When to say when

[The Chairman]

Some of us have unreasoned phobias... like my old fear of sharks. I have a general rule to confront my phobias and beat them into submission. I was afraid of heights, so I did that HUGE water slide at Wet n Wild. I also take every opportunity to climb ladders and generally push my limits. Some of my phobias evaporate the instant I test them (like the sharks) some of them persist (like hieghts). Still, I am not happy when I know that I am afraid of something.

Having said all of that, I still find it comforting that IF my phobias should ever get the better of me, I can still call the whole thing off. And it doesn't have to be fear. Walter and I were diving in 1/4" vis on Venice Beach. We weren't having fun, so we called it. I drove 330 minutes that day for 15 minutes in the suds. Oh well!

 

[CuriousMe]

Zept,

I'm not speaking from any huge wealth of experience or anything, but maybe you feeling more comfortable in the water is really about you learning (and then trusting yourself) what is safe for you. I know that as a newbie, that's one of the things I'm trying to figure out....when should I be concerned about something? There's always the written rules and then a practical grey area (an example is the use of Sudafed to dive....my PADI book says never do it, my instructor let us knwo that she's never been on a dive boat that someone didn't have it).

It's not necessairly a fear or even an uncomfortable feeling in calling a dive (trust me, I'm not shy, if I don't want to do something I won't)....it's knowing (and trusting your instincts) on what your limits are.

I agree with (and am trying to do) what was said above, dive often with folks who are more experienced than you. Truely, I ask lots and lots of questions as well.....I ask the divemaster, I ask other divers around me, I ask folks who were in class with me....anyone who might have a perspective to condider.

 

[scubabunny]

Originally posted by Zept
But the question remains... for a person who is still getting comfortable in the water, how do you differentiate between nervous uncertainty and a genuine reason for calling the dive?
Zept [/B]

Zept, that is a hard question. Once I got certified, if my boyfriend (also my instructor) hadn't MADE me go diving, I probably wouldn't have gotten in the water again. But, he did...and I'm soooo happy! I'm like you, it took me around 30 dives before I started feeling comfortable in the water.

As for your question...each dive is a learning experience. I have done dives that I wasn't completely sure I could handle. Mostly beach dives. Some, I called for myself because I couldn't handle the surf. Some, I made it out and back with wounded pride. And, some I did no problem. But, they were all learning experiences.

The BEST learning experience is when I panicked in 1 ft of water! It actually is kind of funny thinking about it..but it definitely WAS NOT funny at the time. We did a beach dive, and everything was ok when we got in..strong surg but nothing major. The site was basically shaped like a funnel..all the waves and water that came in was all directed to one place. We did our dive to 90ft, and started to follow the reefs back up. At about 50ft, the surge was so strong I had to hold on to the reef...and my feet were still going over my head. (I know, this isn't making you feel much better!!)

To make a long story short, we couldn't get out anywhere else except at the mouth of the "funnel". The waves pushed me up on the top of the reef in 1 ft of water (VERY low tide)...and I hung on as the water was going out..waiting for the next wave push me forward. But...since this was the mouth, it was a constant riptide and it never stops!!! (we both dived this same spot before and it was never like this!) So,.....here I am in 1ft of water...SCREAMING through my reg! Digging my nails into the rocks, my legs completely off the bottom, my mask being pulled off my face by the current, not knowing what to do.

All I thought was..."ok..I have 600psi in my tank...I am at the surface...I can hang on until the tide comes in!"

My boyfriend finally grabbed my tank valve and flipped me over so my tank was taking the beating from the water and my butt was on solid ground. After that everything was ok. Well...I went to the car and cried because I felt stupid, but thats ok.

But, I learned alot on that dive. First thing to do in heavy surf...turn yourself around and let the tank take the beating. And...at that one spot...if there are ANY breakers...DON"T DO IT!!!!

You do have to challenge yourself in order to become a better diver. I still get a little nervous every time I enter the water. There is a difference between a new situation and danger. If you feel "NO! I don't want to go there!!" then don't. I truly believe Mother Nature doesn't want us in her water's sometimes.

But, if you are just nervous because its different site or slightly different conditions...then, go for it. You can always call the dive after you get underwater if you don't feel comfortable. I am one person who doesn't want to challenge the ocean. I like easy dives...and if she looks like she doesn't want visitors...I don't pay a call.

Hope this helps you some.

 

[brizzolatti]

Hey, Zept. I understand the distinction you're making. I'm still learning to dive and will do my OW dives in a few weeks after having successfully completed the pool sessions and the knowledge bit. But in the pool, getting used to breathing underwater, I found it reallty helped to use your first rule. So when I totally lost my bearings, when I couldn't get my balance or my buoyancy, when I took of the mask, it was like, 'No big deal, whatever happens, you can still breathe. Keep breathing and then think through sorting out the other stuff.' It really helped to avoid panic and bolting.

There was one point at the beginning when we were just kneeling at the shallow end and I felt a weird feeling which I recognised as anxiety. So I just told myself to slow my breathing, to breath deeper. Next day in the more advanced pool stuff, sitting at the bottom of the deep end just hanging out, just breathing, I found it so relaxing. And the reason was that all I did was focus on my breathing. All I heard was the slow, steady breath. It was almost like meditation. It was so great because it totally cleared my miind of everything else (work,family woes etc) and totally focused me on what was important in the situation - breathing!

As for your second rule, I think that will help me once I get into open water. Because I have no experience, it's important to me to have the security blanket of knowing that if I lost the regulator, I could get to the surface comfortably. That's easy in a pool of only eight feet or whatever but the thought of going down to 12m and 18m is a bit different.

A final observation - I had a problem with agoraphobia many years ago. It was related to depression that I was suffering. (According to some things I've read these are contraindications for diving - which I would agree with if someone is actively suffering from them.) I'm fine now but it was a terrible period and I learned so much that equipped me to deal with other situations that might provoke anxiety or panic. Maybe with some people, the unfamiliar, unnatural elements of diving are their first serious experience of that sort of thing. It is not an easy thing to master (overcoming anxiety, phobia) but you can. And the feeling Zept is describing I think is different to the instinctive feeling that something is wrong. But sometimes you don't know that when you're in the middle of it!! So Zept, I know what you're saying.

Hope this is making sense and you all know what I'm rambling on about!!.

 

[seaangel]

Zept, et al:
After reading these posts I have been thinking about how do I really feel when I dive? Why did I want to learn to dive? And why do I keep diving?
1- When I dive I go thru multiple phases of feelings and emotions.
Pre dive- This can be from the preparation time at home to immediately before entering the water. While packing gear up I am focused on making sure I have every piece I will need and checking it out for safety. I don't feel anxious or uncomfortable, rather very focused and aware of the potential needs I will have. When arriving to the point of preparing to don my gear and to enter the water I have experienced many different feelings, each has been related to the particular dive. When I am diving a new or unfamiliar setting I am more nervous, it is kinda like the fear of the unknown, but I wouldn't call it fear. If I am extremely uncomfortable beyond that butterfly in stomach feeling I will abort. Listen to the inner voice, if it is that loud then it is telling you something worth hearing. I would say that a little butterfly in the stomach is a good thing, it can keep you more aware of the immediate and definitely life threatening dangers that do exist,
but you have been taught the skills to dive so you can survive. This by no means is comfortable to the degree that you take everything for granted. It in fact is comfort to know what you need to do, once accepting this you can enjoy your dive.

2- I wanted to learn to dive so I could get closer to the sea, I had been a snorkeler for many years and found it frustrating to just float around the top looking down on the life below me. This point was totally reinforced just a few weeks ago in Cozumel when my husband and I were snorkeling the Planacar area, I was totally disappointed not to be down below and wished I had a tank the whole time. That must mean I have developed some comfort level or pleasure from diving as I still want to dive more. I also, have always been of the mind set that if others can learn a skill so can I, I feel good inside when I master a skill that was a challenge to me. I find diving challenging and it continues to be a challenge or learning process. This doe not mean discomfort, but again a bit of the unknown factor present keeps me on my toes.

3- Why do I keep diving, well because of the challenge, no two dives are the same, and I like the feeling of floating through the water, closer to the sealife than ever. I have the same feeling in fresh water the floating or flying, even at times soaring through the caverns and cenotes. It is an awesome sensation and I guess a type of high, prehaps the adrenaline from the everpresent butterflies helps. During the dives it is not so evident but afterward just listen to all the other divers in your group. The chatter and laughter definetly indicate enjoyment, which to enjoy you must have been within a comfort zone or it would be totally unpleasant. If something you do is that unpleasant why do it?

 

[Zept]

Hurrah! Seems I am not the only person to find the whole underwater breathing thing a bit weird at first. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, especially CuriousMe, scubababy and brizzolatti.

FWIW, here are some of the things that have helped me feel more comfortable in and under the water:

* Diving more. Duh. There were times when I wasn't sure I was ever going to feel any better, but experience has certainly helped. Plus occasionally I go back to the pool and practise some of the basic skills, just to be sure they'll be there when I need them.

* Talking about it. I'm sure I think too much. Whenever I've actually tackled my instructors and said, 'Look, I'm really freaked out about xxx,' I've always felt better afterwards.

* Reading about it. I spent a couple of weeks reading all the accident reports I could find. Probably sounds like a weird thing to do, but it helped me focus my thoughts. I figure if I'm going to worry, it's better to worry about the things that actually might happen. Kind of fits with NetDoc's comments about confronting your fears.

* Thinking about it. Although there's no substitute for getting wet, I do run scenarios in my head -- I imagine what I'd do if xxx or yyy happened, or I think about previous dives and mull over things I could have tried.

* Getting my own gear. I didn't intend to when I started, because I won't be in the tropics forever and I'm not sure I'll want to dive in temperate waters. However, I'm much happier now I have my own gear -- it fits, it's the same all the time, I know where everything is and I know how everything works.

* Doing one thing at a time. Lost Yooper, I take your point about keeping things simple. Seems to me that when people get into trouble, it's often because several small problems have come together to create an untenable situation. If I have new gear, I try to do easy dives, and so on.

I'm a long way from being as competent as I'd like to be, but I'm sure I'm making progress.

Scubababy, I know what you mean about learning experiences, and about the difference between a new situation and a dangerous one. I've learnt a lot from some of the dives that didn't go so well (although there are some things I wouldn't want to learn about by experience). Every time I solve a problem or deal with a new situation, I feel more confident about the next dive. And I do have a sense of humour about it all... after the event, anyway!

Brizzolatti, don't forget that if you lose your regulator and can't retrieve it, you can breathe from your octopus. Or your buddy's octopus. The bottom of the ocean is not exactly awash with sources of air, but you have several options. Good luck with your OW dives!

Phew. That's more than enough from me.


Zept