Very scared after second pool lesson of Padi open water course.

[SlugLife]

Hey there everyone,
...

There are a lot of little things in your description which sound like major red-flags.

Why does it go so absurdly fast? Is that normal?

That does not sound normal to me at all. Again, lots of little things, and a few big ones. Not having the materials until a day before. Everything feeling rushed. To be honest, it sounds dangerous in the sense that the way this course was instructed seems prone to incite panic in brand-new divers, in a new environment, who are already "task-loaded", and so-on.

He thinks that the problem is that I technically do things so well, that the instructor does not 'see' or notice my internal turmoil. He says I look very stable, quiet and ok on the outside.

I'm not a very emotive person, so I can empathize.

Panic underwater is perhaps one of the more dangerous things to any scuba-diver, than any incidents themselves. My #1 advice to you would be to slow down, no matter what anybody, including your instructor, is expecting from you. I wrote a more detailed post here on slowing down.

What Are Your "Pro-Tips" for Safety, Redundancy, and Accident Handling

What are your "pro tips" (or armature tips) for improving one's safety when diving? This can be equipment, redundancy, skills, training, mindset, pretty much anything! This can also be relevant to accident-prevention, incident-handling, self-rescue, other-rescue, etc. Disclaimer: Per usual...

scubaboard.com

 

[Juna]

Hey there everyone,
I wanted to give a little update.
I changed from group to private, asked if we could take it slow, and I will have my next lesson next week on wednesday so that I have time to finish the e-course first. They were all fine with it and completely understood. They are super friendly about it.
My sister is also doing the same course but at another location, we live too far away from each other to do it together, so that was easier, and my niece started out as well.
They do not experience the issues I experience. One started out private and the other in a group.
They enjoy it a lot.
Maybe I just am a bit more sensitive to the stresses of something this new then they are.
My sister and I have snorkeled together a lot and she is always the braver one, even though she is a lot younger.
Taking more time feels good ^_^ I think it will be fine.
My sisters husband is also a diver, a good one, with much more active experience then my partner. I believe it is called divemaster. And some extra specialties.
When I have finished my course, he and my partner can help me develop more self esteem under water.
We decided that if we all make it through the courses, we can maybe go on a vacation all together next year.
My sister just decided to buy all the gear, which means that I do not have to buy anything right now. We have the same size and I can use her suit and BCD, until I know for sure that I will keep diving/want to buy everything myself.

A funny note is that my sister told me she also experienced a reversed block. A much shorter/milder one then me.
So maybe this is how we are physically build
Feeling more at ease at the moment. Learning my theory and feeling more confident that it will all be fine.

 

[Marie13]

Thanks for the update. Sounds good. Glad you had no issues switching to a private class.

 

[Cheizz]

Good to hear that the instructor/shop listened and facilitate an alternative. Have fun!

 

[Robert H. Diver]

That’s great!! Keep up updated on how your class goes!!

 

[Hoyden]

I am sorry to be late to this discussion, but I want to encourage Juna to continue as my wife could have written some of your original post. She had a bad experience in a tropical location try dive and was very hesitant to try it again. Several years later she felt comfortable trying an open water class with a friend of mine who was an instructor. She needed to go very slow with her training, not because she had difficulty with the physical skills, but because she felt nervous and insecure. She eventually made it through her certification and found that lots of pool practice helped her to overcome her panic. I am an instructor and she used to go to the pool with me when i was teaching and swim around. She was certified, but I always had a dm or one of my tech buddies dive with her/watch her. In time she became an excellent diver and logged several hundred dives before she deveolped a medical condition that ended her dive days.

Juna, once you get through your certification, try to find as many opportunities to just dive, even in a pool. (Safe) Time in the water is the answer to your insecurity.

 

[blueskies_up_ahead]

I didn't read through the 8 pages and it seems like you found a way to move on. I just wanted to add that it's not a Padi thing (or SSI or what not). It depends on the dive shop and the instructor. I was alone for my first OW pool session. From the second onwards (incl open water dives) I was joined by another woman who had started earlier but needed private lessons to get comfortable, especially with clearing the mask and equalizing. It just took her longer, but eventually she got it. Since then, to my knowledge, she hasn't gone diving though, which I think is a bad idea. Especially if you struggled with parts of the course, you should keep practising. Enjoy the rest of your course! And if you need longer to complete a part of it, that's fine.

 

[UofMI_Divegeek]

Comment on reverse block:
This is caused by too much pressure (compared to outer ear environment) in the middle ear, so it is necessary to reduce this excess pressure.
This is often accomplished by pinching the nostrils and GENTLY sucking.

As for discomfort under water, one exercise that has produced phenomenal results is to place your face in a sink (or other water container) without a mask and simply breathe through a snorkel. An image from a detailed description of this exercise Reducing No Mask Anxiety

As someone who experienced multiple near drownings as a child, with a terrible adult fear of the water, I can personally state that this exercise was very useful (but it took me hours ... most take far less time .... every student I have trained that had initial fear of a no mask situation overcame the discomfort with this tactic.)

Something to try with those pesky bubbles:
place your hands tightly against your forehead above the eyes to form a barrier that traps the bubbles ... now you can see. or
place your hands above your mouth and trap the bubbles ... now you can speak.

A little playfulness works wonders.

Lastly, remember that you are a land-walking, air breathing human whose every survival instinct

The Primitive Brain

screams at you that you do not breathe water. It takes time to overcome these in-grained instincts to not only survive, but to enjoy the awesomeness offered by Planet Ocean.

Anxiety only proves you are human.

 

[TMHeimer]

I think the private lessons were a great idea. And also that they were more spread out than the usual "2 weekends" course. I assisted on quite a few of those and felt there was a lot to do over just two pool days. I was glad I took the two nights a week course myself-- some time in between to think about what you did.
Good luck as you move forward.

 

[UofMI_Divegeek]

I should add that mantras are very good at mitigating anxiety / fear as they can produce a calming effect so that the situation is not controlled by the fear response.

Here is one that I have used

Dune Litany