Please Help! I need to get over this fast!

[ruready7]

Practice as everyone had said. I had the same problem and by listening to the hints from here I got thru it and you can too. Congrats on not bolting to the surface. I had the same problem cause when check out dives the water was 56 degrees. The cold water on face caused issues but keep practicing and you will not have to think about doing it.

 

[RAWalker]

There is nothing wrong with holding your nose.
The only problem is your freaking. Hold your nose if you need to it is a viable response and gives you the time needed to find and or replace your mask.
Not getting nervous is the main thing.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Get out the Dish Pan sit at the kitchen table and blow bubbles into it! When comfortable add snorkel until comfortable! Don't bother with the mask! Try different temperatures of water as well! Lot of good advise about practice, but you need an exercise to follow! Go in and don't come out until your comfortable!

 

[don Francisco]

I could tell you it's all in your head, but you know that already. You should be proud that you suppressed the urge to bolt to the surface on your quarry dive. That should tell you that you'll easily overcome the problem since you can already manage it with sheer willpower.

As others have said the answer is practice until you can do in your sleep. Unfortunately tub or shallow water practice with a snorkel won't do it for you since that doesn't confront your specific problem.

I suggest you talk this over with the instructor who might let you sit in at his next pool classes and practice with rented tank. Then you can sit on the bottom and work through your fears.

BTW- how do you get a mask on or off while holding your nose?

 

[viceroy]

I always try keep some air bubbles in my nose so that water doesn't go up.

 

[bottlecap]

I can't add anything these fine people haven't said, except i wish you the best of luck over coming this, I know how hard it is to try and over rule your brain.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

I completely understand your fear--I am the same way. Exposing my nose to water just makes me uncomfortable. But don't worry, like others said, you WILL get used to it. Just take it slowly. When I got certified way back, flooding my mask was not part of the training, at least not during the open water checkout dives. Then I didn't dive for a number of years, and when I finally got back into it, I accompanied my then girlfriend during her certification dives, just for fun. When the instructor had everyone sit in a circle at 30 feet in the ocean and do the mask flooding exercise, I thought to myself, "He's got to be kidding." But I forced myself to do it, along with the students. As soon as I got back into diving more regularly, I practiced flooding my mask and removing it quite frequently. The frequent practice brought me to a point now where I comfortably can switch masks at depth. All it takes is collecting myself, preparing mentally and doing it slowly and consciously. I find it helpful to do it step by step: Flood mask first, but don't take it off yet. As soon as you feel everything is ok, slowly remove it and continue breathing through your reg, slowly and easily. Exhale slightly through your nose if you want to prevent water from entering. I always remind myself that even in the event that I breathe in a few drops of sea water, I can cough through my reg and still get all the air I need. Trust me, the discomfort you experience is only natural, we mammals have an inbuilt urge to close off our airways when immersed, but with practice and time it won't bother you at all. Part of it may also be that if you're a nose breather (I know I am), it takes a little more conscious effort to suppress the urge of inhaling through the nose. That's where the practice and doing it slowly and consciously come in.

No worries, you'll get there!

 

[sskasser]

I struggled with the mask skills as well, and now see many students go through the same. The previous answers are spot-on....PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE...it will get better, but only if you keep doing it over and over until you're completely bored with it and have no qualms about having your mask off.

It sounds silly, but this really helped me and a few others...stand in your shower with your face in the spray and breathe through your mouth for a couple of minutes each day until the mask-off skills are a breeze!

Whatever you do, don't give up!

 

[octopuppy]

Hang it there. You might take it in steps. My husband struggled with this. His dive instructor suggested renting a tank. Put it in the bath tub filled with water, straddle it, then practice breathing with mask off. (Well now THAT would have been the photo for the Christmas card!) It really helped. Next try shallow water in pool, then to deep end. Try to get into a breathing pattern. Then flood mask, breath a few times, then remove trick is good as stated earlier. Keeping my eyes closed seems to help too. Just some thoughts. You are NOT alone!

 

[mbscuba]

I like to practice breathing in through my mouth and out through my nose during my day to day routine topside. Focusing on the specifics of this helps me underwater. Also, without my mask I always continue to breath out of my nose with each breath. I feel more comfortable knowing there's no chance of water going up there!