Hi from Kentucky

[3beachbums]

Hi everyone, I am hoping to get help with a problem that I encountered while trying to get diver certified this past spring because I am going to try it again next month and I don't want to have the same problem.

Some background- about a year ago I attended a crash course on scuba diving to see what it is all about and to see if I wanted to go through certification. When I put the regulator in my mouth I immediately felt as though I wasn't getting enough air. I had some difficulty going under the water because I felt like I was not getting enough air. It took me a while but I finally got past it and swam around in the pool for the duration of the crash course.

This past spring I decided that I wanted to get certified (my husband became diver certified last summer) and when I put the regulator in my mouth I had the same feel of smothering and then when I went underwater I started hyperventilating. The instructor was very patient and worked with me until I was able to get through a few of the requirments but then I started hyperventilating again and couldn't recover. I decided to stop so the class could continue on schedule.

I have registered for certification class again (this time a private lesson) and I am afraid that I will have the same problem. Can anyone advise me as to how to overcome this feel of not getting enough air?

Thanks

 

[drrich2]

Have you tried snorkeling much, particularly if you swim around at the surface at stress yourself a bit? I'm guessing it might help desensitize you a bit, since to me, at least, the feel of using a snorkel is somewhat similar to using a regulator.

It does take some getting used to.

You know, if you want to, I imagine you could put on a mask and use a reg. on a filled tank and sit & breathe off it an hour or so sitting in a chair on land, to get used to the air flow that way.

Richard.