Panicked on first deep dive

[Diver0001]

I'm a new diver - OW last summer. This year I started AOW training to prepared for a dive trip coming up. Everything had gone great, but when it was time for my deep dive checkout the following day, I panicked. My mask felt too leaky, the dry air was making me uncomfortable, and the poor visibility scared me. I made it to only 40 ft before I was hyperventilating and abandoned the dive. I really need this certification for my upcoming trip, and need advice. I'll be attempting another deep dive this weekend and am already nervous. Advice please!

Slow down.

Fear is an indicator that you're over-reaching. As divers we learn to push the envelop at a comfortable pace. For some people they can make the deep dive with almost no experience and feel fine. For others they need more time.

There's nothing wrong with you. You just need to take smaller steps. Take more time at depths where you feel comfortable and proceed prgressively deeper as your comfort zone broadens.

That may mean that you don't have your AOW before your trip but my attitude would be that if you're not ready yet then you'll probably have more fun on your trip doing shallower dives anyway.

R..

 

[Subcooled]

Dive more eyes open without a mask (eg in a pool, in waist deep water, ...) to become familiar with water in the eyes. It feels different and everything becomes blurry. It is very unpleasant and annoying if water enters ones nose - don't look up or you will have a nose wash And no, do not inhale through your nose...

Also, remove mask, put it on, and empty it repeatedly. Emptying a mask should be so familiar that it is boring. When emptying a mask or diving without one becomes routine, you become a lot less scared.

Diving in bad visibility can be frightening. If that happens, then remind yourself of the fact that the surface is above you and that the water is just water. Dive slowly and carefully watch where you are going.

Dive deeper only when that feels intersting and fun. Beeing scared means that you are more likely to panic would you encounter some challenges during the dive. If in fear - don't continue.

To abort the dive early was correct, and an admirable decision. Retain that skill.

 

[rivers]

slow down. you're not ready for deeper diving yet. there is nothing wrong with that. keep going to your local lake, do more divng, slowly progress your depth, work on mask clears and removals/replacements.

 

[Searcaigh]

You made the right decision, if it does not feel right thumb the dive.

Sounds like as others have mentioned you need more dives and certainly more experience with no mask swims to feel comfortable in the water with that scenario.

Another question, do you own your gear yet?

Unfamiliarity with gear can also be stressful at times especially if you have not dived much. Try and have a few pool sessions with somebody (doesn't have to be an instructor) just to practice some skills and perhaps try a few different masks … swap under water with your buddy, lose and retrieve your second stage without a mask and with your buddy in front of you, and let them do the same.

Take your time too, diving is fun

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Dive more, think less. Unlike some others I think the AOW course (properly taught) Will make you a better diver. You are stretching your envelope, but maybe a bit quickly. There is no substitute for time in the water. A dive to 120 feet should not "feel" any different than a dive to 40 feet. You will of course breath through your tanhk faster, and need to monitor gauges attentively, and stick to you dive plan. Don't over think this stuff. Learn it, apply it, plan it and do it. You are imposing stress on yourself. It's not from the dive profile. Talk to your instructor, consider these points, and take your time and you will master the skills and comfort level of an AOW dikver. The certification does not make you and advanced diver. Learning to DO and advanced dive does.
DivemasterDennis

 

[diver 85]

Relax(you might have put yourself under 'the gun' on that 1 dive) & keep trying......btw, you'll like the FGB.....

 

[nolatom]

One thing you likely *won't* have at the Flower Gardens is bad visibility. And while there may be some mid-depth current, it's usually much less on the bottom (and you are on the mooring line at mid-depth anyway). And the FLING (on which you're probably going) does a good job of prepping you and matching you up with buddies who will help keep you calm and reasonably confident.

I did the Flower Gardens as my first "deep" dive after cert. I think it was my 7th dive at the time when I stepped off the boat, 90 miles offshore. But the water was clear as gin (you can see it from the boat, and definitely from the surface of the water, and no current. It was serene and relaxing, and flat-out beautiful.

So I can't say if you are ready or not, but it sounds as though you had some stress-raisers you may not have at FGB. West Flower tops out at about 65' at the mooring bolt, and East Flower at say 70' (?), or thereabouts. So not hellaciously deep, and in the warm water and excellent vis, it seems like much less. I've had a much more challenging time diving 30-40' in colder and darker Mass. Bay.

 

[fnfalman]

Like everybody said, you don't have enough practical experience.

Even if you were to overcome a panic the next time you go out for the AOW cert, what happens when you do it for real on your own without an instructor? Passing a course doesn't make you an "Advanced" diver.

I disagree with Divemaster Dennis. A dive to 120-ft "feels" a lot different than a dive to 40-ft. You don't get narced at 40-ft.

Also, the Flower Garden dive spot may be calm or it may be not calm. It might be calm when you get in and 5-minutes later, current might pick up. Somebody with less than 20-dives under their belt is not going to be ready to do a blue water dive - which is what the Flower Garden is.

 

[Steve_C]

Do you have time to take a quick trip and do some clear water diving to see if that makes a difference?

 

[FinnMom]

Take several progessively deeper dives. Your goal in this course is NOT to make a deep dive, the goal is for you to learn how to make a deep dive & do it safely. If you don't come out of the course feeling fairly relaxed and confident about making your next deep dive then you haven't accomplished what you should have achieved.

The folks you are going to flower Gardens with probably want to do the workshop activities and enjoy their dives. They don't want to be diving with someone who is only just barely holding themselves together and undoubtedly burning through their gas at a classic "nevous Nellie" express rate.

It's amazingly much easier and more enjoyable to dive to 60 ft, then 80 then 100ft instead of trying to do everything in one dive. 3 dives is 3x as much learning opportunity, and also learning time which you will retain vastly more because you won't be so stressed & tunnel visioned while making the dives. Take the slower road. You should always be having fun; nervous is OK but it shouldn't be so bad that you aren't having any fun. Worst of all, not having any fun isn't even safe => unhappy divers can get much too upset much too easily.

Dial back the stress and train in a way that lets you feel a lot happier. You will become a deep diver when you are ready to be one. Until then you don't want to be.