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?
Question Panic in the experienced diver?
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Maybe it is my career but I have never seen a military or commercial diver panic. Granted there is a selection and a self-selection process at play but I doubt it is that rare. Look at combat soldiers, submariners, police, commercial pilots, and fire fighters to name a few. There are rare cases where one of them might panic but it is just that, very rare. Many are certainly faced with more panic-inducing situations than commercial divers.
I have observed panic in recreational divers; strangely enough most were on the surface. I came close to panic when I was about 6 years old when my brothers rolled me up in a rug. Just as I was ready to freak out it occurred to me that I wasnt going to die and never felt that emotion again. I am confident that there are lots of people who will never panic. I cant say if that is purely nature or if training and experience plays a major role. Training and experience definitely reduces the risk of panic, but have no idea if they are fundamental factors.
oldschoolto
Contributor
I'm on the road, so typing on my phone.. When I get home wensday morning I tell you the story of me getting my arm caught in a conver belt and snapping the arm in half and the bone coming through the bicep.. And how I handled it and the people around me... Good story of cool under pressure...
Jim....
Jim....
DaleC
Contributor
I see panic as a state that occurs after all other avenues are expended. For some this is single pointed action, for others paralysis (fight or flight or freeze).
People who are used to working through problems have a tendency to continue to seek solutions and trust their ability to manage variables longer than people who do not have that experience. This is a compounding process in a way, because those who are comfortable doing so tend to gravitate to situations where this occurs whereas those that aren't, don't. The more practice you have at successfully solving problems under stress, the more comfortable you are in those conditions.
It's not really a courage/fear thing. People who don't panic just seem to be able to push the moment where one feels there are no options left, off longer. When they hit the wall they too will probably act in the same way.
People who are used to working through problems have a tendency to continue to seek solutions and trust their ability to manage variables longer than people who do not have that experience. This is a compounding process in a way, because those who are comfortable doing so tend to gravitate to situations where this occurs whereas those that aren't, don't. The more practice you have at successfully solving problems under stress, the more comfortable you are in those conditions.
It's not really a courage/fear thing. People who don't panic just seem to be able to push the moment where one feels there are no options left, off longer. When they hit the wall they too will probably act in the same way.
oldschoolto
Contributor
I don't know there a many test pilots who never stopped working the problem or were able to pass on data to ground control to impact... Never a hope to live but did their job to the end..
Jim...
Jim...
Only if you include pictures and video.
oldschoolto
Contributor
Will pictures of my bicep with its popie deformity be good and I may have a x-ray of the rod holding the bone in one piece
Jim...
Jim...
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KevinNM
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Actual panic is pretty rare in the real world, at least outside of scuba. What is often referred to as panic is often objectively not panic, it's focused urgent action. There was a study of people's behavior in fires with mass casualties that showed that panic typically happened very late. Essentially you get panic when all the rational approaches have been exhausted.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/emergency_response/common_misconceptions.pdf
http://tkolb.net/FireReports/PanicInFire09.pdf
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/emergency_response/common_misconceptions.pdf
http://tkolb.net/FireReports/PanicInFire09.pdf
Well I will still say ANYONE is capable of panic. I agree that as long as you have options to work through some people seem less inclined to panic. Some may be self belief, some is certainly training and I also believe some of it may even be genetic coding. I would suggest that people with higher "Stress tolerance" for want of a better term are more likely to engage in higher risk activities/ professions.
For those of us who have never panicked, we haven't been pushed too far for our personal limit to be overwhelmed. IMHO It could still happen.
For those of us who have never panicked, we haven't been pushed too far for our personal limit to be overwhelmed. IMHO It could still happen.
Capable is a safe choice of words. Arguing that anyone will panic in the right circumstance defies a lot of evidence. Many people have died resigned to their death or continue trying until losing consciousness.
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