MuddyFox
Guest
:drown:
That's the saddest thing I have ever seen!
That's the saddest thing I have ever seen!
HELLO Scubers!
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SCUBAKristey
Guest
Just get through your confined water 
dives, relax while you're underwater breathing from that funny feeling thing stuck in your mouth and YOU'LL BE GREAT! (Like everyone's said...relax, relax, relax. Just DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!!! )
Happy Diving!
Kristey (Another SCUBA newbie!)
PS....:Birthday:
dives, relax while you're underwater breathing from that funny feeling thing stuck in your mouth and YOU'LL BE GREAT! (Like everyone's said...relax, relax, relax. Just DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE!!! )Happy Diving!
Kristey (Another SCUBA newbie!)
PS....:Birthday:
You're getting some good advice, both in this thread and your thread for "help".
Think positive, take your time, none of the skills you need to accomplish are timed, you sound like you're already liking this sport despite the problems you've eno****ered.
Keep us informed on how you do! You probably have over 5000 of us cheering you on
I'll have to take issue with Warren's statement, "don't worry about panicking during open water -- it's normal, and will probably run it's course with a little practice."
You need to know why you panicked. You need to fix that particular problem so it doesn't happen to you again.
Next you need to understand panic so that you can avoid it in other situations. Unfortunately, this is often left out of most classes and it can be vital in keeping you alive when the unexpected happens. I'm pressed for time now (gotta get to work), but I'll go into detail this evening about panic, why it happens and how to avoid it. If I forget, someone send me a PM to remind me.
You need to know why you panicked. You need to fix that particular problem so it doesn't happen to you again.
Next you need to understand panic so that you can avoid it in other situations. Unfortunately, this is often left out of most classes and it can be vital in keeping you alive when the unexpected happens. I'm pressed for time now (gotta get to work), but I'll go into detail this evening about panic, why it happens and how to avoid it. If I forget, someone send me a PM to remind me.
VTWarrenG
Guest
Walter,
Uh, duh.
I never implied that she should simply pretend it never happened and go on her merry way. I was trying to console her that a) panic is unfortunately a normal occurence for many divers-in-training, and b) she WILL get past it. I wasn't trying to give her a formulation to solve any particular problem, mainly because she never expressed any particular problem she wanted resolved.
- Warren
Uh, duh.
I never implied that she should simply pretend it never happened and go on her merry way. I was trying to console her that a) panic is unfortunately a normal occurence for many divers-in-training, and b) she WILL get past it. I wasn't trying to give her a formulation to solve any particular problem, mainly because she never expressed any particular problem she wanted resolved.
- Warren
Aquacatfighter
Contributor
Welcome aboard!
Panic is, unfortunately, (and unnecessarily) a normal occurence for many divers-in-training.
It does not have to be. It should be extremely rare. There is no reason to subject our students to panic.
People panic for two reasons.
1. They are afraid.
2. They don't know how (or don't apply what they know) to stop panic.
It is my personal belief that most divers die because of panic. Something went wrong, they didn't know how to deal with it and panicked.
First we need to teach people how to stop panic before it starts. Most classes cover it, but few explain it well. Stop, think, act. Sometimes it's Stop, breathe, think, act. It's simple, but effective. All too often we don't discuss how panic takes hold, we give them the "stop, think, act" mantra and think we covered it. If that's all we've done; we've dropped the ball. Divers need to understand that breathing is key to panic and it's the key to stopping panic from starting.
When we get frightened, it is natural for us to breathe faster. It is unnatural for us to slow our breathing during times of fear. We need to learn that when we are scared, our first concern should be breathing rate.
If we allow our breathing to get out of control we do not get a good exchange of gas, our CO2 levels increase which makes us feel a need to breathe faster still. This process snowballs and soon we do not think at all. Instead of making the correct choice we make a poor one. This can result in death.
At the first sign of fear; we need to concentrate on our breatrhing rate. Slow it down, get a good gas exchange. Now, think about the problem, work it out. A clear mind is necessary to solve problems, avoiding panic is necessary to keep a clear mind, slow deep breaths are necessary to prevent panic.
Next we need to give our students the necessary skills to actually deal with problems that may arise. If it takes 8 or 10 pool sessions then give them 8 or 10 pool sessions. They need to feel they can handle anything that goes wrong. If they have skills, they'll have confidence. If they have confidence, they don't get frightened when things go wrong.
It does not have to be. It should be extremely rare. There is no reason to subject our students to panic.
People panic for two reasons.
1. They are afraid.
2. They don't know how (or don't apply what they know) to stop panic.
It is my personal belief that most divers die because of panic. Something went wrong, they didn't know how to deal with it and panicked.
First we need to teach people how to stop panic before it starts. Most classes cover it, but few explain it well. Stop, think, act. Sometimes it's Stop, breathe, think, act. It's simple, but effective. All too often we don't discuss how panic takes hold, we give them the "stop, think, act" mantra and think we covered it. If that's all we've done; we've dropped the ball. Divers need to understand that breathing is key to panic and it's the key to stopping panic from starting.
When we get frightened, it is natural for us to breathe faster. It is unnatural for us to slow our breathing during times of fear. We need to learn that when we are scared, our first concern should be breathing rate.
If we allow our breathing to get out of control we do not get a good exchange of gas, our CO2 levels increase which makes us feel a need to breathe faster still. This process snowballs and soon we do not think at all. Instead of making the correct choice we make a poor one. This can result in death.
At the first sign of fear; we need to concentrate on our breatrhing rate. Slow it down, get a good gas exchange. Now, think about the problem, work it out. A clear mind is necessary to solve problems, avoiding panic is necessary to keep a clear mind, slow deep breaths are necessary to prevent panic.
Next we need to give our students the necessary skills to actually deal with problems that may arise. If it takes 8 or 10 pool sessions then give them 8 or 10 pool sessions. They need to feel they can handle anything that goes wrong. If they have skills, they'll have confidence. If they have confidence, they don't get frightened when things go wrong.
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