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?

 

[34109411]

during my intro to cave diving i was ask to remove my mask follow the line and exit the cave... oh well a simple task that turn to be a nightmare.

I thing the story is facing a stressful event that lead to panic goes back to training and practice. Once you master and understand a certains situation the outcome could be only good.

So now i do take out my mask often just for the hell of it, i also put my reg away and do recovering and also go to the surface without it on shallow dive. i switch also from my get to my octo to my pony bottle. the deployment of a dsmb is a good task load exercise that i practice often too.

Unfortunately i didn't complete the intro to cave dive due to schedule and work. But i didn't stop to dive.

Safe diving.

 

[happy-diver]

Now that you are enjoying so much at these things and become confident
I say you stop now, in case you hit your maskregless head on the boat hull
or a rock or fish or a buoy or a whale, and maybe you injure, or something

So now i do take out my mask often just for the hell of it, i also put my reg away and do recovering and also go to the surface without it on shallow dive.

 

[34109411]

Now that you are enjoying so much at these things and become confident
I say you stop now, in case you hit your maskregless head on the boat hull
or a rock or fish or a buoy or a whale, and maybe you injure, or something

 

[naturescent]

I get you like practicing emergency skills, but maybe be a bit careful out there. Accidents can happen in a flash, even for experienced divers. Just watch your environment and look out for your safety too. All the best!

 

[Orihimef]

I get you like practicing emergency skills, but maybe be a bit careful out there. Accidents can happen in a flash, even for experienced divers. Just watch your environment and look out for your safety too. All the best!

Ya I go free diving so I've had my share of close calls, or so it felt like it. It really just experience for the most part.

 

[Bookworm11]

I went cenote diving two Aprils ago. I had about 85 dives at the time and I was OW certified. It was my first time diving, and it was just me and the DM. He did a superb job of explaining everything-the 1/3 gas plan, staying on the line, and following the triangles. We had not seen anyone in the first two cenotes. As we dove our way to the third, we passed a group of five with cameras leaving. We then dove into a room area which was completely suited out with no visibility AT ALL!!! I completely panicked for 30 seconds. I then remembered: 1) my first DM said the first rule of diving is NEVER PANIC, 2) I had plenty of air, 3) the DM was no more than 3- 4 feet ahead of me, 4) the line is within 2 feet of me, and 5) I can follow the triangles out if I need to. I then calmed down, we continued slowly swimming out of there and the visibility cleared. It was fine on the way back. After the dive, the DM said the other DM shouldn't have let his divers silt up the area, and he should report him, but he wasn't going to. And that's the only time I've had full blown panic.

 

[Phil111]

Some people are more prone to panic than others but training, repetition and time at the task can usually solve all of the issues. In the 1970's a guy I knew was learning how to skydive but actually leaving the door of the A/C was something he couldn't do. He would panic and refuse to go near the door. Its somewhat uncommon perhaps involving 1/2% of students. Normally an instructor would only take such a person up 2-3 times at most before they would advise them to find another sport. Naturally every aircraft ride costs $$. Finally after 7-8 rides he made his first jump and went on to make over 1,000 more.

I took my UW training about the same time. It was through a club in the winter of Canada and lasted the five months, twice a week. Training included buddy breathing two lengths of the pool and diving to the bottom of the pool blindfolded. Then you had to search for your gear, turn the air on and put all your equipment on.

Spring rolls around and its time for the check out dive. This is pre octopus regs and pre computers. So the instructor an I at are about 50' and eventually I'm about 600 psi so I show him my gauge, he nods and we continue. A bit later my reg gets hard to breathe so I flip the J valve down motion to the instructor what just occurred and we continue! Well it seemed like a minute later I was out of air. So I signalled that I was out of air and we started buddy breathing to the surface. Subsequently he admitted that he was quite embarrassed by it all. But i thought it was all a part of the dive.

Most skydivers review safety procedures in their minds on every jump. Because if the main parachute either doesn't open or opens is some fashion that makes landing under it dangerous. Time is of the essence and time wasted diagnosing a problem can put you too low to have any chance for a unobstructed landing area. Or worse.

Always keep track of air, depth and emergency options. If you have psychological issues with some area of the diving experience work at it until you're completely comfortable with it. Keep in mind that your buddy could have issues for which your assistance may be necessary.

 

[Bookworm11]

That should be silted out-not suited out! And I mean no visibility-you couldn't see your hand if it was in front of your face! At that point in my diving career, I was used to at least 30 feet of visibilty, and up to 80 or more as all my diving had been Cozumel, Belize and Dahab.

I've had dives since then where I was scared, and probably looking back, were well worthy of full blown panic, but I never have again. Twice where there were turns in the swim thrus, and I waited because of visibility, and my buddy left me each time-that wasn't fun. I am anal about checking my air and depth.

 

[davinajmyers]

Definitely learned a lesson that diving in cenotes is not to be taken lightly. Many years ago we were near Akumal and ocean diving was canceled due to the weather so the operator swapped us to a cenote dive. We were poorly briefed, did not have good lights, and ended up in small swim throughs with lots of sediment. Not a good experience! Husband was in the back and definitely panicked when he couldn't see anything including the lights ahead of him. I don't think we'll do cenotes again.

 

[eelpout]

My closest experience to "Losing it" was in a shipwreck dive in Isle Royale. I had a camera hanging around my neck ( never did that again) and proceeded to ascend to a hole on the upper deck and snagged the camera on my chest. I stopped and slowly tried to drop down to move my camera but the handwheel on my first stage caught the other inner of the hole behind me. So now I am stuck. I had looked at my pressure gauge a couple of minutes before I came up the hole and I had 800psi left on an 80 cf tank at 65 feet. SO tried to spin a quarter of a tuner to see if I could free myself but it didn't work. So now the stress and the increased breathing was playing games with my head. My buddy who was following me could see that I was stressing out by my jerky movements and he started to see what was wrong. I was getting to the point now where I was thinking I would have to take my gear off but my hands were above the hole and my waist buckle was below it, so that wouldn't work.... Then I felt a hand grip my thigh and squeeze, that was our agreed communication of saying "I am here to help" when issues like this happened. He had seen the camera and handwheel causing me to be stick. He squeezed my leg again and he said he felt me relax. He took his knife and cut the neck strap off the camera and then squeezed and pushed up to indicate that he took care of the camera and that I could swim up. I got out of the water with barely any air left in my tank and with a memory that I would use as an example of how "near panic" can happen and how having a buddy was important.

Over the years of teaching in Open water students in the lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin, I always prepared my staff to expect a divers to "Bolt" from the platform during their Open water training dives. It was always "when they bolt" and not "If they bolt". That is also the reason why we spent a lot of time , money and manpower to install training platforms on the lakes we taught in. It kept the visibility and a visual reference for our students to calm their anxiety of being in cold 10-15 feet on visibility.

Drysuits for Open water training dives is a specialty dive. It takes more equipment and time to train them to have a good time and pass the course. It would be a lot less stress for everybody involved if the student was prepared for the dives.