beachbummer
New
This is my first post so my apologies if the formatting/tagging or anything else is a bit wonky.
My husband and I have always stuck to snorkeling in the past but after a recent trip to Maui, we were envious of the divers getting face to face with everything so we're finally going to get certified. We're beyond excited and have been practicing clearing our masks, breathing through the snorkel without the mask, hand signals, etc. I don't know if it's nerdy that we're trying to practice before our certification class or what (the class is still a few weeks out), but we're just so excited that we can't help ourselves haha. I do have one issue that I'm hoping people can help with, though - I have an unsettling and persistent fear of sharks.
I've already decided I'm just going to get over it because there are too many cool things to see to be worried about the small chance of a shark attack. I grew up on the coast and have seen shark fins swimming about, but of course have never seen one face to face. I'm generally pretty level-headed so I hope I could keep my cool, but I'm a tiny bit worried that if I come face to face with a shark while diving I might bolt towards the surface. Either that or I might have an actual panic attack and freeze, which is almost as bad. Has anyone else shared this fear before getting into diving or does anyone have stories of encountering bigger sharks that were completely uninterested? It would help to know that other divers have seen plenty of sharks and still have all of their limbs!
I logically realize that shark attacks are rare but I guess I can blame Hollywood for convincing me that if I see one, I'm dead meat. I am determined to get over this fear one way or another because we're pretty excited about diving, and I've never let any fear or phobia stop me from exploring before. Anyone else out there in my shoes at one time or another?
My husband and I have always stuck to snorkeling in the past but after a recent trip to Maui, we were envious of the divers getting face to face with everything so we're finally going to get certified. We're beyond excited and have been practicing clearing our masks, breathing through the snorkel without the mask, hand signals, etc. I don't know if it's nerdy that we're trying to practice before our certification class or what (the class is still a few weeks out), but we're just so excited that we can't help ourselves haha. I do have one issue that I'm hoping people can help with, though - I have an unsettling and persistent fear of sharks.
I've already decided I'm just going to get over it because there are too many cool things to see to be worried about the small chance of a shark attack. I grew up on the coast and have seen shark fins swimming about, but of course have never seen one face to face. I'm generally pretty level-headed so I hope I could keep my cool, but I'm a tiny bit worried that if I come face to face with a shark while diving I might bolt towards the surface. Either that or I might have an actual panic attack and freeze, which is almost as bad. Has anyone else shared this fear before getting into diving or does anyone have stories of encountering bigger sharks that were completely uninterested? It would help to know that other divers have seen plenty of sharks and still have all of their limbs!
I logically realize that shark attacks are rare but I guess I can blame Hollywood for convincing me that if I see one, I'm dead meat. I am determined to get over this fear one way or another because we're pretty excited about diving, and I've never let any fear or phobia stop me from exploring before. Anyone else out there in my shoes at one time or another?