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Sharks & other big things (I always keep my eyes open). DCI and O2 toxicity as well.
Greatest Fear?
- Thread starter OBXDIVEGUY
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alaxias
Registered
That's an interesting topic. I have this very irrational fear that I can't explain (being a very rational person). For some reason, I'm scared when I'm swiming with my head above the water in deep water (doesn't have to be deep actually, just vis low enough that I can't see the bottom).
This is irrational to the point that I get the same feeling in video games (exemple, submarine game where I freely move the camera to be underwater in an ocean)
I dived a blue hole in the bahamas 2 years ago and didn't have any problem. The bottom of the blue hole was of course not visible but I could see the cliffs (or the sea bed when above the water). Thinking about it, it probably have nothing to do with depth but more about having a point of reference. I have yet to do any dive where nothing is visible at all (let's say I would dive from a boat in very deep water) so I'm not sure how I would feel. So far these fear only happened when swiming (usually in a low vis lake or river).
This is irrational to the point that I get the same feeling in video games (exemple, submarine game where I freely move the camera to be underwater in an ocean)
I dived a blue hole in the bahamas 2 years ago and didn't have any problem. The bottom of the blue hole was of course not visible but I could see the cliffs (or the sea bed when above the water). Thinking about it, it probably have nothing to do with depth but more about having a point of reference. I have yet to do any dive where nothing is visible at all (let's say I would dive from a boat in very deep water) so I'm not sure how I would feel. So far these fear only happened when swiming (usually in a low vis lake or river).
sabbath999
Contributor
I don't tend to get freaked out by anything diving-wise ahead of time, so I guess I am not really "afraid" of anything.
Having said that, I am exceedingly cautious when doing things underwater because I know I am an unskilled NOOB and I understand that doing stupid NOOB stuff can get my buddy or myself injured or dead. On my recent trip, we both declined to do several things like fairly tight swim throughs or going down to a deep level to see a particular creature because it was below our risk/reward threshold (this was going to 90 feet to hang out until the garden eels were up... when I saw they were down and we were at 80, I turned us back because I didn't want to blow through my air that fast)... we had previously done at 112 foot deep dive for AOW training, so this wasn't outside my training... it was just outside where I wanted to go on the dive (even though it was a planned descent).
I am careful and cautious, but I know sooner or later things are going to go wrong... I don't want to get lost at sea so I carried a safety sausage, air horn and whistle on a dive were you really don't need them. I took a spare computer on the dives as backup instrumentation... etc.
Will things happen that I am not expecting... of course they will. Will I be able to handle them? I sure hope so, but I will let you know when/if I get back from the dive...
No need to sit around thinking about stuff to be afraid of, in my NOOB (and therefore unknowing) opinion... instead it's better for me to listen to what everybody else is afraid of/concerned about and figure out what kind of training I need to do moving forward to deal with those problems should they happen to me....
I don't like the sound of those downdraft/updraft problems along a wall at all... and I don't really know what to do if that happens to me... but I am going to find out and train for it.
Having said that, I am exceedingly cautious when doing things underwater because I know I am an unskilled NOOB and I understand that doing stupid NOOB stuff can get my buddy or myself injured or dead. On my recent trip, we both declined to do several things like fairly tight swim throughs or going down to a deep level to see a particular creature because it was below our risk/reward threshold (this was going to 90 feet to hang out until the garden eels were up... when I saw they were down and we were at 80, I turned us back because I didn't want to blow through my air that fast)... we had previously done at 112 foot deep dive for AOW training, so this wasn't outside my training... it was just outside where I wanted to go on the dive (even though it was a planned descent).
I am careful and cautious, but I know sooner or later things are going to go wrong... I don't want to get lost at sea so I carried a safety sausage, air horn and whistle on a dive were you really don't need them. I took a spare computer on the dives as backup instrumentation... etc.
Will things happen that I am not expecting... of course they will. Will I be able to handle them? I sure hope so, but I will let you know when/if I get back from the dive...
No need to sit around thinking about stuff to be afraid of, in my NOOB (and therefore unknowing) opinion... instead it's better for me to listen to what everybody else is afraid of/concerned about and figure out what kind of training I need to do moving forward to deal with those problems should they happen to me....
I don't like the sound of those downdraft/updraft problems along a wall at all... and I don't really know what to do if that happens to me... but I am going to find out and train for it.
NeilJ
Registered
Someone catching me urinating in my wet suit!!
No, what scares me is having a dive partner stuck and not being about to do anything about it.
No, what scares me is having a dive partner stuck and not being about to do anything about it.
captain
Contributor
That someone pulls the drain plug in the bottom of the ocean and I get sucked into the bowels of the earth.
Coll
Guest
My biggest dive fear, albeit unlikely is for some reason or another, not being able to move and lying on my back on the ocean floor just waiting for my air to run out. Bleh!! Makes my stomach churn just to think about it.
escapeartist
Contributor
What's weird is that this fear ISN'T weird to me! I feel the same way. I wouldn't say it's my biggest fear, but it definitely makes me feel uncomfortable.
Like someone already said in their post, my biggest fear is having something happen to my buddy (my husband) and me not being able to save him. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. That's also why I'm on SB a lot....maybe I'll read something that will pop into my mind at just the right time one day diving.....
Bull sharks. I hate those too...scare the daylights out of me.
escapeartist
Contributor
I guess I shouldn't say that I "hate" bull sharks...I actually love sharks. They are fascinating, but most still scare me when I'm in the water with them.
...I figure I'll have broken the hook and sent it up and it'll only be me 30 or so miles out in the Atlantic...a sister GDGW will swim by doing whatever it is that GDGW's do and roll her 18 foot 4k body over and glance at me as she goes by...I'll look at her and seize up...nobody else will see her, and later people will sit around and talk about how I was too old to be setting or breaking the hook.....THAT is my fear......:cool2:
Mike
Mike
DiverDurf
Contributor
Being with a buddy that when I signal OOA and reach for their octo.........they back away. That would supremely suck and probably result in me pulling out my knife to get my point across (ok, just kidding about the knife part).
I'm still too new really to worry all that much, but in general I worry that everyone else I dive with has the same sort of training I do in sharing air, etc during emergencies. Aside from that, getting a tank of bad air and getting sick down below (vomiting). Speaking of, choking and vomiting while under scares me in a big way. I don't see how someone under either of these conditions can keep the reg in their mouth and not inhale water, and I hope to never find out.
I'm still too new really to worry all that much, but in general I worry that everyone else I dive with has the same sort of training I do in sharing air, etc during emergencies. Aside from that, getting a tank of bad air and getting sick down below (vomiting). Speaking of, choking and vomiting while under scares me in a big way. I don't see how someone under either of these conditions can keep the reg in their mouth and not inhale water, and I hope to never find out.
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