Long newbie story with a few questions

[fins]

Hi all,

A couple weeks ago my wife and I were on vacation in the Caribbean, Curacao to be specific. I know, I know you all feel really bad for me Let me first say that we had a wonderful vacation and I would highly recommend Curacao and would be glad to share a little about the island with anyone who may be interested.

Well, one of the days we were there I registered for a PADI Discover Scuba Dive. When I arrived at the dive shop I discovered the I was the only one in the class. I was very excited about this introductory experience and that I would have plenty of personal attention.

Well, I met the instructor, we went through all the preliminary paperwork, watched the PADI video, talked for quite a while and then went and got suited up. Talked more about what we were going to do and then it was off into the water.

I was thrilled, everything was so clear (I have done lots of snorkeling but the perspective from under the water instead of from the surface looking down was fantastic). We knelt on the bottom in about 12 feet of water and did all the exercises (equalization, mask clearing, regulator replacement etc.) Everything was going great.

But then....I began to feel a little anxious, a little claustrophobic and my breathing quickened. I ended up having to take a break. We ascended, rested for a while and then slowly tried things again. Unfortunatley I could not relax again and after some talking, some rest, and a couple more tries I ended the dive.
I don't know what happened or why. I'm pretty comfortable in the water, as I said I have spent a good amount of time snorkeling and I have never been claustrophibic.

The instructor was great. He really took his time with me, he offered to try again, he even offered to come up to the house we were renting (about 1/4 mile from the dive shop) so we could try again, this time in the small pool that was at this house. Unfortunatley our schedules didn't allow me to try again later in the day (my wife was waiting at the house for me).

I was very disappointed, really bummed out.

Anyway, were back home now and I am scheduled to go to a class tonight that a LDS is offering called "Try Scuba" in a local high school pool. I hope that all will go well, and if it does I will probably begin classes after the holidays.

So now, after that long story some questions.......

Any advice from you experienced divers, or from someone who has had a similar experience would be greatly appreciated.
Why did I get anxious/claustrophobic?
What can I do to help avoid or deal with this?
Any hints for tonight?
etc.

Thanks in advance for all your help...and sorry this post was so long.

Mark

 

[DivemasterSteve]

first off, good luck tonight.

the main thing to do is relax!!! one thing that helps some people with claustrophobic is make sure you have a mask with windows on the sides where you can see out the side as well as out the front. my ex had the same type of problem on our 1st pool class when we got certified but when the instructor had her change mask to one that had the windows on the side, it didnt bother her anymore. again, good luck tonight sir and remember to try to relax.

steve

 

[bubbleslan]

I am very comfortable in water too and the first few open water dives I did I felt anxious. I think it was because I was sooo focused on my breathing that I couldn't relax. I realized this when I got distracted by another diver having problems descending. I got focused on watching him and the anxiety went away completely. From that point on I haven't had any issues. Just relax and tell your instructor about the issues you had while on vacation. He/she may have some "tricks" like playing patty-cake underwater that will help you relax

 

[SubMariner]

Relax. Relax.

And in case you didn't get my point... RELAX

What you experienced is not unusual. Many people get a bit anxious their first couple of times underwater. Afterall, you're doing something that your body is not used to: breathing while submerged.

After a while you will notice that you are more interested in what's underwater than the fact that you actually ARE underwater. And talk about fun! Nothing is neater than operating in all THREE dimensions... stuff like hanging upside down, or hovering motionless above the bottom...

So enjoy... and.. dare I say it? RELAX, mon.

 

[ScubaRon]

If you are really claustrophobic, diving is not for you. However, since you say you've never been claustrophobic and have snorkeled without problems (the claustrophobic persons I know cannot even put a mask on without hyperventilating...), I suspect you just had an anxiety "attack", which is quite common among first time divers.

I think (but I'm not a doctor!) that it is probably a combination of a different way of breathing (through your mouth) and the psychological effects of being under water that cause it. Usually this disappears when you get more experience and feel more comfortable underwater.

For tonight: try not to worry about it. If you start feeling anxious, try to focus on something else:
- see if you can swim UW to a particular point without using your left fin
- try to hover completely horizontal 1 feet above the bottom without using your hands for 1 minute (if you can do that you're half way to being a diver!)
- pick a destination 30 ft away, close your eyes and swim over the bottom to that point. When you think you're there open your eyes - if you're within 15 ft. you're a winner
- or other silly stuff.

And if you occasionally want to get a nice breath of surface air: that's just fine. If you are getting anxiety attacks at the end of your OW course, you need to talk to your instructor, but on your first UW experience that is no big deal.
ScubaRon

 

[coquito]

I have always been very comfortable in the water but the same thing happened to me on my first SCUBA class. The trick? Relax AND exhale. Make sure your exhaling completly. Otherwise, you building up Carbon Dioxide, which would trigger the need to breath more and more and create the sense of anxiety or even claustrophobia. That was my experience. Relax and develop your breathing pattern. Good luck!!

 

[Laser]

Don't focus on your breathing. Think of how dirty the pool is, or what you are going to eat after the class. Also, get the hell off yer knees and then you'll have buoyancy to think about instead of breathing. It's not natural to breathe underwater and it takes a bit of time to trust it, so ya begin to get anxious. Then before ya know it, you are compelled to surface. Focus on something else, and then you'll see that the reg really does work and then relax and enjoy the new feeling. Snorkling is not the same. They are worlds apart as far as the mind is concerned.
Get off your knees though if the instructor will allow it. ( Sad if he doesn't )

 

[GERRY2153]

I have to agree, try to relax and let your mind go somewhere else, I did my OW this weekend and the worst part was sitting stationary and waiting for my turn, once we got done with the skills and were able to cruz everythingwas totally different.

good luck
gerry

 

[Laser]

GERRY2153 once bubbled...
I have to agree, try to relax and let your mind go somewhere else, I did my OW this weekend and the worst part was sitting stationary and waiting for my turn, once we got done with the skills and were able to cruz everythingwas totally different.

good luck
gerry

Now if you were taught to perform the skills while attempting to remain neutral, breathing would be the last thing you think about and the anxiety would be gone, not to mention the fact that you would be a much better diver much faster. But what do I know.

 

[fins]

Hi folks,

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who responded to my questions. I really appreciate your help.

I also wanted to let you know how things went last night. All the preliminary stuff went very well (getting suited up, learning about and setting up the gear etc.) When we first got into the pool I was pretty nervous, afraid that I may have trouble relaxing and breathing again. But after about 10 minutes (which included some weight adjustments) I started having a blast. The instructor and I spent about another hour in the water swimming back and forth while playing with an aqua frisbee.

What a great time, it was hard to believe an hour had passed so quickly which I owe to the instructor. He was great, helped me to feel safe and confident and to relax and just have a great time.

Following some of your suggestions: It was hard to believe how dirty a high school pool can be (hair, gum...yuck ) and no I didn't master the bouyancy thing the first time out (nor did I expect to) but I had a lot of fun trying...well except for those times when I slammed the tank, or my knees into the bottom of the pool

So I guess the next step is to sign up for some classes (I will probably do this right after the holidays).

Thanks again for all your help with my newbie (or wannabee) questions.