Low urge to return to surface.

[Print Screen]

Hi everyone. I am very new to diving having just got my OW a few days ago. Ok here is dilema.

Recently on my last open water day we had to do mask remove/replace at 10m down. Now when it came to my turn I removed and replaced the mask with my eyes closed as I wear contacts, proceded (stupidly) to opened my eyes with a flooded mask, was surprised that my contacts stayed in an took a breath to clear my mask. This was when I sucked on water instead of air. I was taken completely by surprise causing my to flap my arms like some drowning bird:11: for about 2 seconds before finally purging my reg before my instructor could do it for me. I then cleared my mask dive was then continued no probs.

While practicing buddy breathing in the pool my buddy handed my his reg upside down so when I sucked I got half a mouthful of water with my air. Still it took me 2 breaths before I finally had enough and surfaced. (Yes I know that I should have just turned the reg round). When we practiced this in OW he again did the same, in fact shoving it in my mouth before I had time to stop him! :11: Luckly I realised this and turned it around before inhaling! :sigh:

Although I am glad that these incidents happened at the best possible time, i.e instructor present, etc. I am worried that the thought to shoot for the surface was not only not my first one but was not present at all.
I mean I would expect that to go straight up should be my 1st reaction which I would then have to control and do what was actually required. I know that in the flooded reg situation I did the right thing and was surprised by my lack of panic.

But this also worries me because one day when I have to go to the surface it will be one of my latter thoughts instead of foremost and that could cause problems, or is this not the case?

 

[Xanthro]

It's best not to have an urge to go to the surface. Problems underwater are best solved underwater.

Some people react differently, if you have a very low urge to surface when there's a breathing problem, consider yourself luky.

 

[PerroneFord]

First of all, GREAT job! Takes a cool customer to get a mouthful of water and not panic. I don't know that I'd worry too much about not feeling like you should bebolting to the surface. I didn't get that feeling either during my training. I think it's just a matter of being cool headed.

 

[Print Screen]

Thanks PerroneFord. It has put my mind to rest a bit that you also didn't have this urge. I know that it may have seemed a stupid question to ask but taking too long to return to the surface can also cause its own problems. But as Xanthro said it is better to deal with things underwater first.

 

[Sea-Diver]

It is a natural reaction. The more confident you get through training the less this type of reaction will occur.

 

[CameronMartz]

Print Screen,

One thing you might try is to get used to breathing from a "wet" reg. That way, the next time it happens, it won't be such a challenge. Just practice breathing from an upside down reg in a controlled environment. You'll see that it can be done without the need for panic.

BTW, my OW instructor, of all people, kept handing me her "octo" upside down during class because her hose was too short to make an "S" bend. Yikes!! Years of swimming freestyle made me comfortable with this sensation, though, and I didn't even know at the time that was unusual. <g>

Cameron

 

[spectrum]

Sonds OK to me Printscreen. Most problems can be dealt with underwater.

You just need to get a little more adept at regulator swaps.

Remember to start with a purge and/or an exhale.

Remember to make that first breath a little tentative so if there is some moisture it doesn't get blown back down your gullet.

Almost all second stages will breath wet when upside down but you can breath OK that way, just be gentle and tolerate it until you can get it right side up.

While you're diving be sure to practice regulator swaps between yours and you buddy. If a buddy stops to lok at something I'll remove mine for a moment and pop it back in.

Be sure to practice empty lung recovery where you exhale and remove the regulator, and must use the purge to clear the breathing space before inhaling slowly. You won't always have that nice deep breath when you loose your mouthpiece. Start in the shallows!

Pete

 

[gt3073b]

Bolting to the surface is probably the worst "first thing to pop into your head". Unless you are SURE you are going to drown, bolting will only make things much worse.

My wife threw up in her reg on our 3rd dive after our ow cert (food poisoning). Normally this isn't a problem, as the regs are designed to handle it. Unfortunatly she aspirated some of it, and a working reg wasn't helping her since her airway was blocked. She bolted and decided to ditch her weight belt as the buddy just above us caught her. That few feet of ascent (we were near the end of our dive) was enough to cause an embolism in her femoral artery and she went unconsious. Our buddy and I swam her to the surface. Two dives in the chamber and she is back to 100%, but she is the by far the most lucky person I've ever met.

Had she made even a fast swimming ascent WITH US, we all would have been better off than trying to manage an unconsious positively buoyant diver.

The point of this story is that if you bolt, you will probably end up further from your buddy (and his/her working regs) AND unconsious, in severe pain, or dead.

Congrats, consider yourself very fortunate to have such a clear head underwater.

Bryan.

PS. Please don't turn this into a ditchable weight thread-jack.

 

[lilycat]

I think that you'll be fine in the long run. Just practice until you're comfortable. My husband and I are recently certified and found that it take longer for some people to reach a comfort level with their skills and underwater psychological issues.

It is good that you know your challenges. If you practice, you should be fine.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I would not worry about the lack of an urge to bolt - that is a very good thing. With any problem under water your first reaction should be to stop and think about what you need to be doing. Even if it is an OOA air situation, most people can go nearly a minute without air on a full breath and can even go 15 seconds with empty lungs and that is actually a lot of time that leaves you at least a few seconds to think about what you need to do.

Breathing oiff a wet reg is good practice, you just need to remember to inhale tentatively so that the air flows slow enough to pass over the water rather than sucking it along with it.