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 thought. Has anyone here (who meets those criteria) been through a panic event? What caused it, and what did you do?

 

[TSandM]

Overbreathing the regulator MEANS a CO2 hit . . . It means the increased work of breathing of using a regulator is enough, at the current demand, to prevent you from exhausting all your CO2. All regulators can deliver more gas, faster than you can use up oxygen, but the small increase in resistance involved in trigger the inlet valve and opening the exhaust valve can make the difference between being able to keep your CO2 normal under heavy work loads, and not being able to keep up.

 

[CamG]

ARGH The dreaded C02 it has or will teach us to manage our physically taxing dives!
I am convinced that no matter how careful and conservative we plan our dives C02 will make itself known at least a few times if you are diving much.It can be very dangerous and should be considered on every dive especially the deep ones in current or flow in a cave!

A few tense moments have made we acutely aware of what one feels like and I immediately begin counter measures on the first hint of onset.
It wasn't until cave diving that I really settled into a normal dive routine or should I say rhythm.
Not that I was a freak fast swimmer but I learned to pace the dive according to the conditions and environment.
THERE IS NO HURRY UNLESS AIR EMERGENCY!

Gas planning has made my dives so much more enjoyable.
When you follow the rules, train to be proficient in case of a emergency, are conservative you will be fine 99% of the time.
The other 1% are issues that are beyond our control that have a 50 /50 outcome at best.

Controlling dive stress is a integral part of All Dives!Diving within our personal limits will help to keep us out of trouble but in the 1% events it is training, a cool head, and down right determination to Think our way through what ever the event is.
This sounds crazy but I have witnessed Experienced divers get totally stressed out but maintain composer.
They fall into a bit of a lull not more than a few seconds then react in a problem solving manor.

A very good friend once told me you will always sink to the lowest level of training before you crack into the no return zone!
Wise words to live by I try to train constantly working through my dive rig solving failures and or problems that are possible to come up.
Should the need arise I am ready to meet the challenge.

Great thread TSandM it is a good read for everyone!
Thanks.

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[tracydr]

I was in the wading pool over the weekend practicing tying knots while mask off and breathing from my spare air. Since i had no weights on my wife had to stand on my back to hold me under. I had a momentary panic that water would get up my nose and i would choke and drown.

To control my panic I forced myself to work out a plan where I would beat her back with a flotation noodle while crawling up the ladder...

FWIW- The spare air had plenty of gas for the 4 foot ascent.

Sent from my SPH-P100 using Tapatalk 2

Sounds sort of kinky!

 

[NWDCGUY]

Overbreathing the regulator MEANS a CO2 hit . . . It means the increased work of breathing of using a regulator is enough, at the current demand, to prevent you from exhausting all your CO2. All regulators can deliver more gas, faster than you can use up oxygen, but the small increase in resistance involved in trigger the inlet valve and opening the exhaust valve can make the difference between being able to keep your CO2 normal under heavy work loads, and not being able to keep up.

Yes, after my co2 hit I actually had my pulmonary system examined by a doctor, which was very informative. All of our pulmonary systems perform at a set level of efficiency for O2 absorbtion and CO2 elimination. At depth the amount of work (diaphram/heart) necessary for respiration is increases and our lung efficiency decreases. In particular respiration of CO2 takes a nose dive, therefore when working hard, CO2 can't get out of our body quick enough. I assume this is analogous to panting after a hard run, but at depth you hit that limit much faster, and it takes much longer to go back to normal. I think your body goes into red alert because the amount of work it takes to breath is so much greater and your brain can't understand why it's so difficult to get rid of the CO2 / eliminate the Air Hunger.

The death of diver David Shaw in Bushmans Cave, he was 890 feet and blacked out while recovering a body because his work rate got way too high. I have to assume that at extreme technical depths like that you can go into a co2 hit / air hunger situation in the blink of an eye. They have the whole thing on his helmet cam. Knowing the extreme air hunger he had probably been feeling I have tremendous respect for his bravery.

I used to be Mr. Badass, wearing long free diving fins so I could pretty much crush any current, all while pushing an slr. Now I realize you can put yourself into a life threatening situation doing that, and I stopped. Sometimes after some hard work at depth I'll get a buzz and a tingle, which is accompanied sometimes by a feeling of warmth in my chest. I used to think it was Narcosis, but I know now it's co2 and overexertion and know to slow down and chill out. I have respect for the ocean and the dangers of being at depth.

 

[Monk Seal]

Following a dive boat group, we went into a "swim thru" discussed during the briefing. Only thing, there was a right and left turn in the "swim thru" not discussed. My buddy followed the group, but by the time I got to the intersection, no one was visible. I picked the wrong turn and ended up in a narrowing channel. Turn around impossible. Only options: back up or forward. Believing I was following a group out, I continued until I got to the end of a very narrow channel and my tank would not fit through the opening... First Stage Panic!!! I stopped. Checked gauges. Considered options. Luckily, with gear removed, there was a forward way out, but it was very, very narrow. Scared the $H!+ our of me. 4 lessons learned: 1) keep your buddy in sight, 2) ask about the dive environment during the briefing, 3) don't go into any (overhead) environment without a thorough understanding of the situation. 4) plan in advance for alternatives to lesson numbers 1, 2 & 3.

 

[Ste Wart]

I had a near panic a few weeks back.

The Situation:

Now diving in Cold Water, so dealing with Drysuit and and steel tanks (plus as I'm working under regulation and have to carry a Pony: no, I'm not happy about it). we dropped slightly down stream of the shot and I proceeded to motor towards it, not too strong of a current but enough to cause me to exert myself. I reach the line last and head down; at this point I'm breathing heavier than normal so descent is slow because I'm not relaxed, however I prefer to find my mojo underwater rather than on the surface (personal choice). I reach the bottom of the line; 9m, and shocking viz: the team just visible only metres away, then we begin our search (archaeological diving). All the while I'm focusing on regaining my breath control, yet I can feel the lizard part of my brain wanting to 'freak out', which is bizarre as after 2000+ dives I'm fairly comfortable in the water.
The dive was fairly unpleasant the whole time; 30 mins. I was on the end of a swim line, so basically on my own save a small length of cave-line telling me there was someone at the other end, and fighting to keep a CO2 hit a bay from the early shallow breathing. We surfaced without incident and went home. But it was a dive I'd rather forget.

In a bizarre postscript:
On this dive I had been using one of the team's personal steel 12s, also on a dive prior to this I had come up with a pounding headache and nausea using his tanks. I assumed 'bad air' but really couldn't smell anything when I checked them post dive. I had done a breathe check pre-dive as well, but couldn't taste anything. The same was true of this dive with the near panic. When we took both cylinders to get filled, the compressor operator picked up a bad odour straight away when double checking the valves were clear of moisture. He gave them to me and another to confirm this. It was odd that in the comfort of the dive shop; away from the sea and the smell of the car or boat, the smell was overpowering!!


What I took from this incident is how easily a panic attack could have overtaken me had this happened when I was new diver. The sensations were awful and it was only the experienced part of me; telling me to calm down, that kept the incident at bay.

 

[CamG]

A good friend of mine always says we sink to our lowest level of training in a high stress situation so train hard and often!
There is not always a red light or warning bell things happen and they can accelerate at a unforeseeable rate.
What makes the difference in survival can only be the ability to turn off the screaming sirens in your head and let the training take over if your skills are sub par your ability to cope will be like wise.

I had extra ordinary training as a new diver that forced me to confront some huge mental obstacles my instructor was very gracious and agreed to some rather intense training.
Train for the worst, hope for the best but expect things to go a muck!

Glad you are ok Wart.
Did you have a chance to analyze the gas?
I have been convinced that one can never be to careful.

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!

 

[Ste Wart]

Glad you are ok Wart.
Did you have a chance to analyze the gas?
I have been convinced that one can never be to careful.

I took one of the tanks out the other day; it looks like there is a problem with the tank. The air was fouler than a very foul thing! There was no doubt this time on the pre-check.

I took it back to the dive centre to drain and re-fill, but it's really not them, the tank is the issue all 5 other tanks filled that day were fine. The tank has been recently hydro'd and O2 cleaned, by the odour I;m guessing there is still detergent in it. I have to go check it this morning.

 

[Dive the World]

mini controlled panic is normal and even welcome and it helps you. Giving into panic is not where you want to be.

For me - I had a little scare for my buddy because he will filling a DSMB and for some reason put his reg to the side and I saw that he could not find it - so I bolted towards him and grabbed his reg and placed it in his mouth.

This took about a whole of 10seconds - just got a little worried about my buddy and also a teeny tiny bit annoyed at him for making such a novice mistake.

 

[TjRjn]

Starting about 3 years ago, occasionally on a blue water descent, I have to fight the urge to hyperventilate. I never am thinking about it before it happens and I am not surprised when it does, but I can feel panic sneaking up behind me when this occurs. I control the panic obviously, but it is a stern reminder that anyone can feel it.

I guess it has happened maybe 5 times out of a 1000 dives.

By the time I reach a depth and level off, it goes away as quickly as it came on.

I don't know what is causing it. Maybe lack of sleep triggers it? Stress topside? Vertigo? Getting old? Asthma which I had a case of viral induced a while back?

Your not alone with this feeling.