just got certified, little worried for family

[wkbrdr03]

hey everyone, i just got certified with my dad and sister and i am worried for all of our safety. My dad had a panic attack today at 55 feet and tried to swim straight for the top. i want all of us to stay above 40 feet for a while. do you think this will help with our well being. this is what i am worried about happening. loss of reg on an in breath, gulp of water, choking, cant find reg or secondary. i understand it is common but in a freak situation i dont think we are ready for it. at 40 feet is death much of a possiblity, wouldn't most people just shoot to the top

 

[Kevfin]

Who certified your family? If I were you, I would be a bit concerned about the quality of training. At this point your dad should get some further instruction in order to feel comfortable in the water. Doing a recreation post-certified dive is not a time to overcome panic attacks, especially with other recently certified divers.

You're smart to worry. I would too.

Also, your family might want to consider getting Dive Insurance (i.e. DAN or Dive Assure)

 

[Diver Dennis]

I agree with Kevfin. How many dives do you have? More, or proper, training seems to be in order but it's hard to recommend something without more information.

 

[wedivebc]

hey everyone, i just got certified with my dad and sister and i am worried for all of our safety. My dad had a panic attack today at 55 feet and tried to swim straight for the top. i want all of us to stay above 40 feet for a while. do you think this will help with our well being. this is what i am worried about happening. loss of reg on an in breath, gulp of water, choking, cant find reg or secondary. i understand it is common but in a freak situation i dont think we are ready for it. at 40 feet is death much of a possiblity, wouldn't most people just shoot to the top

These are rather disturbing questions. I applaud you for bringing it up though. If you were certified as an open water diver and you have these concerns I would be wondering how competent your instructor was. You may want to find another instructor, let them know your concerns and maybe have some more training until you get your comfort level up. Scuba diving is extremely safe with the proper training. You may not have received it yet.

 

[utnapistim]

If you just got certified, then yes, doing a few shallow dives sounds like a good idea - i
d say less than 33 feet - where you can usually go to the surface with no safety stop.

My first dive out of OWD was way beyond my experience level also

The rule of thumb for me is "never more than ONE new element per dive".

Here are some questions:
Where did the panic come from? Was it equipment discomfort?
Did something happen underwater? (we had a pilor fish follow us around on a dive and one of us went to the surface because of it).
Was there some conditions you've never been in (lower viz, colder water)?

Have you talked about it? Have you asked your dad what started it?

Do you have the option of getting some experienced divers to do some more dives with you (maybe even your instructor)?

 

[Walter]

If you all took the class together, you're all probably lacking in your training. Go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and buy Dennis Graver's book, SCUBA Diving. Study it. It's the best text currently available and covers the panic cycle quite well, including how to break the panic cycle. Understanding the process is important in overcoming it.

You all need to get together with an instructor who will teach you confidence building skills including skin diving, doff & don and bailout. Can you all swim 300 yds? Can you all float/tread at least 15 minutes? If you can't, you need swimming lessons as well to build your confidence before diving.

Shallow dives are no safer for divers who may panic than deeper dives. In some ways, they are more dangerous. Sometimes, being closer to the surface may prompt a diver to bolt more readily. Also, the pressure change in a few feet is much greater in shallower water. That means if a diver bolts in shallow water, he may have an embolism before you can catch him, while in deep water, you may be able to catch the bolting diver before he's injured. You can get an embolism in as little as 3 feet of water.

 

[dkktsunami]

hey everyone, i just got certified with my dad and sister and i am worried for all of our safety. My dad had a panic attack today at 55 feet and tried to swim straight for the top. i want all of us to stay above 40 feet for a while. do you think this will help with our well being. this is what i am worried about happening. loss of reg on an in breath, gulp of water, choking, cant find reg or secondary. i understand it is common but in a freak situation i dont think we are ready for it. at 40 feet is death much of a possiblity, wouldn't most people just shoot to the top

You clearly are uncomfortable with your training. I like to contrast scuba diving with sky diving (although I do not do the latter). Sky diving,at first,takes a lot of guts and not too much knowledge. Gravity does most of the job. Scuba diving is exactly the opposite as it requires a relatively large amount of knowledge and technique and should involve minimal "guts". If you are doing something underwater that scares you, you are doing something wrong. Granted there is some risk in scuba and, yes, most new divers are a little nervous, but your worries reflect a low level of training.

For example, asking if staying under 40' is safer than under 55'. The last 33' is the most dangerous area of the water column because of the 2 to 1 expansion of gas (Boyle's Law).

My advice would be to seek additional training, maybe private lessons, in a safe envirioment to raise your level of confidence a little bit, and to think out and practice your emergency procedures. If you have doubts about your original instruction locate someone else. The difficult part is over. You're already certified. Remember that recreational diving is an endeavor of relaxation and comfort, not raw nerve. Get comfortable.

 

[m3830431]

It is not unusuall to have concerns and reservations when you first start to dive. Take it slow, Shallower dives are good, additional training more under water time and/or just diving with an instructor helps to build confidence. Also here is a good article on Panic Attachs.

http://tinyurl.com/ce9dj

 

[ththooft]

Someone asked this above, but how cold was the water? In colder areas, 50+ feet is where it can start to get really cold (in the 40's). The first time I hit that cold of water I had some issues too, and wanted to get out of there. Luckily I was diving with instructors, so they were able to help me out. I think there's a couple of things to try:
Do some shallower dives to get more used to this new hobby. Maybe even 20-30 feet.
Is there anyone that you guys can dive with that has more experience? Watching others underwater and having someone who is really experienced can help.
If anyone does start to panic a little, it really helps to find something that you can kneel on or hang onto just to relax. Also, if you focus on extending your exhaling in these situations, you expell more CO2, which in turn means you'll bring in more O2. That can really help clear your head.

Good luck! And welcome to the board!

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

Here is a good read on the subject:Never Panic Again