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?

 

[reefrat]

I apologize if I'm resurrecting a slightly old thread here but have been reading it tonight with interest and maybe have something to add!
I did not think I was susceptible to any sort of panic but a weird episode 10 years ago taught me differently.
I had about 600 dives up my sleeve at the time and had just arrived in the Solomon Islands for 3 weeks of touring and diving. The name of the wreck and the exact location escapes me but I can remember the day very clearly. There were four of us, the divemaster was showing two relatively inexperienced divers around a Japanese wreck and I told him that I would follow but may split for a while to get a few pictures of the stern at about 100 feet or so. It was my first wreck dive in the Solomon's and I was still using a (relatively) huge housed 35mm system with twin strobes.
The dive went well and at about 80 feet I watched the trio head off along a deck then I drifted down alone to get the shot I wanted. I had heard that the stern was hanging over a dropoff and planned to get a profile shot of it from below silhouetted against the noon sun. So down, down I went and somewhere around 130 to 140 feet I leveled in mid-water then looked through the optical viewfinder up at the wreck above me. A sudden and inexplicable "discomfort" spread over me and I really didn't feel right at all. In a moment all I wanted to do was be at the surface and there seemed like a lot of water between me and there. My pulse was racing, adrenalin was pumping and it was an effort to keep my breathing slow and steady- then I swam steadily back up to about 70 feet and clung to a rusted railing on a deck. It seemed like the railing was re-assuring, I stared at it from a few inches away and focused on breathing and re-assuring myself that all was well- it worked and within a minute I was sort of OK!
I was able to spend another comfortable 20 minutes on the wreck getting some decent shots and all was well, but I remember the sensation of impending panic well and it was a sobering experience.
It has never happened in another 600 or so dives since but I think I am a better diver as a result and always tell novices about the importance of recognizing stress, stop, control breathing and self reassurance then make a controlled move to a more comfortable situation.

 

[TMHeimer]

reefrat, In a way you are lucky to have had that experience (and that it ended well). I may have posted a while back that I have yet to come anywhere near panic. I have been in a half dozen uncomfortable situations, but easily solvable with logic and calm. I have yet to experience a student panic as well. I don't think anyone really knows how they will react in a real emergency and at what point panic will set in. It concerns me. Maybe I'll get lucky and be too old for diving before it happens?

 

[george_austin]

I apologize if I'm resurrecting a slightly old thread here but have been reading it tonight with interest and maybe have something to add!
I did not think I was susceptible to any sort of panic but a weird episode 10 years ago taught me differently.
I had about 600 dives up my sleeve at the time and had just arrived in the Solomon Islands for 3 weeks of touring and diving. The name of the wreck and the exact location escapes me but I can remember the day very clearly. There were four of us, the divemaster was showing two relatively inexperienced divers around a Japanese wreck and I told him that I would follow but may split for a while to get a few pictures of the stern at about 100 feet or so. It was my first wreck dive in the Solomon's and I was still using a (relatively) huge housed 35mm system with twin strobes.
The dive went well and at about 80 feet I watched the trio head off along a deck then I drifted down alone to get the shot I wanted. I had heard that the stern was hanging over a dropoff and planned to get a profile shot of it from below silhouetted against the noon sun. So down, down I went and somewhere around 130 to 140 feet I leveled in mid-water then looked through the optical viewfinder up at the wreck above me. A sudden and inexplicable "discomfort" spread over me and I really didn't feel right at all. In a moment all I wanted to do was be at the surface and there seemed like a lot of water between me and there. My pulse was racing, adrenalin was pumping and it was an effort to keep my breathing slow and steady- then I swam steadily back up to about 70 feet and clung to a rusted railing on a deck. It seemed like the railing was re-assuring, I stared at it from a few inches away and focused on breathing and re-assuring myself that all was well- it worked and within a minute I was sort of OK!
I was able to spend another comfortable 20 minutes on the wreck getting some decent shots and all was well, but I remember the sensation of impending panic well and it was a sobering experience.
It has never happened in another 600 or so dives since but I think I am a better diver as a result and always tell novices about the importance of recognizing stress, stop, control breathing and self reassurance then make a controlled move to a more comfortable situation.

Great story, thanks -
Been there, done that, got the T shirt.

Rig diving in clear water at about 120fsw - out of nowhere a thought came over me that I was "in trouble" Mind you, I've only been slightly out of sorts in 40 years and hundreds and hundreds of dives in all kinds of conditions - this was different. I felt like I was going to be eaten by a GWS in just a moment - I may have been and he changed his mind - who knows?

Then a serious down current started and I was kicking and hoovering but I was actually increasing depth- uh, oh, says I -

The current slacked as quickly as it started and before I knew it I was at 90 fsw and spent about 4 minutes getting my s#!t together and holding on to the crossbar for dear life. A sea lion came over me and made me laugh. Before long I was back on the boat with a coke and a cigarette and no one ever knew about it except me.
i pretty much had to change my wetsuit bottoms though - that rig was in 400 feet of water.

 

[Bobodiver01]

Starting about 3 years ago, occasionally on a blue water descent, I have to fight the urge to hyperventilate. I never am thinking about it before it happens and I am not surprised when it does, but I can feel panic sneaking up behind me when this occurs. I control the panic obviously, but it is a stern reminder that anyone can feel it.

I guess it has happened maybe 5 times out of a 1000 dives.

By the time I reach a depth and level off, it goes away as quickly as it came on.

I don't know what is causing it. Maybe lack of sleep triggers it? Stress topside? Vertigo? Getting old? Asthma which I had a case of viral induced a while back?

The feeling of starting to hyperventilate may be partly due to a regulator that easily freeflows. If you begin to breathe hard at all on such a reg it will begin to punch air (gas) into your mouth. The feeling is like a shudder in your chest / diaphragm as you try to calm yourself. I had this happen with my old regs ( hard to get parts for ) and thought I was losing my grip. LDS tech suggested I move to a better regulator which I did . This problem never occurred again - even under stress.

Sent from my SM-G386W using Tapatalk

 

[Akimbo]

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[Randy1974]

Several years ago, I was on a dive in a new location which had a very strong current as we had to hold on to rocks, release, kick to try and get through the channel into the area we were trying to head. My first real experience with a strong current. Being down for maybe 20 min I didn't think to check my guages as often and found us at 70ft and about 800Psi left in my tank. I knew I was in some trouble considering a safety stop needed and the depth. I signaled to the dive guide we needed to start going up. Slowely we started to asend, while drifting along. I proceeded to get closer to the dive guide and proceeded to slow down my breathing, knowing I would likely need his alt reg. I failed to pay close attention to my breathing rate and psi in the hard conditions and I failed to signal to the dive guide how bad it was. I think on many international dive trips I find most have bar and when I signal in psi I think it fails to register what that really means to folks as they might forget its Psi I am giving and not bar. With about 3 min left on our final safety stop I had to use the dive guides alt, once we got above 30 ft and I slowed my breathing down significantly, its amazing how long 300psi can last.

That event still sticks in my head and run through the scenarios of went went wrong, how bad it really could have been and what I was able to do in the situation.

 

[happy-diver]

Your dive sounds as convoluted as the technical chronology of your recollection

 

[Freewillow]

Thank you for sharing. A few remarks 20 minutes ,,,,,,@ 70 feet is VERY far from the deco zone where deco stops become mandatory. A safety stop is OPTIONNAL and recommended after repetitive or dives below 100 feet mostly. So in case of "emergency" as you perceived, it is not a good idea to respect a safety stop if you put your life in danger? 800 psi is 54 bars, not even the reserve level. What I would have done since there was current is deploy a parachute from 70 feet and let go. if you drift in the current you will be at ease. Slowly go up and at 10/15 feet do your safety stop if you have enough air. If not, do not respect the optional safety stop. As you said 300 psi goes a long way @ 10 feet, between 15 and 20 minutes.

 

[johndiver999]

If a diver is very worried at 70 feet with 800 psi then 300 psi is probably not going to last 15 minutes on a safety stop for that diver.

 

[Jake 10]

It happens to most of us sooner or later. My son and I were 110ft down when his tank valve started to leak, I freak out of course as any dad will. Then I realize I have an octo and enough air for both of us to make it to the 30ft or 15ft stop.