Hello
I am looking for some advice please.....
My fiance completed his open water a couple of years ago and last March (2008) we spent a week in Eygypt with a view to me getting my open water qualification. I was really looking forward to it as I am very comfortable in the water and it scuba diving was something I had always wanted to try. Unfortunately it didn't go to plan.....
I found myself completely taken over with nerves and before we even got into the pool for the first dive I was near tears. When we did get in the pool and I took my first breaths underwater I found it really unerving - not exhilirating as all the books described. I don't have a problem with holding my breath and diving down but breathing underwater just felt plain wrong - I'm hoping the more you do it the less weird it feels! I managed to calm down a little and start the skills.....I did the one where you take the mouthpiece out and put it back in again okay but when it came to flooding my mask it all went to pieces. I panicked, tried to breathe and came shooting back up - I kept trying and trying...this went on for ages and in the end the instructor ended the pool session.
The next day I decided I didn't feel able to continue with the pool work - I was feeling very distressed and I suppose took the easy way out by not continuing. Instead, I completed the theory work and the instructor gave me a referral form (I think it is called) which would last for one year. In the meantime my other half completed his advanced qualification while we were out there. I found the how experience very pressured and while I'm sure most people can complete the whole thing in 4 or 5 days, I think I need a gentler way of learning.
Since then I have recently learned to snorkle (how I wish I had done that before I tried diving!), and have found it really helped in terms of getting used to breathing underwater. I have also spent lots of time flooding and clearing my mask so feel much more confident doing that now.
Time is ticking on and I know I only have till March to do something otherwise I will have to do the theory all over again. I would love to be able to dive especially as my fiance loves it but I am concerned about freaking out again in front of more strangers and I also don't want to be a panicky diver.
Any advice on what to do next? I am based in the UK.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the typos!
I am looking for some advice please.....
My fiance completed his open water a couple of years ago and last March (2008) we spent a week in Eygypt with a view to me getting my open water qualification. I was really looking forward to it as I am very comfortable in the water and it scuba diving was something I had always wanted to try. Unfortunately it didn't go to plan.....
I found myself completely taken over with nerves and before we even got into the pool for the first dive I was near tears. When we did get in the pool and I took my first breaths underwater I found it really unerving - not exhilirating as all the books described. I don't have a problem with holding my breath and diving down but breathing underwater just felt plain wrong - I'm hoping the more you do it the less weird it feels! I managed to calm down a little and start the skills.....I did the one where you take the mouthpiece out and put it back in again okay but when it came to flooding my mask it all went to pieces. I panicked, tried to breathe and came shooting back up - I kept trying and trying...this went on for ages and in the end the instructor ended the pool session.
The next day I decided I didn't feel able to continue with the pool work - I was feeling very distressed and I suppose took the easy way out by not continuing. Instead, I completed the theory work and the instructor gave me a referral form (I think it is called) which would last for one year. In the meantime my other half completed his advanced qualification while we were out there. I found the how experience very pressured and while I'm sure most people can complete the whole thing in 4 or 5 days, I think I need a gentler way of learning.
Since then I have recently learned to snorkle (how I wish I had done that before I tried diving!), and have found it really helped in terms of getting used to breathing underwater. I have also spent lots of time flooding and clearing my mask so feel much more confident doing that now.
Time is ticking on and I know I only have till March to do something otherwise I will have to do the theory all over again. I would love to be able to dive especially as my fiance loves it but I am concerned about freaking out again in front of more strangers and I also don't want to be a panicky diver.
Any advice on what to do next? I am based in the UK.
Thanks for reading and sorry for the typos!