Llama256
Registered
Wanted to ask the esteemed board about something that happened to me this weekend.
I got my OW cert in 1989 and haven't dove since (simply not enough time). However, I decided to take the Advanced Open Water class this summer. Instructors were concerned about my lack of recent experience and put me through a refresher session in the pool, no problem. On Saturday I did 3 dives, including a night dive to 30 feet, no sweat. I love the ocean and have always felt very comfortable and relaxed when diving.
On Sunday, we took two boat dives. First dive was to 70 feet for our Deep Diving Specialty, no problems, had a great time. About an hour later, we dove another spot just for some sightseeing. There was a fair amount of current I had to swim against to get to the anchor line. I waited awhile to catch my breath then descended to the anchor at 40 ft.
While waiting for the divemaster to descend, I looked around the atoll, descending to about 50 ft, taking some pictures and enjoying myself. I found that there was a bit of current around the atoll, so I swam back and grabbed onto the anchor line to wait and relax.
About this time, I started feeling really inexplicably anxious, I became somewhat short of breath and became very aware of the pressure of my wetsuit on my chest. It felt like it was restricting my breathing. Remembering my recent lessons, I tried to calm down and focus on my breathing, taking slow, deliberate, breaths.
I started getting this feeling that's hard to describe, like I was in imminent danger and all I wanted to do in the world was get out of the water. It was completely irrational, and I was in complete control of my faculties, but I really wanted to get out of the water, badly. I tried to focus on my breathing, but it seemed like I was just breathing inert gas and was suffocating, without really feeling like I couldn't breath.
I didn't really feel panicked, like emotional, but I felt like I really had to get out of the water immediately or something terrible would happen, and I couldn't control the feeling, even though I kept rationalizing it to myself as either hyperventilation, slight narcosis, or CO2.
I kept fighting the feeling for about 5 minutes (seemed longer) until finally I indicated to my divemaster that I needed to ascend and began a white knuckle trip, as slowly as I could stand, up the anchor line.
All the way up, I kept thinking that there was no way I could ever get back in the water again. I felt completely afraid and depressed, like one might feel after a bad nightmare. Once on the surface, I gave the OK to the skipper and tried to pretend like nothing bad happened.
Oddly enough, after bobbing on the surface for about 3 minutes, I suddenly realized that I was missing out on some sight seeing, and I had to get back down! So I descended, and caught up with my instructor and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my dive. Weirdly, even though I remember being terribly afraid while I was down, I couldn't imagine why I was afraid, or even recall how I felt then. I wasn't afraid of the water anymore either.
When my instructor asked me why I ascended, I lied and said I needed to equalize. Don't know if he bought it, but I got through the class.
My question is..
What was that? and how do I avoid getting it in the future? Although I don't have any visceral recollection of how bad I felt when it was happening, my rational mind does remember that it never wants to go through that experience again.
I got my OW cert in 1989 and haven't dove since (simply not enough time). However, I decided to take the Advanced Open Water class this summer. Instructors were concerned about my lack of recent experience and put me through a refresher session in the pool, no problem. On Saturday I did 3 dives, including a night dive to 30 feet, no sweat. I love the ocean and have always felt very comfortable and relaxed when diving.
On Sunday, we took two boat dives. First dive was to 70 feet for our Deep Diving Specialty, no problems, had a great time. About an hour later, we dove another spot just for some sightseeing. There was a fair amount of current I had to swim against to get to the anchor line. I waited awhile to catch my breath then descended to the anchor at 40 ft.
While waiting for the divemaster to descend, I looked around the atoll, descending to about 50 ft, taking some pictures and enjoying myself. I found that there was a bit of current around the atoll, so I swam back and grabbed onto the anchor line to wait and relax.
About this time, I started feeling really inexplicably anxious, I became somewhat short of breath and became very aware of the pressure of my wetsuit on my chest. It felt like it was restricting my breathing. Remembering my recent lessons, I tried to calm down and focus on my breathing, taking slow, deliberate, breaths.
I started getting this feeling that's hard to describe, like I was in imminent danger and all I wanted to do in the world was get out of the water. It was completely irrational, and I was in complete control of my faculties, but I really wanted to get out of the water, badly. I tried to focus on my breathing, but it seemed like I was just breathing inert gas and was suffocating, without really feeling like I couldn't breath.
I didn't really feel panicked, like emotional, but I felt like I really had to get out of the water immediately or something terrible would happen, and I couldn't control the feeling, even though I kept rationalizing it to myself as either hyperventilation, slight narcosis, or CO2.
I kept fighting the feeling for about 5 minutes (seemed longer) until finally I indicated to my divemaster that I needed to ascend and began a white knuckle trip, as slowly as I could stand, up the anchor line.
All the way up, I kept thinking that there was no way I could ever get back in the water again. I felt completely afraid and depressed, like one might feel after a bad nightmare. Once on the surface, I gave the OK to the skipper and tried to pretend like nothing bad happened.
Oddly enough, after bobbing on the surface for about 3 minutes, I suddenly realized that I was missing out on some sight seeing, and I had to get back down! So I descended, and caught up with my instructor and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my dive. Weirdly, even though I remember being terribly afraid while I was down, I couldn't imagine why I was afraid, or even recall how I felt then. I wasn't afraid of the water anymore either.
When my instructor asked me why I ascended, I lied and said I needed to equalize. Don't know if he bought it, but I got through the class.
My question is..
What was that? and how do I avoid getting it in the future? Although I don't have any visceral recollection of how bad I felt when it was happening, my rational mind does remember that it never wants to go through that experience again.