Predicting and Preventing and Handling Dive Panic or Anxiety

[DevonDiver]

Students can cause me anxiety. I rarely get one that stresses me badly, but occasionally it happens.

 

[kimbalabala]

DevonDiver - students can cause me anxiety on occasion too - and I teach Sociology!!!!

 

[Peter Guy]

So, how have you as a diver handled the stress of a trigger event(s) and avoided a harmful action or reaction and thus avoided an incapacitating injury or death?

Out of breathing gas

Entrapment

Rough water -YES -- I was with TSandM on the dive in the Red Sea where we were both caught in significant surface current -- How was I able to cope? A. Training and experience were really the key. I had experienced similar conditions so I had an idea what to do which in this case was to find a line and grab on! I also had the training to be fit enough to hold on even though it felt like my arm was being pulled out of the shoulder socket. In fact, a better solution would have been for the boat crew to have realized the current issue much earlier and had a pickup boat out for us since we were pretty loaded down with gear.

Physical trauma or injury

Buoyancy problem

Inappropriate breathing gas - YES -- At around 80' I became concerned my breathing gas was contaminated and wanted off my supply NOW! I signaled a teammate to donate, she did without hesitation. We just hung in the water for some time while I decided things were better and then signaled to do an expedited exit (swim upslope to the exit rather than a direct nighttime ascent where boats might hit us). The rest of the team (there were 4 of us total) watched and we all ended the dive without any issue.
What made this a non-issue? Training and experience with a fair amount of practice over time. You can get all the best training in the world but if the diver doesn't practice what has been trained, especially emergency skills, they may well become useless.
How can divers avoid turning an "incident" into an "accident?" A. Get good training. B. Practice what you have been trained to do. C. Use your skills on a regular basis.
There is nothing new to this but without following those rules, it is easy to turn an incident into an accident.

Emergency ascent

Equipment problem

Cardiac symptoms, but dove anyway

Too many "first's" (i.e. new equipment and dive site)

Strong current or surge - YES -- A dive in So.California was deliberately done in heavy current (so heavy that 3 other charter boats decided not to drop divers). The 18 (?) divers from our boat all had the requisite training (there's that word again), experience AND THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT to do the dive. In this case, we all had scooters that could counter (at times barely) the current. It was an exhilerating dive that pushed all of us, but training, experience and equipment made for a safe dive.

Middle ear equalization problem

 

[Jim Lapenta]

• Out of breathing gas - not since dive number 13 and that did not induce panic but was stressful. Fortunately instructor was nearby
• Entrapment - Have been wrapped up in mono a couple times in local sites but not badly. Training avoided any stress and experience makes each incident more of an annoyance rather than panic or even stress inducing situation
• Rough water - Ginnie Springs got tumbled over and over in brown water drifting from ear to ballroom in the river. Early on in my diving. Very stressful but managed to just inflate a bit and surfaced.
• Physical trauma or injury- reverse block that forced me to go back in and do a 20 minute ascent from 15 feet. Worried that I would not be able to get it cleared. Took 3 weeks for full effects to go away
• Buoyancy problem
• Inappropriate breathing gas
• Emergency ascent
• Equipment problem
• Cardiac symptoms, but dove anyway
• Too many "first's" (i.e. new equipment and dive site)
• Strong current or surge
• Middle ear equalization problem

The closest I have come to really getting stressed out was during my intro to tech class and due completely to over exertion. Was my first dive in my LP 85's and entering the water at this site is often very tricky due to loose rocks and big steps down. Made it all the way into the water and fell backwards. Water was just about a foot too shallow to turn over. Instead of moving out into deeper water I tried to get my self turned over by grabbing an overhanging tree branch and struggled for a good two minutes to stubborn and stupid to ask for help from one of the other divers there. Tried to be cool about it. VERY STUPID THING TO DO.

Finally got turned over just as it was time to go out for the dive and do the task for that dive. I was already out of breath but convinced I could handle it. MORE STUPIDITY AND BAD JUDGMENT.

The task for this dive was to bring a toxing diver up from 25 feet and tow them approx 50 yds to shore. My vic happened to be in double lp 95's and carrying two stages. An al80 and a 40. What I learned from this was number one if you over exert thumb the dive no matter how much you paid. Two drop the vics stage bottles! They do not need them.

I got him to the surface just fine and was about to begin the tow when it all caught up with me. All of a sudden I could not breathe. Could not get enough air. I felt the cycle starting big time (even though in truth it started when I fell, just did not see it) and pulled my mask off and shoved it in a pocket then jerked my hood off and still could not catch my breath. I stopped towing and told my vic/buddy I needed help that I could not catch my breath. Luckily he was not a new student in the class but a guy practicing for his full tri mix checkouts to 250 feet. His reaction was instantaneous and deliberate. He immediately disengaged and got behind me and put me on my back and as he was doing this alerted the other teams that he had a diver in distress and it was not a drill.

In seconds there were 3 more teams next to me as I was being towed to shore and was now slowly catching my breath. The shore was about 40 yds and I was only in my drysuit by the time we hit it. And I walked up to the car under my own power quite embarrassed and not happy. Oxygen was offered but declined as I was now ok. We did a full debrief and from that experience I learned some valuable lessons I have never forgotten and try to pass on to new divers. All of which can avoid panic or if realized in time break the cycle once it starts.

1. If a dive does not feel right don't do it.
2. If you have a problem before the dive make sure it's fully resolved before doing the dive.
3. This includes making sure you are not tired out from number 2
4. In rescues make it as easy on yourself as possible and leave your ego at home. Had I not been overtired the exercise would not have been a big deal. I repeated it after being fully rested with same conditions no problem. As it was I should have dumped his stages - not like they would have gone anywhere.
5. Do not dive with anyone in new conditions that does not have basic rescue skills. It's why I have no problem diving with students and do not consider they are not capable of effecting a rescue. they have gotten unconscious diver, panicked diver, rescue tows while stripping gear, and supporting a diver at the surface in my OW class in the pool.
6. Do not dive with anyone who has not had basic rescue skills unless I'm getting paid to teach them those skills on the dives.
7. Know your limitations and pay close attention when getting close to them.
8. As soon as you feel stressed be aware of it. The jump to panic is short.
9. Practice skills and task loading on every dive in some way. No exceptions.
10. Communicate with buddies and team members ANY issues or concerns before they turn into problems. The presentation I'm working on now for a show in March is on this and when it needs to happen, how it should be done, and why it is so important. Lack of clear and effective communication can and has killed divers.

 

[beester]

Out of breathing gas Entrapment
Rough water YES : North Sea dive, we were fully equiped ready to drop, but slack tide was miscalculated... so we ended up sitting fully equiped, in a small hard rolling boat, while diesel fumes were increasing the already nautiating mix... after 30 min of this including some vommiting we dropped in. Best call would have been to call the dive but as usual other stuff clouds better judgment.
Physical trauma or injury YES: Slipping while descending the rocks of a local quarry (out of the water)... falling on your back with twin 12Ls hurt
Buoyancy problem
Inappropriate breathing gas
Emergency ascent
Equipment problem YES: Fully dry suit leak (neck seal) when ascending after dive, with 10 min of deco obligation in 40° water. 10 min was ok... shouldn't have been 30. Santi BZ400 undersuit really was a blessing.
Cardiac symptoms, but dove anyway
Too many "first's" (i.e. new equipment and dive site) YES : I was introducing 2 people I know from wreck-diving in a local deep quarry dive (120 feet). At the same time I was testing my new undersuit (above Santi BZ400) and a new 10mm hood. I was just doing too much at the same time... briefing the other 2 guys to the dive, getting to know my undersuit, when I put up my hood I didn't notice it immediatly but my heartrate was rising alarmingly.. Getting up and doing final checks at the quarry entry made it worse... I had briefed the 2 other guys that we would drop to 15 feet, do a bubble check and then drop to 50 for a final ok before descending further. If anything was wrong at either depth we could call the dive or keep at that level without descending further. I called the dive at 50 feet, because my heartrate didn't drop and I felt a danger for hypercapnia / ensoufflement. Cause of increased heartrate was the hood which was too constricting.
Strong current or surge YES: Red Sea dive on Carnatic wreck. Wind and waves were up at start of dive already, however when ascending we noticed already wave action at 30 feet. When surfacing (every team on their own with OSB) we noticed that waves were much higher, that 1 of the zodiacs had engine problems at the back of the reef (in shelter) and the other zodiac was attempting to pick all the divers up... no easy feat at such wave height. It took quite some time before everybody was picked up, zodiac was overloaded. We kept teams as much as possible together, however some people were very stressed because of motion-sickness, waves collapsing over their heads, keeping together, etc.
Middle ear equalization problem

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I think that there are pre-dive signs that a diver is going to have excessive stress on a dive, or be unable to respond to stress situations well, and as a dive leader I look for them. Here are the early indicators I have observed:

difficulty setting up equipment
quiet and withdrawn attitude
excessive questions or or chattiness indicating nervous tension
spouse or buddy pressuring a reluctant diver to do a dive
tension between a member of a couple, whether fiends, buddies, lovers or spouses,
expressed reluctance to do a dive, overtly or subtly

If I observe any of these things I will try to engage the diver in casual conversation for information, but I will focus attention on them in the water for certain. Sometimes I invite them to dive with me or stay close to me. I think these signs show up in students as well as with divers on an excursion. Often a diver who is anxious about a dive can be made comfortable through information and assistance, but sometimes the best thing is for them to skip the dive. I cannot recall feeling anxious for myself for a long time, but like other responding professionals, responsibility for the safety of others in rough conditions can and often does raise my stress level.
DivemasterDennis

 

[Carlos Danger]

I would say my biggest stessors in recent memory are probably when I was run over by a newbie on a night dive (mask and reg kicked out), and having my $1300 computer slip off my wrist unnoticed after the strap failed (and having to swim back against strong current to go look for it as my dive group drifted away).

 

[aceupmysleeve777]

If you included student as a stressor I could pick that as one over the last 12 months. Keeping a student from bolting for the surface at 90 feet by grabing them and having a hold of there BC buckle, accent line and wraping my leg around the accent line to keep the accent speed slow! We got to the surface with no fast accent warnings and by the time we got there they were air starved, puking, coughing, crying, and hyperventilating. So you want to be a DM?

 

[Avonthediver]

This is one I had happen to me two summers ago.

While setting an anchor I looked up and got a real bad vertago thing that scared the crap out of me and I rocketed up till I realized what I was doing and stoped myself. I closed my eyes and got myself under control and then came up as I should. A friend's wife who was looking over the side asked me what that was about and all I could say is I dont know. She saw all of my bubbles and saw me coming up till I stopped.
To this day I dont know what it was or why it happened but it did. Has this happened to anyone?