Near Panic

[Lyanna]

This exact same thing happened to me during my most recent diving trip with two friends to Egypt. I went from "yay, wonderful, it's great down here" to "whoa, I'm gonna die down here" in a split two seconds at approx. 32 meters.

I'm in training to become a rescue diver and I'm very happy I am - instead of letting instinct and panic take over I instantly fell back on the drilled "stop-think-act" failsafe and started to focus on my breathing. I also took hold of my regulator to prevent me from spitting it out in a panic attack. We ascended slowly and within 5 to 10 metres the panic subsided. We suspect that it was a small co2 narcosis, quite possibly on account of me not drinking enough water prior the dive (it was a very early morning dive). But, my regulator has also developed the tendency to start to "whistle" when at 70 bar or less, so it might be a reg in need of service. Will see to that asap.

 

[Jude Reilly]

One of the most important things I learned was from a casual remark by a DM, *there is no rush to do anything, remember you can breathe...*
Little did I know the next day, I would indeed be repeating that mantra, *I can breathe, I'm ok...I can breathe, I'm ok*. I was on the last dive of my advanced course, to a wreck in 86 ft of water. We were on our way back up the line, I was second below a DM with 4 other students, another DIT and the Instructor coming behind me. At around 40ft I felt mt weight belt start to slip, so I grabbed it. Then for some unknown reason, my mask began to flood. I cleared it but it continued to flood and then the panic began to set in. I was telling myself to keep breathing and keep calm although instinct was screaming at me to shoot for the surface. I kept trying to clear the mask and it kept flooding and the weight belt began to slip further. I was very aware of the people behind me and how much damage a weight belt landing on them could do. The DM was right there with me as we still continued up the line and she could see the panic but knew I was still thinking rationally. By now we were up to about 15 ft and doing our safety stop and I was trying to hold the line, hold the weight belt and keep clearing the mask and I think I was starting to get overwhelmed. I felt like i couldn't breathe and I tried to check my gauge and couldn't see it. At that point the DM realised what was now going through my head and immediatley gave me her reg, I didn't need it, I had plenty of air, but just having her reg was enough to ease that tight feeling. Now we were at 12 ft and 2 mins into the safety stop and i decided I had enough. I didn't bolt, but hand over hand we headed to the surface. The DM asked if i was ok and I said I was fine but could she grab the weight belt that was now dangling on my flexed foot!!
I am doing my rescue course now, I hope if I can be as rational in my own panic, then hopefully I can be calm and rational in someone elses.
That one casual comment *Remember you can breathe* certainly taught me how to deal with a panic.

 

[kaerius]

Jude Reilly: task loading can be a problem in itself, but I'm concerned about how mask flooding caused so much distress for you. I think what you need to do is more practice with mask flooding and swimming without a mask, just to get you comfortable with it. If the mask flood hadn't nudged your brain towards fight/flight, you'd have easily been able to readjust your weightbelt, and then you could focus on clearing the mask. One problem solved at a time.

During DM training me and my fellow candidates had to do an equipment swap underwater(exchange equipment with eachother), while budddy breathing, and our course director would flood my mask, freeflow a reg under my face, put air in my BCD, and so on. It was called the stress test. My mask was in various states of flooding throughout the whole excercise. One thing that helped was just opening my eyes, despite the flooded mask.

 

[aquamannz]

Jude Reilly: task loading can be a problem in itself, but I'm concerned about how mask flooding caused so much distress for you. I think what you need to do is more practice with mask flooding and swimming without a mask, just to get you comfortable with it. If the mask flood hadn't nudged your brain towards fight/flight, you'd have easily been able to readjust your weightbelt, and then you could focus on clearing the mask. One problem solved at a time.

During DM training me and my fellow candidates had to do an equipment swap underwater(exchange equipment with eachother), while budddy breathing, and our course director would flood my mask, freeflow a reg under my face, put air in my BCD, and so on. It was called the stress test. My mask was in various states of flooding throughout the whole excercise. One thing that helped was just opening my eyes, despite the flooded mask.

I completely concur. There are good instructors and then there are great instructors. I was very fortunate to have an OW instructor who task loaded me in the confined water skill drills doing just what kaerius described.

Could it be that those who experience panic or near panic at the bottom of the dive have given themselves up to complete blind trust in someone else or something else other than their own trained ability to handle challenging scuba situations?
Do some instructors pass students, knowing full well they are lacking either confidence or skill, simply because they do not want the backlash that comes from holding someone back; especially if there are financial or time constraints stated prior?

Panic is based upon fear; the belief in one's lack of one's own self-control. Some think there is no basis or cause for panic. I believe there is.