Question Panic in the experienced diver?

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?

 

[The Chairman]

I wonder, from my own experience, whether panic is something that happens early, or whether you can devolve into it

Panic is the result of unmitigated fear. Time is your friend in that regards, even though it may not be so due to circumstances. The more you can reason, the less inclined you are to panic.

Panic, by nature, is unreasonable. Trying to put a finger on the precise moment you will panic is a fool's errand. You'll never know until after the fact. Unfortunately, due to the perceptual narrowing that occurs during panic, you probably won't even recognize it until AFTER the event. It's a silent killer in many regards.

Here's the real problem. While you can train hard and long to prevent the onset of panic, as soon as you extend yourself beyond your training one whit, you are at risk. No matter how cool calm and collected you think someone is, there is always some fear. Anything can cause the fear to devolve into panic: anything. Unfortunately, you won't know what that thing is until AFTER the event.

 

[Akimbo]

Panic is the result of unmitigated fear. Time is your friend in that regards, even though it may not be so due to circumstances. The more you can reason, the less inclined you are to panic. …
Here's the real problem. While you can train hard and long to prevent the onset of panic, as soon as you extend yourself beyond your training one whit, you are at risk. No matter how cool calm and collected you think someone is, there is always some fear. Anything can cause the fear to devolve into panic: anything. Unfortunately, you won't know what that thing is until AFTER the event.

Exactly. Learning that you have time and how to extend your "drop dead" time is (IMHO) key. Panic is what is left when you don't know what to do or emotionally conclude there is nothing that can be done. As a mental exercise, come to terms with the fact that if you are going to die it will be more pleasant to be serene than scared to death.

Are we really afraid of dying, or is being that terrified of a fate worse than death?

 

[The Chairman]

Exactly. Learning that you have time and how to extend your “drop dead” time is (IMHO) key. Panic is what is left when you don’t know what to do or emotionally conclude there is nothing that can be done.

I would agree that in the final analysis, panic is an emotion, albeit an extreme one.

As a mental exercise, come to terms with the fact that if you are going to die it will be more pleasant to be serene than scared to death.

:gans:​

Pain is a bio-feedback mechanism designed to instill the fear of death into us all. The cessation of life is not that horrible, but kissing a Mack truck doing 55 would be. I can tell you, that I won't be resigning myself to death. I will fight, kicking and punching if I have to, just to avoid it.

Are we really afraid of dying, or is being that terrified a fate worse than death?

That depends on the individual. My daughter loves slasher movies and I mostly avoid them. That being said, it was hard to tell if you are frightened of fear or of being seen as being fearful. I don't ascribe to either as the former is self defeating and the latter is based on hubris.

 

[mdb]

The most highly decorated German pilot of WW II (albeit an unrepentant NAZI) survived multiple crashes and continued to fight to the end. He died in 1982 of natural causes.

For us Contemporary European history students his famous quote is well known:

“Only he is lost who gives himself up for lost”
—Hans-Ulrich Rudel

 

[Rhone Man]

The overwhelming lessons that I have taken from the two "near-panic" experiences in my diving life are: in each case the original problem(s) was/were not nearly so bad as the reduced cognitive state that they induced.

 

[The Chairman]

For us Contemporary European history students

Dude, WWII isn't really considered "contemporary" any longer! Methinks you're showing your generation!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Dude, WWII isn't really considered "contemporary" any longer! Methinks you're showing your generation!

I think many historians would include the two World Wars in "contemporary" history.

 

[Blackwood]

Historians would include the two World Wars in "contemporary" history.

Besides which, he didn't say World War Two, he said World War Eleven.

 

[mdb]

OK fixed it; now shows as WW II.

I did study the first world war as well.

My Great Grandfather was wounded on August 9th 1862 @ Cedar Mountain, VA in the US civil war.

I've always enjoyed studying history.

In any event, Hans Ulrich Rudel's quote seems to have merit in this discussion.

 

[The Chairman]

Historians would include the two World Wars in "contemporary" history.

My idea of "contemporary" is 1957 to present! I have great reasons for picking that year.