Very nervous about "deep" dives

[Buoyant1]

Hi, I just want to say that I feel the same way- I'm a new diver and I don't like going deeper than 30' and I've seen the most incredible sea life in my shallow dives anyway.
I was rather unfortunate in my OW certification experience it seems after reading these posts- I did my skills in 20', but due to the reef depths where I was certified (Boynton Beach, FL)- my DM made me do my certification dives at 60' and it scared the hell outta me. I was told there was no choice in the matter- I wish I had known about scubaboard before then. I started hyperventilating and came up from a dive early (after a safety stop of course) my DM made me do two additional dives at 60' to get my certification! She made me feel really bad about being scared- even though I know it's normal. So my recommendation is talk to your dive shop about your concerns first- it's totally normal to be nervous and in fact I saw a lot of her students after me chicken out completely on their certification dives and they never came back- it ruined the experience for them! Go at your own pace, enjoy it, and don't let anyone make you feel bad about it- it's supposed to be recreation!

Wow...sounds like your instructor was a sadist! Crazy stuff! Most of the instructors I know evaluate the divers before taking them deeper than the original dive plan. I think they mostly try to keep the newer divers above 30-40 feet during their cert dives, but if the diver(s) are showing that they can be proficient enough, they'll venture a little deeper on the last dive. The best advice I can give is to ask your instructor what the plan for the certification dives are. If they think you are ready to venture deeper, and you are not, then it's best to get that out from the start. I was a little concerned about going below 15-20 feet when I did my OW dives, then I was concerned about over 50 feet, and used to look for sites that stayed above that. Now I feel I can do any dive within recreational limits (and maybe even push it within reason) and not be overly freaked out by it.

You do what YOU feel is right, don't let anyone push you into something in which you aren't comfortable or trained to do! The theme with a lot of people here is that this is supposed to be fun! And it is!

 

[SeaHunt82]

I'll agree with everyone else. I began my certification with a fear of water from a childhood experience. I knew I would struggle with the confines of my mask and the work required to breath as well as the constant fear of a catastrophic failure.
I found that I was so comfortable in the pool I quickly got bored and did somersaults while everyone else had to repeat their tasks.
Once we hit the lake(mid September) I grew much more uncomfortable. An ear ache the next day caused me to have to delay until January. 34 degrees was an awfully interesting introduction to diving. The heavy wetsuit and hood only added to my stress.
I found that I just had to tell me self to calm down and that help is only seconds away. Maintaining eye contact with my instructor was very calming.
Give it a shot. You will be glad you did no matter the outcome.

 

[SeaHunt82]

Trivial correction. Began diving in January and finish in April 2009

 

[Zerovis]

First: please remember that depth is all relative to a new diver

My wife and I have each been active snorkelers for our entire lives. While on vacation in Aruba this past summer, I decided to take the next step and I took a resort course. The dive was simple and we basically sat down at 30 feet for about 20 minutes and then went back up. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I want both of us to get certified before our next tropical vacation.

What my wife and I really want to get out of this is simply the ability to do very shallow dives (15'-30') that will allow us to see more of the reef than we would at the surface. Neither of us has much interest in diving to deeper wrecks, wall dives, etc. As I read more about PADI certification, it appears that the instructor can take you down to 60 feet and have you perform all the skills at that depth. I'm a little nervous about doing skills at that depth (hey, it's all relative), as I'm afraid that I'll panic and do something stupid. I was perfectly calm during my resort course, but I had stayed within reasonable distance of the surface, which provided a (possibly silly) peace of mind. I'm very aware that some of the biggest risks are from 0-30' depth, but I'm more concerned that I will panic when I get too far from the surface.

Do you think scuba is for me?

my apologies if I am repeating anything already posted

the ow course certifies you to 60ft
your instructor is required to get you to do some skills in a pool in water you can stand up in
and some in water too deep to stand up in you can ask to do all skills shallow first
as far as the skills in the sea.
the deepest requirement in the manual is about 20ft for the CESA,
mostly I would conduct the majority of the skills in the 20 to 30 ft range

after you are qualified there is no requirement for deeper dives

Go to a dive centre discuss your concerns and ask what is the planned depth for practising the skills remember that the first time you do a skill it will be shallow

 

[Pitchblack70]

I think this has already been said, but definitely deserves repeating... You're diving for the fun of it. No reason to go beyond your comfort level...don't dive deep until you have the experience and begin to enjoy it (which you very well might.) Wait until deeper depths cease to cause panic, that's safer anyway. And why push to a limit that ceases to make diving enjoyable?

 

[diver 85]

I think this has already been said, but definitely deserves repeating... You're diving for the fun of it. No reason to go beyond your comfort level...don't dive deep until you have the experience and begin to enjoy it (which you very well might.) Wait until deeper depths cease to cause panic, that's safer anyway. And why push to a limit that ceases to make diving enjoyable?

To everyone responding to this post(LIKE ME-----LOL), we're spitting into the wind, or water possibly, --the OP's last time here was Nov 8th---he/she's not reading a word of it.....time to put our effors into something useful & meaningful, like which is better a 19 Cu.Ft pony or Spare Air/long hose vs short hose/ BI vs BP/W......



get the picture?

 

[DCBC]

...I'm more concerned that I will panic when I get too far from the surface. Do you think scuba is for me?

Only you and your wife can make this decision, as it's a personal choice. You cannot however compare SCUBA with snorkeling. Snorkeling is an individual sport (sometimes done together) where SCUBA is a team (buddy) sport (sometimes done alone). Safety in diving (especially at your level) is something that is dependent on your equipment and that of your buddy. If you feel that you can accept this new perspective, the safety of the surface doesn't have the same value as it did when you were snorkeling. A full course should give you the knowledge, skill-sets and confidence to dive safely.

 

[diver84]

To everyone responding to this post(LIKE ME-----LOL), we're spitting into the wind, or water possibly, --the OP's last time here was Nov 8th---he/she's not reading a word of it.....time to put our effors into something useful & meaningful, like which is better a 19 Cu.Ft pony or Spare Air/long hose vs short hose/ BI vs BP/W......



get the picture?

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still reading this thread. I just haven't logged in for a while. I appreciate all of the responses; I just didn't have anything more to add.

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still reading this thread. I just haven't logged in for a while. I appreciate all of the responses; I just didn't have anything more to add.

Well its been a few months, have you become more comfy in the water yet? That would be a good add to the thread.

 

[diver84]

Well its been a few months, have you become more comfy in the water yet? That would be a good add to the thread.

Still haven't been in unfortunately. I signed up for the confined water portion of the class a few weeks back and that will start in 2 weeks. Work around the holidays pushed our vacation (where we will be doing the open water dives) back later than I would have liked, so it looks like we won't be in open water for about two months. I'll make sure to ask our dive shops all the questions that have been proposed in this thread.

I especially appreciate the stories that people are posting about their experiences during OW certification.