anyone who hates diving?

[wheezy]

Well... here is a slightly different take....

I just couldn't take a breath. My body wouldn't let me do it.

I'd been surfing for 15 years before I got certified. It was a HUGE psychological barrier to overcome. When I finally took my first breath off a reg, I went into hyperventillation.


This whole barrier took me all of fifteen minutes to overcome.

My signifigant other on the other hand... won't even TRY it.

 

[roxy271]

KBeck once bubbled...
I have met many people here who have started courses and chickened out, etc. A nurse at my doctors office went through the classes and pool sessions and backed out when it came to the OW dives....yet, here's a person who deals with blood and guts and other "ickies" without even blinking.

What's a little funny to me is that the most common issue I hear is that people are afraid of sharks. They just don't want to believe you when you say it's not typical to even see a shark, much less get attacked or whatever it is they're afraid of.

You also usually know the ones who are definitely not going to like it when you try to explain dive physiology and nitrogen loading etc., and their eyes start to glaze. I sometimes have to curb myself and just stop talking about it.... I guess you either get the dive bug or you don't.

Well let's start with the Shark thing that seems to bother a lot of people.
When you look at statistics you will find that the only people that really have something to worrie about are Surfers and Swimmers.
As for the rest of what could go wrong a dive course takes two minutes to teach you to dive and the rest of the time how to get yourself out of trouble should something happen.
So befor you make a decission one way or the other look at the fact and not what some people may have heard.

 

[dub]

thanks again for all the information and experiences.

I am really more excitd than nervous now. Knowledge is power and the more i learn the less ambivalent i am.

 

[kelpmermaid]

"mostly the ones who hate it are women. Yikes!

Actually, I think they are just the ones who will admit it. Really, the only thing you can do is give it a try and see how you feel.

 

[Jersey]

Hey Dub, give it a try! First resort course - I barely got down, came up, threw my mask & said I can't do this, I got so worked up I hypervenilated. My husband & DM talked me off the ledge, then I saw my first tropical fish & forgot about panic. First OW dive , I cried, on the surface. Very patient husband & DM calmed me down, went down with me, then I threw up, but it was OK, & I've been addicted ever since. Then I started - what if I see a shark? Will I panic? Well it weren't long until I saw my first shark & my dive buddy (knowing my irrational concern about sharks & having told me not 15 minutes before we WOULD NOT see sharks), stopped, pointed, & gave me the ol' shark sign. I nodded, & gave it back & he pointed AGAIN & I nodded & smiled. Truthfully - it was beautiful. I'd rather see them at depth, then say, standing in 4-5 feet of murky surf along the N Atlantic. And yeah - I worried about taking an uncontrolled ride to the surface, DCI, blowing out a lung, but good training & repetition of skills prepare you. You name it, I've worried about it. Knowledge is power & the reality is rarely as bad as our overactive minds can make it seem. These days I'm more worried about being mugged on the streets.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

That I would be standing in the instructor's shoes in the future I would have wet myself laughing at you! I had to spend a lot of time with a DM working on my phobias during that first class. I freaked out on my 3rd open water dive and ended up doing an extra day of diving to convince my instructor I was comfortable enough in the water to get certified. Certainly not instructor material if you had asked me at the time!

I spent years helping my instructor with her classes after I got certified. I started out as a pool deck jockey (fetching things) and as my certification level increased I was given more responsbility. I still can't believe I've achieved my instructor rating.

I tell my students up front, "You can't come up with ANYTHING that I haven't already freaked out about, I know what it feels like." Scuba is mostly in your mind, if you can learn to tell yourself you're fine and think under pressure you'll do well. The mind is an amazing thing, you'll be surprised by what you can accomplish when you learn to use it in a scuba setting
Ber

 

[dub]

true kelp, I wondered about that too. I guess us women don't care what others think when we get hysterical whereas a guy would never live it down.



thanks jersey-- so you really didn't panic at all with the shark? and what do you mean you vomited? like before cuz of the nerves or when you got back to the surface? I just figured any vomiting would could from motion sickness.

 

[dub]

That's a great story Ber, certainly encourages me!

Does your husband dive as well?

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Yep, hubby dives too! Actually that's how we met, he set up a trip to Lake Huron to dive some wrecks and I was part of the group. He's been certified since December 1, 1979! One of the kids who came through the WSU scuba program a few years ago was the son of hubby's first dive buddy! Tooo funny!

He is certified as an Assistant Instructor and helps out with the night classes at the university.
Ber

 

[AzAtty]

I hate diving because there is always some piece of gear that I *need*.

I hate diving because it makes me wish I was in the water instead of stuck in the office.

I hate diving because I might get eaten by a shark.

I hate diving because I've been addicted since the first time I breathed off a regulator underwater.