Interested in Diving - Fear of Heights?

[kjac3585]

Hello everyone

I'm completely new to diving, but it looks like something I might like to do...or at least try.

Something that has been at the back of my mind since I've considered diving is my fear of heights. Obviously diving is the exact opposite of height, but I can't help but wonder if it would affect me the way heights do.

So do any of you divers have a fear of heights (or any related fears)? If so, has it ever interfered with your diving?

Thanks!

 

[skierbri10]

Hello everyone

I'm completely new to diving, but it looks like something I might like to do...or at least try.

Something that has been at the back of my mind since I've considered diving is my fear of heights. Obviously diving is the exact opposite of height, but I can't help but wonder if it would affect me the way heights do.

So do any of you divers have a fear of heights (or any related fears)? If so, has it ever interfered with your diving?

Thanks!

I have a slight fear of heights and it never comes up when I dive.

 

[Walter]

I have a fear of heights, but have no fear of diving.

 

[Diversion]

Me too. Can't take heights - never bothers me during diving.

 

[mousek801]

i have a fear of drowing, and any fish over 2 feet but i suck it up. ill probally get over it eventually.

 

[The Kraken]

Kjac,

Not to worry.

I have a fear of heights. I have over 3800 combat flying hours from my days of flying helicpoters in sunny southeast Asia.

I have a horrid fear of drowning. I started scuba diving in 1969 and whitewater kayaking in 1972.

But I still AIN"T DOING NO STINKING CAVES ! ! ! ! !

the K

 

[scubamickey]

I don't think I'm truly afraid of heights as I can ride roller coasters and look out windows in tall buildings. But I do get very anxious doing so and would prefer not to. I have refused to do high ropes courses for fear of falling.

I thought I would have a problem with diving but it never even crosses my mind when I'm underwater. Probably because you descend slowly and you always know that inflating your BC will get you to rise again. There's no "freefall" sensation on the mind the way there is when you are standing on the edge of a roof of a building.

The thought of doing a giant stride into the water from say- a sailboat - that has the platform at 8-10 feet causes me some anxiety. I expect to have to do that on the liveaboard that I'm booked on for this June. However, the rational part of my mind knows that it will be fine and after the first time I jump I'll get over it.

I think that diving is probably a lot like what it felt like to be in your mother's womb. Minus the fish and jellyfish of course

Hope that helps.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

My wife had a terrible fear of heights for years. She's gotten better in recent years, but it's still there.

She just got certified in January and had no problems. I asked her if descending in the waters of Cozumel, where you could easily see the bottom 60 feet or more below and doing a free descent "set off" her fear of heights. She said it didn't. Go figure. I guess you can't really "fall" so it's all good...

 

[Courtneyf82]

After all, its not the fall that kills you. It's that sudden stop at the end. And that does not happen descending in water, unless way overweighted obviously. (Waaaay overweighted)

 

[Code Monkey]

I have mild acrophobia (in the words of Maxwell Smart, "fear of acrobats?"). There are times when you'd *THINK* it'd bother me, like drifting over a shelf at 60' and watching the wall fall away into the abyss. I've even thought about the heights thing as I'm doing that. It has never bothered me. Maybe it's because you're already suspended in mid-water and you trust that you're okay, there.