The fear of "whats in the water"

[Walter]

Assuming you're not swimming around with a wounded, bleeding fish on a stick (spear fishing), and don't touch or corner anything, you'll be fine.

Nothing will bother you unless you look or smell like it's food, or you really **ss it off, corner it or confuse it (like wiggling your finger in front of an eel).

Terry

That's almost always true.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Every time I get in the water I fear seeing only one thing:

Thank God I haven't seen him yet, but if I do I just hope that my dive buddy is a slower swimmer than I am.

Oh we dive with this guy all the time. His trim is terrible and he fins about with his hands a lot. And during the surface interval he is alway mooching food from everyone. Other than that, he is harmless.

 

[rawls]

Every time I get in the water I fear seeing only one thing:



Thank God I haven't seen him yet, but if I do I just hope that my dive buddy is a slower swimmer than I am.

In the many years since that movie came out and all the horror creatures, that's still the scariest thing I have ever seen...

 

[bvmjethead]

Once you get down in the blue and start seeing all the beauty that is there, any fear you might have just evaporates.

 

[DeputyDan]

It's quite likely that the scariest thing you will ever see underwater will be some other scuba diver ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

This is soooo true!

 

[c r0ck 1]

well im glad to hear all the stories, it makes me feel at ease!... thanks for all the responces!... and btw.. i hear everyone saying to watch out for trigger fish.. whats the big deal with them?

 

[RonFrank]

There is nothing to Fear, but Fear its self!

A healthy respect for marine life is good. Fear, not so much. If you are like most divers once you are enjoying your first view of an awesome reef, or swim through a bait ball, or hang out with a Jewfish, you will realize that there is very little to fear UW from the marine life.

There are a couple of exceptions. First is things that don't look harmful, but are. Fire Coral is a good example. Don't touch stuff especially if you don't know what it is, but that's a good rule to follow period. Learn about what is dangerous UW, like Scorpion Fish, and other marine life with built-in protection.

The second are Bull Sharks. Respect them, and study their behavior so that if you do come into contact with them you can recognize aggression. They generally don't attack divers, but there are exceptions. I'm not aware of divers in FL getting attacked, but divers have been killed by Bull Sharks in S. Africa, and they are the #1 human attacking shark based on what I've read.

Another thing you need to be aware of is if this fear grows once you are UW. Your biggest fear should be of yourself. Panicked divers can die. Take your OW class seriously, get your basic skills down as best you can, and enjoy your new hobby.

WARNING, diving is addictive, and can lead to a serious condition known as DD (Diving Disorder). DD can lead to massive gear spending, entire weekends spent UW, and in severe cases waking up in the bathtub with your regulator in your mouth!

 

[DeputyDan]

well im glad to hear all the stories, it makes me feel at ease!... thanks for all the responces!... and btw.. i hear everyone saying to watch out for trigger fish.. whats the big deal with them?

They will bite you.

 

[c r0ck 1]

This question comes up from time to time, and we always get the same well-meaning answers, but the truth is some people gets the creeps under water and some do not. The people who don’t experience it will not understand it. The problem you are talking about has nothing to do with rational fears like sharks or entanglements. It is simply the creeps. It seems to be much worse in low vis situations. Under piers and under boats are common places to get the creeps. A lot of diving experience will help, but it may not completely go away.

very true.

 

[JKPAO]

Scuba = The mental game of chicken with fear!!!

See you topside! John