jumpfrog
Registered
I just got back from a real bust of an afternoon. I don't get to dive too often. This was dive # 19, and the first in several months. I was diving in sub-tropical waters off the coast of Korea, in a spot I have dived before--several times. I was buddied up with the dive shop owner. I was wearing a rather heavy wetsuit, and at the dive site I decided to add a vest, since it had a hood, and I get cold easily. I don't know if it was the vest or what, but my breathing felt a bit constricted on the surface...but I thought I would be fine once in the water. I got in the water, and I seemed ok on the surface, waiting for everyone to enter and assemble. We went down, and everything seemed ok, but I was breathing rather heavily. My chest felt really constricted, like I had to work hard to inhale. I was using up my air pretty fast too, I noticed. After about 5 mins or so, I knew that this dive was not feeling very good, as I was still having a hard time controlling my breathing. I signaled that I wanted to go up. My buddy, (also the divemaster for the trip) took me up.
On the surface, I felt better, and knew I had made the right choice. He checked that my BCD was inflated all the way, and generally assured himself that I was mentally OK. Since there were 4 other divers that he was leading, he wanted to know if I could get myself back to the entry point with a short surface swim. I said sure, cause he had shown me to make a short swim to some rocks, and then I could swim with the current to the entry point, where there were many divers from other groups who could assist me out of the water. It was a very short distance, 20m across current (if that) and then about 30m further to the entry point, with the current. I felt that I could manage it, and I didn't want to blow the dive for the group by making him go with me. He told me to use my snorkel, and I did.
However, I immediately started having some trouble, cause the waves were washing over me, and flooding my snorkel, and I was feeling like I couldn't breath enough from it. I switched to my regulator, but I found it really tough to breath from as I thrashed around on the surface. I felt like I could not get enough air from the regulator either, and I started to feel like I was having a lot of trouble just swimming to the rocks. I flipped on my back, but the waves still washed over me. Then, I started screaming for help. REALLY screaming, not like, "Hey I need a hand here," but "HELP ME!!! ARRGGH! HELP ME!" There were boats not too far away, and I was hoping they would hear me. I kept swimming for the rocks. Finally, I reached them, but my problem was not really solved. I was so heavy and exhausted, that I could only cling to the rock. I was getting slammed up, and then sucked down against the rock. My regulator was around me somewhere, but I couldn't stop clinging to the rock to get it. I was just trying to get up on the rock, but it was impossible with my weights and fins. I was swallowing seawater, and continuing to yell. Then, there was someone behind me...it was one of the other divers from our group (I found this out later; at the time, I couldn't even turn my head to see him). I guess they saw us go up and followed us. He took off my fins, and supported me from the water while I very slowly got myself on the rocks. I was completely wiped out. I could barely move. After a bit, I could sit up. I was told to take off my gear, so I did, and got the vest and wetsuit unzipped. I felt A LOT better, especially after I took off the hood and unzipped.
Everyone checked in, and it was decided that I could stay there, while the others finished the dive, which was fine, because I was calm and OK at that point. So I just rested for about 40 minutes or so, and then the divemaster came over and walked me to the narrowest point and I swam back to the entrypoint. I actualy felt, for the first time in my life, phobic about getting into the water. But the divemaster assured me that with 6.5 neoprene, and a vest, I would be able to fin over with just a snorkel, no problem. And he was right, it was no problem, and I felt fine once I got into the water. I didn't do the afternoon dive though.
Well...I always knew I had it in me to panic. I am not exactly the calmest person in an emergency, and before I got my OW, I thought for a long time if I was 'suitable' for diving. But I really wanted to dive. So I took time to train well. I try to mentally prepare for problems, by reminding myself that I could get into a snag, and try and visualize myself solving the problem. But I never really thought about problems on the surface. I guess I should not have let myself be alone on the surface, since it was kind of choppy, given that I was already having breathing trouble. I should have told the divemaster to wait until he saw me at the rocks. I wonder if that would have made a difference, just knowing someone was there in case of trouble...I would have been calmer, maybe.
I don't know what to make of this experience. I was definitely panicking, but there was about 30% of my brain that was kind of clear and analysing the situation, thinking, ok, you're in trouble, start yelling, maybe someone will hear you; keep swimming; wait for a big wave to help you up on the rocks, etc. I really needed the help when I got it though, by that point I was just so stressed, I am not sure I could have solved my problems, even after reaching the rocks. When I was back on land and looking at the rocks, it didnt seem like the wave action was all that dramatic, so what was I so worked up about?!
I am going out again tomorrow to try again. No one in our small group made me feel weird about the experience, even though I was clearly screaming for my life...and the divemaster is willing to take me tomorrow...in fact was willing to take me in the afternoon, but I was just not up for it. He thought I was maybe wearing too much, and that made me feel too constricted. He is a good guy, and I doubt very much he would be willing to take me again if he thought I was going to be a danger...but my budding confidence just got nipped in a big way. I don't really feel embarrassed, though...shouldn't I feel like a bigger idiot? I'm just glad I got out ok. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day.
anyway...this is a long post, I know, for anyone still reading...but I had to unload it somewhere, and I don't want to scare all my non-diving friends.
Anyone else have an experience like this, and gone on to be a competent diver??
On the surface, I felt better, and knew I had made the right choice. He checked that my BCD was inflated all the way, and generally assured himself that I was mentally OK. Since there were 4 other divers that he was leading, he wanted to know if I could get myself back to the entry point with a short surface swim. I said sure, cause he had shown me to make a short swim to some rocks, and then I could swim with the current to the entry point, where there were many divers from other groups who could assist me out of the water. It was a very short distance, 20m across current (if that) and then about 30m further to the entry point, with the current. I felt that I could manage it, and I didn't want to blow the dive for the group by making him go with me. He told me to use my snorkel, and I did.
However, I immediately started having some trouble, cause the waves were washing over me, and flooding my snorkel, and I was feeling like I couldn't breath enough from it. I switched to my regulator, but I found it really tough to breath from as I thrashed around on the surface. I felt like I could not get enough air from the regulator either, and I started to feel like I was having a lot of trouble just swimming to the rocks. I flipped on my back, but the waves still washed over me. Then, I started screaming for help. REALLY screaming, not like, "Hey I need a hand here," but "HELP ME!!! ARRGGH! HELP ME!" There were boats not too far away, and I was hoping they would hear me. I kept swimming for the rocks. Finally, I reached them, but my problem was not really solved. I was so heavy and exhausted, that I could only cling to the rock. I was getting slammed up, and then sucked down against the rock. My regulator was around me somewhere, but I couldn't stop clinging to the rock to get it. I was just trying to get up on the rock, but it was impossible with my weights and fins. I was swallowing seawater, and continuing to yell. Then, there was someone behind me...it was one of the other divers from our group (I found this out later; at the time, I couldn't even turn my head to see him). I guess they saw us go up and followed us. He took off my fins, and supported me from the water while I very slowly got myself on the rocks. I was completely wiped out. I could barely move. After a bit, I could sit up. I was told to take off my gear, so I did, and got the vest and wetsuit unzipped. I felt A LOT better, especially after I took off the hood and unzipped.
Everyone checked in, and it was decided that I could stay there, while the others finished the dive, which was fine, because I was calm and OK at that point. So I just rested for about 40 minutes or so, and then the divemaster came over and walked me to the narrowest point and I swam back to the entrypoint. I actualy felt, for the first time in my life, phobic about getting into the water. But the divemaster assured me that with 6.5 neoprene, and a vest, I would be able to fin over with just a snorkel, no problem. And he was right, it was no problem, and I felt fine once I got into the water. I didn't do the afternoon dive though.
Well...I always knew I had it in me to panic. I am not exactly the calmest person in an emergency, and before I got my OW, I thought for a long time if I was 'suitable' for diving. But I really wanted to dive. So I took time to train well. I try to mentally prepare for problems, by reminding myself that I could get into a snag, and try and visualize myself solving the problem. But I never really thought about problems on the surface. I guess I should not have let myself be alone on the surface, since it was kind of choppy, given that I was already having breathing trouble. I should have told the divemaster to wait until he saw me at the rocks. I wonder if that would have made a difference, just knowing someone was there in case of trouble...I would have been calmer, maybe.
I don't know what to make of this experience. I was definitely panicking, but there was about 30% of my brain that was kind of clear and analysing the situation, thinking, ok, you're in trouble, start yelling, maybe someone will hear you; keep swimming; wait for a big wave to help you up on the rocks, etc. I really needed the help when I got it though, by that point I was just so stressed, I am not sure I could have solved my problems, even after reaching the rocks. When I was back on land and looking at the rocks, it didnt seem like the wave action was all that dramatic, so what was I so worked up about?!
I am going out again tomorrow to try again. No one in our small group made me feel weird about the experience, even though I was clearly screaming for my life...and the divemaster is willing to take me tomorrow...in fact was willing to take me in the afternoon, but I was just not up for it. He thought I was maybe wearing too much, and that made me feel too constricted. He is a good guy, and I doubt very much he would be willing to take me again if he thought I was going to be a danger...but my budding confidence just got nipped in a big way. I don't really feel embarrassed, though...shouldn't I feel like a bigger idiot? I'm just glad I got out ok. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day.
anyway...this is a long post, I know, for anyone still reading...but I had to unload it somewhere, and I don't want to scare all my non-diving friends.
Anyone else have an experience like this, and gone on to be a competent diver??