Breathing Giving Me Trouble

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Ablation

New
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Texas
Today was my first ever day trying out SCUBA. I took a short course from my local SCUBA shop that basically just introduces you to the world of SCUBA. I got everything on, he taught me about how everything worked. Then I went under. And that's when the trouble started. I'm not sure if the anxiety caused the problems, or just how different breathing underwater is. I feel like I couldn't really trust that this "machine" was going to supply me with air and keep me alive. My first few breaths were pretty rapid, and I felt like I wasn't getting enough air. So I resurfaced within about 8 seconds. After that first experience I started to get nervous every time I went back under. I felt like I had to breath in a certain pattern or else everything would fail, so I sort of limited my breaths, inhaling and exhaling. My breathing did not feel natural at all. I would love to get into SCUBA diving but this whole first experience has gotten me kind of shook up. Any ideas on how I can better my breathing underwater?
 
I’ve seen some hard breathing rental/student refs in my time. If I were you I’d make the instructor breathe off your reg and see if it’s a reg problem, or a nervous issue.
 
You can adjust the reg to supply more air. If that is not enough, you can slightly press on the purge button to supply even some more or on sudden demand.
 
I remember that my first breaths from a regulator under water felt odd and that I was hesitant to breathe. I think that this is a natural reflex that just takes some people longer to overcome.

A good regulator with low breathing resistance would certainly help. Share your concerns and feelings with your instructor and ask whether s/he has any suggestions.

There is another improvement possible but this might not be an option for you physiologically at this point. If you orient yourself horizontally in the water your lungs and your mouth/regulatory will be at the same pressure and breathing will be noticeably easier.
When vertical, there is more pressure on your chest and you have to 'suck' against that when inhaling.
 
I feel like I couldn't really trust that this "machine" was going to supply me with air and keep me alive. Any ideas on how I can better my breathing underwater?

You generally become more comfortable just by practicing it. The more you breathe underwater with "the machine" the more you will come to trust it, even if it's just sticking your face in the water in the shallow end of a pool or something, without actually submerging.

Was the class a "discover scuba" type class? In a certification class, the instructor should be able to work you through any trust issues with the equipment. After all, that is part of their job. :)
 
Your certification course should start in a shallow pool. That really helps is the mental aspect as your brain knows you can simply stand up and breathe normally if something goes wrong. From there, you may progress to a deeper pool, then natural bodies of water like a lake or ocean.
 
You generally become more comfortable just by practicing it. The more you breathe underwater with "the machine" the more you will come to trust it, even if it's just sticking your face in the water in the shallow end of a pool or something, without actually submerging.

Was the class a "discover scuba" type class? In a certification class, the instructor should be able to work you through any trust issues with the equipment. After all, that is part of their job. :)

Yes, it was a discover scuba class. 95% of it took place in about 5 feet deep water, so I was always able to ascend easily. The last part of the class we went down the pool to about 11 feet deep. That was okay. The problem there was my instructor told me how to equalize the pressure in my ears, but I guess I didn't do it right because when I got to the bottom my ears hurt a lot, so I had to go back up. So what is the procedure for descending if you don't want your ears to feel like they are going to explode?
 
Yes, it was a discover scuba class. 95% of it took place in about 5 feet deep water, so I was always able to ascend easily. The last part of the class we went down the pool to about 11 feet deep. That was okay. The problem there was my instructor told me how to equalize the pressure in my ears, but I guess I didn't do it right because when I got to the bottom my ears hurt a lot, so I had to go back up. So what is the procedure for descending if you don't want your ears to feel like they are going to explode?
Above all, descend slowly. Ain't no rush, especially when you're just getting used to the idea of breathing underwater.

Then, as you descend, equalize often and gently. DO NOT blow hard. Pause on the descent and blow just hard enough to feel the air flow into your eustachian tubes and the pressure diminish.

If there's an actual "pop," that's bad...but there might be a "whoosh" noise as you equalize.
 
Watch a TV program with a mask on (so you are not inhaling / exhaling through your nose) and a snorkel in your mouth.
Any issues?
If yes, explore those.
If no, good, remember that next time you try scuba... it might just be that only breathing through your mouth is throwing you off.
 
Today was my first ever day trying out SCUBA. I took a short course from my local SCUBA shop that basically just introduces you to the world of SCUBA. I got everything on, he taught me about how everything worked. Then I went under. And that's when the trouble started. I'm not sure if the anxiety caused the problems, or just how different breathing underwater is. I feel like I couldn't really trust that this "machine" was going to supply me with air and keep me alive. My first few breaths were pretty rapid, and I felt like I wasn't getting enough air. So I resurfaced within about 8 seconds. After that first experience I started to get nervous every time I went back under. I felt like I had to breath in a certain pattern or else everything would fail, so I sort of limited my breaths, inhaling and exhaling. My breathing did not feel natural at all. I would love to get into SCUBA diving but this whole first experience has gotten me kind of shook up. Any ideas on how I can better my breathing underwater?
I remember my first few pool dives and the first time breathing underwater. It felt wrong and hard and like I couldn't get a full breath. I knew I was hyperventilating and just needed to work through it but it was uncomfortable. I started wondering if I could even do this. And this shocked me bcause I grew up swimming and each summer the pool was my babysitter. It was embarrassing and up setting. But fortunately since I knew the problem I refused to give up and just pushed through it. I would say it was the third session before I really felt comfortable breathing underwater.

Now, on the rare times I am in swimming without scuba, it seems weird to not breathe underwater! :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom