Hello everyone new and having trouble

[scubanurse]

Hello everyone,
I am new to diving and new to this board. I have been reading the forums for several weeks and have found alot of encouraging messages. I am currently enrolled in the padi ow class. I am taking the class with my spouse. Scuba diving was my idea and I had to talk him into it. He likes it and is doing well took to scuba like a fish out of water. I on the other hand have had several problrems, not the first of which is fear of water. I had a terrible time in the pool at first, panicked shot to top several times etc. I have managed to get over my fear in the pool and have passed confined water and written test. When we went to do our open water dives I was horrified to get in the water over my head. With the help of my instructor and husband I managed to get to the platform and complete some of my skills check offs. When we went in for our 2nd ow dive we had to swimm out to a bouy and ascend down a line. The whole time I was doing my surface swim I felt like I was drowing and couldn't breath. I am sure this was related to anxiety. I finally it made down the line and onto the platform, visibility was very poor and it got cloudy which made it worse. I got very scared but did not panic. I managed to perform bcd removal and replacement and buddy breathing. Then my mask started to leak. I would clear it but it would instantly start leaking again. The instructor had us go back up the line and exit the lake. Once again had trouble with surface swim. I really want to pass this course and go swim with the fishes. Has anyone else had similar problems with open water dive. I am sorry this post is so long but thought a little history wes needed.

 

[raxafarian]

My wife took some private swim lessons... she never learned to swim as a kid .... helped with face in the water, treading, etc.

The above is based on your "fear of water" statement. Is this in general, or just while diving?

 

[boydski]

Has anyone else had similar problems with open water dive.

My wife and I have been diving for about 3 years ( 125 dives ) now, and when I think back to our open water check out dives ( in cold, murky water ), I would describe our state of mind as "terrified". I remember driving back to the dive site on our second day ( for dives 3 and 4 ) and asking my wife if we "really wanted to do this". We both had a lot of anxiety about doing our skills in what was then, a very alien environment. Now, we can both laugh about it as we are quite comfortable diving in even worse conditions.

My wife was very claustrophobic, and had so much anxiety, she proved that you can loose your breakfast through your regulator. Try to remember that you have already done all of your skills in the pool, so you know how to do them, and simply have to repeat them while wearing all that neoprene. Try to relax and remember, this is supposed to be fun, and will be once you get past your first few dives! Take your time, breath deeply, and check out the sites around you. It will help take your mind off all that nervous energy.

Boydksi

 

[kishore]

I was too...especially, since I did my certification dive in a cave. I just got my cert yesterday and know exactly what you are talking about. What I did, to calm my nerves, was to "stop thinking". Just jump in and think that you are in a pool. Talk to your buddy and instructor like you are talking to them on land. Also, another thing you can do, is openly talk to them about your fears, maybe, go down a few feet, hang out, come back up, go down a few more feet and do the same. My girlfriend had the same problem too. The first time she went down, her ears started hurting. Then both of us came back up, floated around the surface for some time, got back down. By the time we did our second dive, both of us were comfortable and could move around easily. So, just jump in!! Hope this helps.

 

[jepuskar]

I am real new to this too and also will admit I am not that great with water, however, my comfort level is rapidly increasing, and I think yours will too.

I had my very first open water dives in a Quarry this past weekend, my girlfriend and I had some butterflies about going in, but having your BCD inflated and a snorkel in your mouth makes all the difference in getting comfortable on the way out to the descend spot. I bet your legs and arms were going all over the place....mine were too at first, but if you learn how to position yourself in the water..you really dont need to do much. My BCD is the back inflate kind and I just need to lean back into it and then its relaxing.

I know what your going through, but as you have read throughout this board, many people overcome their anxiety....I have posted a couple things that I look back on and laugh at and I have only been posting here for a month now. In fact, even at the dive sight I think about discussions on this board. When the viz was next to nothing at a certain point in my 2nd dive, I relaxed and just swam through the crap and came out of it.....there was a post some where that talked about this.

Hang in there and you'll be fine.

Jason

 

[nicodaemos]

scubanurse, relax you're going to do fine.

Let me relate a story. About six weeks ago my fiance and I went to our local YMCA to sign her up for swim classes. She wanted to learn how to swim to eventually scubadive. To keep her company we signed up for semi-private lessons -- just the two of us and an instructor.

I'm not a great swimmer and I learned that being away from the water for so many years (having not swam in a pool since grade school) meant that I had some nervousness in getting back in the water. During the first few classes, whenever I got tired swimming or got water in my nose, I had to stand up in the pool to catch my breath or get the water out. But over the course of a number of weaks, my tension eased. I was finding myself much more comfortable in the water. Whenever I got tired I would simply and easily turn over and float on my back. I learned to keep enough pressure in my nose to prevent water from going in. What I'm trying to get across is that as the class went along, I became more and more comfortable with handling problems in the water. You mentioned panicking in the pool and shooting to the surface. Well I did that once early in my confined pool sessions. It just takes time to acclimate yourself with this alien environment. You're basically living underwater due the life support system strapped to you .... should any problem occur, you have to rectify it without standing up in the pool or shooting straight to the surface.

This past weekend I completed my open water certification. We were boat diving in the Gulf of Mexico off of Panama City. It was at times choppy with waves around 3-4 feet. On my second dive, I was the first student to enter the water. I was to hang out on the surface using my snorkel until the other students were in. As I was breathing through my snorkel, the air suddenly stopped coming. I didn't panic, but switched to my regulator and continued breathing. Moments later I saw my snorkel floating away from me -- it had gotten disconnected from my mask. No problem, I simply swam to my snorkel and while floating, reattached it to my mask. Then switched back to breathing thru the snorkel.

I can't say that I would have been this comfortable with this situation a couple of months ago. In fact I truly believe that I wouldn't have handled this well had I not be regularly swimming in the classes at my YMCA. Thanks to the regular sessions, my body and senses have become much more acclimated to working in and around the water.

After having gone through the certification process the best advice I would give to someone is to give themselves time. Don't rush to get certified, give yourself plenty of time playing in the water. The more you're in tune with your body and senses in the water, the more enjoyment you'll get out of scuba.

On the checkout dives, I was much more comfortable than my classmates in the water. While they were constantly bouncing up and down, arms flailing everywhere, I was staying relatively stable (had to fin though, as I don't yet have my bouyancy down). All of the dives ended because one or more of my classmates were low on air .... I always had plenty left.

Scubanurse, you have your whole life to dive. Slow down, play in the water and progress as you feel comfortable. Remember that in scuba, emergencies do occur and the key to living is your ability to handle unexpected problems.

 

[mndolphin]

I too had trouble and can only say, hang in there, you'll get it it just takes time!

Also, is your mask adjusted properly you stated it kept leaking??
just a suggestion.
Good luck

 

[Jersey]

Scubanurse - smile, take a deep breath and confront your anxiety! You did not mention if you completed enough ow to get your card? If not do you plan on going back? My husband as well took to diving like he was born there. I had to work a little more.

Like boydski's wife - I remember being so anxious pre-ow that I literally cried the night before and the morning on the drive out. Got through first day (I forget how!) went back for day 2, cried some more, one of the assisting DM's had to wait on surface with me to calm down and get my breathing under control before I could desend. Then, first dive on day 2, I proved that you can really throw up under water and continue your dive! The fish really like the little bits of food.

Relax, it is normal to be anxious. As someone who does some motivational coaching, I tell my clients their fear is usually far worse then the reality of the situation. I had to use my own words of advice to get through ow. After that it has been a dream come true. I will say, first dive after having been off for a while, I still get anxious. The anxiety serves to heighten my awareness and make me very cautious, not necessarily a bad thing. You will get used to the mask leaking, it is the nature of the sport. Do you have any hair caught in your mask skirt? That is usually the cause of my problems.

Can you get in some additional pool work with your LDS? Or as someone suggested, just work to improve you water comfort skills? Just keep working and let us know how you do! Good luck!

Jersey

 

[scubanurse]

Thanks for all the encouragment and advice. I had to spend alot of time in the pool with snorkel and mask and get used to mouth breathing and it did get better with practice. I have always been a pretty good swimmer as long as I was in a pool, have always had fear of water when I can't see the bottom. I quess it will just take more time in the water . I am fortunate enough to have friends who will let me use the pool anytime,and my instructor will let use the equipment to practice. I have been back to the pool 1 time since ow and felt more comfortable with taking mask off and actually stayed under for some time with my eyes closed so I could be better prepared for poor vis on my next lake trip. I plan on burning one more tank of air in the pool with full equipment on prior to going back to lake. I think having the wetsuit around my neck kind of contributed to feeling like I couldn't breath. I just hope my buddy doesn't get tired of going to practice with me! I will keep you posted.

 

[art.chick]

Yo Nurse,
I am an Assitant Instructor Candidate (in training since last Sept.) & see this buisiness with the choking all the time. Is it the wetsuit or the hood? I have sent many students to buy the = or -$40 hyperstretch hood. The flexibility will ease the pressure on your carotid arteries & reduce that choking feeling.

Please do not feel under any pressure at all to keep up with your man. Every time family members sign up together, one moves faster than the other. Why? Usually primal fears. There is no way to rush thru overcoming the fear. If there is an assistant to your instructor, it may help to take her/him aside & explaining that you have special needs (fear IS a special need, & they don't know what's bugging you if you don't tell them.)

Many newbies are more afraid than anything of being abandoned in an emergency. They subconsciously generate clumsy behaviors to keep strong divers close to them. If you KNOW that you are going to have a strong diver right there the whole time, you can let go of the terror & concentrate on the activity.