How to deal with a certain phobia?

[jared w]

So,
My wife and I are relatively new divers. We've been to Cozumel twice and to local dive sites a couple times. I am still learning and have a long way to go but I am very comfortable under water. My wife is not.

My wife was taught to swim by holding her nose when her face was under water and this seems to have created a real problem. She can not, at all, take her mask off and swim under water without pinching her nose. If she tries she panics, breathes water up her nose and generally shoots to the surface. She managed to get it under control for the certification but the fear is back.

I'm pretty worried that this is a big problem. If she got a mask kicked off at depth I could see her freaking out and drowning. She can't even stick her face in a bath tub without experiencing this fear/reaction. As a spouse I am worried but clearly not the one to work her through this.

Right now she does shallower dives and dives less than half the times I do due to nervousness. She enjoys diving but I want to make sure she is safe.

Has anyone dealt with this fear and overcome it? We've tried private lessons, swimming pool sessions, etc. No luck. So far she says it is ok with her to go on dive trips and dive only a few times as long as it is in a pretty place but this feels wrong to me.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Teamcasa]

If time and gentle practice don't help her, maybe she just is not cut out to dive.
Take her on the dive trips with you. Pick places that have great surface stuff and have fun with her. If she starts to regret letting you dive, eventually you not be able to even discuss it without causing a rift.

 

[Arizona_SVO]

This is where you need to help her get over this fear by having her wear a fully flooded mask while nowhere near the water.

Short version - while on dry land, have her put a mask on and slowly fill it with some sort of water bottle - first a 1/4 inch or so, get her used to the feeling of water on and slightly in her nose so she actually learns to breath through her mouth without pinching her nose... continue filling the mask a bit at a time till it is full and she is completely comfortable.

Then introduce the rest of the body to water (slowly) and repeat... this may take a long time, but it does work.

Conquering fear is not easy - but it something that should be done as you are correct in that should something happen, she is probably risking a serious injury or worse.

That's how I would do it, others with far more experience than I have may tell you different/better ideas. Find one that works for her and does not cause her even greater fear.

Good luck to you both.

 

[Steve50]

1 on 1 with an instructor who has successfully dealt with it before...

 

[cavew0man]

Oh YES did I ever have to deal with that one. Growing up where I did, I never really did learn to swim well, and actually ended up with an absolute phobia of open water. Friends that I traveled with were having so much fun diving that I said to myself this is crazy, I need to get over this, and when I discovered the underwater world, that part of the phobia was definitely overcome. But then....

I knew I still had a fear of taking my mask off. I had the same issue, wanting to hold my nose shut, and was crazy scared of just putting my face in the water, no mask, with a regulator in. My mind insisted that water would go up my nose.

And then I started cavern/cave training. My instructor very matter-of-factly says OK, you are going to go down to this line, take your mask off, and follow it by touch. Aha. I said well, Patrick... we need to talk about something. This scares the crap out of me. Long story short, after some one-on-one work, different approaches, and some patience on his part, the phobia is history. I should have dealt with it much earlier than I did, but hey, it's done now.

Anyhow, I am not a pro, I won't tell you HOW to fix it, but I did just want to tell you that it CAN be done, so don't give up! Good luck.

 

[lmorin]

This problem absolutely can be solved, if she is willing to work on it. The above suggestion about water in the mask was good, as was seeking an instructor who has dealt with this situation before. I suggest another step toward diving normality would be, after practicing on land with water in the mask, to move to a swimming pool with a snorkel and empty mask, followed by snorkel plus gradually filled mask, then more shallow water practice with a regulator with mask empty, then gradually filled; repeat over and over until bored. Then, do it again. The point is, there should be a gradual transition from a situation in which she is totally comfortable (on land, empty mask) to the currently very uncomfortable extreme with lots of practice steps in between, not moving on to the next step until completely confident about success with the current step.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

She also needs to concentrate on opening her throat. This is what was done by my latest Ow student with the same issue. If she does that it;s really tough to breathe thru the nose at all.

 

[jared w]

Great suggestions, I really like the mask on land idea. If she gets by this then pool to instructor would be great. How do I help her breath through the throat? Should I just find an instructor she likes and ask her (she prefers working with women) to help my wife breath from the throat?

I really want her to enjoy it as much as I do and at times she does. SCUBA seems like a great way for couples to see beautiful parts of the world together.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[spectrum]

Hi jared _w

You have gotten some good suggestions so far. If diving is something she wants to do but is just on the finicky edge of comfort the prognosis is good, real good.

I'll suggest 2 avenues
1. Wet face comfort
2. Local reinforcement

Take what has been mentioned including Jim_laps throat breathing and clean the bathtub for your wife. Have her get in there with her mask and snorkel. The goal is to let her gently de-sensitize herself. The water wants to be tropical warmth. Have her get down on her belly with her knees at the drain and just concentrate on nice deep relaxing breaths using her mask & snorkel. Once she's in a happy place let her introduce a little water into her mask while in the warm safe comfort of her own tub. She can pop her head up to drain the mask at any instant. Eventually it will be less and less of a stress. By the time the water begins to cool there is a good chance that she will have her mask on her forehead while she breathes under water with hew whole face exposed and her eyes open at will.

What she is overcoming is entirely normal and very common. Many folks never even get near this sport for this reason and those that adapt find it very rewarding. Let's face it humans are not supposed to be comfortable about water teasing the entry to their airway!

Once she's good with the tub it is time for some nice local diving. Stay shallow, above the aggressive thermoclines for the first dives and take your cues from her. Eventually a little water in the mask will be a trivial nuisance that is hardly noticeable to her.

Patience is everything on this.

Good luck,
Pete