Panic!

[Scottri]

JimLap may be right. I have helped train divers for years. I have seen a lot of people with panic issues. Some of them you can work with and they can overcome it and some just can't no matter how hard they try. We always work with them one on one and the students can repeat the classes as many times as they need but some people just are not going to be divers. It's ok, find something else.

I had one lady that took 4 trips to open water before she was certified but now she is a fish. I have also seen it go the other way. You can't force people to do it if it isn't right for them.

 

[jd950]

The above suggestions all seem like good advice, and I am no instructor, but it sounds to me like you are not going to get her to try breathing from a regulator again anytime soon.

If that's right, then the above suggestions won't help. Maybe she isn't ever going to be comfortable and if so, then she has to be okay with that. I have a lot of faith in people's "intuition" and if it just feels "wrong" to her, then maybe it is wrong for her. I would think that what you have describbed is different than the panic some feel when they have to flood their mask or similar tasks, and is more like a fear of flying/fear of heights situation. That might require more than just a good scuba instructor.

On the other hand, if she is willing to try again, the above tips on instructors are good ones, and I would only add that she might need to be in as non-threatening a situation as possible. Maybe a one-on-one with an instructor, with the goal only being to become comfortable with gear and not work on any skills or training. Sort of like the programs for folks with a fear of flying, where they take some sort of controlled short flight after reaching a point where they can do so.

On the other hand, snorkeling is great, too.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

We had a woman in our class that had panic issues, so my instructor took her to the shallow end of the pool and had her put the reg in her mouth, take a few breaths, and then squat down until her head was underwater, telling her, "If, at any time, you begin to feel uncomfortable, all you have to do is stand up." She did that a few times, and after that, she went on to be successfully certified.

 

[DeltaWardog]

My wife and I just completed our PADI open water course this past weekend. She was actually ready to quit on day 1. Her mask kept flooding (we found out it had a rip in it) and she complained that she just could not breathe through her regulator.

After a lot of coaching in the shallow end, a mask replacement, and some confidence building excercises, she passed the class and was swimming around like a fish in the deep end by the end of the class. She is now as excited about doing our cert dive as I am.

Confidence is everything - if she isn't ready to try again then don't push it, but there are also exercises that can be done to boost her confidence and get her into the deep end of the pool breathing compressed air for an hour, as long as she doesn't have a true phobia.

Good luck!

 

[lifeisfullofgooddives]

I would say practice makes perfect. Trying it our in the pool at eye level sounds like the best way to me.

 

[snepdiver]

I agree with some of the other posts here. What it takes is a patient instructor. Mine was very patient and let me work out my problems at my pace. But there again my LDS has a pool that you have unlimited access to when they are open to practice. It toook me a while to get used to my regulator. Mask clearing also took me some time to master. I spent so much time in the pool that my computer thinks I have 150 dives. Although I have 40. I guess I logged 110 dives practicing. Some for only a minute or two and some for 30 minutes. My point is that I was allowed to go at my pace and I think that was the reason I got through OW.

My wife was totally afraid of all water related activities but since my OW class she has spent some time in the training pool and has now learned to snorkle. Seem like a small step to most but for her it is a big accomplishment. Maybe somesay she will want to scuba dive. For now it is just a step in the right direction, At her pace.

 

[oxygene]

Sousmarin Mob:

What's your advice?

I too felt a bit panicked the first time using a regulator though I feel that I am a decent swimmer and enjoy being in and under water a lot. I am going to dive class tonight and am feeling very anxious about it because I feel that I am not breathing "correctly" with the regulator and when I become conscious of trying to breathe deeply and slowly, it only increases my agitation.

It is also possible that I have some undiagnosed lung issue or congestion that is making it difficult for me to breathe well? Or could it be a problem with the regulator itself? I don't think my lungs are clear and perhaps should see a doctor before I proceed with certification.

I want to feel comfortable enough and have time enough to use the regulator without trying all the other skills in a rushed manner due to limitations on pool time. My instructor sympathizes but vacillates between being a "drill sergeant" and a "sympathizer". I'm singled out in the pool for my lack of skills. I know he knows his stuff but he scares me sometimes and none of his assistants seem to be able or willing to help. (I won't mention the name of the Academy here).

Should I postpone certification until I can rectify my panic and breathing issues?

I guess you'll all say a resounding "YES", no?

 

[jd950]

My instructor sympathizes but vacillates between being a "drill sergeant" and a "sympathizer". I'm singled out in the pool for my lack of skills. I know he knows his stuff but he scares me sometimes and none of his assistants seem to be able or willing to help.

You should either stop being scared of him or find another instructor becaused either he is doing his job poorly (and you are paying for the training, right?) or he is doing his job well but you have issues for which he is not the right instructor. Either way, it sounds like its time for a change. Wouldn't matter whether it was scuba, tennis or driving lessoons.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Sousmarin Mob:

What's your advice?

I too felt a bit panicked the first time using a regulator though I feel that I am a decent swimmer and enjoy being in and under water a lot. I am going to dive class tonight and am feeling very anxious about it because I feel that I am not breathing "correctly" with the regulator and when I become conscious of trying to breathe deeply and slowly, it only increases my agitation.

It is also possible that I have some undiagnosed lung issue or congestion that is making it difficult for me to breathe well? Or could it be a problem with the regulator itself? I don't think my lungs are clear and perhaps should see a doctor before I proceed with certification.

I want to feel comfortable enough and have time enough to use the regulator without trying all the other skills in a rushed manner due to limitations on pool time. My instructor sympathizes but vacillates between being a "drill sergeant" and a "sympathizer". I'm singled out in the pool for my lack of skills. I know he knows his stuff but he scares me sometimes and none of his assistants seem to be able or willing to help. (I won't mention the name of the Academy here).

Should I postpone certification until I can rectify my panic and breathing issues?

I guess you'll all say a resounding "YES", no?

If you aren't asthmatic or suffering from a lung condition like COPD or emphysema, I'd say that your breathing issues are probably related to your panic issues. When you get scared or panicked, you can begin hyperventilating and you end up over-breathing your regulator. What this means is that you are gasping for more air than the regulator can deliver. The more you feel like you can't breathe, the more panicked you are. The more panicked you are, the harder you end up breathing.

I'd say that if you don't have any underlying medical condition, maybe you could spend a little time in the shallow end, just squatting down and breathing on the reg, as I described above, and that will get you accustomed to it, and if you have any panic issues or hyperventilation issues, all you have to do is stand up, spit the reg out, and take a nice deep breath.

Whaddya' think? Sound like a plan? Good luck to you.

 

[m3830431]

Some people just wont be able to SCUBA dive. It is a fact you can talk to her and give her options but is she does not want to dive don't try to force her to do it.