discouraged...

[smash731]

Hi all,

Question for divers out there who have had "anxiety" problems...

Is it possible to overcome this?

I had a bad experience for my OW...lips froze after 45 min at 40 degrees in 5 foot vis...I started breathing in water and the DM took me up from 40 feet. And promptly got a speech about "fixing problems underwater", although I'm not sure what I could have done to stay warmer- my rental suit didn't fit well. Anyway, I've done 10 dives since then, each time practicing skills on the platform to get more comfortable and staying relatively shallow. I feel like I'm getting more comfortable, but the OW thing still haunts me.

One of my very experienced buddies commented that there are those who were born to dive, and those who were not. This hit me kind of hard. I'm clearly a "not", but I want to work through it b/c I'm a grad student in ocean engineering and diving will likely be a part of my career. Sooo......is it possible to get over the anxiety??? I want to be a good diver so badly, but I don't want to keep beating my head against a brick wall if I'm just not born to dive.

thanks for all input.
smash

 

[Walter]

I was one of the worst beginning divers in the history of the world. Now, I'm extremely comfortable and confident while diving. Practice will help. Write to me about specifics and perhaps we can come up with some things that will work for you.

 

[Atticus]

Absolutely! First off lets find you some gear that fits... And while we're at it, why don't you look for an opportunity to get some warm water diving in? It will be much easier to relax and get the hang of things when you're not shivering and trying to squint through 5' viz..

I've taught a fair number of people to dive, and only a very few of them were "born into it".

Best Regards,
Merlin

 

[rstick]

You need to have fun - and to do that you need to be comfortable.

I'm a big fan of warm water with good visability. I like the Florida keys - reefs are like large aquariums, and very shallow (20-30ft). It's a great place to practice skills, see pretty fish, relax, and have fun.

With practice comes confidence.

Enjoy!

 

[MtnDiver]

I second Atticus.

Go somewhere warm and see if you still have the anxiety. No sense compounding things with bad fitting gear, adverse conditions, etc. You can work on those skills later.

Good luck!

 

[novicediver]

Yeah, don't give up on diving just yet. There are lots of instructors out there that may well suit your personality much better. Equipment is a huge deal and so is the training environment. Getting into warmer water can do wonders to ease much of the stress.

 

[scubagirl15]

Absolutely! First off lets find you some gear that fits... And while we're at it, why don't you look for an opportunity to get some warm water diving in? It will be much easier to relax and get the hang of things when you're not shivering and trying to squint through 5' viz..

I've taught a fair number of people to dive, and only a very few of them were "born into it".

Best Regards,
Merlin

Right on the money. Poorly fitting equipment contributes greatly to anxiety...warm water/good viz notwithstanding.

Take Atticus' advice: get yourself properly fitted equipment!

 

[TCDiver1]

I had a bad experience for my OW...lips froze after 45 min at 40 degrees in 5 foot vis...I started breathing in water and the DM took me up from 40 feet.

This is really not that unusual.

45 minutes in 40 degree water will numb many a diver. It's pretty much my time limit, wet or dry, in water that cold. The solution is to cut some time off your dive before your lips get so numb you get water leaking in.

Sucking water when your trying to breathe off your reg is not comfortable for any diver. Sounds like that was a major cause of the problem you had.

 

[darylm74]

I agree, the visibility and properly fit equipment are the two biggest issues. The cold can be an issue especially in the beginning but the water is warming up quite nicely this year and I suggest that you try Dutch Springs in PA. The water should be relatively warm in comparison to what you are used to and the water is very clear (30+ feet). It is much closer and you don't have to worry about going to far to find a warm climate. Dutch Springs is < 3 hours away from you.

www.dutchsprings.com

 

[smash731]

Thanks everyone

So the consensus seems to be
warm water
good vis
better-fitting stuff.

I can fix the first two by not diving in the quarry.
The third I'm still working on...I recently got a hyperstretch suit that I haven't tried yet in the water, but at least was fitted by LDS.
I'm looking for equipment that's not bulky b/c I'm tiny (5'6" and 110 lbs). Based on what I've read on the equipment part of the forum I'm probably going for a Zeagle Zena b/c it's adjustable in several places.

Anyway, I'm just relieved to know that my diving career isn't over bc I wasn't "born" to dive like my fish-like buddy.

smash