Panic Attack in the pool session

[annasea]

To increase your in-water comfort level you might try Carmeron Martz's Pool Exercises for Developing Water Comfort - http://divefitness.com/html/articles.html - I found them really helpful.

Jackie

Thank you for posting this link, Jackie!

 

[MikeFerrara]

Thank you all for the wonderfull advise. I wore my mask for about 45 minutes around the house. By the time I got to the pool I was more relaxed. I actually did the stride entrance off the diving board. (trust me a miracle for me) & I did it right. Once down there I panicked so I went up relaxed & decided to go back down & watch. It really relaxed me & I started doing everything w/ them at my pace which is a bit slower. I did really good yesturday especially compared to the 1st night. Had we had more time in the pool I think I would have had it down packed. We are going to do some more pool sessions today & tomorrow we are going out on the boat. If I am ready in the ocean great if not that's ok more practice. I am not going to let the pressure get to me.

I spent some time as an active instructor and owned a dive shop for a few years and I honestly don't get it. Are you having fun? It sounds like a chore for you. Yesterday you paniced under water and tomarrow you're going on the boat and into OW?

I've been involved with the training of what seems like a countless number of people who weren't comfortable UW. Some eventually managed to get "certified" and and some not but I'll bet that none stayed with diving very long. Some I even regret certifying even though they "met standards" and I pray they gave up diving before something happened. I haven't seen everything and I might not even be a good instructor but I have seen a few things in the water and IMO, a tendancy to panic easily (every one is liable to panic at some point) is a contraindication to diving and maybe even other things like driving a car, rock climbing or whatever. At least part of this just has to do with how we're put together. I can tell stories about lots of students but I remember when I first got a chance to dive...I had wanted to ever since I first saw it on TV as a child.

I didn't start diving in a class or a pool. My cousin, who was a fairly new OW diver, had some gear and we took the boat out to a nice little cove. I got in first, put my gear on and he told me to go down just under the surface and get used to breathing on the reg. I was so excited and amazed at what I saw that I wandered off alone and had the time of my life. It was a resevoir and a very unusual year. the water was about 25 ft higher than normal, clear as air and there were whole trees in full foilage under water. I didn't even think about heading back until I was gtting low on air. Boy, was my cousin MAD! Stupid maybe but no fear and no hesitation. It would have taken the daddy of all sea monsters to get me to panic... or even get me to notice. I take that back, I would have shot him with my spear gun and put him on a stringer. After all what could hurt me? It was just water and I'd been a swimming fool since I could remember. My cousin tried for years to get me to go get certified. I thought it was the most rediculous thing I had ever heard of. I could swim and I could breath and why would any one need a class to do both at once. It was about ten years later that I finally went to get certified and I did more than a few dives inbetween.

That's one end of the scale. You might be on the other. I doubt I would have gone on if diving wasn't about the most amazing thing I'd ever been near enough to touch. We can overcome a lot in life with diligence and hard work but I don't get folks walking around the house wearing a diving mask. On my first dives, I didn't even know that you could clear a mask underwater. Once it flooded (and it did because none of them I had to use fit me) I just kept going with it flooded or took it off and got it out of the way. I'd been swimming underwater all my life and never had a mask. I figured I didn't really need it anyway and who would want one since they just flooded.

Maybe no one will get what I'm trying to say. Diving was amazing for me but it sounds like some kind of bizzare torture to you. Except for owning a dive shop and some of the things I've seen happen to other people, I have nothing but unbelievable memories from diving. If I die on a dive someday, I might even say that the whole thing was still worth it. What do you expect to gain from diving that'll make all this worth what you're going through? I mean it doesn't sound like you've had the least bit of fun yet. You don't sound like you're in a hurry to get down there to see what's been hidden from you all this time. You just sound like your forcing yourself.

Diving is marketed as being fun and safe for the whole family. It is fun but it isn't always safe and the fact is that like 1% dive and 5% would like to...according to some PADI numbers that I once saw. That leaves 95% who could care less and 4% who think they might like but may never actually do it. That's 99% of folks who are not scooting around underwater sucking on a reg. Do you think there might be a reason for that? I mean you can get certified for the cost of a cheap TV and now days folks have one of those in every room so it isn't the money.

I'm sorry. I wish you all the luck in the world but I don't get it.

As far as my 11yr old being certified. I was a bit nervous at first but he is very carefull.
He actually did better in his course than the adults. He was more focused & alert than them. He even aced his written. My husband doesn't allow him more than 50ft my husband is his buddy always. He also pays attention to his dive computer.
Our instructor has been diving/instructor for over 30 years & I wouldn't have allowed my son if he didn't feel he was ready. He also would not have certified him. Ray is extremely strict & thorough. He doesn't allow short cuts.
Thanks for your concern.

Training standards prohibit an instructor from taking an 11 year old deeper than 40 ft. I guess dad can take him as deep as he would like and who knows he may very well be a more capable supervisor than the agencies think their instructors are.

 

[PAdiver93]

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!!!!!!!!!!!!

U probably have someone telling u - that u don't do this or that right. Someone other than the instructor... Stop paying attention to everyone - relax and remember that u r doing this to have fun! Good luck!

 

[TSandM]

I don't know, Mike. I think there may be people like you, for whom being underwater seemed the most natural thing in the world. And there are almost certainly people who will never get used to it or like it, or people whose temperament is unsuitable for any kind of situation where emergencies might need to be handled.

But in between, my guess is that there are a lot of people like me. I thought diving would probably be fun, but I spent a lot of years not doing it. I got my arm twisted by my husband to sign up for a class this summer because of a trip I bought at an auction. Learning to dive was something I was WILLING to do, but not something I desperately WANTED to do. And I wasn't good at it. I had big buoyancy problems and difficulties with mask skills . . . the typical stuff people relate.

But I also have the temperament of a bulldog, so I stuck with it, and the third dive of my AOW class, the magic hit. I discovered neutral buoyancy and the joy that goes with it, and I haven't looked back since.

So the fact that somebody is struggling with the initial phases and having to exert some self-discipline to get through it, I do not think is an omen that that person will never be a diver. It's just an indication that diving is not coming NATURALLY to that person, and some of us just have to work harder than others to gain certain competencies.

That the OP is willing to walk around the house with a mask on to get this indicates some determination to me. Who knows? Maybe she'll end up as addicted as I am.

annasea, just to offer a couple of things: Make sure you do not get in the open water until you are very comfortable with all your basic skills in the pool. Open water is another universe, ESPECIALLY where you and I dive, and you shouldn't add the complications of poor viz and possibly a dry suit until the pool stuff is not much of a challenge any more. Also, at this point, don't worry about bicycle kicking. Worry about buoyancy and relaxation and comfort. You will have lots of diving time to improve your kicks, as long as you can master being calm, breathing regularly, and controlling your depth.

Best of luck -- you might get a chuckle or two out of reading the journal of my OW class: A Klutz learns to dive.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

All of the exercises mentioned here are great. If my instructor mentions one thing more than any other to students it's RELAX, TAKE IT SLOW AND EASY! What you've been doing so far is good. keep on doing it. And rather than going offf the bpoard just start in the shallow end and walk in. And regarding your son- that's fantastic! Don't pay attention to anyone else. If he, you, and your instructor who you trust are cool with it don't let other people tell you how to raise your children! Politely tell them to mind their own business. And if they do not even have kids tell em to just shut up!

 

[MikeFerrara]

TSandM, You might have some good points. I hope it works out and pays off for her.

 

[annasea]

I don't know, Mike. I think there may be people like you, for whom being underwater seemed the most natural thing in the world. And there are almost certainly people who will never get used to it or like it, or people whose temperament is unsuitable for any kind of situation where emergencies might need to be handled.

But in between, my guess is that there are a lot of people like me.

So the fact that somebody is struggling with the initial phases and having to exert some self-discipline to get through it, I do not think is an omen that that person will never be a diver. It's just an indication that diving is not coming NATURALLY to that person, and some of us just have to work harder than others to gain certain competencies.

That the OP is willing to walk around the house with a mask on to get this indicates some determination to me. Who knows? Maybe she'll end up as addicted as I am.

What a wonderful post, TSandM! And so true!!! While I was doing my confined dives in September, I expressed some of my concerns privately to an experienced diver on another board. What she shared with me are thoughts I try to remember when I'm feeling low and discouraged about ever becoming certified.

In a nutshell, she was far from being a *natural* as well. It took her almost a year to become certified, and during her first 100 dives or so, she always dived with an instructor or DM.

While this may not apply to everyone, her theory on people such as myself (a non-*waterbaby*) is that because we've had more obstacles to overcome in learning to dive, we appreciate it more once we do become certified; it's not something we take for granted since it was such an uphill climb. (I know I'll be rewarding myself appropriately once I've got that c-card! :05

annasea, just to offer a couple of things: Make sure you do not get in the open water until you are very comfortable with all your basic skills in the pool. Open water is another universe, ESPECIALLY where you and I dive, and you shouldn't add the complications of poor viz and possibly a dry suit until the pool stuff is not much of a challenge any more. Also, at this point, don't worry about bicycle kicking. Worry about buoyancy and relaxation and comfort. You will have lots of diving time to improve your kicks, as long as you can master being calm, breathing regularly, and controlling your depth.

Best of luck -- you might get a chuckle or two out of reading the journal of my OW class: A Klutz learns to dive.

Thank you for the tips, TSandM. One of the reason I didn't complete my certification here in Vancouver (other than the cold) was because while the instructor passed me on all my skills, I didn't feel nearly ready to be in the ocean. (I'll be traveling to much warmer climes to acquire my c-card.)

As for your journal... I've already read (most of) it! Thank you for sharing! I'm always relieved to read of others' trials and tribulations during OW training. We're not all *naturals* after all.

 

[diptera]

Learning to dive was something I was WILLING to do, but not something I desperately WANTED to do. And I wasn't good at it. I had big buoyancy problems and difficulties with mask skills . . . the typical stuff people relate.

But I also have the temperament of a bulldog,

Mike's desire is one indicator of suitability, your temperament is another, from another angle. I think you'll find Mike shares some bulldog determination; but neither of these traits trumps a too low panic threshold. Neither desire nor determination will make a blind person a sharpshooter.

Oh, and Ron, panic can kill you just as easily in the pool. 9 ffw is more than sufficient to embolize. Panic can kill you driving a car in the rain.

 

[MikeFerrara]

In a nutshell, she was far from being a *natural* as well. It took her almost a year to become certified, and during her first 100 dives or so, she always dived with an instructor or DM.

I think people should be careful here. Swimming alongside an instructor isn't a magic pill that makes you safe...though it may feel like one. Being "certified" means that the instructor and the agency he/she teaches through says that you're ok to independantly plan and conduct dives within your training and experience. Why would one feel the need to dive with an instructor or DM for a year if they were really ready to be certified?

While this may not apply to everyone, her theory on people such as myself (a non-*waterbaby*) is that because we've had more obstacles to overcome in learning to dive, we appreciate it more once we do become certified; it's not something we take for granted since it was such an uphill climb. (I know I'll be rewarding myself appropriately once I've got that c-card! :05

Practice can certainly help with skill issues. Increasing skill helps to increase comfort and confidence.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Mike's desire is one indicator of suitability, your temperament is another, from another angle. I think you'll find Mike shares some bulldog determination; but neither of these traits trumps a too low panic threshold. Neither desire nor determination will make a blind person a sharpshooter.

Oh, and Ron, panic can kill you just as easily in the pool. 9 ffw is more than sufficient to embolize. Panic can kill you driving a car in the rain.

Aside from whatever built in traints that we might have that might effect our panic threshold, panic is what happens when one feels they re not in control. Skill and confidence help to make you confortable (give you control) in situations that you would not be comfortable in (or able to control) otherwise and does extend the panic threshold. Skill and experience can effect confidence but so can other things that we may have less control over.

I like the analogy of driving a car in the rain. Whenever it rains or snows the ditches fill up with cars. People panic when the car skids. They do not develop or practice the skills required to regain control of a car once it begines to skid. Driver training is, IMO, guilty of some of the same things that diver trianing is in that they put people in situations where skidding is a real possibility without ever training them for it or making them demonstrate that they have those skills. Of course, if they did, some people would have to give up their licenses and we don't want that. Do we? In the mean time, they'll keep driving into ditches. The ditches around here are big and can hold lots of cars so we have plenty of room.