Panic attack underwater after slight exertion (feeling out of breath)

[Celt]

I mean its not possible to overbreath a regulator, because they give so much gas, its not possible to breath it all.
A co2 buildup causes the sense to have not enough "oxygen". Thats whats usually called overbreathing.

Co2 panicked divers usually say, that the regulator didnt give enough gas, which is not true. The problem is, that the divers didnt exhale enough, so a co2 buildup is possible.

Or in the case of a panic attack to much oxygen and not enough co2, with high ppo2 in diving CO2 buildup is highly unlikely with open circuit, especially as the op said he didn’t do a lot of exercise. All the op needs to do is see how much air he’s using, if it’s a lot he’s over breathing.

 

[flymolo]

definitely sounds like co2. usually comes with a side of dark narc and a strong desire to spit out your regulator. when it happens just try to focus on taking long full exhales and reducing your exertion levels or resting all together if possible.

 

[Akimbo]

I agree with comments above, Carbon Dioxide is well known to induce panic. Panic attacks can induce rapid shallow breathing, which is inefficient at CO2 removal.

I have no idea if this applies to you but physical condition is another a big variable in efficient CO2 elimination. Swimming is a twofer in that it is very good for physical conditioning but also helps physiological comfort/conditioning.

Anyone interested in panic will find this thread interesting and thought provoking:

Question - Panic in the experienced diver?

It would seem to me that, as we gain experience and go through some minor glitches on dives, we should increase our capacity to tolerate issues underwater. I'm wondering what could cause an experienced (say, more than 200 lifetime dives) diver to become distressed enough to lose rational...

scubaboard.com

 

[rick00001967]

I know there are several threads on the subject of panic attack but wondering if anyone else has this specific problem that I have.
I have over 100 dives and feel pretty comfortable underwater. There was one incident where I had to swim against a strong current and I got out of breath very fast and felt like I was not getting enough oxygen through my regulator, panicked, and had the strongest urge to take my mask off and just get out of the water. Luckily I was able to grab the anchor line and catch my breath but after that I noticed that with the slightest elevated heart rate I feel like I’m gasping for air and start to panic. It could be a combination of psychological and being out of shape but I’m wondering if anyone else has a similar experience and any tips on dealing with this problem. Exercises for strengthening the lung perhaps? Thank you for your comments in advance!

you and i have something in common. i had a bad experience with a badly leaking reg many years ago and it caused a series of events that were not so great.

without going into detail, i also felt that over whelming urge to bolt. and that feeling of anxiety stick with me for a very long time.

it was a real struggle to put it behind me to allow me to once again enjoy diving and eventually work up to instructor level.

unfortunately that little devil on my shoulder rears his ugly head once in awhile, and one trigger for that is over exertion. so i am very aware of my dive conditions and how hard i push myself, especially if diving in current.

the key is being aware of what your triggers are, trying to avoid them (or at least control them as best you can), and then understanding how you react and how to calm yourself.

for me, realizing i am heading for a problem BEFORE it becomes a problem is the first and best defense, stopping all physical movement, controlling my breathing (slow in, fully exhale), and taking at least 10 secs to only focus on that, usually is enough to reverse the course of the anxiety. another trick is completely shift your focus from what you are doing to something else (i used to play with my camera setting sometimes just to break that phsycological pattern)

divers who have never experienced a real panic attack often have a hard time understanding how difficult it is to work through it. good for you for realizing a problem and searching for a way to help avoid it.

it takes time in the water but it will get better if you slowly work on it, i promise.

 

[lionfish-eater]

I would recommend getting checked for exercise induced asthma.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

Don’t Panic: Understanding the Causes and Remedies of Diver Panic

The

gue.com

Im thinking CO2

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I feel like this sometimes when diving, and then I remember that I'm out of shape. I know I'm not alone...

 

[EFX]

I would recommend getting checked for exercise induced asthma.

.....or caffeine induced asthma which is something I have. For me, it takes quite a lot of exercise usually preceded by a lot of caffeine. The feeling I get is that I cannot catch my breath even after resting. However, when I got checked my O2 level was at 96%. The feeling wears off after a while, probably when the caffeine level comes down to more tolerable levels.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

.....or caffeine induced asthma which is something I have. For me, it takes quite a lot of exercise usually preceded by a lot of caffeine. The feeling I get is that I cannot catch my breath even after resting. However, when I got checked my O2 level was at 96%. The feeling wears off after a while, probably when the caffeine level comes down to more tolerable levels.

Could this be something that maybe l-theanine might help to remedy in the future?

 

[Miyaru]

I know there are several threads on the subject of panic attack but wondering if anyone else has this specific problem that I have.
I have over 100 dives and feel pretty comfortable underwater. There was one incident where I had to swim against a strong current and I got out of breath very fast and felt like I was not getting enough oxygen through my regulator, panicked, and had the strongest urge to take my mask off and just get out of the water. Luckily I was able to grab the anchor line and catch my breath but after that I noticed that with the slightest elevated heart rate I feel like I’m gasping for air and start to panic. It could be a combination of psychological and being out of shape but I’m wondering if anyone else has a similar experience and any tips on dealing with this problem. Exercises for strengthening the lung perhaps? Thank you for your comments in advance!

Apart from all the reasoning, the cause has been mentioned by several people, the solution is really simple:

Breathe out consciously and breathe out completely.​

The feeling is that you're not getting enough air, the reason why is that you're not breathing out enough.