Super newbee - having 2nd thoughts

[coquito]

S.,

That's exactly what happened, and how I got a little (stress on "little" )handle of the situation. All of you knew exactly what I was talking about, why did not my instructor know this? Hmmm.

Thank you so much for the good advice and most of all, for the support. I feel better knowing that this is a common reaction. I will exhale,

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...

You guys are great!!!

 

[coquito]

Bonnetray,

Thank you for the reply. I can relate to those feelings. I was having second thoughts about this and I was thinking that I probably was not going to feel comfortable either. I guess there is still hope,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I'll keep y'all posted.

 

[Bonnet Ray]

You'll be fine, just go at your own pace and if you aren't happy to do something say so.

 

[SueMermaid]

...and remember that diving is not for everyone. The world is not going to come to an end if you decide not to finish. There is no law that says you have to do this. It is all about having fun. If it's not fun, why do it? That being said, so what if your instructor has never seen your situation before. You are you, not anyone else. You have to do things your way. Take your time. It's actually very relaxing! Find your center. Breathe. :japanese: Feel the force.

I know what you mean about the nightmares, I had those after I took a whitewater kayaking course and learned to do an eskimo rescue. It was scary!

 

[JohnCollins]

See if an instructor at the dive shop will let you just lie in the shallow end where you can easily stand up on your own and just blow a tank of air getting used to it. At some point, you're probably going to feel natural about it. It's normal for your brain to say "Why the heck are you breathing when I can feel water all over your face, you nuts????" It takes a while to reprogram for this, but you probably will.

On the other hand, stick with it in the pool until you get comfortable there before doing your OW dive. If you can't get comfortable in the pool, I suspect you won't be any more comfortable in open water, in fact you might feel worse. If it never gets comfortable, that's OK, too! Happens to many folks.

My parents got certified in the 70's. Mom's first dive in Hawaii after her cert got cut short because she, smartly in my opinion, decided she really wasn't comfortable. Never dove again--loves to snorkel. There's no shame in that at all.

If I were a betting man, though, I'd bet Blue Kangaroo's idea will get you over it. Go at your pace, though. DO NOT be forced into an OW dive until you are comfortable in the pool.

Good luck!

JPC

P.S. I just thought of something. If the school is willing to give you a tank to play with in the shallow end do not go in the deep end with all gear. You could get in trouble and need someone to fish you out. If you're responsible, though, and will stay in the shallow end, and start out by just kneeling on one knee and getting used to it there, you'll be safe. Do not leave the edge of the pool in the shallow end, if you're by yourself, though. This is just to get comfortable breathing, then get right back with the instructor.

Good luck.

 

[sealkie]

So .. how did you get on ?

 

[MASS-Diver]

Cocentrate on exahling. Don't even worry about the inhale, just concetrate on long (5-10seconds) exhales. Blow all the bubbles out. It should help alot. Just go and lay on the bottom in the shallow end, close your eye,s and think only about breathing out for as long as possible.

HTH

 

[PhotoTJ]

Think of it as a meditative process. Breath in, breath out. Try to feel the slightest movement of the water against your skin. Every tiny bubble as it rolls up your body. Concentrate on this, and you'll find you no longer are even thinking about breathing, you're just doing it.

 

[CBulla]

I've practiced bouyancy in the fashion that MASS-Diver and PhotoTJ are talking about. It really helps get the breating control, bouyancy, and any other thoughts out of your head and at the same time you get the chance to fine tune skills. I've even played tic-tac-toe with my buddy while doing that to put my mind onto something else while relaxing. One day I'll break out the scrabble or chess board!

 

[alaity47]

Keep it up, Coquito - SCUBA can be super-challenging at first, but it's definitely worth it once you get the hang of things. It's frustrating watching how easily it comes for some others in the class, though isn't it! <grin>

I was SUCH a nervous diver at first! I don't know how I got through my certification; I was constantly panicky about my gear, equalizing, air consumption, you name it! I was even scared in the pool on the day when our instructor went around pulling off fins and such; my buddy had to talk me into it! No idea what I was actually afraid of; just nervous with all the gear, I think. I didn't dive for a year and a half after that, which was pretty stupid.

After I met my now-husband, he got me a refresher course for my birthday - just played in our instructor's pool for an hour or two, and got more familiar with the equipment in a non-stressful situation. Then I went on my first boat dive, and our instructor had one of his instructor friends come along just to dive with the two of us.

Those two days made a HUGE difference - just being able to go at completely my own pace, and knowing that there were people there keeping an eye on me.

I have to say, though, it's my husband Jeff who really made the difference. He's been an amazing buddy; I'm one of those people who needed a certain amount of hand-holding to get accustomed to diving, and I still need to feel like my buddy is actually paying attention to me! A good buddy and lots of practice have made me a MUCH more relaxed diver.

I have so much sympathy for all the nervous divers out there now that I'm seriously considering going for my instructor certification so I can tag along with classes and give a little extra help to the nervous ones - I know firsthand what a difference personal attention makes!