when fear strikes....

[shadowr69]

so my only problem with posting this was to which forum after doing a search for the issue!!! anyway...here is my story.....

When fear strikes...

Since I started diving, I think I've had 1 very scary moment while diving. It was a while back and it was due to my failure(imo) to be properly familiar with some new dive gear that I had purchased. The gear in question was a new wing style BC that had the air bleaders on the bottom if you needed to purge the bc. To be brief, as my dive buddy and I were ascending, I was having a difficult time trying to reduce my bouyancey. at about 25-30ft, I was having to angle and kick down to stay down, and only grabbing a very large boulder to stay down while again, my buddy help with the issue that I couldn't resolve. At that moment I was pretty panicy, though maintained some semblance of coherency to stay down and try to control my breathing. My fear was shooting up to the surface and getting DCS....or worse....not really what I wanted considering we were coming up from about 70 ft. I ended up writing a small piece in my dive club news letter . My dive buddy wrote a part of it on her point of view of the incident...I thought it was a great thing to do as it pointed out the issues of new gear and knowing how to use it and what to do in an emergency. It really promted me to be safer as a diver and not be overconfident. (maybe I should have submitted it to a scubadiver magazine!! )

I don't blame this for my recent spate of moments in the last few dives that i've felt a tinge of fear that cause a burst of adrenaline....and I have to say....facing 5 bull sharks in fiji never kicked this in...but then again, I felt pretty safe.....for some reason.

I think I've had 4 instances now that I have had the above thing happen....just swimming then boom...breathing felt different...tinge of fear...burst of adrenaline...and crap....now all I want to do is get to the surface cause I CAN"T BREATH DOWN HERE.....

first time was in cozumel as this was my first dive trip after being certed(and the reason I got certed) I was certain that I'd be a little nervous. On our first dive we went down to 80 feet and I was fine....after a couple dives I was getting pretty comfortable...

So on our 6th dive...it was about 65 feet....and felt a bit of reistance while breathing(mind you this was with rental gear too) but it went away and didn't fully hitme with adrenaline just a slight spike then down....still it made me bervous....13 more dives were to follow that week going down to 91 feet...never had it happen again on that trip.

The second time was on the dive that I had issues with my bc.....third was a few months back I don't recall the entire events of that time, but I do recall it happening and letting my buddy know...and now this past weekend when diving in SB.

It's weird when it happens...you just can't stop it and the rollercoaster ride ensues.....
So on to this last time....we were around 65 feet...seems to be my depth for fear or something, and I was filming with my new camera. We were in a kelp forest which I'm pretty okay with, I actaully like swimming through it and keep from getting tangled.... so we're down there an it just hits me....I try to stay calm but I already feel the adrenaline hit my bloodstream and my breathing get heavier....my first thoughts are "I'm at sixty feet, this isn't good, calm down and don't do anything stupid". I figure maybe it's the surge that we're hitting, it's getting to me....let me try to get to the bottom a few feet below me. As I touch the bottom, I feel the adrenal burst start to disapate....and I'm okay....the rest of the dive goes okay...

I was okay this time, but afterwards on the way back I told my dive buddy. He asked why I didn't tell him. I had no reason, I just thought it would be better to let me work it out myself....but is this the best thing to do??? In a way yes, when you need to, but maybe I should have signaled him to let him know I was having a bit of trouble. Maybe it would have been good to grab his arm to get that assurance that I'd be okay.....

This past week I've thought about this whole incident and thought to myself , maybe this sport isn't for me....but I love it. I really do....I don't want to give it up. Today I did a search for and read some articles in an online scuba forum about the same issue. I'm glad it wasn't just me that had these thoughts and fears.....I actually started feeling overwelmed with emotion at the time that I read the posts as well as when I was writing this post/blog....it really sucks to have this happen....I've got 60 logged dives....I should be doing better and and enjoying this more, instead I'm getting fearful of going into the water...

Still, the fact that I overcame the incident gave me a little consolation, though the fact that it occured...well...kinda negates that....

A couple things that I think are causing this to happen.....work....yeah work, stresses of doing the 2 hour drive back and fourth have worn me thin....

Sitting in front of a computer 12 hours a day and not getting enough exercise....this could be a major thing and I plan to start riding my bike again... I'm at a healthy weight for my build, but I get tired rather sooner than my dive buddies did the last couple times....

The third thing was that we were on an overnighter....I'm not fond of them, and was trying to take less bonine but I did feel a bit queasy in the morning....it mgiht have also accounted for the limited sleep that I had....

One last, though possible factor was that I was diving with a buddy that really worked for me, unfortunatly we had also been going out....and after breaking up, it was my descision to not dive with them at the moment...but I have to say, she has been the best buddy so far....my current dive buddy is a bit more energy intense for my current dive style....but he's slowed down a little with me.

Anyway, I think 1 or all of these factors may have contributed to my recent minor panic attacks....I also think the bc incident had a little to do with it...but I did find out that my reg could be overbreathed and hold up...

I know this has opened many discussions already....I just thought I'd throw my part out there....(this was also posted on my blog on myspace)

-Mark

 

[smokey braden]

shadowr69,
thank you for sharing this with everyone.
it doesn't seem that you should quit over this.
once in awhile during a dive i become anxious.
i make sure my buddy is close and ask to go up a few feet.
then it's over and we complete the dive.

maybe if you plan your dives so you're not rushing around from point a to get to point b before the splash you'll have time to relax, plan and be ready to have a great dive.

imho i think your fine and the more diving and experience you get this will all but disappear.
maybe you can plan to dive with a number of different buddies you trust.
this way you won't feel like you can only dive comfortably with a few.
regards,

 

[shadowr69]

shadowr69,
thank you for sharing this with everyone.
it doesn't seem that you should quit over this.
once in awhile during a dive i become anxious.
i make sure my buddy is close and ask to go up a few feet.
then it's over and we complete the dive.

maybe if you plan your dives so you're not rushing around from point a to get to point b before the splash you'll have time to relax, plan and be ready to have a great dive.

imho i think your fine and the more diving and experience you get this will all but disappear.
maybe you can plan to dive with a number of different buddies you trust.
this way you won't feel like you can only dive comfortably with a few.
regards,

I really didn't plan to quite, it's just that it's something that went through my mind after the day when I was pondering the events....

We hadn't rushed anywhere in particular....just looking around. We were having quite a good time and I was having fun filming....it was weird how it just happened....

It's something that has concerned me as of late....but like I mentioned, I was glad that I wasn't the only one that had this happen...

-Mark

 

[darkpup]

Hi Mark,

I would suggest continuing with your dive training.

Two summers ago, my wife and I got back into diving. I had been certified in 1986, and my wife in 1998. We had done roughly 10 to 15 dives from 1998 to 2003. Needless to say, we were a bit rusty when we got back into diving. We were comfortable with most of the dives we were doing, but there were a few issues we were concerned about (i.e. ascent profiles, safety stops, communication underwater, recognizing problems before they got out of hand, etc).

We made the decision to move forward with our training, and it has helped a lot. We learned that our OW classes taught the basics, and that our more recent training filled in the missing information that was making us feel uncomfortable underwater.

Since the summer of 2003, we've done roughly 150 dives. From those dives, we've clearly identified what we're comfortable with (i.e. depth, temperature, conditions, buddy teams, etc), and have identified the future classes that will help us to continue our path of training.

IMO, continued education combined with diving regularly will help you feel more comfortable underwater.

I see in your profile that you're looking to take AOW and Rescue. I am also planning on taking a Rescue class in preparation to become a dive master. I hear that this class in particular will help you identify stress in your dives, and give you the tools to resolve it before it gets out of control. This may be a good way to go for you, and if nothing else, it will help you to identify the type of diving (i.e. depth, temperature, conditions) that you're comfortable with.

~ Jason

 

[aquaholic901]

I still get this feeling too sometimes but mostly mine happens on the surface before a deeper dive, its that feeling like I must be crazy to be doing this. Usually once I'm in the water I'm far more relaxed than I ever am on the surface. It all just comes with more experience and training. My Rescue class was by far the biggest help because you learn to identify the causes of stress and early warning signs plus in the event that something should go wrong you are more confident that you have the necssary skills to make it right.

 

[asaara]

I think I've had 4 instances now that I have had the above thing happen....just swimming then boom...breathing felt different...tinge of fear...burst of adrenaline...and crap....now all I want to do is get to the surface cause I CAN"T BREATH DOWN HERE.....

<snip>

I was okay this time, but afterwards on the way back I told my dive buddy. He asked why I didn't tell him. I had no reason, I just thought it would be better to let me work it out myself....but is this the best thing to do??? In a way yes, when you need to, but maybe I should have signaled him to let him know I was having a bit of trouble. Maybe it would have been good to grab his arm to get that assurance that I'd be okay.....


-Mark

Have you tried, when you feel like you can't breathe, switching to your octopus and breathing from that for a few minutes until you calm down? Even if you're not *actually* having a problem getting air out of your reg, depending on what kind of octopus you've got, the easier breathing from your octopus could get you past the little hump, then switch back to your primary when you're ok.

If you've got an octopus that breathes *worse* than your primary, mention to your buddy beforehand what might happen, stay close, and use their octopus if you have problems. Might also help if you actually are overbreathing your reg and they have a different one, either way, your buddy's not going to get too far away and you don't have to worry about your equipment for a minute.

Also, if it's your own, get your regulator serviced, there might actually be something wonky with the diaphragm that's periodically kicking in at deeper depths, you might have gotten water in where it attaches to the tank accidentally, or could be sand somewhere, etc...especially important if you bought it used.

If you're renting, check the breathing of both the primary and the octopus on the surface, of course, and at different positions when you're in shallow water - some breathe better at different angles, so if you have one of those and can't switch it out, you can figure out what you need to do to increase your airflow before it becomes a problem. You might be ending up in strange head positions when you're getting in those situations. If it's your own, you probably only need to do the aquatic gymnastics once, if you didn't the first time you used it.

If your primary and/or octopus have flow controls on them, learn how to use them, so you can increase/decrease breathing effort when you want to. Knowing how to control your equipment (again, even if it's not an actual physical breathing problem) will give you something you know you're in control of down there, which can help you feel more confident when things happen. You're body's panicking, and you're telling it "Yes, you *can* breathe, you'll have to find a different excuse if you want to panic!".

 

[asaara]

I still get this feeling too sometimes but mostly mine happens on the surface before a deeper dive, its that feeling like I must be crazy to be doing this. Usually once I'm in the water I'm far more relaxed than I ever am on the surface. It all just comes with more experience and training. My Rescue class was by far the biggest help because you learn to identify the causes of stress and early warning signs plus in the event that something should go wrong you are more confident that you have the necssary skills to make it right.

If you feel like you're not getting enough air before the dive, is it while breathing through your regulator (which of course is going to breathe worse while your face is in the air or you're not down very far than when you go down a bit more), or just breathing regularly through your mouth before you get in the water (in which case your equipment might be too tight or otherwise fit wrong), or if it's correctly adjusted for in-water use, it Might Just Be Like That when you're in air...try and get into a more comfortable position, loosen something if it's going to be a longer wait than you were expecting, or just realize it's your equipment, not you, and further proof that being stuck on land sucks!

 

[shadowr69]

Have you tried, when you feel like you can't breathe, switching to your octopus and breathing from that for a few minutes until you calm down? Even if you're not *actually* having a problem getting air out of your reg, depending on what kind of octopus you've got, the easier breathing from your octopus could get you past the little hump, then switch back to your primary when you're ok.

They are about the same, but it's something to try....hopefully I won't have to though

If you've got an octopus that breathes *worse* than your primary, mention to your buddy beforehand what might happen, stay close, and use their octopus if you have problems. Might also help if you actually are overbreathing your reg and they have a different one, either way, your buddy's not going to get too far away and you don't have to worry about your equipment for a minute.

I have two different setups, a mares(1hp using analogue gauges) and an aqualung legend(2 hps with a remote and an analogue gauge pod for backup).
I honestly like the mares one more because it has always breathed easier...I got that one used for a great price. The only issue I have was that it had the 1hp while the AL has 2hp ports which I needed for the remote and gauges(backup).

Also, if it's your own, get your regulator serviced, there might actually be something wonky with the diaphragm that's periodically kicking in at deeper depths, you might have gotten water in where it attaches to the tank accidentally, or could be sand somewhere, etc...especially important if you bought it used.

I'm very religous about keeping water out of the first stage...I've always changed it and put it back on when getting air fills on the boat. The second stage is kept pretty clean as well, but it has gotten knocked around on the deck a couple times when other less careful people move my sh!t(cramped boats).

If your primary and/or octopus have flow controls on them, learn how to use them, so you can increase/decrease breathing effort when you want to. Knowing how to control your equipment (again, even if it's not an actual physical breathing problem) will give you something you know you're in control of down there, which can help you feel more confident when things happen. You're body's panicking, and you're telling it "Yes, you *can* breathe, you'll have to find a different excuse if you want to panic!".

Yep, it has a Venturi Adjustment Switch (VAS) and I have tweaked it...I've never tweaked it while at depth though....

-Mark

 

[aquaholic901]

If you feel like you're not getting enough air before the dive, is it while breathing through your regulator (which of course is going to breathe worse while your face is in the air or you're not down very far than when you go down a bit more), or just breathing regularly through your mouth before you get in the water (in which case your equipment might be too tight or otherwise fit wrong), or if it's correctly adjusted for in-water use, it Might Just Be Like That when you're in air...try and get into a more comfortable position, loosen something if it's going to be a longer wait than you were expecting, or just realize it's your equipment, not you, and further proof that being stuck on land sucks!

Actually I suffer from mild anxiety, its usually not a big deal unless I get really stressed but occasionally it makes me feel like I can't catch my breath. Its mostly just a nuisance now since I know in my head that I'm getting plenty of air. I've been in and around the water since I was born (good thing about living in FL) so I'm way more relaxed & comfortable on a dive than I ever feel up here (surface).