Pschychological blocks?

[The Chairman]

Paolov... I do this this with a hundred students a year with no probs. It really gets them comfortable breathing with water surrounding their eyes and nose. It also gives them a psychological boost when they accomplish it easily.

Marebythesea... Manly men in touch with their feminie side? Sounds like a feminine fantasy to me.

 

[dc4bs]

Well, to further complicate things... she said that another fear is that she will continuously try to breath through her nose. I suggested a full face mask to her, and her first response was to say she didn't want to have to that kind of expense in order to dive. So I've told her that me and our friend the instructor will just work with her alot on the reg before we even hit the water, and even after we get in the water.

As for snorkeling, shes done htat before i the Bahammas, and the Keys, so thats not a problem. I guessing she just ha some inborn fears about the dangers of diving, and these are sort of a safety blanket for her. All I can do is be patient, and lt her take it at her pace. Which includes aborting if needed.

Tao

I often breath through my nose underwater. But I only breath OUT through it...

If she has access to a properly fitting mask there is relatively simple way to practice this without risking of a nose full of water.

Simply place your mask against your face (don't put the strap around your head -let it hang under your chin) and breath a little to create a slight vacume (it really doesn't take much pressure to hold it in place). Close the airway connecting the nasal passage to the back of the throat and talk to someone. See how long you can keep the mask from falling off your face.

To get a feel for how to close this passage in the back of the throat, just snort like your nose is stuffy. Then, once you get the 'feel' for what muscles are involved, just close it without trying to pull air through it and breath through your mouth. With a little practice it becomes automatic to open/close without really having to think about it.

I can talk prety normaly with my mask stuck on my face for a few minutes without too much dificulty. I demonstrate this for students when I DM for openwater classes and we get to the subject of properly fitting equipment.

If her mask doesn't seal against her face properly, think about getting another one. A leeky mask at depth is mostly just annoying for an experianced diver but can be very stressfull for an inexperianced diver.

When she's comfortable doing this, then add the water...

 

[pt40fathoms]

LOL A metro-sexual is the "new" man. He's straight, sensitive, well-educated, usually an urban dweller. He takes pride in his body, and like woman, they shave, wax, and take care of their faces with cleaners and moisturizers A metro-sexual may have a standing appointment for a weekly manicure, and he probably has his hair cared for by a stylist rather than a barber. He loves to shop, and his bathroom counter is most likely filled with male grooming products.

I know the picture your getting in your head and don't go there pt40fathoms, these are manly men who are just in touch with their feminine side. Like Tao of the Dive who is "planning a wedding/reception AND offerd to take up scrapbooking" for his honey...heck, she may even be taking up scrapebooking for him! So that's what I understand a Metro-sexual to be...

...and Andy hit the nail on the head with "don't try to fix the problems for her. maybe all she wants is to be able to share how she feels? tell her that she will have a professional instructor if/when she decides to learn." Men do that, they want to fix when we just want them to listen. Hey, you listening to me up there in Manitoba??? hehehehe

So, that fact that I don't use moisturizer, have never had a manicure, and if I ever found my feminine side I 'd be touching it ALL the time, excludes me from being "Metro-Sexual".

I can live with that.

 

[paolov]

here's one;

how about a diver who is comfortable in scuba diving . good breathing, good bouyancy etc. however, is too dependent on a particular DM buddy?

Can't dive deep with others...

how to overcome such blocks?

 

[Foo]

Tao,
When my husband first began diving, I was not interested in it because I liked snorkeling and felt safe there (head lift, air, duh). Then I began to want to dive, as I made trips with him and stayed above- I decided that I wanted to join the fun. When I started my class, I had issues. I did not like the way it felt to breathe through my mouth instead of my nose, and mask clearing was difficult for me. It took several months (intermittently),two instructors, and standing in the shower with my mask on, breathing through my mouth-haha! for me to feel really comfortable, and ready for my checkouts. It was very important to me that I feel comfortable with my skills before certification. Along the way, I began to experience the exhiliaration that goes with diving- the "breathing underwater/neutral bouyancy/wow i can't believe i'm really under here feeling like a fish- only happier" feeling! Can anyone describe it better for us? Then I got to dive in Cozumel & Roatan a couple of weeks ago- I really hope that your gf will be able to relax and enjoy diving- I can't imagine if I hadn't taken that chance. Now I know too much to go back to being only a surface dweller. Just those two days of diving were worth all the effort to get there. And the best part is that I've got lots of dives ahead of me. Please give her all the time and space that she needs. If she has issues, the only way that she will complete her certification is that it if she REALLY wants to dive. It will be her that needs to dive. She may feel that she is the only person in the world/dive class with the same feelings/fears, but please reassure her that she is not. I would imagine that there are many people who just cannot be real enough to reveal them. But, her confidence will build with knowledge and skills/underwater experience. I don't have any allusions that I am now an experienced diver, I am a mere babe in this sport. But I do look forward to getting back in the water. My 17 yr old daughter is going to try the Discover Scuba class this tuesday night, so I get to be in the water then. YIPPEE! Pool water's way better than no water.
Foo

 

[mania]

Tao why don't you give your fiancee one, very good book to read. To be honest i read it when I was doing my OWD it helped me a lot!!!!
The book was wrtiten by Monika Rahimi and I think the English title is " Diving without fear" ( I read this book in Polish so the title may be in oryginal a bit different). The author is a diving instructor and pschychologist at the same time. It shows that most of the fears begginers have are only mental and it also helps to overcome them.
I'm sure you can get this book somewhere - it's worth looking for it and reading.
Mania