My girlfriend and I both got certified together. She has some asma/sinus issues, but she manages to jog a couple miles each day. When we went to sign up for OW class she expressed concern about her health issues. I was focused on finally fulfilling a dream and didn't pay much attention to her concerns. She has a tendency of over-reacting / clenching initally on new things. How was I to realize that this was any different. The instructors mention that diving has risks...she was immediately off to the darkside..."I am affraid I may die". This statement didn't raise alarm with myself or the instructors since it is a common enough statement made by everyone during any activity that has risk. Perhaps if she had said it with fear registering in her voice...crying...sobbing...blood curdling scream..anything that betrayed the underlysing emotions and intensity. I don't mean to sound chavilier or dismissive. I have said this a million times during bad airplane flights, travelling in 3rd world countries, New York city cab rides, kayaking, fishing, and my daily commute to the office. Seldom have I sincerely believed and meant it.
Neither I nor the dive instructors heard her...she was fine in the pool and on the cert dives. The only issue during any of this was a minor equalization problem and bouyancy which she worked out. No visible panic or other emotional indicators that would lead one to believe there was a real issue and that she really thought she would die. If it were me and that is how I felt, I would simply say I quit and can't do this...end of story.
The week before we arrive in the Grand Cayman's she get a massive sinus infection that doesn't clear up until a couple of days into the trip. I was taking some advanced classes so her first live dive was without me. We paired her up with a good divemaster...she did 2 dives that morning. On her dives she continued to have some issues with bouyancy and her mask stayed fogged (probably from breathing out of nose). No one on the boat, including the divemaster who had been her dive buddy, had any indication that anything was wrong until they hot the dock and she just about sprinted off the boat. I found her throwing up in the bathroom and curled up in a fetal position in the room.
This was the perfect storm... We now know that (1) she gets sea sick easily and (2) her fear is purely psychological, and not physical. Whenever she puts a regulator in her mouth in comes with overwhelming fear of inpending dooms BECAUSE...she was intubated as a child/teenager. That's right...even on dry land she has to fight off terror with a regulator in her mouth.
No one could have guessed this, and she didn't clearly explain or take measures to ensure her safety. That said, I hear about this every time we have a disagreement about me not listening... I now am a solo diver until I can either find a local buddy.
She is happy sitting on the beach...
