Panic in the experienced diver?

[TSandM]

It would seem to me that, as we gain experience and go through some minor glitches on dives, we should increase our capacity to tolerate issues underwater. I'm wondering what could cause an experienced (say, more than 200 lifetime dives) diver to become distressed enough to lose rational thought. Has anyone here (who meets those criteria) been through a panic event? What caused it, and what did you do?

[DevonDiver]

I've never experienced it, but I do strongly believe that most people have a threshold. Training and experience raise that threshold, but cannot erase it.

[Blackwood]

If I wasn't experiencing panic, I was certainly on the verge of it.

Story is already posted, but I'll discuss it here if anyone wants to (though it's no longer fresh in my mind).

[the wart]

A friend of mine had this.

He was doing his IDC and, for reasons I still don't understand, was asked to remove his mask at 20 metres; by the CD. Chris; my friend, tried and then panicked uncontrollably. He quit the IDC and diving. To my knowledge he hasn't dived in 5 years now and barely swims. He was around the 200 dive mark when he took the IDC. The only thing that he could put it down to was that he was never really meant to be a diver.

[DennisS]

I had an instructor who said "The difference between a normal diver and a panicked diver is about a tablespoon of salt water"

[beautybelow]

Starting about 3 years ago, occasionally on a blue water descent, I have to fight the urge to hyperventilate. I never am thinking about it before it happens and I am not surprised when it does, but I can feel panic sneaking up behind me when this occurs. I control the panic obviously, but it is a stern reminder that anyone can feel it.

I guess it has happened maybe 5 times out of a 1000 dives.

By the time I reach a depth and level off, it goes away as quickly as it came on.

I don't know what is causing it. Maybe lack of sleep triggers it? Stress topside? Vertigo? Getting old? Asthma which I had a case of viral induced a while back?

[mikemill]

It would seem to me that, as we gain experience and go through some minor glitches on dives, we should increase our capacity to tolerate issues underwater. I'm wondering what could cause an experienced (say, more than 200 lifetime dives) diver to become distressed enough to lose rational thought. Has anyone here (who meets those criteria) been through a panic event? What caused it, and what did you do?

I had one incident that caused me to start to panic. Without going to all the details I'll say that what lead to it was frustration about being in the situation and not being able to get out of it. Then fear about not being able to get out of it and/or getting into a worse situation set in. That lead to the start of panic.

What I did was recognize the panic setting in and addressed that. I focused on controlling my breathing, took stock of the situation, and made myself realize that I wasn't in as bad as a spot as I was letting fear make me think.

Now I will say that it wasn't underwater. It was on some shallow rocks on a strong swell day. I had the luxury of surface air and a lot of backgas left (first dive of the day on doubles). This afforded me the ability to take the time to put the panic down.

I'm certain that if I hadn't taken control of my panic the day would have ended much worse. As it turned out the worse thing was that rescue was called in but I was able to get myself out of it before they entered the water.

[Kingpatzer]

I posted my story. Basically, what took me over the edge was simply something unexpected that resulted in me taking in a bit of water. I managed to get back under control quickly, but it could have gone very sideways.

[miketsp]

I've never experienced it, but I do strongly believe that most people have a threshold. Training and experience raise that threshold, but cannot erase it.

From first-hand experience I can agree. I had just descended to 25m and found myself directly in front of an agitated diver making meaningless (to me) signals but pointing at my tank valve. Believing I had a leak I slowly rolled to one side to check my bubble stream.

While doing this the diver right in front of me bolted for the surface. I checked on my buddy and followed at a reasonably fast rate (I'd only been down for a couple of minutes).
I got to the surface just in time to tow the incapacitated diver away from the surf on the rocks.

After about 10 minutes of rest the diver recovered enough to explain.

It was nothing more than a tank valve 1/4 of a turn open instead of 1/4 of a turn from closed. It breathed at the surface but not at 25m.
Fine, except this was an instructor with many, many years of experience and many thousands of dives!
The instructor was totally unable to explain why they didn't signal OOA or just grab my spare or even my primary - all within arm's length or just reach back and check their own valve, instead of doing a CESA from 25m.

[DwayneJ]

Uncomfortable is the worst I haven been with scuba diving. I had two different issues in quick succession. I basically stayed on the anchor line at depth until I could sort myself out.

Dwayne