Nervous Nellie in the water-- even after a dozen dives

[ev780]

OP, I am going to be the tough love guy in this thread. I see a couple words/statements that bother me. "Panic" is one, "ripped reg" is another. Look, a little anxiety is a good thing. Keeps us from getting eaten by the saber-toothed lobster. Diving as an extreme sport, lower end of the extreme scale I admit, just may not be for you. Be honest with yourself and walk away if you are going to get you or someone else hurt. Even though most of the cool stuff is in the shallows, you will severely limit your diving opportunities with those depths.

Lots have suggested warm water trip. I would agree, I never dive in cold dark water. Seems pointless to me but then again different strokes!!! Hawai'i is but a short hop for you so give it a whirl and if you still feel uncontrollable fear after a reasonable sample size, then I suggest you throw in the towel.

I have 2 hours training time in a Cessna 172 and frankly that is the extent of my flight log book. I decided early that although I would love the freedom that being a private pilot would give me, I just could not get used to the little airplane getting tossed around by the wind.

Good luck!!!

 

[LottaBeachNoOcean]

When I finished OW about 8 years ago I wasn't a confident about anything 'scuba'. I didn't dive again until last summer. I only resumed last summer because I was thinking "now or never". I told myself to learn the skills get confident, learn to enjoy it or give it up forever. Part of my routine as I got ready to take a refresher class was to swim laps every day for a few months. This built back some of my strength and swimming skills and just general comfort in the water, period.

My mantra the whole time I was swimming laps was "I am a skilled and confident diver". I said this to myself the whole time each day. I think it worked. My first dive of any day starts out a little shaky but I soon settle down and remember what made me fall in love with the idea of diving in the first place - many of the same things you love. Since last summer I've taken a few specialty classes and am primarily concentrating on making myself a better, more confident diver and buddy.

Giving yourself a "job" (something to concentrate on) while you're diving can help too. I spend 10 or 15 minutes concentrating on buoyancy control every dive. When I'm on a dive with someone more experienced navigating I work on my navigation and see if my navigational decisions match the ones they make, and if not I figure out what I did wrong or if they strayed from the dive plan.

Time and skills practice will make you more confident. Take your time and do things at your own pace.

 

[GDI]

Thewonder3feetunder, everything you have mentioned is not all that uncommon. Some posts suggest heading to a warmer climate and diving there. Truth be known people in warm climates experience the same things as you are talking about. Continuing to go diving with the hopes of just getting through it until you become comfortable also has its problems. If you do not address the causes you may always have the problem and IF something were to happen you may not ever dive again. Your desire to dive is good. From reading your posts here on this thread it appears that some of your concerns are the result of "perceptions" You perceive a uncontrolled descent, you perceive a sea lion attack, the tank coming out of your BCD and pulling you down, etc.

Not to insult your diving lessons or instruction I have to ask did you have anxiety in the pool? If you did then that is where your uncomfortable feelings should have been dealt with. How comfortable do you feel you are with ALL your skills, some will continue to need development so don't be to harsh on yourself. I assume you are diving in the same relative locals each time, you go out? How well do you understand the environment you are diving in? Low viz is a psychological affect. The water is just that - water. Clear viz or not it is still H2O. Water of lower viz states can be cause for things that are different than clear water- disorientation and navigational awareness to mention a few. In clear viz depth can be mis-read causing a diver to find themselves deeper then thought.

Perception: Physical or Psychological has to be dealt with. Some of the ways in learning to get through this is to go back and look at the things you now do without anxiety BUT what at the time you started these things you had a element of anxiety, say learning to drive car for example. How did you get through that?

Your willingness to call the dive when you feel uncomfortable is bang on and you should continue with this approach. You have the right to call the dive at any time for any reason no questions asked. Think of this. You actually have more control in diving then driving down the highway.

I recommend continuing to dive but stay at the depths you are ok with, at least for now. On each dive take a moment to work on a skill (mask removal, air sharing etc). Make a note that you will not see the entire ocean on a single dive so just enjoy the little bit available to you, try to locate a specific item or marine life. Take the time to gather information before the dive of the area you will be diving. Knowing going into a dive can better prepare you for the dive ahead, even if you already know the area. Train yourself to dive within parameters, depth limits, air limits and time. Once one of the three are limits are reached you end the dive based on a normal ascent.

You stated your equipment was good quality, but do you really have a good grasp on how it works, its characteristics. During the dive just like above play with your equipment as part of the skill practice removal of the BCD underwater (go shallow) and see if you can undo your scuba cylinder and re-secure it. Good Luck

 

[TheWonder3FeetUnder]

Thanks everyone.

i just want to update, that I went many many months not diving because my husband finally lost interest in cold water diving. But I met a friend, and we have been out all winter every weekend. I have worked myself down to 60 feet pretty comfortable. At this point, 40 feet is a piece of cake. The viz this winter has been great.

i still am getting a title nervous after 45 feet. But every time we dive, I have found myself more and more comfortable.

Lately, I am working on my breathing since I am still an air hog. I calm down when I breathe slowly and deeply.

The biggest difference, a big surprise: I now am into u/w photography! Once I started taking pics, the anxiety almost completely disappeared. I haven't called one dive, and am bummed when its time to turn around and go up.


Also wanted to answer some questions:

1) Yup, I really did dive with Orcas one day. Sea lions and seals are regular during certain times of year.

2) I never got nervous in the pool when I was training. Not even a twinge of anxiety. It only started once we got out in the murky green Alaska waters.


........

So, I feel just lucky to have met this amazing friend who takes me out and has helped me really discover diving. I also am fortunate to have an underwater camera, which has transformed my dive experience.

We have been exploring a site lately that can get a really strong current, so there may be some anxiety, but I've learned the power of logical mantras when anxiety hits, as well as the power of getting that next shot of the nudibranch/star fish/rockfish/jelly/octopus, etc!

 

[tyesai]

That is awesome!

 

[Doc Harry]

New here. I was certified last summer under PADI in southeast Alaska. I'm still terrified in the water! Especially in low viz or even worse, pea soup. I think that is the major problem.

HA!

I have about 500 dives and low viz/pea soup still makes me nervous. It's a survival instinct.

 

[Donnah]

"Nellie,"
Hang in there. Go someplace nice and warm to dive where you can see what's happening around you. Practice your skills until they are a part of you.

I was the one in scuba class that I am sure the instructors shook their heads about. Aced all the book work no problem. Didn't want to go into the deep end of the pool. Didn't have a prescription mask, so did most of my pool work blind as a bat. One time I sat on the bottom of the pool for 5 minutes, all alone, until someone noticed I hadn't gotten out of the pool.

I did my open water in surge in Isla. Had to do a back roll off a little boat -- first time I had been in water over my head that was moving. The only thing that got me off the boat was the fact that someone got seasick and started vomiting.

One of our first dive trips was to Grand Caymen. DM: Our first dive is to 100 feet. Everyone OK with that? Me: Hand waving in air. DM: OK, at what depth are you comfortable? Me: 30 feet. DM: OK, I'll be at 100 feet. You and your buddy stay right above me and I'll keep an eye on you. Well, in the Caymans at 100 feet you can look up and see the boat! I was fine, except when we went over the crevasses, I had to hold my husband's hand so I didn't fall in.

I've done wreck dives in Lake Superior in a dry suit. Going down a line to a wreck in almost zero vis is like a descent into Hell. You just keep going down and down the line. Very spooky. I was not a happy camper.

I would bet that you are intelligent, a reader, and someone who has a vivid imagination. People that aren't a little anxious in an unfamiliar, potentially dangerous situation are not at the top of the gene pool! Either that or they are too macho to admit it. A little anxiety keeps you sharp and prevents you from getting complacent. What helps me is to think about what could happen and how I would deal with it. Afraid of having your reg ripped out of your mouth? Then practice in a pool so the recovery is automatic.

Good Luck. Diving is magic. It's not often we have the chance to go into a different world and experience it!