What went wrong?

[SudsMalone]

I recently went scuba diving for the first time on the Great Barrier Reef (one of those one off dives) Unfortunately I had difficulty breathing and had to stop the scuba dive. :depressed: Breathing in felt strange but was OK but breathing out was difficult, this turned into a panic attack and I got out!

I had problems from the very beginning of the dive with the breathing, I convinced myself I would be OK once we got going, so when the instructor asked if all OK I said yes. We only went down a few feet when I decided it was safer to get out then to continue. I was so upset about it that I didn’t get to talk to the instructor after.

I REALLY want to attempt this again. I had a chest cold (lots of mucus, which I now realise how dangerous it was to scuba!), so am not sure if
A) it was the chest cold that made it difficult to breath out.
B) If breathing using scuba is harder than breathing ‘normally’
C) It was just a panic attack from the beginning

(I don’t know if this helps but I also noticed that if I was upright then it was harder to breath out than when I was horizontal in the water. The couple of minutes I was actually horizontal I had started to enjoy and relax, but they stopped us for a photo so I was upright again and that was when I got out)

Any advice greatly appreciated as I really want to try scuba diving again. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine! I am thinking of trying a scuba course but worried it might be money wasted :depressed:.

 

[The Chairman]

Never ever dive if your breathing is compromised. That includes colds, bronchitis, hay fever or congestion of any sort. You might have also had an issue with the regulator, but that's secondary.

My advice is to take the class and get certified before you do any more "one offs". They just aren't that good and the chances for injury are a lot higher if you don't fully understand the sport.

 

[TSandM]

Sounds as though there might have been something up with the regulator you were using. Exhaling ought to be all but effortless, but if the exhaust diaphragm is sticky or trapped, it can require more effort to exhale. (I actually encountered that last night, with a pool reg that rarely gets used.) If something like that happens again, have the instructor or DM breathe the reg himself to evaluate whether it's working properly.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

And find another op to dive with. They let you dive with a chest cold? That's nuts if they knew about it. If did not ask if your breathing was in any way compromised they dropped the ball as well. You should have had to fill out some type of medical release. If you did and neglected to mention it you took one helluva risk. One that could have cost you your life.

 

[MalibuJerry]

When I was a new diver I went out with a jacket BC. I wanted to be sure that it was secure and so I pulled tightened the BC so that it did not move around on me. I jumped in the water and inflated it and the inflated BC constricted my lung expansion. I did not know why I was having trouble breathing out, so I got out of the water. Then I found the problem, properly adjusted my BC and life was good once again. These things can have lots of causes. The most likely one is the work of breathing pressurized air while your lungs were dealing with a cold. It could also be something simple like mine. I would suggest you get rid of the cold, check all of your gear before going in and try again with the view that all has now been resolved.

 

[TSandM]

I don't think a dive op should be expected to quiz every client on whether they have recently been sick, Jim. It's not the dive op's fault that the OP went diving when she wasn't entirely well. A medical questionnaire would have asked if she had any underlying lung disease -- and most operators don't use them, anyway. If she was doing a PADI Discover Scuba program, she would have had to fill out a short medical questionnaire that would have asked about major illnesses and prescription meds, but if this wasn't an agency-sanctioned thing (or if the form was filled out before she got sick) that wouldn't have tipped anyone off, either.

 

[halocline]

(I don’t know if this helps but I also noticed that if I was upright then it was harder to breath out than when I was horizontal in the water. The couple of minutes I was actually horizontal I had started to enjoy and relax, but they stopped us for a photo so I was upright again and that was when I got out).

All regulators will be a little tougher to exhale through when you're vertical than you're horizontal looking down. That's due to differences in depth between the exhaust valve and the spot where the diaphragm and lever meet. When the exhaust valve is shallower than the diaphragm, it's easier to exhale. When it's deeper, there's more effort.

But the differences should not be anywhere near enough to cause real anxiety, so although that might have been a factor in your case, something else was likely going on. Maybe start by doing some snorkeling and see how that goes, then try another discover scuba in a pool setting with an excellent instructor. Make sure you tell him/her about your previous experience. If you can resolve the anxiety you felt, the next step would be to go for a certification class. Most people (not all) that have anxiety scuba diving are not particularly comfortable of confident in the water. If that describes you, the snorkeling for a while to raise your comfort level can really help.

 

[redneck23ms]

check with your local dive shops about a "try scuba" class. my local shop has one of these classes and its only $25 that will get you in the water in a pool trying all of the gear to see if its something you want to pursue further.

 

[SudsMalone]

Thanks everyone for some great advice

The company was one of the large companies on the Great Barrier Reef, it was an option for us that have never dived and they took 4 of us at a time for 30 minutes. They did give me a tick form in regards to illnesses. But it was to do with the bigger ones and medication. I can't remember seeing anything about having cold/chest issues maybe I didn't read properly or maybe they didn't have it on.

I certainly didn't know about the dangers of a chest cold prior and there is no way I would have gone if I had known.

I am confident in the water, we have a pool and I am a good swimmer. I however don't go out in deep water that often.

So from everyone's replies I am taking on that it could have been a number of things and am prepared to give it another go.

1. My plan is to go out into some deeper water to make sure I am in fact comfortable with that. (both swimming, snorkelling and 'diving' under)
2. Contact some scuba shops to see if they do have 'try scuba' classes (sounds exactly like what I might need!)
3. If all goes well then do a class.

My long term plan is not to be going on weekends and such but to have the confidence that when I go on holidays (or even local) that I can scuba (with instructors) without any hesitation.

I am sure there are some posts on how to find a good scuba instructor on here so will snoop around. I am certainly going to need someone patient! If not I'll put another thread.

Thanks again everyone I am very grateful for your time and advice

 

[bracko]

Rule zero of scuba diving. A dive never gets better, if there's a problem at the start, don't ignore it.

glad to see you're having another go. divers that don't naturally take to it often quit, divers that struggle through it personally get a lot more from scuba diving given the fears and problems they've overcome