Question Panic in the experienced diver?

It would seem to me that, as we gain experience and go through some minor glitches on dives, we should increase our capacity to tolerate issues underwater. I'm wondering what could cause an experienced (say, more than 200 lifetime dives) diver to become distressed enough to lose rational thought. Has anyone here (who meets those criteria) been through a panic event? What caused it, and what did you do?

 

[mdb]

The OP asked about "Panic in the experienced diver".

I thought the famous quote by Col. Rudel had merit since it dealt with never giving up, always seeking a solution, even to the end; that is, perhaps, very hard to do U/W if you have a serious equipment failure, maybe complicated by deco obligations, CCR problems, and on and on.

Discussions, such as this, help us by hearing about real world incidents and, at least, doing some mental "what if " planning.

TS&M started a very good thought provoking thread. I hope it continues with more informed comments from divers, both experienced and new.

 

[The Chairman]

I thought the famous quote by Col. Rudel had merit since it dealt with never giving up,

The quote was great. I was funning ya!

 

[Scott L]

My idea of "contemporary" is 1957 to present! I have great reasons for picking that year.

First pony ride when you turned five? :chuckle:

 

[seaducer]

am sure we all have a threshold at some point under some certain circumstances. All of our training and experience must to some degree raise that threshold well over a somebody who only dives a few times per year.

I wonder, from my own experience, whether panic is something that happens early, or whether you can devolve into it . . . thinking about drifting with no boat, I would think that, if I were reasoning through things like using my signaling devices and getting positive, that I might become increasingly discouraged and frightened, but I'd be unlikely to panic, maybe because there is no action available that's going to change anything when one panics.

In both diving and in my work, the worst fear for me seems to be instant -- once I'm settled down to working out a solution, the fear retreats.

I think panic begins to set in, or at least is a bigger threat to set in once you come to a point where you have no control over the situation AND/OR you lose understanding of the situation you are in.

For the vast majority of people, training and experience will push that envelope back, as you learn how to limit danger, deal with it when it cannot be eliminated and draw on experience in dealing with situations.

From my training in the military, and perhaps a real life pilot can chime in as well, I learned that having options, no matter how bleak, and focusing on small tasks that were designed to help get out of trouble made a world of difference in my head when things got sideways. I had options and I could concentrate on getting myself safe, no panic.

I think once you lose control or think you have lost control you're in trouble.

I can say from past experiences with small boat handling and SCUBA, I was a bit more confident at a very early stage than I should have been, I simply did not fully appreciate the things I was doing. When I got a little more educated suddenly I was more cautious and even somewhat fearfull at times, when say a year prior I would have gone 100MPH with my hair on fire having the time of my life.

So I do think under certain limited conditions you can de-volve into a panic ready mindset as you gain...lets call it wisdom.

But again, a greater understanding of what I was doing has taken most of that fear away (but I still don't jump 10 foot waves in 18 foot boats anymore)

 

[DaleC]

I think panic sets in when one stops actively seeking solutions; not when there are no solutions. That's why panic response varies from person to person.

To reduce panic potential one should train themselves to seek solutions.

To train to seek solutions one needs to seek out challenging circumstances.

Some people are natural problem solvers. They like to do crossword/suduko puzzles, take apart and rebuild old machines, treat sick or injured animals/people etc...

Other people try to avoid problems. They either don't deal with them or pay someone else to solve them for them.

Trying to restructure our wiring during the event doesn't work that well. It's how we conduct our daily lives that reveals itself during crisis situations.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Great thread.

I've been "seriously concerned" while diving on a few occasions, but one almost "true panic" event stands out and it was sudden and very unexpected.

It was triggered by a very minor water aspiration on a deep open water dive, no visible bottom, while fairly heavily narc'ed.

The amount of water I inhaled was not even enough water to cause a full coughing-choking responce, just a very "wet" breath through the reg; but occuring at a moment while I was narc'ed it was enough to send my mood from "totally happy camper" to "get me out of here now!!" in a heartbeat. I got back under control very quickly, and my buddy had no clue I was "in trouble" until I mentioned it to him after the dive.

It gave me a big "reality check" because it was totally unexpected responce to what was really a non-event, and made me realize I could certainly "lose it" under the right set of conditions.

Using Thal's inverted cone model, I had placed myself at the very edge of my comfort/abilty level on that dive (deep, no bottom for visual reference, narc'ed) and one trivial event caused a near-panic.

Best wishes.

 

[Ghost.Diver]

Alternobaric vertigo . . .

So, it does have a name!

I've always had trouble clearing my ears even though I try to do all the tricks, etc. My and a buddy were making a night dive at our local dive site. It was already dark and being out in the county away from the city lights made it seem even darker. We entered the water, swam out and went down on the line. Again, my ears were giving me trouble, in particular, my right one. All of a sudden, it felt like I was in a whirlpool, spinning around the down line. At first, I wanted to bolt to the surface, but I fought that off. Instead I grabbed my buddies shoulder and squeezed as hard as I could, until the feeling stopped. Didn't know what was going on, wanted to bolt for the surface, but I calmed down, breathed, and relaxed, and waited.

PS. He eventually regained full use of his arm after I had squeezed hard enough to cut off circulation

 

[Kevrumbo]

So, it does have a name!

I've always had trouble clearing my ears even though I try to do all the tricks, etc. My and a buddy were making a night dive at our local dive site. It was already dark and being out in the county away from the city lights made it seem even darker. We entered the water, swam out and went down on the line. Again, my ears were giving me trouble, in particular, my right one. All of a sudden, it felt like I was in a whirlpool, spinning around the down line. At first, I wanted to bolt to the surface, but I fought that off. Instead I grabbed my buddies shoulder and squeezed as hard as I could, until the feeling stopped. Didn't know what was going on, wanted to bolt for the surface, but I calmed down, breathed, and relaxed, and waited.

PS. He eventually regained full use of his arm after I had squeezed hard enough to cut off circulation

Alternobaric vertigo is the name & the bane. . . Sometimes it clears immediately with a Valsalva technique or a slight ascent of a few feet --and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[Ghost.Diver]

Alternobaric vertigo is the name & the bane. . . Sometimes it clears immediately with a Valsalva technique or a slight ascent of a few feet --and sometimes it doesn't.

Or sometimes it clears when you pop your eardrum!!!!!!!

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I sort of panicked once and thrashed about thinking I was done, in an "Oh Sh!t" moment. That hapend to be the answer.