Anxiety onset: "Experienced" diver

SmacA · Jan 7, 2014

Not sure how to explain this, but here goes...

Recently I have been getting a feeling of "what am I doing down here" whilst diving. I recognize this, stop, take a moment to gather my thoughts, and carry on.

I have 200+ logged dives and am qualified to PADI DM (but don't use the qualification at all, and don't intend to).

Weirdly, it's worse the shallower I am. I feel it more at 10m, but if I go deeper, say to 18m I'm fine again.

I'd say in pretty good cardio shape (I'm also a keen cyclist).

It's not particularly environmental either. I've been fortunate enough to dive the Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef and even some UK inland quarries over the last year. Same symptoms. The exception is on "exciting" dives, e.g. night or drop off by RIB on pristine coral I'm fine.

Thoughts?

Phil_C · Jan 7, 2014

Hi and welcome to Scubaboard. - Assuming that nothing had happened to bring this on such as an accident or near miss then it is going to be hard to suggest a reason for the feelings starting, but perhaps you might be able to get past this by how you approach the dives mentally.

Sit down and think about why you dive, - you might just have grown out of it !

then think about each dive and your preparations, have a mental (or written) checklist and go through it. Check your gear, check your backups (octopus, spare lights, smb, pony if you use one etc.) then think through what you will do if there is a problem and mentally rehearse your response to air sharing, CESA free flowing regulator and so on.

I do this whenever I am doing what I consider an out of the ordinary dive, and find that having thought through what could go wrong and how I will respond to it. This gives me the confidence to accept that the situations are all manageable and takes the anxiety away if I am feeling any. Then when you dive you can just sit back and enjoy, because you have thought things through.

If this doesn't help, then take it a step further, speak to your buddy and on every dive when you descend stop after a few feet and practice air sharing and so on - it will only take a few minutes then you can get on with enjoying the dive. Best wishes - Phil.

divad · Jan 7, 2014

SmacA:
Not sure how to explain this, but here goes...

Recently I have been getting a feeling of "what am I doing down here" whilst diving. I recognize this, stop, take a moment to gather my thoughts, and carry on.

I have 200+ logged dives and am qualified to PADI DM (but don't use the qualification at all, and don't intend to).

Weirdly, it's worse the shallower I am. I feel it more at 10m, but if I go deeper, say to 18m I'm fine again.

I'd say in pretty good cardio shape (I'm also a keen cyclist).

It's not particularly environmental either. I've been fortunate enough to dive the Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef and even some UK inland quarries over the last year. Same symptoms. The exception is on "exciting" dives, e.g. night or drop off by RIB on pristine coral I'm fine.

Thoughts?

It seems like a perfectly sane and appropriate feeling that you should cherish and not try to jibber-jabber away.

Dsix36 · Jan 7, 2014

This is just a wild shot in the dark, but it is something that has happened to me. If the feeling that you are getting is any type of fear, discomfort, anxiety, or doom and gloom: perhaps you are not breathing properly. If you get extremely relaxed or work too hard, you may be breathing too shallow and ventilating your lungs good, thus leading to carbon dioxide retention.

I could be barking up the wrong tree, but hope it helps if it is indeed the case. I had to start making a conscience effort to breathe deep and full and to also make sure to exhale fully too.

dmainou · Jan 7, 2014

Don may be on the right path.

Btw. It has happened to me as well. Deep down with heaps of deco ahead. Just breath in, relax, follow your training and realize that it's in your head as, most likely, nothing is physically happening to you.

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Tigerman · Jan 7, 2014

co2 retention definetly can make you feel uneasy and like the regulator dont provide enough breathing gas. I have experience it first hand while moving some heavy crap around under water for a while and its not a particularly cool feeling.
As long as you just stop and take a few deep, calm breaths it sorts itself.
Another thing that can give you not only a panicky, but also disoriented feeling is if your head gets cooled down rapidly, which would also be consistent with cold and dark sites.
Im a bit confused about how it seems worse shallow than deep though, are you often exerting yourself/short of breath as you get in?

TONY CHANEY · Jan 7, 2014

OK, I'll give it a WAG. 1) /if your regs are like mine, Poseidon, they breathe better at depth and you might be working harder in the shallow depths. 2) Once you are going deeper you are more focused on your objective and lees on yourself. So once the objective is completed, you start to focus more on yourself and start to over analize each and everything. 3) If diving dry and comping up at lot is going on. The DS starts to get more buoyant as well as the BC without proper venting and you start working your butt off trying to stay ahead of them while sticking your safety stop.
I have not had the same anxiety situation as you have. But, to help out some of these you may want to include a deep stop in your dive plan. Since I have started deep stops I find it a very useful time to get yourself together. i.e. stow excessive gear, open the DS exhaust valve so a few bubbles leak out. (That way, while you are going up it will almost self vent as the bubble grows). Check buddy, deco, gas etc. After a couple of minutes, which goes by rather fast, you will find yourself more relaxed and ready to take on the safety stop as well as the exit. Just my thoughts.

Kevrumbo · Jan 7, 2014

The same thing happens to me, but the anxiety is definitely an understandable reaction to a chronic physical problem -Alternobaric Vertigo.

If diving solo, I just bear with it until both ears clear equally again (and the world stops spinning immediately to my relief); it's better & less stressful when you have a buddy around for "touch contact" & reassurance. . .

Lopez116 · Jan 7, 2014

It sounds like your mind wanders when it isn't totally engaged. Perhaps being deeper than 30' you are more focused and "in the moment". Same with night dives and dives that excite you. Maybe if you're too relaxed (consciously or subconsciously), your mind is free to wander.

Are you an anxious person in other parts of your life?

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TMHeimer · Jan 7, 2014

Lopez116:
It sounds like your mind wanders when it isn't totally engaged. Perhaps being deeper than 30' you are more focused and "in the moment". Same with night dives and dives that excite you. Maybe if you're too relaxed (consciously or subconsciously), your mind is free to wander.

Are you an anxious person in other parts of your life?

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Don't know if there is an answer. This post may explain it. "Wander" may be a key. Wander, nervous, concerned? I guess I have felt some of that when the current picks up, I may cramp, or other things I don't want to happen may. Maybe I feel a little of this at a new site, especially if diving solo. Other than checking in with a shrink, my advice would be to just be conservative and safety conscious at all times.

Anxiety onset: "Experienced" diver

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