Panic in OW - advice needed

[Ber Rabbit]

I got certified that day, but I was not ready to go out there again unless I had myself under controll and with an experienced buddy. My instructor offered to take me out on some dives to work on skills if I wanted to or just to become more comfortable.

Hi Jamba. It's good your instructor is offering to take you out on dives and you should take every advantage of that opportunity. Based on your description of events and the way you say you feel I would have withheld your certification until we made more dives. Your job would be to convince me and more importantly yourself that you have the mental part of this sport under control. Scuba really is more mental than physical and learning to keep your head in the game when your inner mammal is screaming for you to "get out of here NOW" can be tough. You have to find a way to mentally shut the mammal down and focus on what you were trained to do. You also have to have faith in your ability to perform your skills.

But even though, I have some serious questions, that are eating me up.
1) Are there many students having these kind of problems/feelings?

Some students do, some don't, everyone has a different comfort level in the water. When I learned to dive I freaked out about almost everything, I spent a lot of time working with DM's to help me over mental hurdles. You are not abnormal but you are going to have to work very, very hard to get your head in the game. I'm proof it can be done; if you had come up to me in my scuba class and said "In 10 years you'll be teaching this class" I would have thought you were nuts. I didn't get certified after my first weekend because my instructor wasn't convinced that I was comfortable in the water, I had to do an extra day of check-outs. That day I told myself "You are going to pretend to have fun and pretend to be relaxed no matter what happens." That day I convinced my instructor I was comfortable underwater, it would be almost 50 more dives before I would actually convince myself but I had found the way to tell mammalbitch that scuba-me was in charge.

2) Will I be more prone to panic again in the future, if I already panicked once? I know that panic does not belong under water. This leading to my next question.

There are many different opinions here. Personally I believe that once you understand the panic cycle and your personal triggers it's much easier to avoid panic because you stop it before it overwhelms you. You will probably feel some anxiety at different levels for quite some time, I know I do. Stay in touch with how you feel about a dive and trust your instinct if it's saying "I really don't feel good about this dive." You need to say "I CAN do this and I WILL do this" because negative mental stuff on the surface will screw with your ability to remain in control underwater. Go through the dive in your mind, imagining a positive experience can help make it a reality.

3) Should I be diving at all? I had somebody telling me, “You should not be in the water at all”. I do not want to quit, but I do not want to be a hazard to myself or even worse my buddy!

I don't think you should be certified yet but I wouldn't say you shouldn't be diving at all. My suggestion to you is to pretend you don't have that card, put diving with anyone but your instructor out of your mind for now. Work on finding how to get your head in the game. Spend as much time in the water as you can without a mask on and keep your eyes open. Set small attainable goals like "I will remove my mask, leave it off for one minute and I will not panic." Work up to longer time intervals without your mask. Keep "I will not panic" in your head and if the inner mammal starts screaming tell it "Shut up mammalbitch, SCUBA-ME IS IN CHARGE!"

It's not going to be an easy road, I know because I've travelled it. A "do not quit" attitude and sheer determination to over-ride your natural instincts can help you become a safe, confident diver.

Good luck, keep us posted!
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Stoo]

Hey Jamba,

Thanks for an interesting read. While I am retired now, I taught diving for 25 years and certified about 2000 students at all levels, so I have a bit of relevant experience.

It strikes me that there might be a couple of things going on here. One thought is that you talk a lot about working on skills (mask clearing etc.) and if I understood you, these all went fine. So your "skill" level doesn't sound like it's an issue.

Second, it sounds like you were comfortable in the pool, and it wasn't until you got into open water that you started to get stressed.

Here are my suggestions: Get in touch with another instructor (not to take away from your guy, but sometimes a fresh perspective can help...) and just "go diving" with them. Forget the skills... just dive. Relax and try to think about what's around you and enjoy... I have seen people get stressed just because they think diving is about "performing" and it isn't.... It's about having fun. The more time in the water, the more relaxrd you are likely to become.

Second, consider that there might be an equipment issue in play. Is your (rental?) wetsuit too tight? Is your reg. well-tuned or are you having to work to breath? Either of these things can lead to a build-up of CO2 in your body, which will make you feel "unwell" and/or panicy. Is the neck-seal in your suit too tight (remember carotid-sinus reflex?) This can really make a guy feel "off"... and generally inexplicably so. Are you taking care to make sure you are breathing normally? Shallow, incomplete breaths can also cause the CO2 to build... None of these things would be obvious to an instructor, especially if they are inexperienced.

And finally, do you have any history of claustrophobia or agoraphobia? The ocean is very different than a pool... and this change might be causing you to worry unnecessarily...

Diving is not for everyone. Some people never really become comfortable int he water. But you clearly have a long-standing interest in diving so I think it unlikely that that's the case. (Over the years, I had many students who started diving for all the wrong reasons... their husband/wife wanted them to start, they wanted to get over a fear of water (!), they wanted to meet someone...). Your desire to dive is for the right reason... and I have no doubt that with a little persistence you'll get the hang of it and all this crap you're going through now will be in the past.

Feel free to PM me if you think I can help!

 

[Scott M]

I think you have to ask yourself why your diving to begin with. It is different for everyone, if your diving for the right reasons than you will find a way to get over this. Diving with experienced people you trust will go a long way towards that end. Remember this is suppose to be fun and an enjoyable sport, if your so scared underwater you can not function than maybe the sport is not for you. I dive with an instructor friend of mine, he just took one of his students aside and told him, he needs to figure out why he is diving. Is it for his wife who really enjoys it? For friends? Peer pressure? Because this guy is just not comfortable underwater and calls almost every dive. If he does not call it he will find a way to end it early. The guy does not want to be underwater which is fine, he just needs to figure out why he is there and if that reason is enough to continue.

Some level of anxiety or stress is normal in most, not all. How you handle it is what is important. With just a few check out dives under your belt you may just not have the comfort factor your looking for yet. To be honest I think some nervousness is a good thing, that is what keeps us safe. I have watched some newly certified divers that have scared the crap out of me because they think they are invincable and do some really crazy things because they have no fear or apprehension.

Hook up some more dives with your instructor and see if the nerves subside a little.

Good Luck!

 

[CaseyJr]

One thing that has helped me A LOT: extra pool time !!

Our school/LDS lets you check out dive gear and spend practice time in their pool -- in fact, they encourage it. I spent as much time as I could either in scuba gear or snorkeling (I'd never snorkeled before), along with my son and/or husband. Even though the pool experience and OW are not the same, just spending time under water using the equipment helped me get more comfortable and build confidence (confidence in both myself and the equipment). We've done 2 dives since our OW and I could really tell the difference in my comfort level!

 

[TSandM]

Well, Ber has a fabulous post, and I can't add much to it, except to tell you the story of one of my very good friends. He had a panic episode underwater when he had about 40 dives. He didn't expect it (he had lots of experience in the water with other sports, and had taken to diving quite naturally) and it shook him really badly. He seriously considered giving up diving, because it was a horrible revelation to him that his reptile brain could completely take control away from him.

Instead, he went to work on the issue, which was, oddly enough, mask skills. He spent evenings at home with his face in a sink full of ice water, flooding and clearing his mask, until he had it down, and then he spent time just standing in salt water and doing the same thing, until the anxiety went away. A couple of weeks ago, he passed one of the most difficult tech classes you can take, and I can absolutely guarantee you he had to spend a fair amount of time without his mask during that class!

I was lucky . . . When I choked myself on the mask skill during my OW checkouts, I WANTED to bolt, but the instructor locked eyes with me and told me not to, and I kept the fear in check. That has been one of the most valuable experiences I've had in diving, because it has helped me know, when things have been stressful, that I can keep thinking and keep trying. I think you may find you can get something similar out of your experience, in that at least you know what that panicky feeling is like, and maybe you can recognize it and get it stopped before it takes you to the surface. Certainly, your post shows that you are an organized and determined person, and as my friend's story shows, such people can accomplish amazing things.

 

[flyfishscubadive]

Firstly, I want to commend you on continuing your diving and pursuing one of the most peaceful and serene sports on our planet.

I had something happen to me some time back that causes anxiety even now. It is not dive related, but I will tie it in shortly...

I got lost on a hunting trip. I got severely dehydrated and injured. I was only a short hike from the truck, so I didn't take a compass or a flashlight. I KNEW my way back... WRONG!

I get anxiety now whenever I am hunting or hiking and it starts getting dark. I have to go through my list... I have my compass. I have my flashlight. I have plenty of water... and so on.

I LOVE the outdoors, so I made my mind up that I would NOT let my anxiety get the best of me.

If you feel the same about diving, do one thing that will make you more comfortable when taking your mask off... Think about blowing out a candle!! EVERY divemaster that I have ever encountered says "breathe normally". You DO NOT breathe normally! If you think right now, you are probably sitting at your computer desk - breathing normally - through your NOSE!

I have heard divers complain about not being able to keep their mask clear. You have to close off your nasal passages with the soft palate to keep your mask from fogging. That is not normal breathing. When you SCUBA dive, you breathe through your mouth with your nasal passages closed off as if you are blowing out a candle.

The next time you take your mask off, you are supposed to fill it with water slowly. Most people close their eyes in order to flood their mask. When you close your eyes, visualize a candle in front of you, think about how it feels when you blow out a candle, and close off your nasal passages. Think "blow out the candle", break the seal on your mask and allow it to fill with water, and FOCUS on keeping your nasal passages shut. It is unnatural to breathe through your mouth without also breathing through your nose. You are not "breathing normally". You have to concentrate on breathing PROPERLY to keep water from coming into your nose.

I have to concentrate on staying calm, and I have to talk to myself to reassure myself that I have taken all the proper steps to have a safe hike. You will likely have to concentrate on proper breathing techniques, and you will likely have to tell yourself that you have taken all the proper steps to have a safe dive. If you love diving as much as I do, you will get past your fears and enjoy diving. Trust yourself and learn how to breathe properly!

I hope this helps!

JR

 

[Sas]

But even though, I have some serious questions, that are eating me up.
1) Are there many students having these kind of problems/feelings?

I had a terrible time doing my OW course and felt a lot of the things you did, so you're not alone. Signed up in February of this year and started off great - theory was easy. But as soon as I got in the pool and had to do anything that involved my mask I would start choking and would surface immediately. Probably didn't help that one of the people on the course did her first mask clear and got out of the pool and refused to come back in - I was thinking "what have I got myself into??" Anyway, struggled through that and then got to my first day of OW dives. At 3m I had to do a mask clear and just started choking really badly, inhaling heaps of water and I panicked and went to the surface as I knew it was only 3m away. They talked to me a bit on the surface and I eventually got back down to do the mask skills but felt ill the whole time wondering if I was going to panic!

The next day was the same, still really struggled clearing my mask under the pier, but I was able to control myself and just cough it out all through my regulator. However knowing that I had an 18m dive in a week's time really got to me and I don't think I slept much the whole week. I was constantly snorkeling in the sink without my mask trying to get myself used to it and then I would shower with a mask full of water! I was really determined to become a scuba diver...

But yea, I really thought about just giving up diving completely then as I was *so* freaked out and worried about panicking and making a rapid ascent from 18m. However, I was really determined to overcome something I knew was irrational - I mean, I have my reg in and I am not going to go blind with having my mask off underwater!

Well I made it through my final dives, the mask clear was easy on that day but still made me nervous. So I pretty much did heaps of practice out in open water myself, at the end of every dive I would do some mask clears and I still practice them now and again just to remind myself I can do them and I am not going to freak out again. I am very comfortable with this skill but it took a *lot* of hard work to get to that stage. I've done just under 70 dives now, and it probably took 25 of them to get comfortable with mask clears.

2) Will I be more prone to panic again in the future, if I already panicked once? I know that panic does not belong under water. This leading to my next question.

I have no idea really, that is really an individual thing I believe. Because I panicked once before I recognise the first stages of when I am heading towards a panicked stage so now it is quite easy to calm myself down. I was worried about this question too and to be bluntly honest you need to develop a fair bit of mental discipline to not freak out, and if you can't do that then diving is probably not for you. The real test is when you are put in a bad situation and see how you cope with it but that is not an ideal way to find out if you will panic or not! I calmed down a lot about the whole worry of panicking when on about dive 20 I had my mask kicked off my face, inhaled a bunch of water and started to hyperventilate and get crazy thoughts about bolting to the surface (was at about 20m), instead I just kept saying over and over in my head, "you have air! relax! just keep coughing" and then I just took my time replacing my mask and clearing it. Just remember to take your time, that helped me a lot, I was trying to fix things really quick so other divers wouldn't be put out, but I doubt most people would mind you taking a minute to relax. I think I knew deep down that I would be able to stop panicking as I did a lot of thinking on it and prepared mentally for it.

3) Should I be diving at all? I had somebody telling me, “You should not be in the water at all”. I do not want to quit, but I do not want to be a hazard to myself or even worse my buddy!

That is something you should decide yourself, whether you can continue diving, but you are right, if you panic you will put your buddy at risk so it is good that you are thinking on that. In your shoes, I think just be honest with potential buddies about your issues and don't be offended if they knock you back on a dive. Some people might be more than happy to take you out and help you get comfortable in the water, and be prepared to take on the risk that you might panic - that makes it their call not yours, which I think is a better way of doing things. I did my first dives after OW with a DM through a dive club who knew I was a nervous diver. So I would definitely take up your instructor's offer to have them accompany you on a few more dives.

Anyway, *good luck* and I hope you manage to sort everything out! I think if I can do it most people can as I was a mess during and after OW! I think if someone had said to me straight after OW - "in six months you'll have 70 dives and have your deep cert" I would have laughed at them in disbelief - I remember feeling sick looking at the other divers gearing up for a 24m dive on my OW course and thinking about how I will never get to see some decent local wrecks because I would always be too scared to dive past 18m. But now I am just having a ball diving (and have seen a couple of wrecks now too! ), it is so stressfree and it helps me relax after a week of working.

 

[ligersandtions]

1) Are there many students having these kind of problems/feelings?
I think pretty much every new diver gets at least a little nervous. Breathing underwater is not a natural thing (we weren't born with gills, ya know), so it's a thing that deserves respect and a healthy fear. That's not to say you should be afraid of diving because as you gain more experience, you will become a more competent and safe diver.

2) Will I be more prone to panic again in the future, if I already panicked once?
I think now that you've panicked and been able to control it, you will be more prepared for the next time anxiety creeps in....you'll be able to remind yourself to breathe, take your time, think your way through it, and fix the problem at depth (assuming, of course, that this is a problem you can fix at depth....most are). Whenever you feel anxious....stop, think, act....in that order. You have panicked and you have dealt with it....now you know you can do it again.

3) Should I be diving at all?
You should definitely continue diving. You're not going to get better by quitting. Don't think of your certification card as making you a diver....think of it as something that allows you to dive safely and learn (many like to refer to it as a "learners permit" and I think that's a good idea). Go out with a DM, go with an instructor, go with a very experienced buddy, keep practicing in the pool. All these things will allow you to become a better and safer diver. It is within your reach, but you'll have to put forth the effort.


Best of luck....continue diving and getting comfortable. You will get there, and you will enjoy it

 

[Stoo]

As a number of us have pointed out, you just can't get "too much time" in the water.... pool is good, protected shallow, open water is good. Hell, even the bathtub is good...

 

[SandyRobinson]

Hey Jamba,

I am not sure of the ocean conditions (viz, temp, current, surge, etc) you experienced and how similar they may have been to your pool environment. Also, I do not know where you live.

With that said, some fresh water diving (non-overhead) may give you more experience and help build your confidence. If you live in Florida, you could choose from Vortex, Ginnie (basin or the Devils to Ginnie run in the Sante Fe) or Rainbow River. While you will need a wetsuit, the viz will be good (after the remnants of Fay, Gustav, etc. leave) and you can go as shallow as you want. Also, the entries are normally walking down stairs so you can take your time.

Good luck with your diving, and I hope all works out for you.