Still Nervous as a Advanced Nitrox Diver - advice please?

[fb4817]

Thank you EVERYONE for your input. Boulderjohn, my diving has been through a variety of places around the world (SABA, ARUBA, PHUKET, BELIZE, USA, etc.). Because of the type of work I do, I travel a lot and am away from home, therefore; my diving is about every 4-6 months when I am on a vacation. I am an Advanced Open Water Nitrox Certified Diver.

Honestly though, I don't have an issue with Deep dives - my issue is...why do I start to feel nautious whenever I go out on this one particular boat in NC? I don't get that feeling anywhere else. Matter of fact, I really enjoy deep dives. When I am actually under water, I am fine - for the most part. I do believe though that I need to fine-tune my navigational and line skills for sure for comfort sakes

I am trying to get a handle on your level of experience. Your profile is very brief. In this sentence you say you have been blessed with the ability to do a lot of diving in many places around the world, but you don't get to dive much. Your profile says you have only 0-24 total logged dives, but you describe doing some relatively advanced diving.

It would be helpful if you could give a more thorough description of your actual dive experience.

---------- Post added at 11:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:47 PM ----------

Again, thank you everyone for your inputs and advice. I agree with many of the posts - "I think I answered my own question."
Honestly, as I stated in the previous post...I don't have an issue with Deep dives.
I enjoy those dives, especially wreck dives. It is just that whenever I go out on this one particular boat,
while going out to sea, I am fine - I start to feel nautious whenever I begin to put my gear on - that's where it hits me!

I mean literally, as soon as I suit up, my body heats up very quickly and I feel nautious. I tried watering myself down, but,
that does not work. When I get into the water, I am fine.

As far as the nervousness goes - yes, it does seem to be a physcological issue. Thought (fear) of my personal equipment malfunctioning while 100 ft underwater or
when I go fossil hunting, not finding my way back...those type of things - all of which can be fixed with some up-to-date training and continuous dives.

Thanks again everyone and happy diving!

 

[gcarter]

Thank you EVERYONE for your input. Boulderjohn, my diving has been through a variety of places around the world (SABA, ARUBA, PHUKET, BELIZE, USA, etc.). Because of the type of work I do, I travel a lot and am away from home, therefore; my diving is about every 4-6 months when I am on a vacation. I am an Advanced Open Water Nitrox Certified Diver.

Honestly though, I don't have an issue with Deep dives - my issue is...why do I start to feel nautious whenever I go out on this one particular boat in NC? I don't get that feeling anywhere else. Matter of fact, I really enjoy deep dives. When I am actually under water, I am fine - for the most part. I do believe though that I need to fine-tune my navigational and line skills for sure for comfort sakes



---------- Post added at 11:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:47 PM ----------

Again, thank you everyone for your inputs and advice. I agree with many of the posts - "I think I answered my own question."
Honestly, as I stated in the previous post...I don't have an issue with Deep dives.
I enjoy those dives, especially wreck dives. It is just that whenever I go out on this one particular boat,
while going out to sea, I am fine - I start to feel nautious whenever I begin to put my gear on - that's where it hits me!

I mean literally, as soon as I suit up, my body heats up very quickly and I feel nautious. I tried watering myself down, but,
that does not work. When I get into the water, I am fine.

As far as the nervousness goes - yes, it does seem to be a physcological issue. Thought (fear) of my personal equipment malfunctioning while 100 ft underwater or
when I go fossil hunting, not finding my way back...those type of things - all of which can be fixed with some up-to-date training and continuous dives.

Thanks again everyone and happy diving!

Sounds like there is your issue. Exposure suit induced claustrophobia / anxiety. I found the same thing going from warm to cold water diving. Find a local quarry, fairly benign conditions, and just do some dives to get used to it.

Edit: 3mm suit, maybe not

 

[fb4817]

Apadua,

I am not afraid of diving deep waters - I really enjoy that. Heck, the deepest I've been has been around 137 ft in Belize in the Blue Hole which I can safely say was probably one of the BEST dives I've ever done! haha. I am just trying to figure out why am I getting nervous on my dives back home and why my body heats up when I put my gear on (again, in my home location) which causes me to feel nautious.

Could this be the fact that maybe my wetsuit is too tight in which I have another under 1 piece (legs to chest) scuba wear on? I do that to stay warm, but, maybe I'm over doing it?

As far as the fears go on the pyschological issues (navigation, equipment failure, etc.) - good solid training and more dives should resolve that.

I mean, heck, on my first dives when training, when we had to do the exchange (emergancy situations) with my trainner underwater (45 feet or so), her emergancy didn't work - so I gave the signal and then went to mine ( I stayed calm - Jesus' grace keeping me of course ) and then when I got to the top my BCD had a hole in it and I had the pleasure ( LOL ) of treading water in the ocean until the boat came around ( still stayed calm ). Learned a valuable lesson about NOT panicking. Maybe that kind of triggered something on the thoughts.

Still though, I love diving deep dives - they're fun and exciting. I just don't like the pre-natious feeling on this one area when I put my gear on which causes a bit nervousness as well.

Don't get me wrong - my dives are fun and I enjoy them very much so - ESPECIALLY when I'm hunting for MEGALODON TEETH! or even doing Wreck dives

This is the one phrase i was a bit bothered by. If you were nervous "before" the dive - why did you make them? Shouldn't you perhaps have taken it easy, changed the dive plan to 60ft or whatever would have made you more comfortable, and discussed this with your buddy?

Do not be afraid to call a dive if you're clearly nervous before it even starts. If there's stuff you want to see at 80-100ft, work yourself up to that level slowly. Shed gear you won't need - simplify. Make sure you have the same gear and setup as usual so you're not dealing with too many varying things at once.

Seasickness can happen to anyone, even experienced boat captains, but you seem to suggest you know that your sickness was related to nervousness... that's pretty nervous in my book.

There's plenty to see that's within your comfort zone. You could spend the rest of your life diving 30ft of water and being extremely confident, comfortable and satisfied. There's no "goal" except the ones you're imposing on yourself... It's supposed to be fun!

 

[gcarter]

Apadua,

I am not afraid of diving deep waters - I really enjoy that. Heck, the deepest I've been has been around 137 ft in Belize in the Blue Hole which I can safely say was probably one of the BEST dives I've ever done! haha. I am just trying to figure out why am I getting nervous on my dives back home and why my body heats up when I put my gear on (again, in my home location) which causes me to feel nautious.

Could this be the fact that maybe my wetsuit is too tight in which I have another under 1 piece (legs to chest) scuba wear on? I do that to stay warm, but, maybe I'm over doing it?

As far as the fears go on the pyschological issues (navigation, equipment failure, etc.) - good solid training and more dives should resolve that.

I mean, heck, on my first dives when training, when we had to do the exchange (emergancy situations) with my trainner underwater (45 feet or so), her emergancy didn't work - so I gave the signal and then went to mine ( I stayed calm - Jesus' grace keeping me of course ) and then when I got to the top my BCD had a hole in it and I had the pleasure ( LOL ) of treading water in the ocean until the boat came around ( still stayed calm ). Learned a valuable lesson about NOT panicking. Maybe that kind of triggered something on the thoughts.

Still though, I love diving deep dives - they're fun and exciting. I just don't like the pre-natious feeling on this one area when I put my gear on which causes a bit nervousness as well.

Don't get me wrong - my dives are fun and I enjoy them very much so - ESPECIALLY when I'm hunting for MEGALODON TEETH! or even doing Wreck dives

Now I am back to my last comment LOL.

 

[fb4817]

GCarter,

I think you're right! Because that's how I feel after I suit up. I mean, maybe as a result of that suit heating deal, now, when ( in that NC area ) I go on deep dives, I have gotten a bit nervous ( although, after these conversations, I am feeling 1,000 times better ). How can I resolve that suit issue? I have been diving with that suit for at least 8 dives or more - should I switch up? I had it custom made. I mean, I usually have a full body under armor underneath that suit b/c of the coldness. I mean, under that water, if it's not dead summer - at least in NC, it can get VERY cold under there which makes for an uncomfortable dive.

Any suggestions?

Sounds like there is your issue. Exposure suit induced claustrophobia / anxiety. I found the same thing going from warm to cold water diving. Find a local quarry, fairly benign conditions, and just do some dives to get used to it.

Edit: 3mm suit, maybe not

 

[gcarter]

GCarter,

I think you're right! Because that's how I feel after I suit up. I mean, maybe as a result of that suit heating deal, now, when ( in that NC area ) I go on deep dives, I have gotten a bit nervous ( although, after these conversations, I am feeling 1,000 times better ). How can I resolve that suit issue? I have been diving with that suit for at least 8 dives or more - should I switch up? I had it custom made. I mean, I usually have a full body under armor underneath that suit b/c of the coldness. I mean, under that water, if it's not dead summer - at least in NC, it can get VERY cold under there which makes for an uncomfortable dive.

Any suggestions?

My regular diving - after getting certified in the balmy waters of Boracay - requires a 7mm john, so 14mm on the core, plus hood and gloves. A bit more extreme a change than what it sounds like you are dealing with. Nonetheless, if the suit IS too tight, and if you ARE wearing something underneath that you don't when diving elsewhere, it may be enough to make that difference. Do you use the same suit in warmer waters?

A tight or claustrophobic suit will often induce a low level anxiety that can manifest in a number of different ways.

Try renting a slightly larger suit on your next dive. See if it makes a difference. What kind of temperatures are you diving at home?

I could be off base, but it is certainly worth a shot. Unfortunately custom made does not guarentee a great fit if you weren't measured properly. Or it could be you just need a different suit for home base diving.

In my case, I knew the suit fit ok, but the combination of the thickness making it stiff and awkward along with the hood, which really took some getting used to, caused me anxiety, low level, but there. My first 14 cold water dives my SAC was > 1. My last three dives last year, I was <1, getting down to .79. All of that was learning how to relax and deal with the "excessive" amount of gear required.

 

[Colliam7]

My dives are very comfortable for the exception of when I'm back home on the East Coast - NC area. Whenever I go out on the board (wheather hot or cold outside) as soon as I put my gear on (dive gear, wet-suit *3 mm*) I start to feel very nautious and one time (for the first time in my life) I actually got sick on the boat! Of course, I'd like to think it was due to some nasty granoala bar with icing from the store, but still, I was getting nautious every time. . . . On top of that, before I dive on deep dives *80 - 100 feet* I get nervous - I still make the dives, but, I have this thought like what if my regulator or system stops working (especially when hunting for fossils, etc. where my dive buddy may go in a different direction and I can't reach him, etc.) or I am unable to find my way around - (need to get used to a compass I know) or if I tie a line down using my reel (what if it breaks or comes loose and I can't get back)? . . . can anyone give me some advice on how to clear this up?

Interesting evolution of the thread, as additional information has been provided. As I understand it, the only time you feel this way is on dives off the NC coast, on one particular boat? It seems to me that there are four factors at work here: 1) location (NC coastal waters), 2) dive op / boat, 3) exposure suit, 4) general pre-dive anxiety. And, of the four, the most likely culprit is 4).

So, I would ask several questions: How many dives have you done off the NC coast? How many different sites have you dove off the coast? ? Have you always gone off the NC coast with the same charter op / same boat? Do you wear a different exposure suit off the NC coast, compared to the other areas where you have been able to dive, and, is that the only time you wear it (on NC coastal dives)? Is the number of dives in your profile accurate? If so, I am thinking that you have not been off the coast on a variety of boats, or that many times &#8211; not a critcism by any means, just an observation.

Is the primary issue being 20 miles of the/a coast, getting ready to jump off a perfectly good boat into 80-100 feet of blue water, and wondering, &#8216;What if . . . ?&#8217; If so, and you happen to be in the same exposure suit each time you are in that situation, and on the same boat each time you are in that situation, it is possible that the issue has nothing to do with the boat or the exposure suit (or the particular state or coastline). Rather, it may reflect a general pre-dive anxiety, perhaps somewhat enhanced by the type of location &#8211; a dive site well out of sight of land, vast expanse of open ocean - and possibly by a bit of hyperthermia once you are in you wetsuit. You just happen to be off the NC coast, on a particular boat, and in a particular suit, at the time.

I ask some of these questions because I have similar feelings at the start of each distant (off-shore) boat dive, whether it be off the NC coast, or in the FL Keys, or the Gulf of Mexico - just take me to a dive site in the open ocean, out of sight of land. Now, mine is not as pronounced as the reaction you describe. Rather, I simply hyperventilate (and feel anxious) for a few seconds right before my giant stride off the boat. But, I do that almost every time, even on the second dive of a two tank charter. I don&#8217;t notice it on boat dives within sight of shore. But, you take me out to the Hyde, or the Normannia, or the Dixie Arrow (i.e. any NC off-shore wreck), and I am guaranteed to hyperventilate for a few seconds before I go in. Once under the water, I am fine. But, even though I have done A LOT of coastal charters, I still notice the sensation. It is a bit more pronounced on the first coastal dive trip of each season (i usually don't go off the coast from Jan to May), and it has gotten better over time. But after 11 years and 600 dives, it is still there, lurking in the background of consciousness.

A related anecdote - years ago, I was doing some (rock) climbing one Sunday afternoon in Hanging Rock State Park, north of Winston-Salem. My climbing partner and I were at the bottom of a route waiting for a pair of climbers to ascend the route ahead of us. The lead was roped up and standing at the base of the climb, engaged in what I would best describe as a bit of distracted Brownian motion &#8211; checking his harness, checking his tie-in, looking back at his belayer, looking up at the route, and doing all those things several times &#8211; he had all the appearance of a nervous, inexperienced climber who was really uncertain about even starting the route. This went on for about 5 minutes, when he finally turned to his belayer and said, &#8216;I get butterflies at the start of every route.&#8217; At that moment, when he turned around, I recognized him &#8211; he was at the time one of the most experienced climbers in the southeast, was the author of several climbing guide books about NC sites, had put up a number of new routes / first ascents, etc. But, he got the jitters at the start of every climb. Once he put boot to rock, however, they disappeared (and he did a really nice lead on the route that day).

The point - some of us experience anxiety at the start of a particular activity, which goes away after we are engaged in that activity. It may happen irrespective of how many times we have done the acitvity. It may also get better (even if it doesn't go away entirely) with experience. And, as long as it is not paralyzing and therefore dangerous, it really isn't a big deal.

 

[fb4817]

Actually, I feeling a thousand times better from this discussion! As far as my number of dives go, yes, they are pretty accurate. And yes, this only happens on the one boat in NC (which might I say - I love the shop, they are great folks).

A lot of my other dives have been very far from land and out-of-sight both in the US and outside the US and I do not have these issues for the most part. Very smooth and comfortable dives.

But as I stated above, one of my previous main issues is that my body heats up when I put my suit on - thus causing nautiousness which
I can't explain.

Everything else, well, like I said - I'm feeling pretty good (Thank you Jesus) This discussion has really helped me out!

I have a couple of dives coming up. I'll respond here with updates in about 2-3 weeks (which will be after my dives) and let everyone
know how it went Lord Willing!

I have a wreck dive, boyance control certification, and a fossil hunting dive - so should be fun as each are different,

ranging depths are from 30 ft - 110 ft.

Interesting evolution of the thread, as additional information has been provided. As I understand it, the only time you feel this way is on dives off the NC coast, on one particular boat? It seems to me that there are four factors at work here: 1) location (NC coastal waters), 2) dive op / boat, 3) exposure suit, 4) general pre-dive anxiety. And, of the four, the most likely culprit is 4).

So, I would ask several questions: How many dives have you done off the NC coast? How many different sites have you dove off the coast? ? Have you always gone off the NC coast with the same charter op / same boat? Do you wear a different exposure suit off the NC coast, compared to the other areas where you have been able to dive, and, is that the only time you wear it (on NC coastal dives)? Is the number of dives in your profile accurate? If so, I am thinking that you have not been off the coast on a variety of boats, or that many times &#8211; not a critcism by any means, just an observation.

Is the primary issue being 20 miles of the/a coast, getting ready to jump off a perfectly good boat into 80-100 feet of blue water, and wondering, &#8216;What if . . . ?&#8217; If so, and you happen to be in the same exposure suit each time you are in that situation, and on the same boat each time you are in that situation, it is possible that the issue has nothing to do with the boat or the exposure suit (or the particular state or coastline). Rather, it may reflect a general pre-dive anxiety, perhaps somewhat enhanced by the type of location &#8211; a dive site well out of sight of land, vast expanse of open ocean - and possibly by a bit of hyperthermia once you are in you wetsuit. You just happen to be off the NC coast, on a particular boat, and in a particular suit, at the time.

I ask some of these questions because I have similar feelings at the start of each distant (off-shore) boat dive, whether it be off the NC coast, or in the FL Keys, or the Gulf of Mexico - just take me to a dive site in the open ocean, out of sight of land. Now, mine is not as pronounced as the reaction you describe. Rather, I simply hyperventilate (and feel anxious) for a few seconds right before my giant stride off the boat. But, I do that almost every time, even on the second dive of a two tank charter. I don&#8217;t notice it on boat dives within sight of shore. But, you take me out to the Hyde, or the Normannia, or the Dixie Arrow (i.e. any NC off-shore wreck), and I am guaranteed to hyperventilate for a few seconds before I go in. Once under the water, I am fine. But, even though I have done A LOT of coastal charters, I still notice the sensation. It is a bit more pronounced on the first coastal dive trip of each season (i usually don't go off the coast from Jan to May), and it has gotten better over time. But after 11 years and 600 dives, it is still there, lurking in the background of consciousness.

A related anecdote - years ago, I was doing some (rock) climbing one Sunday afternoon in Hanging Rock State Park, north of Winston-Salem. My climbing partner and I were at the bottom of a route waiting for a pair of climbers to ascend the route ahead of us. The lead was roped up and standing at the base of the climb, engaged in what I would best describe as a bit of distracted Brownian motion &#8211; checking his harness, checking his tie-in, looking back at his belayer, looking up at the route, and doing all those things several times &#8211; he had all the appearance of a nervous, inexperienced climber who was really uncertain about even starting the route. This went on for about 5 minutes, when he finally turned to his belayer and said, &#8216;I get butterflies at the start of every route.&#8217; At that moment, when he turned around, I recognized him &#8211; he was at the time one of the most experienced climbers in the southeast, was the author of several climbing guide books about NC sites, had put up a number of new routes / first ascents, etc. But, he got the jitters at the start of every climb. Once he put boot to rock, however, they disappeared (and he did a really nice lead on the route that day).

The point - some of us experience anxiety at the start of a particular activity, which goes away after we are engaged in that activity. It may happen irrespective of how many times we have done the acitvity. It may also get better (even if it doesn't go away entirely) with experience. And, as long as it is not paralyzing and therefore dangerous, it really isn't a big deal.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

this may be way off base but given the evolving descriptions of when this occurs I need to ask, how are you gearing up? Reason being is for the longest time I never got sick or nauseous on a boat. Then during one trip to the keys we went out in seas that were a bit heavier and I needed to hold my late wife's wheel chair in place. As a result I found myself looking down for most of the ride out. As soon as we hit the site and were moored I stood up and was immediately hit with a sever bout of nausea. Puking over the stern, etc. Ever since then I have to do one of two things, take an anti-nausea med or make sure that I assemble all gear as soon as I'm on the boat and on the way out keep my head up and eyes on the horizon. Then when arriving on site not spend any more time than absolutely necessary looking down at my gear as the boat is rocking. Basically pull wetsuit up and zip, or have drysuit zipped and burped, sit down, slip into harness, fins on, mask on, stand up and splash.

Not only do boats affect me but now it seems that riding in cars in the backseat, or shotgun and try to read or look at my phone will trigger the feeling. Feeling nauseous itself may trigger also trigger feelings of anxiety. Ie., don;t throw up in front of the others, don't look weak, etc.. All BS. If you have to feed the fish do so. Stay hydrated before the dive and on the way out. Eat foods that will not aggravate any feelings of being sick. For example - stay away from fast foods for breakfast. Most of which do not meet the definition of food anyway. But as one of my students found out in Puerto Rico, a nasty, greasy, slimy, spicy sausage/egg mcmuffin from mickey d's with orange juice is not a good choice for breakfast. Before getting on a boat that will be running in 4-6 ft seas. If you are not feeling this anxiety in calmer conditions with less bulky exposure protection while doing the same predive ritual, it could very well be a conditional thing with actual physical effects other than a mental one alone.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Dear fp4817,
You are gaining experience, and I think that you should get more by focusing on more local diving. As you get a few dozen hours in NC waters, I think your site and equipment related issues will abate. It is true that you gain experience on every dive, but experience in the conditions and equipment used in a particular type of diving (NC diving in this case) is key. A dozen dives in calm warm Belize with 100 feet of viz is not like diving NC in heavy exposure gear. I assume that since your trips to the warm water are limited ( as are mine, though not quite as much as yours), that more local diving offers you the best opportunity to stay active. Take heart in knowing this: during summers we have very experienced students (100+ dives) who opt to take continuing ed class here in a local reservoir. They are donning a 7 mil wet suit, sometimes a hood, for the first time, are going to be in limited visibility (20 feet on a good day) and water around 60F, and all are very new to them. Many of them experience the same things you have in NC diving. They get through it, and so will you.
DivemasterDennis