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?

 

[Doppler]

Good thread... lots to learn from here.

 

[Akimbo]

… I bet you're a great dive buddy... Reliable and truthful and logical.

Thanks, but I actually suck unless I’m support to a working diver or riding shotgun for a spear fisherman. Most of my recreational dives have been same-ocean-buddy or nobody-on-the-beach solo dives for well over 40 years. That has nothing to do with my self-reliance advocacy though. I am confident it stems from experiencing a lot of bad vis and harsh conditions where the best of intentions play second fiddle to mother nature.

 

[jcfahy]

My LDS owner recounted this past weekend an incident when he was diving solo, got tangled in kelp and panicked before taking a grip and solving the problem. He concluded that all divers - even the highly experienced - are vulnerable to panic. The differentiator is how you deal with it.

 

[Akimbo]

I think a large part of it is coming to terms with the reality of the profession you have accepted as being yours...

I am sure that is a factor, but I know you can identify people who are just not wired that way. I also believe it goes much deeper.

There is a huge dependence factor that manifests in two ways. I describe it as a near fox-hole comradery where you must trust people you work with — “knowing” that each will remain diligent or put themselves at risk to keep you safe. This applies to everybody in the diving crew from the supervisors, chamber mate(s), and support techs. That places an even heavier burden on you. Your sad recent experiences exemplify this enigma.

For other readers, see: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/392451-tragedy-happiness.html and http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/accidents-incidents/399964-six-divers-trapped-sea-bottom.html

 

[Akimbo]

I have spoken with several experienced CCR divers in the past month or so who talk about "irrational bailout" experiences.

What they describe is suddenly being in a situation where things are not going according to the expected plan. They sense the beginning of a slide into bedlam and although there is nothing apparently wrong with their unit or the loop itself, they bail to OC.

From many viewpoints, this behavior is irrational. Does that count?

I have been returning to your post all day. In my opinion, this decision doesn’t qualify as panic (if that is your question). Would anyone accuse an open circuit diver of panic it they properly aborted their dive based on a gut feeling? Rebreathers, or any other piece of dive gear, haven’t proven infallible yet. I believe there is such a thing as a healthy degree of paranoia and trusting your gut — especially when the dive is for fun rather than mission-critical to a broader task.

Freediving, open, or closed-circuit diving for recreational purposes ceases to meet the prime objective when uncertainty or discomfort displaces the entertainment value. Panic would be jettisoning their rebreather instead of giving it to me.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Thanks, but I actually suck unless I’m support to a working diver or riding shotgun for a spear fisherman. Most of my recreational dives have been same-ocean-buddy or nobody-on-the-beach solo dives for well over 40 years. That has nothing to do with my self-reliance advocacy though. I am confident it stems from experiencing a lot of bad vis and harsh conditions where the best of intentions play second fiddle to mother nature.

You know what? I completely understand where you are coming from. Nicely put!

 

[Hatul]

Both times when I've been close to panic it was solo diving, which points out that it's a psychological thing. One time it was on a wreck with very heavy current and almost no visibility. I had lots of air and held on to the wreck for my life and found my way back to the line to terminate the dive. The other time was solo night shore diving where I felt lost on a long swim in the darkness of California water. Both times I had to talk to myself to stay calm, reassure myself and act rationally. I think the presence of a buddy helps raise the panic threshold. I also think everyone may have a breaking point.

Adam

 

[TSandM]

What's interesting to me, in rereading this resurrected thread, is that so many people report a fear response that welled up, and that they recognized as being a precursor to panic . . . and yet they stayed rational and worked through it. (Steve, I think your irrational bailout divers may be in that class, as they recognize SOMETHING is wrong, and have been taught that when they feel that way, it's safer to bail to OC -- so it may not be an irrational action after all.) I had a dive the other morning where we got caught in an unexpected, very strong current that was blowing us downslope strongly enough that we had to get belly down on the bottom and crawl. When it hit us, I got very apprehensive, but I also knew exactly what was wrong, what was going to happen next, and what we needed to do, and we all did it. The exit strategy got unexpectedly amended, and had to be recalculated rather suddenly, and I did that, too. Scared? Yeah, a bit; but rational, and we all got home safe.

I think the common denominator in a lot of these stories is the ability to maintain some rationality in the face of very strong emotion. I'm absolutely certain this comes with practice. We said about the second year of residency that, by the end of it, your panic button had been pushed so many times that it didn't work any more. There's a lot of truth to that.

 

[Sat Diver]

I believe there is such a thing as a healthy degree of paranoia and trusting your gut — especially when the dive is for fun rather than mission-critical to a broader task.

Freediving, open, or closed-circuit diving for recreational purposes ceases to meet the prime objective when uncertainty or discomfort displaces the entertainment value.

That is very eloquently put. I totally agree.

 

[Thalassamania]

I have been returning to your post all day. In my opinion, this decision doesn’t qualify as panic (if that is your question). Would anyone accuse an open circuit diver of panic it they properly aborted their dive based on a gut feeling? Rebreathers, or any other piece of dive gear, haven’t proven infallible yet. I believe there is such a thing as a healthy degree of paranoia and trusting your gut — especially when the dive is for fun rather than mission-critical to a broader task.

Freediving, open, or closed-circuit diving for recreational purposes ceases to meet the prime objective when uncertainty or discomfort displaces the entertainment value. Panic would be jettisoning their rebreather instead of giving it to me.

But let us not forget those that are anathema to surviving whilst getting work done underwater, the adrenalin junkies of the world. They are out there, they thrive on the jangly, jagged edge; and they are dangerous to themselves and all that they come in contact with.