AOW Deep Dive

[Marie13]

That would freak me out, too! I’ve never had that. I love the hard bottom on the Great Lakes! ;-)

 

[ystrout]

I recall my first deep dives back in 2005 in Cozumel, swimming out over the wall, seeing nothing but blue ahead, around and below me with the reef behind me dropping off into the depths, seeing only what my eyes and the visibility could discern perhaps 100-150' below me. It was spectacular. I thought to myself "this is so freaking cool", it was a zen moment like no other that is churning in my memory as I write this, as if it was only yesterday rather than the better part of 2 decades prior.

Another diver sees this mass of blue and goes into a full scale panic.

The same reactions can happen along magnificent bridges, or hikes across magestic mountain peaks, or encounters with potentially dangerous creatures such as spiders, or even confinement in small spaces.

For this diver, it appears that diving in general isn't off the table, there's lots of shallow reefs to explore. Either avoid wall dives completely or seek consultation with a qualified therapist to work on the underlying issues that cause some people to completely freak out over experience that leave others thirsting for even more.

See a therapist?

That is ridiculous. It is perfectly reasonable for someone who has only done a few dives to freak out when they stare down a drop off that deep underwater.

 

[hammet]

 

[HeliMech]

See a therapist?

That is ridiculous. It is perfectly reasonable for someone who has only done a few dives to freak out when they stare down a drop off that deep underwater.

Totally agree. Also no reason to limit diving in any way to deal with this natural reaction.

Just keep going deeper by small increments.

Taking a Deep cert course isn't a horrible idea either. I did just to get more comfortable.

Also you get to practice some OOA and other drills at 130 ft.

 

[mcpowell]

Another way to look at it...I imagine it as the closest simulation to flying we’ll ever have. I love the feeling of being a few feet over the reef, and the bottom dropping out of it. You keep “soaring” along at the same elevation, while the world beneath you disappears.

 

[Marie13]

Another way to look at it...I imagine it as the closest simulation to flying we’ll ever have. I love the feeling of being a few feet over the reef, and the bottom dropping out of it. You keep “soaring” along at the same elevation, while the world beneath you disappears.

Ugh. I hate heights. Blech.

 

[Scuba Doobie Do]

I recall my first deep dives back in 2005 in Cozumel, swimming out over the wall, seeing nothing but blue ahead, around and below me with the reef behind me dropping off into the depths, seeing only what my eyes and the visibility could discern perhaps 100-150' below me.

I was literally just thinking about this before reading your post. My deepest dive yet has been a wall dive in Cozumel. The area we descended in was more of a 45° angle at 90' than what I had expected a wall to look like. I kinda forgot about it for a minute while drifting along, taking pictures of the reef. All of a sudden I looked behind/below me and it was nothing but deep blue! Was a really trippy realization to know I had my back to that the whole time.

It didn't really freak me out though, I just started looking for sherks

Something about that crystal clean water makes it easy.

 

[Steve_C]

I have dove off a wall in the Caymans. Bright and sunny and awesome viz. I have looked down a long distance in clear water. Ho hum. I also have done that dive at La Jolla shores. We went out in bright sun and what seemed clear going out. Then we went over the wall. The day I did it the viz almost immediately dropped to maybe 8 ft. It got dark and gloomy. Was like being back in a NC quarry on a low viz day. I was aware that the murk was very deep even if I could not see into the dark depths. Not my favorite dive. Best part was watching the little fish in the sand when we swam back in along the bottom.

 

[rabe]

look out Into the nothingness .

My love for deep diving is just in those words... <3


No worries, you will learn to appreciate the nothingness...

 

[caruso]

See a therapinonst?

That is ridiculous. It is perfectly reasonable for someone who has only done a few dives to freak out when they stare down a drop off that deep underwater.

Is it ridiculous for a diver who panics during a routine dive to see a therapist? Who knows, I don't, it was just a suggestion.

Why do some divers see the beauty and others become overwhelmed with fear when confronted with the same exact non-threatening, benign situations?

I guess if it gets better with training and experience than it's a nonissue regardless of the underlying cause. This thread does make me wonder how common it is for divers to freak out during their first wall dive, I don't suspect it's all that often but I don't really know.