strong enough to ask for the help you need. You can do it!

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.

 

[lamont]

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

I've gotten a little bit of paranoid narc on (wasn't really doing anything stupid, just something different a bit deep and the paranoia crept in a little) and this worked for me:

"Trust your gas plan."

And everything chilled out.

Of course, that required that I *could* trust my gas plan first...

 

[aquamarin]

When I first started diving, I got very anxious diving in the blue with strong currents. I was already nervous on the boat and it lasted throughout the dives. At the same time I was very determined to become a good and confident diver - to overcome my fear.

I overcame the fear through visualizing such dives (going through the dives in my mind step by step, seeing me doing everything correctly and confidently) and through breathing. Whenever I started feeling anxious during a dive, I would concentrate entirely on my breathing (still checking air and depth of course), force myself to breathe deeply and slowly and just listen to the breathing - this would immediately calm me down.

Now I love diving in the blue (especially when something interesting comes by ) and find currents fun

Worked for me, anyway.....

 

[FFMDiver]

really appreciate all this feedback.

Apparently I finally now trust the level of training I got, I finally now trust the kit I got, I finally now trust the suit I got to keep me warm , looks like the last hold out is to trust myself. This is an emotional thing for me... uugh, life throws these curve balls. I guess diving can force me to learn about myself. More emotional work....this is something I need to sit down and talk to a counsler about. Crap, just when you think you know yourself, theres always something new to deal with.

Thanks again.

 

[Karlbiederman]

I just started diving this summer. I live in minnesota so all my dives are fresh water with visibily at around 10 to 15' max. Most of my dives would start in about 10' of water then we would move into the deeper water from there. I would get very nervous when we hit the "drop off" visibilty would go down fast and you could not see where you were going. So I started to anchor the boat in the deep water and follow the anchor line down to the bottom until I got comfortable with the loss of visiblilty issue. Now it is not a problem.

 

[Web Monkey]

You might want to have your reg checked to make sure it's not breathing harder as you go deeper, a reg that breathes hard will cause a great deal of anxiety that's very difficult to pin down.

Also make sure you're not wearing anything that feels tight or restricts your breathing (wetsuit/drysuit/BC).

Additionally, you need to have an alternate air source that you trust and can get to. This means a good dive buddy (one you dive with a lot) that stays close enough to you that you can share air immediately in the event of a failure, or if you end up with "boat buddies" all the time, maybe a pony..

Once you've decided that you're not going to drown, the depth will make less of a difference.

Terry

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.

 

[MikeC]

A few questions, you mention approx 200 dives, how long have you been diving? Why did you take up this activity? Are you trying to be a "super diver" in 12 months? Did you start diving because a friend wanted a buddy and convinced you to take the classes?

Why do you feel "inadequate"? Something in your body said "STOP we aren't comfortable" and you are listening. Better to be alive then not listen to your internal alarm and get hurt. Diving is not a race.

 

[mongoose]

One poster said to dive with pros. Good advice, IMHO ... In my own case, I only dive at night with my instructor, because I don't feel like I'm qualified to night-dive without a pro with me, and I just this weekend got my rescue card (yippee).

One strong point I might make. DO NOT force yourself or allow yourself to be pressured into a situation that is stressful. You will unwittingly make yourself a safety issue. You'll be so consumed with stress over your situation, that you'll forget things like checking your air(which you'll use more of), buddy contact, bouyancy & trim, etc. NEVER, ever, do a dive you don't want to do. If you're diving with buddies that pressure you into doing something uncomfotable, find other buddies ASAP.

IMHO, you are being a responsible diver by listening to that little voice that tells you when you are uncomfortable. Keep paying attention to it.

Besides... hey, it's only scuba. I don't say that to be flippant about safety or anything, or to minimize the sport...but it is only a sport. Relax ... be as safe as you can, stick close to your buddy, stay on top of your air and have a good time. If that means never breaking 40, then that's what it means, and that's just fine.

Take care,
--'Goose

 

[mstudley]

Move to New England!
You'll be doing 32F, >100fsw, low vis, strong current, wreck dives at night in no time

Seriously though... practice, practice, practice and don't do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. A lot of dives doesn't mean that stuff still doesn't freak you out, which is totally fine (and good in some situations).