anxiety / panic attack forcing me to end dive

Hey there!

I have been diving for about 2 years now and have a little over 30 dives under my belt. Last year I went on a trip with my schools scuba club to Monterey California (my first time diving in the ocean) for a week. The dives at the beginning of the week went really well and were really fun. Later on in the week I would be psyched and ready to dive, but after we would make our surface swim out (we were shore diving) I would get a really panicked feeling to the point where I was so uncomfortable that I would swim back to shore, on the surface, without doing any of the dive. This continued for quite a few dives. On a couple of the dives I tried to "force" my way through it by descending and trying to calm myself down on the bottom and do the dive, but about 5 minutes into it I would have to call it because all I could think of was "I want to be on the surface NOW!" This even occurred at some of the dive sites that I had done earlier in the week just fine.

After that trip I did a specialty course in a lake and had a similar problem, but to a much smaller degree. After that dive I told the instructor what was going on and he suggested loosening my mask strap, so I did and the next dive went off without a hitch. I made quite a few more dives in different lakes and didn't have any problem.

I just got back from another trip to California (Lagoona Beach and La Jolla) and the same thing happened again. My first dive was great, but after that one I kept getting so panicked that I would have to end the dive either on the decent or right after because I was panicking so much. On this trip I did have a new mask (my old one broke) and I tried every adjustment possible on it but it didn't seem to help at all.

Does anyone have any possible reasons for this and/or possible solutions for it problem?

I'm no psychologist, but it seems to me like you've tried on your own to exorcise your demons with limited success. Do you think professional help may be in order? I'm not saying this to be trite or flippant. Maybe seeing a psychologist can get you to the cause of your anxiety. It may be something you consciously know nothing about and a psychologist may be able to get you do dig it up. May be worth a try.

Good luck!

I can understand why Monterey diving made you nervous. For someone who's never been in the ocean, the combination of surf, surge and low visibility can be overwhelming. Once you start feeling tense, it builds on itself, as fear leads to feelings of loss of control, leading to more tension, etc.

You could take tfsails' advice and hire a professional to help you identify, confront and master your demons, but before going and shelling out dough for that kind of professional help, consider this approach.

Go back to square one and find a level of diving where you are comfortable, even if it's only in a pool or quarry, then incrementally push out beyond that, always staying within a level of manageable tension. As you find yourself tensing up think about exactly what's bothering you, and master that before going farther. Also practice each of the basic skills such as bouyancy management until you have absolute confidence in yourself. You might also try your next ocean experience someplace warm and friendly like in the tropics.

The object of the process is to break the cycle of tension and panic and replace it with a process of confidence building. Like everything challenging, diving is best mastered by a process of (figuratively) crawling, then walking before trying to run.

Glad that you're working through it the best you can. It's good that you're realizing your heightened state and canceling the dive. That's the best course of action.

What's causing the tension? At the point you first notice the increase, take immediate action to mitigate.

If this means taking a break from surface swimming to catch your breath and hang out with your buddy, then you should do it.

I would suggest to choose a different "professional". Not a psychologist, but a dive master/instructor to go with you for that ocean dive. Then you'll have somebody whom you trust to discuss your fears before and during the dive.

Dear Oricvon:

First and foremost, the advice above seems "spot on" from my limited perspective. The fact that you are still diving and trying to find a way to make it work despite your panic episodes is quite a testiment to both your love of the sport and your determination. The bottom line is that you are the only one in a position to judge if the panic you are feeling comes from a deep seeded fear that only a professional can help you deal with or it is a more simple matter of putting yourself in less challenging environments until your comfort level catches up with your gung ho explorer's instincts. If it is the former, you really should give diving a rest until you have taken the time to deal with whatever the underlying issue is... I love diving, but it isn't worth forcing yourself into a series of events that could escalate into a life threatening outright panic...

Are we right in concluding that all of your ocean diving has been shore diving through surf in relatively poor visibiity? If so, you are limiting yourself to some of the most difficult and least enjoyable diving around. If, and only if, you are absolutely convinced this is not a phobia that could result in an outright panic underwater (have all your ascents been slow and controlled... are you fully in control even when your panic is at its highest/), then you might want to try boat diving in warm, placid, high visibility waters until you (and your self preservation fight or flight instincts) are completely comfortable with the underwater world you are so clearly and powerfully drawn to.

The important piece is to ensure that the seas are calm with minimal swell. Next to surf, high swell is probably the second biggest cause of recreational diver stress. It is no fun getting off and back onto a dive boat in high swell. In the continental US the two best destinations that come to mind are the Florida Keys and Fort Lauderdale.... If you prefer cold water, the east side of Catalina is typically a good bet (always call before you go!). Beyond that, any sheltered island in the Caribbean or Hawaii would probably work just fine!

When I was going through flight training there was one student who loved fighters and all he could talk about was becoming a fighter pilot... After six flights in a small two seater jet (the T-37) he figured out he really didn't like hanging upside down pulling negative G's... He is now making $200k as an airline pilot flying straight and level 2 days a week. Sometimes our romantic notions don't match the reality of what suits us.

Let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out. Above everything else, be truly honest with yourself at every step of the way!

P

oricvon:

I just got back from another trip to California (Lagoona Beach and La Jolla) and the same thing happened again. My first dive was great, but after that one I kept getting so panicked that I would have to end the dive either on the decent or right after because I was panicking so much. On this trip I did have a new mask (my old one broke) and I tried every adjustment possible on it but it didn't seem to help at all.

Does anyone have any possible reasons for this and/or possible solutions for it problem?

Click to expand...

There are all sorts of possible reasons, ranging from anxiety to CO2 retention from a too-high-volume snorkel, CO2 buildup from poor breathing or overwork, general anxiety, poorly fitting equipment, poorly performing regulator, leaky mask, and at least several dozen other things.

I'd suggest hiring a good instructor fo a private dive with you and see if he/she notices anything.

Terry

Hello,

It sounds like you may not be comfortable in areas outside of the lakes you normally dive. Let me relate a small experience and hopefully it will give you some heart to try it again. I agree with the more experienced posters here to take a private session with a DM to boost your confidence and reduce your stress.

Living in Sydney, I've only done shore dives (14 now) and I remember the first ocean dive was at a place where the waves were crashing onto the shore non-stop - it definitely made me nervous. We eventually had to find an alternative entry point. I was very clumsy in the water and putting on my fins was an absolute nightmare.

Eventually we did get into the water and I've since had a few more of these "wild" entries. I'm relatively comfortable in the water now. Some of the things which I do to keep a level head:

1. Be aware of your surroundings - take note of where you are, what is in the vicinity and underneath the waves. You are less likely to panic if you are expecting something. Sometimes in low visibility, you get some sort of vertigo while descending/ascending so it's especially important to be aware of this - this can cause some irrational panic and wanting to cancel the dive etc.

2. Breathe regularly and slowly - breathing is very important and one of the reasons why I enjoy diving... this will keep anxiety in check as you know what is going on with 1.

3. Plan, ask your DM more questions so you feel comfortable what you might expect swimming out etc. Low visibility, rocks under the surface

While I'm not familiar with the beaches at where you live, I also recommend maybe just swimming on beaches there... you might feel more confident in expecting surf etc.

These are a few points from a fellow beginner, hope they help - good luck!

Oricvon - it happens. We are not designed to be underwater and panic is a normal, if unnecessary and unwanted state of mind.

There's some good advice above but I would especially recommend you dive 1-on-1 with an experienced dive professional or dive buddy. We as instructors/DMs see the panic reaction from time to time - and it *can* be overcome. Find somebody you get on with and hold hands through the dive if necessary.

Panic often sets in when your brain is going a million miles an hour thinking about stuff that is mostly irrelevant: "help! I'm going to drown!!" - well, no you're not, you've got a few thousand litres of air in you tank that will keep you alive. You don't need pshychiatric therpay but a 1 to 1 dive with a caring dive buddy/dive professional will go a long way to helping you out.

Relax when you're diving - you're more likely to get hit by a bus than anything bad happen to you underwater - but if you panic, bad things can happen.

If you want more personal advice, as always, feel free to PM - if you're really rich, come visit me in the caribbean!!

Happy diving,

C.

I would start my dive from just off the shore ie descend quickly in very shallow water & dive the profile of the bottom-----heading outward ie toward deeper water....