Trouble underwater for a newbie...my story

[L Cooper]

First off, let me highly recommend Dave Ratcliffe, the Dive Instructor (and owner) of ATI Divers in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. He was my dive instructor today and was so patient and thorough with me.

I took a refresher scuba dive today in the volcanic crater lake "Lago
de Atitlan". There wasn't much to see, fish-wise, but it was necessary
to refresh my dive skills. I only have 11 dives total, and I haven't dove since my honeymoon in Malaysia (2 years ago!). As would be expected I have gotten VERY rusty (as evidenced today).

I'm always (so far) nervous before a dive anyway. I overcame a pretty intense fear of water (especially dark water) in order to be able to dive in the first place. So when I graduated with my OW, my (very patient and good) Dive Instructor gave me a little "award" as the "least likely to graduate/most improved" student in his class. That should give you an idea.

So today...to set up the scene a little, the visibility was about 20 feet maximum, the freshwater lake about 70 degrees F, and I had a full 7 mil farmer john on (which makes me feel a little claustrophobic anyway) and 20# weight. It was just my husband & I with Dave, our Dive Instructor. Thank goodness we had him to ourselves. It turns out we (I) needed him.

I had a considerable amount of difficulty because I kept getting water in my mask and up my nose, and I had forgotten the proper technique for mask clearing. Incredible huh? Such a basic skill, that I used to have down cold, but today I just couldn't get the darn water out.

This is what happened: At about 45 feet I began drinking in what felt like a tablespoon of lake water, through my nose, with every breath. I couldn't get the water out of my
mask, and I began getting very anxious. I could tell my breathing was getting shallower and I became very uncomfortable.

I must have been breathing through my nose, but I really wasn't trying to - I just kept taking in more and more water! It was really scary, and I got kind of panicky (not a good thing to do 45 feet down).

Somehow I managed to hold it together, remembering I still had
oxygen coming in through my regulator even
though it was coming into my lungs along with a steady stream of water. I held onto the regulator with one hand (for comfort I guess) and signaled to the dive instructor with the other that I wanted to go up. He took my hand, and led me up, slowly.

The tough(est) part was, I can't just go racing to the surface just
because I'm freaking a little and want out. wow, three minutes is an
excruciatingly long time when you are drinking in water and have
incredible anxiety, and at 15 feet down, looking up, I felt like the
surface was unreachable.

I was so glad when we surfaced, oh my god I was so glad.

We spent some time after that in shallow water, practicing mask
skills. We figured out what I was doing wrong. First off, I was pulling the mask too far from my face, then, I would stop exhaling through my nose before I got the mask back on. Hence, everytime I put the mask back on it had just as much water as before.

What I can't figure out is, why did I keep breathing in water through my nose? Is this an effect of anxiety? What do you do? My husband suggested if it happens again I could plug my nose with two fingers, to stop the water from coming into my nose, and so that I can relax a little with my breathing before trying to mask clear again. Thoughts?

Well, we eventually went back down to 40 feet or so.
The next time I got water in my mask I managed to clear it correctly, and stayed calm.

So that was only one of my problems. The other issue was I
couldn't get my "buoyancy" down. Its so hard for me! I had an easier time in Malaysia, and my instructor said it had to do with the differences between salt/fresh water, wet suit and overall weight I had to wear. This makes sense, but it was discouraging all the same.

Its especially important that I get this under control because Saturday we are
leaving to go scuba-diving in Honduras! We will be diving in coral
reefs, and I ABSOLUTELY do not want to be that person that crashes
into and kills coral because I can't control my buoyancy.

We have decided to take another refresher course once we get to Honduras, to work on these skills. I hope afterwards I will be more comfortable. The crazy thing is, we had planned all along to do our Advanced in Honduras (because I really was pretty comfortable in Malaysia, but that was 2 years ago). Its pretty humbling to realize I need not only one, but a second "refresher" course. I guess the Advanced will need to wait a little.

And, as far as the coral goes, I think I will just kind of (try) to hover a little further away from the reefs. I would rather have less of a view of some little creature than crash.

Does this experience resonate with any of you?
Do you have any words of wisdom? Am I just doomed to be a crappy diver?
Thanks

 

[MoonWrasse]

Instead of plunking so much down for courses, why not just practice mask equalization / removal/clearing in the shallow end of your local swimming pool?

If I can defog and clear my mask while hovering upside down just above a scorpionfish, I don't see why you can't

 

[L Cooper]

I understand your point. Good one! It turns out the dive in Honduras will cost only $17.50, and that is worth it to me to have an Instructor around. So I will give that a shot first. If I continue to have trouble, I'll stick to the shore for a day and practice my mask clearing there

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[trevinkorea]

I'm in the same boat right now.

I was inactive for about 3 years and then I took deep, nitrox and rescue a year ago. Some might think this is crazy but I had really good instructors, really comfortable in the water and I'm not afraid of a challenge. My instructors were a course director/diving doctor and a Master instructor. Oh forgot to mention I did do about 8 dives a year previous but it was a little intimidating none the less. Overall it was a blast though.

Now I'm taking up dry suit diving for the first time in more than three years and the boyancy is not even close to what it used to be.

Instead of taking another refresher course, I've been spending a number of hours in the local dive tank and for my first ocean dive, on Sunday, I'm keeping it to 5 meters. There's nothing but rock and mud under that. I'm doing this dive with a student of mine, who also happens to be an instructor. I think this will be the best plan. If you can go with a dive master or instructor for a shallow dive it would be a great refresher.

I think you have the right idea if you are still a little nervous. It's always great to have an instructor nearby to give you some pointers or to help out if things get difficult.

I know for me the pool sessions have been really helpful for keeping up (refreshing) the skills when I can't get to the ocean. If you get a chance to do this it will probably help a lot.

Have a great time on your vacation!

 

[immersed]

I couldn't get the water out of my mask, and I began getting very anxious. I could tell my breathing was getting shallower and I became very uncomfortable.

Panic almost always starts with something little like this and later you wonder how it could have affected you so profoundly.

Somehow I managed to hold it together, remembering...

This right here tells me that there is no doubt whatsoever that you can master scuba diving. Many, many people would have let panic overtake them and would have bolted to the surface. The fact that you were able to control that little nagging voice then shows you that you can control it again in the future and solve whatever problem you need to solve. My pool instructor told us that any problem you have at 40 feet can be solved at 40 feet. So far I've found that to be true.

I'm not sure how you were able breathe the water into your nose. If I try to inhale at my nose with my mask on, it sucks itself onto my face. You might want to recheck and make sure that your mask fits correctly. Without putting the strap on, you should be able to lightly press it against your face with one finger, and your husband, facing you, shouldn't be able to see light coming in from anywhere around the edges. Before removing your finger, inhale (and hold the breath - on land!). The mask should stay on your face when you let go with your finger.

I'm probably going to get slammed for saying this: you might give some consideration to getting a purge mask. Mask clearing is definitely a basic skill that you need, but that doesn't mean that you have to deny yourself some convenience. If you were to get a purge mask, you could check your clearing skill and practice as necessary at the beginning of every dive trip, then use the mask's purge feature for the remainder of the trip (you just exhale through your nose and the water is driven out a little valve that's located under your nose). I have a mustache, so water continuously leaks into my mask; part of each exhale goes through my nose to drive it back out.

The other issue was I couldn't get my "buoyancy" down. Its so hard for me!

If you pick up a dive magazine you can almost always find articles on two subjects: air consumption and buoyancy control. You're a member of the largest club in scuba diving. Like algebra, some people pick it up faster than others, and as long as you're committed to it you'll get it eventually. The most important part of buoyancy control is proper weighting, and the more overweighted you are, the more difficult it is to control. There's a lot of information out there about it, including on this board. If you read up on it you'll get closer and closer to understanding. After a few more dives you might go back to your favorite instructor for some 1st-hand tips - after you've got some personal experience he'll probably say something that he's said before but this time it will hit you right in the face and you'll go "OHHHH, I understand now!" (and spend the next 20 dives getting better and better at it).

No, you are absolutely not doomed to be a crappy diver. Don't compare your progress to other divers, because everyone learns at a different pace. Compare your progress to yourself - overcoming a fear of the water was a really big obstacle that you've conquered, and it sounds like you already made a little headway with the mask clearing, so everything is bound to come together sooner or later. Your ability to keep yourself from panic and your commitment guarantee this.

Keep a good attitude, get as much diving and practice as you can stand, and remember - it's fun!

 

[Wijbrandus]

L Cooper,

I can't offer any advice except don't get discouraged. Yes, it sucks to go through what you are dealing with. In the end, you'll over come it, and you'll be much more proud of your skills than someone who didn't have any problems at all.

Also, keep up with the diving. I don't have many dives, but every few months my wife and I take a weekend trip or some other sort of getaway just to get into the water. It helps keep our skills somewhat fresh. My wife also has the same problem you do. Before we go on a trip, we take a few days at the local pool and practice mask clearing with her on a snorkel (I hold it up for her). It really makes a difference.

Good luck.

 

[Stirling]

I second Immersed's comments, and there is nothing wrong with using a mask with a purge valve in it for the kind of diving you are going to be doing.

One other observation - you said part of your problem was that you were "pulling the mask too far away from your face" when you were clearing it, and therefore letting water in at the same time that you were forcing it out by exhaling through your nose. You shouldn't be pulling the mask away from your face *at all* - you leave it on your face, and only need to touch it at the top of the mask (above your eyes) to keep it sealed against your face there while you exhale through your nose into the mask. The air will force the water out along the bottom of the mask somewhere until the mask is filled with air and all the water is gone. It helps to look up *slightly* so that the last of the water is forced out through the very bottom of the mask (the very lowest point when you tilt your head up toward the surface).

But you shouldn't be doing *anything* to pull the mask away from your face when you're clearing it. I think the only reason some people think so is that you have to pull the mask away from your face to flood it in order to practice this drill. Once it's already flooded, you don't need to be pulling on it any more.

 

[Tobagoman]

I think you may want to continue on with your plans to take the Advanced Open Water while you are in Honduras. It will help refine some of your skills like buoyancy control and get you a bunch more dives in under the supervision of an instructor. I think it would help get your confidence back up to par also.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Cooper,

First let me commend you for your decision to take the refresher. After 2 years of inactivity it was the right choice. 10 years ago I was in the same position as you, just certified then about 2 years out of the water. Taking a refresher then was one of the best choices I could have made.

You are not doomed to be a crappy diver. With practice and patience you can become an excellent diver. The one the other divers look at and can't believe how relaxed and comfortable they are. The best solution to this end is to dive more often and to dive in environments you are comfortable in. As your experience level increases you can add (in measured steps) new increased levels of complexity. Water that is deeper, colder, lower visibility, stronger currents, etc... will serve to add new challenges. Just remember that the basic skills like mask clearing, and good smooth breathing are just as important in the most extreme conditions as they are in the pool. Master these and other basic skills and they will serve you well into the future of your diving.

There have been many threads about how impoortant it is to keep up on the basic skills, this is a really good idea. I might encourage you to practice all of the basic skills with your buddy while you take a short 5 minute pause at the beginning or end of every dive. If your regular buddy is your spouse this is even easier. Just practice, practice, practice until all of the basic skills become second nature. This will help your comfort level and in turn help your bouyancy.

One of the best things I found for improving bouyancy is to STOP all movement. You will probably be surprised to find that you are almost always kicking, even when you think you are not. If you stop all movement you will quickly find just what you need to do to adjust your bouyancy, remember make small adjustments, if you need to add air to your BC, just add a little and wait to see what effect it had. Once you get the right amount of air in your BC you will discover that small adjustments can be made by breathing, you will even see yourself moving up and down in the water a few inches with each breath. This is good and you will quickly learn how to use this to fine tune your position when near the coral.

Your diving will improve with time and you will become more comfortable the more dives you do. It takes time so be patient. And always remember diving is supposed to be fun so always take the time to enjoy the dive.

Mark Vlahos

 

[lorien]

Lots of really good advice. I have to 2nd the statement that you should not be pulling the mask away from your face at all to clear it, correcting this alone should really help. And, I agree you did a really good job of keeping yourself under control. Good job.
When I went to Honduras I was a fairly new diver and had some real bouyancy issues. I took a Bouyancy Control class from the DS there and it worked wonders, what a great experience. I learned things I had never even thought of and it really helped me not only with the rest of that trip but with every dive since. I would consider it, it was a short class, part on one day and still great diving regardless so you might consider it.