Nervous about Diving

[ascully88]

Hi all,

I'm going to start scuba diving soon. I have had one pool session but I was very nervous. The mask clearing really shocked me. The next day I had pain in my chest snd went to the doctor. I was cleared it just turned out to be muscle soreness. So I'm starting up again but does anyone have any advice on staying calm and what to expect on my open water dives? I felt like I was not getting enough air while I was done there every once and a while. I'm also worried about how the pressure is going to feel once I go down far on the open water dives. Overall I'm just worried about how the open water dives will go! Is it difficult doing the skill sets at deeper depths? Any info you guys could give me I would really appreciate.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

Take it slow and easy - build your comfort zone. If you think the class is pushing you too far too fast, talk with your instructor. When you are comfortable in the water, things should improve. When I first used a snorkel as a kid, I would breathe so fast I almost hyperventilated. After I got used to it, I was OK even when some water got in the snorkel. Build your experience base and your confidence. The oceans and reefs will still be there when you are ready.

 

[KeithTheSnake]

Have some faith in the training. As you develop your basic skills in the pool or confined water, you'll feel more confident about performing the basic skills at depth in open water.

It's not uncommon for people to feel like they can't catch their breath without learning first how to breath for scuba -- it's different, and it requires deep, full breaths. It's not uncommon, either, for people to have soreness when doing any new physical activity.

Bottom line: It just takes time in the water, good instruction, and perfect practice. It's not a matter of practice making perfect -- perfect practice makes perfect. Good luck.

 

[spectrum]

Hi Ascilly88,

First of all you need to recognize that dive training is an adaptive thing. From the moment you were born you have been trained not to breathe with your face in the water. Repeated controlled exposure is the way that most people can become comfortable with something that stresses them. Be patient with yourself and demand the same of those working with you. If this is something you want the odds are 90%+ that you can do just fine.

Excitement and anxiousness are both very common. Now that you have had some experience you should be much better off going into the 2nd pool session. You may not have been totally comfortable, it may not have been that enjoyable (yet) but you did it.

The lack of air was probably hyperventilating. This means you were breathing fast and shallow. When you do this a lot of the same stale air is going up and down your windpipe and you get little oxygen and expel little carbon dioxide. It can lead to panic. Just make an effort to fully exhale and then take deep satisfying breaths. You shall become mellow.

The mask exercised are the most common point of stress. Just practice a lot, even in your tub with a snorkel. Repeated exposure will make mask off seem second nature in the comfort of your tub.

You will be oblivious to the pressure as long as you equalize. Practice your valsalva (nose pinch) daily. On dive dive day, do it on the way to the site, when you arrive, while you gear up, when you get in the water, just before descent and on each breath if you are dropping to a depth. If you are swimming out along the bottom on a shore dive just do it frequently once underwater. With time you can back off as you get adept at clearing and recognizing the need early. Other than that the magic of scuba is that you are breathing at ambient pressure and won't feel a thing.

On the check-out dives you will repeat most of the class skills and do some actual diving around. You may not be adept but you must be able to perform the skills. There is still an opportunity for a teaching moment if you have a hitch and need to work something out.

Buoyancy control will be a lot easier at depth where the % change per foot is less.

Have fun, many mere mortals have gone before you and conquered it. When in doubt remember that I said it will be worth the effort.

Pete

 

[lowviz]

...//... does anyone have any advice on staying calm ...//...

Yes, your level of apprehension is way too high.

Ask your instructor if you can have a few private lessons to get yourself squared away.

First, you need to trust your gear. This is key. Once you truly believe that your life support equipment is going to work properly for you and can be trusted, then you will find that things start to come together.

After that, you will learn what to do if your gear fails. You will also come to find that this makes perfect sense in context.

 

[hootie]

I'm excited for you!!! I just got my OW Certification TODAY! It was amazing! And honestly, I was so busy looking around at all the wonderfulness, that I didn't notice I was 60 feet down! The whole mask thing freaked me out too so I swam back and forth in the pool where we're staying in my mask, snorkel and fins and practiced at least 2 dozen times. Fill, clear, fill clear, fill clear until it was no longer even a tiny issue. Another thing I found helpful with calming me down was just slowly counting as I breathed. It kept me cognizant of slow and continuous breaths and made me forget I was nervous! And I agree with the comment about buoyancy control. I struggled in the pool a bit and even on yesterday's dive at like 20 feet but today, in the words of my instructor, "I NAILED IT" ... it was much easier in the deeper water for some reason. Really just ENJOY yourself. It was fascinating and exhilarating today (and yesterday AFTER the skill stuff!). Good luck and congrats on getting certified. Third best thing I've EVER done in my entire life (first was marrying my hubby, second was having children). It's incredible!

 

[Mubble Bubble]

Hi all,

I'm going to start scuba diving soon. I have had one pool session but I was very nervous. The mask clearing really shocked me. The next day I had pain in my chest snd went to the doctor. I was cleared it just turned out to be muscle soreness. So I'm starting up again but does anyone have any advice on staying calm and what to expect on my open water dives? I felt like I was not getting enough air while I was done there every once and a while. I'm also worried about how the pressure is going to feel once I go down far on the open water dives. Overall I'm just worried about how the open water dives will go! Is it difficult doing the skill sets at deeper depths? Any info you guys could give me I would really appreciate.

There's a pretty good chance that you were getting the same amount of air flow the whole time and it was just that you were either working to hard or your nerves are getting you worked up. When I get into either of those situations I remind myself to slow things down (slow is smooth, smooth is efficient). Stop, relax and think will help in just about any situation you find yourself in (including diving nerves).

Also remember to take your training sessions seriously. The more you take the time to really practice and understand your skills in the pool the less nervous you will find yourself. Don't worry about holding up the class if you aren't comfortable with a skill. Go at your own pace (even if that means a private pool session or two). Any good instructor will be OK with you taking the time you need to be comfortable. With enough practice you won't think twice about what needs to be done to clear a mask. You will just do it from muscle memory.

As for skills at depth, IMHO clearing your mask at 60' in open water has the same difficulty level as clearing it at 4' in the pool. It's all about getting the muscle memory down at 4' before you go to 60'


Good luck with the rest of your training!

 

[bpotkin]

Focus on deep, slow breathing. That should help you stay calm and focused.
The skills will come with practice.

 

[Kilili]

Focus on deep, slow breathing. That should help you stay calm and focused.
The skills will come with practice.

Meditation can help as well. Until you learn to chill out, you are going to have some very unpleasant experiences.

 

[offroadr1]

Also, you can't clear your ears too often. Start at the surface and clear often upon descent.