Scuba scare

[Zoe83]

Hey people, Ive been scuba diving and snorkelling a few times, and i want to get certified for diving. I'm not a great swimmer, but in summer i try and improve myself at the pools. my main problem is i am small, 49kg (107lb) and 164cm tall (5'2 i think) and i feel even smaller in the big ocean! I have a huge fear of nasty creatures and being swept into the abyss. i flip out when i am in dark water and/or cant see fish or coral etc. even if it is at my local beach, i fear something huge will appear and kill me, i also have horrible bad luck, every time i step into water i see a jellyfish or something else that will sting me, ive only been stung once tho by a blue bottle so im not so scared of them, but i am wary. a lot of the time i am fine but when i freak out i do a good job of it, once i scared a squid so much it went speeding off in the opposite direction to me lol.. can anyone suggest a good souce of info to become familiar with ocean things or some tips for my fears? Thanks
Zoe

 

[orangeBloke]

Hi Zoe, first of all don't let you size bother you. Most of the girls in this part of the world are your size or smaller and I've seen many of them easily cope with the vastness of the ocean. An advantage that you have is that you'll probably use less air than most others.

As regards scary things that'll sting or bite, being in the ocean is kinda like walking down your street. If you poke and prod your neighbours they'll probably get a bit annoyed with you, the same goes for marine life. For the most part, if you leave it alone it'll leave you alone. Jellyfish tend to drift into you rather than attack, and if you're wearing a full suit you may not even notice let alone be stung. Keeping an eye out is a good idea though.

Most things in the sea, including most of the sharks, will be more frightened of you than you are of them so there's no need to worry about them. At the same time there's no harm in knowing who the exceptions are so you can avoid them. As you're in Sydney these links might be of use to you so you can see what should be avoided in your neck of the woods: http://www.aims.gov.au/pages/research/project-net/dma/pages/dma-01.html

http://www.avru.unimelb.edu.au/avruweb/marinea.htm#stinging fish

and

http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com/the-great-barrier-reef/great-barrier-reef-info4.htm

Have fun and safe diving

 

[Sue-ba]

I would not go diving again until you get certified. That would most likely alleviate alot of your anxiety. If after taking the classes and getting certified, and you still feel like this, diving may not be for you. However, I think that getting the training and some experience and more training and more experience, you will start to feel comfortable. Good luck.

 

[Platypus8321]

Hi Zoe, I'm Sunny and as of yesterday (8/29) I am a newly certified scuba diver! But at first, believe me, I was TERRORFIED. I didn't even want to do the confined water exercises in a 10 foot pool! It was bad, but the training really helped ease my fears and I studied all the material I could get my hands on. Now I am still a bit nervous and hesitant, but that's a good thing. I can't wait until my first real dive! I like to look at it like this, "A cautious diver is a safe diver!"
Good luck!
~Sunny

 

[Restart]

Hei Zoe,

The first two dives of the Open Water course are scary, but once you reach the third and fouth dives, you will be more confident & comfortable...........

You don't need a very strong swimming skills to dive, most important is to fimilar with those gears you are using.

Recently i completed my Open Water & Advance, in a very short time, over three days with a total of 9 dives...........

Hope to hear from you, and hear your experience after your attemps, Good Luck Zoe.

 

[SubMariner]

Hey people, Ive been scuba diving and snorkelling a few times, and i want to get certified for diving. I'm not a great swimmer, but in summer i try and improve myself at the pools. my main problem is i am small

Take a deep breath. And relax.

I can assure you from many years of experience, that when you dive, nothing is out to get you. In fact, as a diver you are very intimidating to the local critters... so much so that they usually go out of their way not to interact with you. (For example, that is a natural reaction from a squid: they are very timid & shy... it wasn't just YOU.)

My sister in law felt the same way. Until I actually got her in the open water for her first real "dive". After she came out all she could say was "wow... it's like an AQUARIUM down there! It's amazing!" I'm convinced I'll be certifying her as a Divemaster one day.

Just take your time & look in some of the forums here. I think you'll especially enjoy the Underwater Photograpy area: http://www.scubaboard.com/f3-underwater-photography.html

Scuba is a very safe, relaxing sport. Just take your time & enjoy it.

 

[ScubaNorth]

I had a lot of the same fears that you do, and I am 5'10"/180 lbs and I skydive. I couldn't swim, I am not at all comfortable in water. I couldn't stand fish touching me in the water. As I got Certified and began diving all that disappeared. Most people don't fear the actual fish, water, etc but they fear the unknown. As you progress in your diving the fear disappears. I have dove wrecks, swam with sharks (coolest thing ever), I dive for lobster every weekend, and I still am less than a great swimmer. Good Luck. P

 

[baitedstorm]

Take a deep breath. And relax.

Ditto!!!! Good luck!

 

[DavidPT40]

If I had Great White Sharks and Saltwater Crocs in the waters I went diving in, I would be scared too

Start off by doing alot of snorkeling in the conditions that make you anxious. You will gradually become unafraid.

 

[ZenSquirrel]

..my main problem is i am small, 49kg (107lb) and 164cm tall (5'2 i think) and i feel even smaller in the big ocean! I have a huge fear of nasty creatures and being swept into the abyss....

The ocean is so much larger than a human being that it is pointless to worry stuff like this. If a current is going to "sweep you into the abyss" when you are 107 lbs, it is going to take you if you weigh 300 lbs.

In the ocean, everybody is small!