Panic Attacks - is it normal?

[iztok]

Your post made me feel alot better. So I suppose I just need to get into it again and just calm myself down. Thanks alot! I really cant wait to go on my next dive now!

Just do it where you feel comfortable. either confined water or somewhere with good visibility and not too deep (perhaps even just 20 ft).

I know that is what my plan is when I complete my OW cert next weeked. Log dives in a local quarry on lower depths and spend first few dives exclusively practicing my descents, buoyancy control, breathing, and slow ascents. Figured out those skills should be on top of my list to master before I venture any further.

 

[TSandM]

jessinthas, I think it's pretty common for new divers to have some apprehension before getting in the water. I know I did (and to be completely honest, there is still just a little tension in me while getting ready to dive, and I don't mind it, because it keeps me careful and thorough in my preparations). I wouldn't say you panicked, because it sounds as though you stayed in control, and ended the dive by communicating with your buddies. You had anxiety, but not panic. Anxiety can be worked through by setting yourself up to have repeated positive experiences. The advice to spend a little more practice time in a pool, and to do some very low-stress open water diving, is spot on.

 

[maggs_the]

glad to see you are already feeling better and excited about your next dive.

i have 120 dives under me in murky fresh water, beautiful clear warm water and ripping currents that felt like being flushed down a toilet (my fiance's wording!).

i have occasionally had a bit of the panic rising up in my belly but i've not let it overwhelm me. still, it gave me reason to question myself and my "competance" to dive. (while it is wise to give healthy respect to the underwater world, i didnt want to fear the places i've come to love)

what I did was go to my dive shop and sign up for the Stress & Rescue class. i had no dilusions of being a Coast Guard Rescue swimmer, but i figured the class could only help and it did.

lots of times (admittedly not ALL) the stress that leads to panic starts before you ever get in the water.

just a thought, but even if you dont want to take the full S&R course, you may want to at least talk with your instructors about recognizing stress factors before they can become panic factors.

i love the serenity of diving and never thought it would be "stressful."

 

[pelagic_by_nature]

The day before my OW dives, I was snorkeling and ingested some saltwater and was on the verge of panic. It freaked me out because I knew that I was doing my OW dives over the next 2 days - What if that happens at 45fsw? I was VERY apprehensive gearing up for the dives but it all melted away once I was underwater. And that's happened on other dives since then, too. Apprehensive as hell prior to entering the water and total calm once underwater.

 

[Dave1981]

It happens to a lot of people, I've even seen it a few times even when going back to check on a diver that's having trouble descending that they're crying in the mask! Always though (so far) after a quick chat on the surface, or back on the boat they will get there next time. Physical and eye contact during the decent with someone you trust to take you diving works, and the post dive results always speak for themselves with beaming smiles. A good instructor or DM should be able to do this with you, as well as go over any skills you might be uncomfortable with.

 

[boulderjohn]

I attribute it to my last dive during the open water dive course, where I had wanted to purge my primary and accidentally swallowed a large amount of salt water, felt like I was drowning then immediately inflated my BC to surface.

You have been advised to get some pool practice before going in the ocean again, and that is good advice. Please let me tell you why.

The purpose of the confined water (pool) part of instruction is to teach you the basic skills you need to do in the open water so that you are so comfortable doing them that you do not do what you did in the quote above. Here is what should have happened in your pool sessions:

• You should have mastered purging your primary so that you can do it comfortably without ingesting water.
• You should have gotten enough comfort in the water in general so that you knew instinctively that you could solve a problem like this without going to the surface.
• You should have learned that inflating your BCD to go to the surface is extremely dangerous, and you should have learned how to ascend safely without inflating your BCD. (I am assuming you know this, but your post does not make it clear that you know this was a mistake.)

I firmly agree with those who told you to go to a pool and work on those and other basic skills (like mask clearing and removal) until you feel confident you could perform them in the ocean and until you feel secure enough to solve problems where they happen. and without going to the surface.

 

[Walter]

Panic attacks are not normal. They come on for no apparent reason. Fortunately, it doesn't sound like you had one. It sounds to me like you became frightened for a valid reason and that fear grew into panic (or perhaps merely near panic, your post isn't that clear).

Let's examine diving in general, your situation in particular and what you can do to correct your problem. You can correct your problem, but simply diving more is likely to merely hide the problem where it could easily creep up on you unexpectly in the future.

People do not live in the water. We breathe air, not water. When we breathe underwater, we drown. I know this, you know this everyone knows this. The idea of breathing underwater scares us. It should. This fear was driven home for you when you accidentally swallowed a large amount of salt water, felt like you were drowning. After an experience like that, you have to expect to be on edge on a dive.

We generally overcome this fear as we learn to dive and become comfortable with our skill as divers. This is not automatic. We have to learn specific skills. We have to become quite good at them. We have to know we're good at them. We have to practice them.

A critical skill that should be second nature to every diver is one which many (most?) never truly master. That skill is no mask breathing. Every diver should be able to breathe as well underwater without a mask as with one. That only comes from practice. I often hear divers comment that they never practice no mask breathing or that they are not comfortable with no mask breathing. You've told us that no mask breathing is an issue for you because to aborted a dive due to a loose mask. Not to worry, this is a fairly easy skill to master.

Go to a pool. You only need 3 things at the pool at this point. 1. Mask 2. Snorkel 3. Weight belt with weight.

At no point will you leave the shallow end of the pool.

Take your snorkel off your mask and put on your weight belt. With your mask on the pool deck, your snorkel in your hand and your weight belt on, get into the shallow end of the pool. You should be where when you stand you are no deeper than chest deep, waist deep is even better. Put your snorkel in your mouth and breathe from it. Now, bend over and breathe through your snorkel while you dip your face into the water. If you are comfortable, stay awhile until you feel natural. If you have difficulty, think about drinking through a straw while you practice the excercise. Remember, you can always stand up straight to end the excercise at any time. If you need to, you can slowly build up your time until you feel comfortable.

Next, practice dropping underwater, allowing the snorkel to flood and coming up to blast it clear, leaving your face in the water. Continue until you are comfortable

At this point, you have accomplished three important things.

1. You lowered your anxiety level by working in a no risk (shallow) environment.
2. You became an expert in no mask breathing.
3. You know you can breathe with a flooded mask.

Now, put your snorkel down and pick up your mask. Put it on and drop down to your knees. Break the seal just enough to allow a small amount of water in. Clear the mask. Do not pull out on the bottom, merely push in on the top while looking up. The biggest mistake most people make is not looking up. The second most common mistake people make is not exhaling through their nose. Keep your mouth closed. Repeat this until you are comfortable. Don't forget to stand up and catch your breath between clearings. Now, increase the amount of water you allow into the mask to about ¼ flooded. When you are comfortable with that level, move to ½, then to a fully flooded mask. When you've reached the point you can clear it easily every time, see how many times you can clear it on one breath. After you are at this point, clearing your mask will be easy. You will have reached it in a step by step manner that was easy to accomplish.

Remember, you can always stand up if you feel uncomfortable.

This will solve your problem. Next time you feel your mask is too loose, you'll adjust it underwater. If you have to take it off to adjust it, that won't be a big deal, although most tighten with a tug on the strap.

After you are back in the water, make it a point to take off your mask and practice no mask breathing on every dive. Soon, people will be commenting that they wished they were as comfortable in the water as you are.

Finally, any time you feel frightened about anything, concentrate on making sure you are taking slow deep breaths. Slow deep breaths will clear your head and allow you to think about what ever is disturbing you allowing you to think of a solution.

You can do this. Believe in yourself. I believe in you.

 

[fnfalman]

Apprehension is normal. Panic attacks are NOT normal.

Man isn't born with gills and it's entirely normal to feel a hair of anxiety when you hit the water. I feel apprehensive every time I jump in but once I'm in then I'm good to go. It's weird but I feel more at ease underwater than on the surface.

 

[piikki]

I think you have great attitude. You are eager to try again but you also acknowledge that if things stay too hard there are other great things in life to pursue.

People have given you great advice. Get help, stay shallow and test yourself again in tiny steps. Most of all I agree with the advice that you need to get used to water. As a diver you have to be comfortable getting water into your eyes and mouth. It WILL happen. Momentary loss of mask or reg should not be an emergency but an inconvenience. You can even practice this at home by dunking your head in sink/bucket like some people have done!

I am in agreement with those people who say that apprehension and even some fear is OK but panic is not. If you experience uncontrollable fear bordering on panic that makes you forget what you learnt dive after dive, I am sure you will make the right conclusions.

Good luck with your journey!

 

[redgym]

As others have said, I think apprehension is normal, but panic isn't. I'm a newbie and had a bad experience (I made it bad) during my third OW dive (first from a boat). The first two dives the day before went well and I was very comfortable in the water. In fact, we were in fairly poor visibility, my weights kept falling out of my BCD and I lost the group somehow. All of this was no issue. I ended up continuing the dive with the instructor while the other surfaced with the DM (the weight issue was resolved).

No warning on what was about to happen on the first dive the next day. While decending, my mask flooded. Up I go from about 15 - 20 ft. Very bad idea. Besides difficulty getting a flooded mask to clear, I didn't have previous issues with breathing without a mask, etc. There was something about descending without a line and the flooded mask that triggered the flight response. The DM saw me ascend, came up and scolded me. After clearing my head, I went down again to kneel and wait to flood my mask for the skills test. I was nervous, but got it done. Dive #2 went ok, but I was nervous the entire time.

On my only dives after certification, I found myself to be apprehensive each time. The trick for me is to breath with my head underwater from the regulator be descending. This calms my nerves. If I start to feel nervous during the dive, I take a couple of slow deep breathes and all is good again. On one my dives the octo started leaking. The DM had my breath out of his second source while he fixed it. I was surprisingly calm switching air sources at 40 ft.

So, I take my bolt as a learning experience and expect to be apprehensive before each dive.