Experienced diver...feel like a nervous newbie

[Michael Benner]

Your new drysuit, you say? Interesting. Do you feel completely comfortable in that suit? Do you have the bouyancy issues all worked out? Do you ever get squeeze?

Well, I did get certified in it right before I left Korea, but yes for all intents and purposes I've only dove with it here in the Puget Sound area. I've figured out most of the issues. One that I (and probably most) struggle with even now is the tension around the neck. I've trimmed it down to a reasonable degree of comfort, but still a little claustrophobic, gag reflex type response happens once in awhile.

 

[chillyinCanada]

So, you don't think your suit has anything to do with why you're having anxiety on your second dives of the day?

 

[The Chairman]

I can't stand dry suits. I almost can't stand wet suits. It's not uncommon to find me in just a swimsuit when others are in a dry suit. Some my rebreather has extended my dive times in the caves to over two hours, I just ordered a 5/3 custom wet suit from WetWear. Super easy to don and no neck issues like on a drysuit. They'll be at the Scuba Show in Long Beach this weekend if you want to check them out.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Netdoc, Mike Brenner is diving out of Washington state. Sorry if I'm missing something. Is Long Beach in WA?

 

[The Chairman]

I don't think so... I have no clue how close/far it might be since I live in Florida. Just an FYI should he find it doable. In any event they'll sillstill sell someone from Wa.

 

[chillyinCanada]

OK! What about up here? I just picked one up on Saturday but I'm not married to it yet.

 

[NYCNaiad]

I've often seen people have huge reactions to small changes in their gear. I once freaked out when I borrowed a pair of fins from a buddy. I think you probably need to either change your suit or try spending more time in it even when you're not diving. For instance, maybe in a pool?

My mom's a clinical psychologist. Generally, controlled/gentle/gradual exposure to the fearful event can lessen it over time. (It's called exposure therapy. You don't need someone necessarily who knows diving, just someone who works with anxiety.) Also, perhaps also doing easier dives with someone who's there just for you (a buddy or a paid dm) could be helpful. Putting yourself in a frightful situation and pushing yourself so hard will only make the problem worse. Be kind to yourself. Keep the dives easy for a long time.

I speak from experience as I almost drowned in a whirlpool. It took me a long time to work through it, but doing easier dives in shallow, warm water with no current and great vis along with a kind buddy or paid dm for months really helped. Now, when it's been a while since I've been diving, I do the same again. Easy dives until I'm sure everything's good.

You can do this!

 

[Imla]

Hi! I have two thoughts for you.
First of all. Get your seal trimmed down to where you don't feel it strangling you. You should NOT have a gag reflex. If you feel at all claustrophobic, it is too tight.

Now to the effect of the tight seal. Anything feeling tight on your neck will influence your breathing. If it is tight enough, which it sounds like it is, it could also influence your heart rate via sensors in the large arteries in your neck. Add this to challenging conditions, poor viz, cold water and disappearing buddies, and you have a cascade that is almost inevitable leading to a CO2 retention, for which the symptoms are all of what you mention. Slight tunnel vision. Feeling of being task overloaded. Nausea, headache, dizziness, increased heart rate, pounding heart and a most profound feeling of not getting enough air. You might not have them all, but in addition to these, you can also have a feeling of light anxiety or stress.

My tip... Loosen that neck seal to where it is comfortable. (I barely feel mine when I have my suit on)
Slow down your dives. If you feel anxiety, find a fixed point or something to hold on to. Relax your breathing and remember to both inhale properly and to exhale properly.

 

[Stoo]

A tight neck seal can easily result in a carotid sinus reflex. The pressure on the carotid arteries can, in extreme cases, lead to bradycardia and even death.

In less severe cases, it can lead to feelings of distress and generally "unwell" feeling, not unlike a CO2 buildup in my experience.

Most folks figure that a neck seal needs to be really tight, but it doesn't. Snug, yes, but not tight. You should be able to slip a finger between the seal and your neck easily... If you think it's too tight, trim it back in tiny increments of an 1/8" or so (very carefully).

I suggest you look into silicone seals. I have both latex and silicone seals on two suits, and the silicone neck seal is amazingly comfortable.

 

[kr2y5]

+1 on neck/hood to tight. I've once bought a 12mm hood, hoping it would make me warmer, the damned thing made me feel so very uncomfortable and claustrophobic, I had a hard time doing simple skills. I felt like 90% of my mental bandwidth was being taken up by processing the "I'm uncomfortable" signal streaming out of my body, and there was little left for much else. Downgraded to 6mm, and it was like night and day.

Also, I wonder if you might be misinterpreting your sensations. You may have heard of those experiments, where people were told to make sad or happy faces, and ended up feeling sad or happy as a result. I often feel slight nausea right before splashing, after gearing up and walking in drysuit and doubles to the water in the heat. Maybe you're not as anxious as you think. Maybe you're just being physically uncomfortable.