Michael Benner
New
So I've been certified now for a little over three years, though dives typically occur every 1-2 months as I have a demanding job and busy travel schedule.
The issue I'm facing is that ever since I started diving in my current location (south Puget Sound in the vicinity of Tacoma-Olympia corridor), I've had some serious nerve issues that, despite my best efforts have led to physical symptoms of nausea and in at least two cases bailing on dives because of feelings of panic (though it should be noted that I maintain safe diving practices of safe ascent rates and safety stops) and a few aborted ones due to mental discomfort and physical issues like nausea, including my most recent which was an attempt at Day 2 of a rescue dive course (first day went well, strangely enough).
The frustrating thing is, prior to here I was diving in Korea, where I certified open, NITROX, deep dive, peak performance bouyancy, and advanced. I was pushing my limits safely, routinely conducting dives between 60-100 feet with little issue and very calmly. I keep my gear maintained, do pre-dive safety checks, and am physically very fit. I've never even had a dive inconvenience let alone an emergency, either personally because of equipment issues or a significant buddy issue, so there aren't any PTSD issues I can think of.
I think some of the issues revolve around the following:
Familiarity with dive group- I dived with the same group of instructors and people in Korea my whole time there, so there was a natural feeling of trust in my group I haven't felt here where I'm almost always diving with someone different as a buddy or instructor every time.
Different conditions- water temps were about the same, 50-60 degrees F, but the conditions in the south Puget Sound are notoriously difficult for inexperienced and average divers. Poor visibility, strong currents, wide tide differentials-conditions I rarely experienced in Korea. I've lost my buddy on more than one occasion in such conditions, drifted far away from the entrance point- and I'm not the only one. A bit disconcerting. Physically and mentally much more taxing, and the poor visibility in particular drives some of my nerve issues. I think this compounds with a slight task overloading as not only am I paying attention to the basics such as buoyancy control, depth, and air consumption but also underwater navigation and more focused buddy monitoring. Even when I try to take a few moments to center myself, I still feel overwhelmed by some level of unexplained fear that I have a hard time making go away, and makes me want to bolt to the surface despite my training and awareness of risk (and I have done this once here in the Sound, admittedly). This is especially true when I know I am even going to less than moderate recreational depths of 10-20 meters, and especially if knowing I will go to the deeper recreational depths of 30-40 meters. Even thinking about that now makes me feel mentally fearful and physically excited (like highly elevated heart rate and nausea), and at depth I become overwhelmed with fear and physical tension- again where when diving in Korea this was normal for me to dive at these depths and even having fun, moving over and under obstacles and the such.
As mentioned I'm unable to dive more frequently than about once or twice a month, and I know more frequency with a trusted buddy would probably help.
I should note that in at least a few cases the nerve issues manifested themselves on the second dive or day two of a series. In many cases my partners or instructors are patient, not pushing things up front or through the dive. But I still feel guilty knowing that I am shortening their dive day. I've never actually admitted it was nerves, attributing it to nausea or some other factor (which is sometime true).
I'm trying to figure out the best ways to overcome these issues. I'm wondering if there are any low-cost courses or specialty care providers (ie a psychiatrist familiar with dive stress issues) that can help me slowly and progressively get back into a normal advanced recreational diving comfort zone. I'd appreciate any advice and anyone who has experienced this how they worked through it. I love diving and NEED to enjoy it fully again. Thanks!
The issue I'm facing is that ever since I started diving in my current location (south Puget Sound in the vicinity of Tacoma-Olympia corridor), I've had some serious nerve issues that, despite my best efforts have led to physical symptoms of nausea and in at least two cases bailing on dives because of feelings of panic (though it should be noted that I maintain safe diving practices of safe ascent rates and safety stops) and a few aborted ones due to mental discomfort and physical issues like nausea, including my most recent which was an attempt at Day 2 of a rescue dive course (first day went well, strangely enough).
The frustrating thing is, prior to here I was diving in Korea, where I certified open, NITROX, deep dive, peak performance bouyancy, and advanced. I was pushing my limits safely, routinely conducting dives between 60-100 feet with little issue and very calmly. I keep my gear maintained, do pre-dive safety checks, and am physically very fit. I've never even had a dive inconvenience let alone an emergency, either personally because of equipment issues or a significant buddy issue, so there aren't any PTSD issues I can think of.
I think some of the issues revolve around the following:
Familiarity with dive group- I dived with the same group of instructors and people in Korea my whole time there, so there was a natural feeling of trust in my group I haven't felt here where I'm almost always diving with someone different as a buddy or instructor every time.
Different conditions- water temps were about the same, 50-60 degrees F, but the conditions in the south Puget Sound are notoriously difficult for inexperienced and average divers. Poor visibility, strong currents, wide tide differentials-conditions I rarely experienced in Korea. I've lost my buddy on more than one occasion in such conditions, drifted far away from the entrance point- and I'm not the only one. A bit disconcerting. Physically and mentally much more taxing, and the poor visibility in particular drives some of my nerve issues. I think this compounds with a slight task overloading as not only am I paying attention to the basics such as buoyancy control, depth, and air consumption but also underwater navigation and more focused buddy monitoring. Even when I try to take a few moments to center myself, I still feel overwhelmed by some level of unexplained fear that I have a hard time making go away, and makes me want to bolt to the surface despite my training and awareness of risk (and I have done this once here in the Sound, admittedly). This is especially true when I know I am even going to less than moderate recreational depths of 10-20 meters, and especially if knowing I will go to the deeper recreational depths of 30-40 meters. Even thinking about that now makes me feel mentally fearful and physically excited (like highly elevated heart rate and nausea), and at depth I become overwhelmed with fear and physical tension- again where when diving in Korea this was normal for me to dive at these depths and even having fun, moving over and under obstacles and the such.
As mentioned I'm unable to dive more frequently than about once or twice a month, and I know more frequency with a trusted buddy would probably help.
I should note that in at least a few cases the nerve issues manifested themselves on the second dive or day two of a series. In many cases my partners or instructors are patient, not pushing things up front or through the dive. But I still feel guilty knowing that I am shortening their dive day. I've never actually admitted it was nerves, attributing it to nausea or some other factor (which is sometime true).
I'm trying to figure out the best ways to overcome these issues. I'm wondering if there are any low-cost courses or specialty care providers (ie a psychiatrist familiar with dive stress issues) that can help me slowly and progressively get back into a normal advanced recreational diving comfort zone. I'd appreciate any advice and anyone who has experienced this how they worked through it. I love diving and NEED to enjoy it fully again. Thanks!