Snorkeling/SCUBA skills crossover?

[Skittl1321]

Hi Skittll1321:

When do you have these anxieties? Say if you went to local pool and just swam or stayed stationary breathing through your snorkel, would you become uncomfortable to a near panic attack? Also, what are you trying to accomplish by swallowing with your nose pinched? Perhaps, we're overthinking things and you just need a period of acclimation to the water environment.

O.

I only have a problem when I surface while snorkeling. As long as my face is in the water, I snorkel just fine (though I rarely dive, however my snorkel is a 'dry' snorkel and has a purge valve so I don't have to blow water out of it if any gets in). As soon as I surface when I dive, I feel like I can't breathe and need to remove my mask to be able to breathe through my nose. This is regardless of whether the snorkel is still in my mouth.

So at a pool, the issue really isn't any different than the ocean. If my face is in the water, I have no problem. Once I take my face out of the water, the inability to breathe through my nose causes me to react as though I can't breathe at all.

I am perfectly comfortable in the ocean- I usually end up swimming along with my husband while he continues snorkeling after I have had a few too many panic attacks. We've been in the water for 2 hours at a time. This was Cozumel, so we had to swim against currents.

Swallowing with my nose pincheed- that was really just because I was trying to breath with my nose pinched shut (to practice mouth breathing). I kept coughing/choking, and my husband asked me why- and that was when I discovered that swallowing might be what causes the problem. I think when I surface from snorkeling is a time I am way more likely to swallow, when I am not concentrated on the in/out mouth breathing a snorkel requires, and that is part of the panic problem.

 

[Arubandi07]

I think this might be beyond me. I'm not quite sure what it is supposed to be doing.

But thanks for trying!

What I described, is a vocal exercise, working on controlled tongue movement/positioning to go from 'open throat'(predominantly oral exhale) to 'closed throat'(isolated nasal exhale).
Step 2 would incorporate the use of intervals, and adds larynx movement, another major component involved in equalizing, to the training process.

The complete process(yes, a couple of more steps) would result in proficiently executing equalization via the 'Frenzel' method, which does not involve a complete 'swallowing' motion of the larynx. At a minimum, any snags you hit in the course of this training regimen, may help you in getting a clearer picture of the actual root cause of your problem, rather than taking a stab in the dark ...

There's 'method to the madness', but I'll leave things alone for now ... If you're really interested in pursuing this 'avenue', pm me.

 

[Skittl1321]

That sounds really interesting. I used to have friends who were vocal coaches (well, still have the friend, but they don't live in this state...) who probably could explain what you're talking about, but it doesn't appear to be something that is easy to pick up through writing!

I definetly believe you there is method to the madness Just not sure I can do it 'online'.

 

[Arubandi07]

That sounds really interesting. I used to have friends who were vocal coaches (well, still have the friend, but they don't live in this state...) who probably could explain what you're talking about, but it doesn't appear to be something that is easy to pick up through writing!

I definetly believe you there is method to the madness Just not sure I can do it 'online'.

Screw 'online' ... I'll be in touch.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

The "mask thing" is everything. You need to get used to the feel of the mask on your face and leaving it on your face under the water, at the surface, and everywhere. For many people it's the inability to nose breath that causes them to be uncomfortable in a mask. You will get over that with time. The fact is that snorkeling and scuba skills overlap as does gaining comfrot with the equipment. Consider buying a quality scuba mask fitted to your face, and wearing it for 30 minutes a day. If you wear lenses or contacts, get a prescription mask, which will increase your comfort level when wearing it. Don't overthink this issue. Don't force it either. Taking a quality certification class from a reputable agency and local dive shop will assist you in dealing with mask issues and other issues. And don't underestimate the positive impact of quality equipment that is properly fitted to you.

DivemasterDennis

 

[Skittl1321]

Thought I'd follow up with this thread. Having done my confined water dives, I can now safely say the mask isn't my issue- it's the mouth breathing. Once I realized I can exhale through my nose in my mask on the surface and on scuba (thanks Andi!), I was pretty comfortable with the mask. And constant nose exhaling meant my mask skills (clearing, no mask swim) were a breeze! So that means the problem is the snorkel. For some reason, nose exhaling just doesn't work when swimming with the snorkel, so I haven't figured out a 'system' to feel comfortable breathing.

When we did the dives, I am perfectly able to dive underwater, clear the snorkel (which is semi-dry, so it barely gets water in it), but after like 2 more breaths, then I feel like I'm out of air (all while staying at the surface) and have to come up, spit the snorkel out and get an actual breath before I can start again.

I also suck at swimming on the surface with fins.

So I'm going to go to the local pool and get some snorkeling time in. In a way, the scuba course helped- because it allowed me to reduce one variable (the mask) from the "why do I suck at snorkeling" equation, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem like getting comfortable on scuba is going to help my comfort in a snorkel. But, if I can master the regulator transfer skills so I'm a bit more comfortable getting it back in my mouth, scuba sure seems like it will be a lot of fun!