is there any way to prepare for scuba panic?

[DevonDiver]

Actually I train students to go for their octo.first. Then find the primary at their leisure with a working reg in their mouth.

As do I.

IMHO, there is zero benefit from suffering air deprivation when you don't need to; even if only for a short time. I'd hazard a guess that not having immediate access to gas is a primary stressor/panic trigger amongst novice divers; whether due to OOA, mask flood (perceived inability to inhale), lost reg etc etc. It's a stressor that can reduced through familiarization training - but also a stressor that can be removed from the mix with effective diving protocols.

 

[TMHeimer]

I've also often thought going for the octo first was just a logical idea. It doesn't seem to be the norm, for some reason.

 

[dive_turkey]

I suppose know that as I'm considering moving the octo to a necklace, that would make the most sense. Another point may be that if a regulator is pulled from your mouth, the octo is less likely to be damaged by an abraded hose or torn mouthpiece, making the octo the most logical move. However, at the time, the procedure was simply to recover the primary. Good point, gentlemen!

Either way, I think the most important thing to remember here is to route your hoses in a way that they won't become snag hazards in the first place... Hazah!

 

[Dsix36]

Time and experience will automatically bring the comfort that you are seeking.

Sounds like a Kung Fu slogan?

 

[boulderjohn]

I actually have something new to add to the good advice you have already received.

I have noticed that some students seem to have an inordinate rush to get a regulator back in their mouths during an exercise like regulator recovery or alternate air. When I see this, I have started doing the following demonstration. I lie casually on the bottom of the pool, as if resting leisurely in bed. I take my regulator out of my mouth, blowing a tiny stream of bubbles. I continue like this while I do something that emphasizes the unimportant passage of time. I may twiddle my thumbs, glance casually at my watch, or calmly drum my fingers on the pool floor. Eventually I put the regulator back in my mouth, purge it, and resume breathing. I then have them do that.

The point is that if you lose your regulator at depth for whatever reasons, you have lots and lots of time to solve that minor problem. Once students get that idea, they are usually much more relaxed about diving in general.

I've also often thought going for the octo first was just a logical idea. It doesn't seem to be the norm, for some reason.

Here's my theory about this--I emphasize it's just a guess.

The procedures for recovering a lost regulator were conceived many decades ago, and they have been taught the same way ever since. Thus, the skills were developed before the invention of the alternate air source. Like so much in our lives, the old tradition continues even when changes in technology make them obsolete.

 

[TSandM]

Dsix36, I am going to disagree with your statement.

One of the most unnerving dives I have done was with a buddy who had somewhere between 50 and 100 dives, all of them since his certification in our cold NW waters. 15 minutes or so into the dive, he simply turned for shore and took off, swimming as fast as he could. My other buddy and I tried to follow, but we literally couldn't move that fast. We shrugged and surfaced, because that's the protocol for buddy separation, but by the time we got to the surface, he was on shore.

Turned out his mask had flooded, and he quite literally panicked, and all he could think was, "I need to get to shallow water." He had not practiced a mask flood and clear since his OW class, and was unprepared for the ice water on his face.

Diving a lot helps you become more comfortable with routine diving, but it may not at all help you become more comfortable with stressors to which you are rarely or never exposed. Mask skills, air sharing and the like need to be practiced in the PROCESS of gaining the experience that increases your confidence. (BTW, we have seen this repeatedly in Rescue classes, where divers are asked to do things they haven't done in a long time, since a well-planned and responsibly executed dive rarely ends in gas-sharing or getting your mask kicked off or your regulator pulled out of your mouth.)

 

[DevonDiver]

Diving a lot helps you become more comfortable with routine diving, but it may not at all help you become more comfortable with stressors to which you are rarely or never exposed.

You get comfortable and familiar with what you're exposed to. General diving experience doesn't expose you to much; incidents are rare, so it's generally a case of exposure to everything going right.

We need to practice emergency/contingency skills because we rarely otherwise get to apply them... we rarely get the exposure needed to become familiar and comfortable with using them.

 

[Dsix36]

Dsix36, I am going to disagree with your statement.

One of the most unnerving dives I have done was with a buddy who had somewhere between 50 and 100 dives, all of them since his certification in our cold NW waters. 15 minutes or so into the dive, he simply turned for shore and took off, swimming as fast as he could. My other buddy and I tried to follow, but we literally couldn't move that fast. We shrugged and surfaced, because that's the protocol for buddy separation, but by the time we got to the surface, he was on shore.

Turned out his mask had flooded, and he quite literally panicked, and all he could think was, "I need to get to shallow water." He had not practiced a mask flood and clear since his OW class, and was unprepared for the ice water on his face.

Diving a lot helps you become more comfortable with routine diving, but it may not at all help you become more comfortable with stressors to which you are rarely or never exposed. Mask skills, air sharing and the like need to be practiced in the PROCESS of gaining the experience that increases your confidence. (BTW, we have seen this repeatedly in Rescue classes, where divers are asked to do things they haven't done in a long time, since a well-planned and responsibly executed dive rarely ends in gas-sharing or getting your mask kicked off or your regulator pulled out of your mouth.)

I understand your point and agree with it. My previous post was indeed a rather simplified statement. Perhaps I am just assumng too much from the new divers of today. I was taught to routinely do drills to make sure that they were fresh in both my mind and muscle memory. The only way to become profecient and comfortable with these is to do it many times over many dives. This is where I came up with time and experience. I should have added to the statement "practicing safety drill"

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Echoing others let me give you my list for minimizing possible "panic" during your new diver period:
1. Stop thinking about it. Think about your training and how absolutely cool those early dives will be.
2. Take a pool session with a buddy before you go on your first excursion, which will remind you you know what you are doing, and give you a little extra underwater experience in the controlled environment of the pool.
3. Dive with experienced divers who you trust. Don't grab some tanks and go with another brand new diver on your first outing.
4. Dive within your comfort zone. That is not the same a your certification level. Limit your depth and time as appropriate in planning the dive, and then stick to the plan, even if things are going great.
5. Prepare properly: do a weight check, do a good predive plan; do a through pre-dive buddy check, and before you enter the water talk through everything about the plan, communication, safety and the rest.
6. Focus on having fun and being safe. Those first dives are not a competition on air use, how long you saty down, or how deep you go.
You will do great. Happy Diving!
DivemasterDennis

 

[tracydr]

As do I.

IMHO, there is zero benefit from suffering air deprivation when you don't need to; even if only for a short time. I'd hazard a guess that not having immediate access to gas is a primary stressor/panic trigger amongst novice divers; whether due to OOA, mask flood (perceived inability to inhale), lost reg etc etc. It's a stressor that can reduced through familiarization training - but also a stressor that can be removed from the mix with effective diving protocols.

Wouldn't training for freediving,breath hold skills and also practicing mask skills with the snorkel be helpful? I know they helped me greatly when I realized that I had a gap in my training and went back to plug the hole.

---------- Post added September 30th, 2013 at 02:12 PM ----------

Well... you could practice freediving in a pool. Once you manage to freedive (no mask, no fins) the whole pool length (25m/100ft) then you suddenly notice that you can also dive and sit on the bottom for a while. You learn to relax while holding your breath. This gives you a comfortable minute to deal with problems (and another less comfortable minute).

You can do these excercises in any pool and without diving gear. You should beware of hyperventilating though, as you may vent too much CO2 out and then you may stay under water untill you pass out. It's the CO2 that makes you feel bad. Not the lack of oxygen, So freediving has its own dangers. You need a buddy and some knowledge.

It is quite calming to know that you have some time to solve any issues under water.

Also notice that quick sudden ascents are not that dangerous from shallow depth if you just remember to EXHALE. Getting DCS on a shallow OWD course is quite difficult

Also, you might want to consider using a long hose for your primary regulator and a hose with your secondary regulator on a bungee around your neck for your second regulator. That way, if the regulator ever gets knocked out of your mouth you can easily reach down without even using your hands and get that second reg into your mouth instantly.
Last fall while on a night lobster dive, we had a lot of surge, current and craziness. I had my primary reg knocked out of my mouth and it free flowed. I also had my mask knocked off my face at the same time. They say that diving accidents are usually a culmination of three small events. Luckily, because I dive with a " DIR" configuration" and I even keep a spare mask in my drysuit pocket, I simply dipped my head down and got onto my second reg. Air,check. Found my primary and pounded it against the palm of my hand to dislodge a piece of sand or whatever was the problem and dialed back down the knob a touch, free flow fixed,check.
Pulled my spare mask from my pocket and put it on my face, cleared it. Finally, I found the mask that had been knocked from my head. Wow! I was really glad that I found it, since it was an expensive Atamic Aquatics Venom mask. I would have been really sad if I'd lost it.
This would have been a huge CF except that I had practiced these sorts of things in the pool and ocean, not all together but as separate parts. Plus, I've done bits and pieces as of this as practice in the pool or lake.
One thing that I believe helped me with this particular incident and other similar incident is an exercise that I invented to prep for the equipment exchange when I did my DM certification. You can't practice for equipment exchange but you can certainly be prepared by becoming a better overall diver and by practicing stressful situations. What I did, because I knew that I didn't like to have my regulator out of my mouth for long periods of time while trying to do other things, is that I would take my regulator out of my mouth and remove/replace various items of my gear. For instance, take my regulator out,drop it, remove my BC, replace my BC, put regulator back in mouth and clear. Next, same thing with each fin, and so on. This was fun and easy to do by my self.
Another fun exercise that is no longer taught is buddy breathing.