suggestions for problem-"deep" water adversion

[scubajane]

Greetings all-
This is a problem that I have been having for awhile that I have wanted to post for sometime and get some feedback. So here goes......the background to the problem first....
My problem started 3 years ago on a central american dive trip. This was only my second trip after certification(OW and AOW). To provide some insight into me, I tend to be a cautious person who likes high risk sports, but I don't push the limits(hey, I am a single mother and have 3 kids). In any event, I went on the trip with a group of 4 "friends". I had 20 dives with OW/AOW certification. During the trip, there was a major tropical depression off the coast of this island which ended up being a hurricane. Our dive conditions were drift dives at 80 +ft, significant current, 10-12 ft swells, and the only dive boat going out on this dive "island" was us. I am not over stating conditions; there was someone on the trip with 2000 logged dives who has said that this was the worst conditions that he has ever dived....Me, being the odd man out, was buddied with the dive master. My issue......80 ft...signal when your have 750 psi for a safety stop...signal at 750, 500 and 200......and no response....knowing that under these conditions, if you go up alone, there is no boat. During the trip, I was chastized for sitting out dives..In the long run, things turned out OK but this still impacts my diving today.
Now, I am rescue certified and 150 dives later and someone says greater than 60 feet and I will abort the dive or hang well above the rest of the dive group. I will now only dive where I feel confident of self rescue. I am happy to dive by myself as long as I am within my limits of above 60 ft. If I stay within what I feel are my "limits" , I am fine. If someone says 70 ft forget it. Within my "limits", I am a confident diver who enjoys being underwater. Hey, I led(they were following) a bunch of "newbies" on a shore dive at a major dive destination......no problem...but at >60 feet.....forget it
So....I want to get over this problem......Any suggestions......My inclination is to go take a deep diver certification course with a great instuctor and conquer this problem Alternatively, I can continue to stay within my "limiits" and continue on.....but there will always be that time when you find yourself beyond your comfort zone. In essence, I wouldn't be posting this if I didn't want to find a solution to this issue. My current dive buddy is my significant other...who has dived all over the world....who says "you really need to just push yourself" .....and on the other hand says...."we all really dive alone......So ...this year I am headed to the South Pacific, the Netherand Antilles, and Carribean...but I would like to get over this....Thanks for any replies....

 

[H2Andy]

i think the idea of taking a deep diving class with an instructor is a great idea.
that way you will be with a professional and you will have an easier time doing
the dives.

but, hey, you may decide that you simply are not the kind of person who likes deep
diving. maybe that's just not you. you don't like that sort of risk. so what's wrong
with that? absolutely nothing. do the diving that you love to do, and don't stress
yourself because you may not like to go deeper.

i would try the class, like i said, as you may find out that, hey, you do like going
deeper after all.

btw, there is no WAY IN HELL i would have gone diving in 10-12 foot swells... no
frigging way, jose.

as to the advice to "push yourself," that is true to a point... so long as it's YOU
doing the pushing, and not someone else.

as to the statement "we all really dive alone," if someone feels that way, then
they need to dive solo. i wouldn't trust someone with that attitude as a buddy
(what happens when the brown stuff hits the fan? are they going to decide
they are "alone" and bail on me? no thanks).

hey, hang in there. so what if you don't like to dive deep? tons of people don't.

 

[cmalinowski]

I am fairly new to the sport. I only have 15 dives under my belt, so I am not an expert. I would say that you should only dive in your comfort zone. If you want to take some courses and see if you can expand that zone, I would encourage that. I have been to 107' (briefly) while diving at primarily 80' on air. I was cautious and stopped at 60', 30', and 10' on the way up. I was comfortable, but really want to take the AOW course to learn a bit more.

Also, I don't know what kind of equipment you have. While diving the tables is great and conservative, I like the idea of a computer to help keep an eye on me and alert me if I am doing something stupid.

I still have a way to go and much to learn. I would not let someone else push me to go outside my comfort zone, but I have a pretty broad zone.

Good luck in your decision, but just be comfortable with that decision. There's lots of great things above 61', that's why I've loved snorkeling for years.

 

[AtomicWalrus]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying that 60 ft is your comfort zone and calling it at that. How deep you need to go also depends on where you're diving. I'd say that 95% of the stuff you can see during recreational diving is above 100 ft, and probably most of that can be seen above 60 ft as well.

Taking a deep specialty course may not be a bad way to expand your limits, although they may take you deeper than you want to go right away. Usually it's 4 dives, of which 2 are 100 ft or deeper and the other 2 are 70-80 ft. Deep dives are of course first in the day. The dives tend to be pretty simple, though, so it's a good low-stress place to see what deep dives are like.

 

[ZenDiver]

You may want to look in to a pony bottle for deep dives. This will give you the added confidence to dive deeper knowing that you have a completely redundant bailout bottle if things don't go as planned. My rule is, anything past 80 feet requires a pony bottle. If you feel more comfortable relying on yourself then there are places that teach solo diving and being self reliant and completely redundant.

Someone already said that many if not all dives can be enjoyed above 60 feet. If "you" want to dive deeper then make sure it is for the right reasons. The right reasons are you own reasons. Good luck with your dive adventures. Sounds to me like your on the right track and I am definately jealous of your planned adventures this year for sure.

Brian

 

[matt_unique]

i think the idea of taking a deep diving class with an instructor is a great idea.
that way you will be with a professional and you will have an easier time doing
the dives.

but, hey, you may decide that you simply are not the kind of person who likes deep
diving. maybe that's just not you. you don't like that sort of risk. so what's wrong
with that? absolutely nothing. do the diving that you love to do, and don't stress
yourself because you may not like to go deeper.

i would try the class, like i said, as you may find out that, hey, you do like going
deeper after all.

btw, there is no WAY IN HELL i would have gone diving in 10-12 foot swells... no
frigging way, jose.

as to the advice to "push yourself," that is true to a point... so long as it's YOU
doing the pushing, and not someone else.

as to the statement "we all really dive alone," if someone feels that way, then
they need to dive solo. i wouldn't trust someone with that attitude as a buddy
(what happens when the brown stuff hits the fan? are they going to decide
they are "alone" and bail on me? no thanks).

hey, hang in there. so what if you don't like to dive deep? tons of people don't.

The best way to approach this, in my opinion, is to do so under instruction. I would also suggest a pony bottle simply to give you more safety equipment. You already appear to "want" to get more comfortable beyond 60'. The 60' comfort limit you have now is psychological as you know. Unless you have a very shallow narcosis issue, it's the same at 75' as it is at 40'. The only difference is what is going on in your mind. Practice that thinking as well - "there is absolutely nothing different at this depth then 10' below the surface", etc. Also - do a site >60' with lots to look at to take your mind off your concern for depth.

--Matt

 

[jbd]

Taking a deep specialty course may not be a bad way to expand your limits, although they may take you deeper than you want to go right away.

scubajane,this might be the problem with taking a class. Given your feelings about venturing even slightly beyond 60 fsw, you may want to consider a private arrangement with an instructor who is willing to work with getting you to 70 feet a couple of times. Then to 80 and then to 90 etc, etc. I think the way to overcome your problems is in small incremental steps. Quite possibly you may want to including self rescue practice from the ever increasing depths. This could be in the form of redunancy and or practice of airsharing and CESA techniques. Maybe learning to shoot a SMB would be helpful to you. Discuss all of the options thoroughly with any potential instructors before making your selection.

 

[eponym]

My problem started 3 years ago on a central american dive trip. This was only my second trip after certification (OW and AOW). [snip] I, being the odd man out, was buddied with the dive master. My issue . . . 80 ft . . . signal when you have 750 psi for a safety stop . . . signal at 750, 500 and 200 . . . and no response . . . knowing that under these conditions, if you go up alone, there is no boat.

Jane, it sounds like you cut it very close on that dive. May I ask what happened at that point? Did you manage to communicate your state to your buddy/divemaster? Did you go up together? Did you have enough gas for a safety stop? Did you end up needing & taking air from your buddy or another diver?

Now I am rescue certified and 150 dives later and someone says greater than 60 feet and I will abort the dive or hang well above the rest of the dive group. I will now only dive where I feel confident of self rescue.

I ask because it sounds as though the fears raised by that dive are still with you, many dives later. Not that there's anything wrong with staying within your limits and your comfort zone. In fact, I'd applaud you for that. But your post seems to say you're hoping to find a way past this.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet (and maybe you already have this skill down pat) is gas management. Knowing how to calculate your needs, and those of your buddy should he or she need air from you, is a great dive planning tool. And it can be very reassuring to be able to estimate your needs on the fly, so to speak.

A search for threads about "rock bottom" or "turnaround pressure" should bring up some pointers if this is a new subject to you. Or PM me--I can outline the basics for you.

-Bryan

 

[opiniongirl]

Taking a class to get over your fears might be stressful - just because you will be under the stress, and there are tasks on each dive, which might be frustrating.

I might suggest diving with one person you trust - whether this is a significant other, or, hire a DM if you can. You might consider planning a series of dives over a period of time. Say, do a first dive to 65 feet, but spend just a few moments there. Build on that success - you will know you are there only for a few moments, and see it's not so bad.

Keep on diving to 65 until it's no big deal. Then make it 68 till it's no big deal. Then 70..etc etc.

Build on your successes if this is something you want to do. Once you are comfy at these depths, THEN take your deep diver course, which will increase your confidence big time. But don't rush, baby steps.

You're not alone, and you can feel more comfortable with it - by what you explained, it sounds pretty natural. Well done on getting your Rescue, and you sound like you're being really pragmatic about it. Just don't rush it.

 

[eponym]

Crikey! I just did a search myself, and discovered that you (scubajane) contributed to a thread in August which contains a long post from Lamont on gas management. So feel free to ignore my suggestion if it's not helpful. I would, though, still like to hear how you managed to end your dive.