Overcoming Fear

[Amanchu]

I know the title is a little vague but i will try my best to explain why it is so.

My childhood friend got certified as a diver while we were students on different universities. His dream was to dive on red sea, as it is a great place. Anyway me and some other friends decided to suprise him by buying him a dive from egypt in a trip with all of us. He went to the dive; and got saved in the knick of time by the DM from dying. that thou didnt save him from the chamber and i cant forget the whole endavour.from that point on he didnt even came close to the water.

the reason i am telling every1 is that even thou that ordeal happened in front of me i just cant forget about the shore dive i did with my friend (after this he got his c-card i didnt) moreover new neighbor who is a retired navy diver, still goes all around the world showing me pictures of his dives. my fire started burning again but i just cant forget the aftermath.

So after some research about safe diving i found this site and most of what i read gave me new perspective. My question after this long long entrance is, will it be possible to possible for me to enjoy diving and make this experience for me to be more safety consience? most of the dive pros including my neighbor said that with the proper training and a solid grasp of the panic cycle that is attainable and will make me a better diver.Since the number of pros are high i wanted your opinions as well.

 

[TSandM]

It is very personal. It is certainly possible to work through traumatic experiences and put them behind you. I have done it multiple times with bad horse-related accidents (some of which were life-threatening). But it takes time and you have to want to do it.

On the other hand, if you have a very nervous personality that is easily given to panic, you may have real problems getting through it.

You can make a start on your own. Can you swim? Do you have anxiety issues around swimming? If so, I'd start with working through those. If you don't, and all your worries have to do with diving, make SURE you tell your would-be instructor about this, and why you have these concerns. It will really help him or her understand where you are coming from.

 

[Scott L]

Think of it this way, how many bad automobile accidents have you witnessed? Anyone you know not survive? The odds of a fatality occurring while driving is greater than scuba diving. Good luck!

 

[Amanchu]

It is very personal. It is certainly possible to work through traumatic experiences and put them behind you. I have done it multiple times with bad horse-related accidents (some of which were life-threatening). But it takes time and you have to want to do it.

On the other hand, if you have a very nervous personality that is easily given to panic, you may have real problems getting through it.

You can make a start on your own. Can you swim? Do you have anxiety issues around swimming? If so, I'd start with working through those. If you don't, and all your worries have to do with diving, make SURE you tell your would-be instructor about this, and why you have these concerns. It will really help him or her understand where you are coming from.

that just is. i can swim and i never had any problems. and i dont have panic issues. maybe i am overthinking it.My would-be instructor also knows the issue and gave me several reading materials about it. Most of them makes sense some doesnt.

Think of it this way, how many bad automobile accidents have you witnessed? Anyone you know not survive? The odds of a fatality occurring while driving is greater than scuba diving. Good luck!

This has been the 1st thing said to me by every1 when i explained them Luckily thou that doesnt happen.....hope doesnt.

 

[boulderjohn]

I think you can do it with a good instructor who will be patient and understanding of your situation. Make ti a slow process, though. Don't rush it. The fact that you found someone who knows what the phrase "panic cycle" means is a start. There are actually quite a few people who start their instruction with a fair amount of fear.

Not too long ago, I had a couple who were part of a larger class. He was excited and highly motivated; she was not sure and openly frightened. Because she was up front about it, we were able to go nice and slowly and do things at hear pace. I told her that when she performed her skills, she should wait as long as she wanted hand visualize herself doing the skill before she started it. On the first couple of skills, she waited at least a full minute before starting. Then she started getting confidence a little at a time. During the second day of pool practice, she was laughing and joking around with the class, totally at ease. She performed skills without hesitation, comfortably and easily. I think she was doing better than her boyfriend by the end of the pool session.

On the other hand, I have had a couple of students never able to shake their fear. It isn't often, but it does happen.

If I were to place a bet, I would say that with a good and patient instructor, you will do just fine. It is possible you still have fears and not be able to continue, but that is not what I would expect.

You should also know that percentage of divers who experience what your friend experienced is extremely small, something like a hundredth of one percent. I have been diving for quite a few years and done quite a few dives, and I have never seen what you saw.

 

[o2dependant]

Sounds like you really want to give it a shot. Find yourself a patient DM or instructor and get in the pool.

' If you fall off a horse the best thing to do is jump straight back on '

The longer you leave it the harder it gets.

Take it nice and easy and I think you will get through it.

 

[Dive the World]

go ahead and give it another try.

another thing you could do is provide the details of your friend's incident here or (to an instructor) and find out what happened - did your friend any basic rules?

Understanding the incident will help you more than any other thing.

 

[farsidefan1]

Having been in a chamber I can tell you it is not a very scary place. Before having my PFO repaired I took an unprovoked DCS hit and took a couple of chamber rides. I got to see some great movies and got to practice my Spanish with my "guardian" in the chamber. He did not speak any English and I have lost much of my Spanish over the last 40 yrs. Dive incidents requiring a chamber ride are rare as chickens teeth. Bummer you had to see one but look at the aftermath. How is your friends health? He may not want to approach the water but it sounds like he is fine. So am I (well except for non dive related issues). If it happens it is usually treatable. Just be careful, get whatever additional training you need to feel safe and comfortable, and go for it. Unless you decide not to - your call. I will tell you that I find scuba exceedingly rewarding and worth the small risk but that is just my call. It makes my world a happier place and I like that. Good luck.

 

[kimbalabala]

For me, the key is to become very comfortable at one level before you try the next level. There is a lot of pressure (IMO) to hurry up and get advanced open water (AOW) certified once you have your open water (OW) certification. Some people say that doing the skills training and the extra classes just makes you a better diver - but that extra certification makes you eligible to do dives that require more experience that you may not have - and will make it harder for you to "just say no" when friends want to take you on a too-challenging dive. Go slowly - master each skill so that you are comfortable with it. It's a little bit like math (not that I'm any good at math) in that you really need to know your skills before you go to the next level. Don't let anyone push you (as well-meaning as they might be). This IS a very personal decision. I think you can do this as long as you do it at a pace that makes you comfortable. Good luck!

 

[tyesai]

Merhaba!

I'm far from an expert or professional but I was pretty anxious when I started diving and I guess I still am a little until I get underwater. From most of the accidents I've read it seems that almost all of them are very preventable, people just end up making multiple bad decisions and it gets them in trouble. Start slow and stay well inside your comfort zone, that is it! Diving is really a safe activity, much safer than driving on Turkish roads in traffic!

By the way, I lived in Turkey, the Adana area, for a couple of years, and I would love to make it back there for a couple of more. Great people, amazing food, my family and I miss it a lot! Good luck...