new mermaid

[new mermaid]

Hi everyone!

I am SOOOO excited to find this community and to be able to "meet" & talk w/ other divers! (There are NOT a lot of Vermonters here who dive..)

I am currently getting certified through PADI (next weekend is the pool work - PLEASE say a prayer that I can remain CALM!!!) I have wanted to learn to dive since my first trip to Cozumel in the 80s when I was 22. I LOVE to snorkel and do underwater photography with my new setup!!!

These are the Green Sea Turtles of Akumal taken last April.

So - to diving.. I found this site because I googled "anxiety with SCUBA certification", read an blog by a gal who also suffered from this anxiety, and read it is relatively normal. I DON'T want to FAIL the certification by panicking.I had an unpleasant experience trying to do this in two days on a cruise ship, and after the instructor told me she would hold me down until she saw I was choking and swallowing water, I quit. My current instructors are UNBELIEVABLY great but NEXT weekend is when we begin the confined water dives. YES - I am VERY NERVOUS..

I am REALLY excited about going to BONAIRE next year, and be able to SCUBA from shore, in one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL places to see the seacritters! (I've never been) And I hope to meet some potential SCUBA buddies here - :o)))

Maura, the new mermaid

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Cool photos. You'll probably get the suggestion that you get a good amount of dives to become comfortable with the basic scuba skills (i.e., buoyancy, comfort, etc.) before adding another task like a camera. Usually, I see suggestions of around 20-30 dives on this forum, which you'll be able to get by Bonaire next year.

Don't worry about panicking. All you have to remember is that when you're in a nervous situation, slow it down and breathe. In the beginning of my dives, I sometimes just held a bare part of a rock, closed my eyes, and breathed if I felt really nervous. You're breathing underwater, and you have time to relax yourself and think logically.

 

[Doppler]

Hey, welcome... Breathe, relax, have fun... You are a mermaid after all.

 

[ikanspelwel]

Maura,

You will do fine our instructors are GREAT and very patient! I am really looking forward to our dives this weekend I can't wait to get in the pool!

Adam

 

[LizSpinks]

Good Luck new mermaid (and ikanspelwel),
I think your obvious excitement is going to help you overcome your nervousness.
I did my Open Water Cert last December and really appreciated doing the skills learning in a pool first, before hitting the open water. I found that the more I understood and practiced the skills (like regulator recovery, mask clearing, free flowing regulator), the more empowered I felt to be able to handle any situations that might occur. This was very calming for me.

 

[beaverdivers]

Welcome to SCUBAboard!

Good Luck & Good Diving.

Bonaire is perfect for your first trip.

 

[jillybear]

Welcome! I am new here too. Let me first tell you that I had a few "issues" during my certification dives. I am a bit of a perfectionist & I was so worried about doing things right. Even though I was embarrassed by my "issues", I can tell you that they were great learning opportunities. Processing/talking about the issues with my instructor (& even my husband later) helped me. I did end-up becoming certified & now have 30 dives under my belt. You will be fine. Best wishes as you complete your certification!

 

[tstormdiver]

Hi everyone!

I am SOOOO excited to find this community and to be able to "meet" & talk w/ other divers! (There are NOT a lot of Vermonters here who dive..)

So - to diving.. I found this site because I googled "anxiety with SCUBA certification", read an blog by a gal who also suffered from this anxiety, and read it is relatively normal. I DON'T want to FAIL the certification by panicking.I had an unpleasant experience trying to do this in two days on a cruise ship, and after the instructor told me she would hold me down until she saw I was choking and swallowing water, I quit. My current instructors are UNBELIEVABLY great but NEXT weekend is when we begin the confined water dives. YES - I am VERY NERVOUS..

Maura, the new mermaid

I do wish you the best of luck on your dives, but I do have to ask,... if you are still so nervous,... why are you going on to your Open Water dives? You should be asking for for more pool time,... lots more pool time. I personally will not sign off on a student to go to open water until I see a reasonable degree of comfort in the water. From your descriptions, it sounds like that comfort is not there, yet. I am not being (or trying to be) accusatory in any way, but perhaps you should look at what is making you so nervous. Panic can cause you, as a diver, serious injury or worse. When you said your first instructor held you down, did they actually hold you down or did they slow your ascent down? Typically, when a diver panics, they will hold their breath (maybe even spit out the regulator) & bolt for the surface. This is a perfect storm for a lung over-expansion injury, which can cause a whole plethora of problems from an embolism, to mediastinal or subcutaneous emphysema or even a collapsed lung. In that situation, it is the instructor's job to try to prevent you from injuring yourself. I realize it is scary, but it is done for a reason. I would make a recommendation, that if you are still so unsure of yourself, you might postpone your Open Water dives for a while & get in some more pool time, practicing skills, to the point of it being extremely boring. Some nervousness is normal, but if it to the point that you feel you may panic at any moment,... you are likely not ready. Diving is supposed to be fun, not scary. Give yourself time, you have time...... the water is not going anywhere soon.

 

[beaverdivers]

Excellent Question!

(next weekend is the pool work - PLEASE say a prayer that I can remain CALM!!!) I have wanted to learn to dive since my first trip to Cozumel in the 80s when I was 22. I LOVE to snorkel and do underwater photography with my new setup!!!
View attachment 129926View attachment 129925View attachment 129924
These are the Green Sea Turtles of Akumal taken last April.

My current instructors are UNBELIEVABLY great but NEXT weekend is when we begin the confined water dives. YES - I am VERY NERVOUS..

Maura, the new mermaid

tstormdiver,

Please note the new mermaid has not done her pool work with her new instructor, yet.

However, I do agree with your excellent point. After her pool work, both her instructor & the new mermaid should ask the important question" Is she ready for her Open Water ( OW ) dives? "

Furthermore, is the site of the OW dives appropriate for her needs. Is it relative to where she wishes to dive?

If she wishes to do warm water tropical diving, then she should not go to the nearest " Cold Water Mud Hole " to get her certification over with. I feel this quick & dirty baptism happens way too often.

I have never been diving in Vermont. I had someone recently tell me about a very clear lake there. This time of year it could be quite nice in Vermont. I hope there is a reasonable location for her to do her OW.

Maura, where are your OW dives going to be?

 

[tstormdiver]

tstormdiver,

Please note the new mermaid has not done her pool work with her new instructor, yet.

I stand corrected. Thank you.:blinking: I misread the OP.