Panic Attack in the pool session

[tcce]

Hi Everyone,
My husband & 11yr old son are certified & our 9yr old daighter is looking forward to next summer when she's old enough to get certified.
So I decided to try it also.
I want to do it for myself & them.
I passed the written test already.
Now the problem. I feel the need to breathe from my nose. I feel like I am going to drown or suffercate. I felt such a tight knot in my chest when I went under water. Then I kept on doing shallow breaths. Are there any breathing excersises I can do to get the proper breathing method down pact. Bascially I was hyperventilating & just kept on wanting to come up for air.
I am a very insecure person & have no confidence. I am sure I can do it I just wish I was more positive & could get past the negativity & psychological issues I have created myself.
Once I would relax & focus I did good but then I would loose focus & there went the panic again. I also had trouble equalizing my ears.
I can swim I have snorkled & as long as I am entertained I don't have the attacks when snorkeling.
Also I kept on bicycle kicking instead of flutter kicking. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Paul F]

a simple exercise that you try in the comforts of your own home. pour yourself a nice warm bath lay take a straw and lay back so that your nose is submerged. if you can do this then you will have no problems as it is more difficult. i have had a few students try it and they had eliminated their problems. and yes this is the one time when you CAN have a glass of wine while your in the water.

 

[scubajoh44]

Practice! Do a lot of shallow end work. This way you can assure yourself that you can "come up" when needed. Do this untill you are comfortable then move to deeper waters. You might also try wearing your mask around the house and get used to breathing through your mouth only. Concentrate on deep breathes. I wouldn't worry about the kicks untill you can breath with confidence!

 

[Iruka]

Well, only YOU can get comfortable in the water, and it will take as long as it takes. One thing you might do to work on the breathing issue is when you're around the house, wear your mask, just so you get used to breathing only through your mouth. Also, (especially while in the water) you will have to make a conscious effort to breath slowly & deeply. A lot of people who are initially very nervous in the water never really exhale....they're taking short, shallow breaths, which builds up CO2, and makes you constantly feel "out of breath." It's really important that you get at least somewhat comfortable breathing in order to continue with the course....that's so significant (especially if you're prone to panicking) that the other issues should take a back seat....or just ask your instructor about the ear/kicking problems.

By the way, I once had a student who was similar to you in his aversion to breathing underwater. Rather than "push" him through the skills, I told him "we'll just let you float on the surface, breathing through the regulator. Either you'll eventually get comfortable with it or you won't. We'll start the other skills after YOU tell me you're ready to go. And if you can't get comfortable with it, it would not be useful or safe to continue on with the course." Well, he spent 1 1/2 hours doing nothing but breathing, in about 3 feet of water, looking at the fish. The good news is that he ended up doing about a dozen dives on that trip, and came back again this year for 10 more dives, and is now an advanced diver. So there IS hope....but nobody can "make" you comfortable in the water....the biggest danger is if you try to keep up with the class before you get comfortable....maybe no real problem in the pool, but if you're on the edge of panic during an actual dive, that is not a good thing.

Good luck!

(some of my suggestions are redundant because there were no replies when I STARTED typing this, ha ha)

 

[cinder4320]

My introduction to SCUBA was a resort course through our cruise line. We were "practicing" in the rough seas on a beach on Cozumel for about five minutes before the dive. I had the exact same problem and couldn't stay under. The DM took off underwater and began the dive. I felt as if I had no choice but to go or be left behind. I was so busy thinking about swimming, not getting left behind, and trying to remember the skills that I forgot about my breathing troubles. Now I don't recommend something so drastic at all but to my defense I didn't know better at the time.
This scary pre-dive has helped me remain calm ever since. I think what really helps is having something to do besides thinking about breathing. At least in the open water I could observe fish and see so many neat things that I forgot to be scared. If someone had asked after the intial five minutes in the ocean if i wanted to quit I probably would have. Now I'm OW and Nitrox certied, working on AOW, and looking to buy a drysuit. I love diving!!

Miranda

 

[ZenDiva]

ok you're a mom...remember lamaze?

This is what helped me...because I found that when I went down breathing w/ the snorkel I had a similar feeling initially.....I don't think it's abnormal....your body is
supposed to tell you hey! something's not right here!!

But....remember lamaze....? close your eyes...picture something nice and relaxing....only difference is here you just want to breath in and out through your mouth.....(ok there's no side to the ocean...but to help you initially) hold onto the side of the pool...and slowly go down....first just your chin....little more....to where just your nose is...very slowly..keep those breaths even...slow...picturing something sweet and nice in your head.....the idea is to keep yourself calm, your heart rate and your breathing even......focus on that picture in your head...

the other night I went into the pool to practice, I just swam around under the water...w/ my fins, mask and snorkel...and it became very relaxing....and I'm also much more comfortable w/ flooding the snorkel and blasting it clear now....

Remember as with anything else the more you do something, the more comfortable we feel with it and the better at it we are....

 

[lilycat]

My husband had some difficulty getting over the psychological barrier that SCREAMS: "You can't breathe under water."

Did your instructor allow you to take your first breaths from the regulator while holding onto the side of the pool and putting your head under water? This helped a lot with our confidence on our second try of "the pool."

It was the same basic exercise you do when your a kid learning to swim -- familiar, comforting. It is absolutely unnecessary, except to build comfort.

My husband also took his reg hooked up to air and tried it out in the bath. That really helped, as silly as it looks.

You're not alone. It is something that I'm sure many people have to work on. Your mind/body is right to feel resistant to something that would, without scuba, be a dangerous situation.

I think you should let yourself off the hook and take as much time in the shallow end of the pool and in the bath as you need. There is no need to do this quickly. Being comfortable is an important part of being able to do something. Make sure you give yourself time to get comfortable.

 

[lilycat]

You might want to read this thread on other's experiences: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=112450

Hope that helps.

 

[RumBum]

I started out feeling the same way you described. I just felt like I wasn't getting enough air through the regulator and only surface air is "good". Like all above said, you have to get comfortable with the equipment. Concentrating on your breathing just makes it worse. So I suggest taking it slow, find a nice shallow place to practice (I used my tub like Paul F did, but if you have a pool or jacuzzi it may be better to actually have a tank and regulator). Then you have to find something to occupy yourself while you get comfortable. I wasn't comfortable underwater until I started bringing my camera with me, but I know since you are just learning that is probably too much for you right now. There are underwater toys you can buy, frisbees and such. Or maybe try to remember the lyrics to every Journey song while underwater?
While you are uncomfortable, you are probably bicycle kicking because you are nervous and do not have good bouancy. That will come also with practice. You are overcompensating because you feel unstable. Try to float in the water and concentrate on not moving your hands or feet. Once you realize that the hands and feet movement are not keeping you up at all then you will find that you won't randomly bicycle kick any more. When you are flutter kicking to GO somewhere, just work on keeping the knees mostly straight.
Just so you know I also had a hard time with the lessons but you too can pull through and you will love it! Just have patience with yourself, take as long as you need. If anyone else is pushing you to go too fast, just tell them to go to h*ll. Tell your instructor that you are working on your comfort level and may need some extra time or help to learn the skills.
Don't worry, you'll do FINE!!!:littlesho

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

These are all excellent ideas, but if you give these recommendations a try and still feel uncomfortable, I wouldn't force it. Just like some folks would never feel comfortable sky diving, many don't feel comfortable scuba diving. If your having panic attacks in the pool, you may feel far worse in the ocean.

And this may be a little off topic but certified a 11 yrs. old is questionable.

I'm not trying to be negative but safety is paramount especially when we're seeing reports of divers getting killed on a weekly basis. Dive Safe