Get help from a divemaster any time you can........... :cluck:
Hello everyone new and having trouble
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o2 clean
Guest
Talk about fears, I had them all. I didn't know how to really swim when I started my class (just knew how to swim across the pool hold on to the edge and swim back). Whenever I wasn't near the edge I would panic thinking I was going to drown. The reason for this fear was due to an "almost" drowning experience when I was a pre-teen. I spent hours and hours in the pool prior to my openwater class and learned how to snorkle on and underwater by myself.
On my way to my first confined water class, I was so scared. When I arrived there, I looked down at the pool water and thought, "I can't do this!" Realizing I can't just say "I can't do this" without trying, I gave it my best shot. I was surprised how well I did. My boyfriend who is a Resue Diver was in the pool with me as I learned with my instructor, which also gave me a sense of security because if anything happened to me, they were both there to help.
The other confined water dives went fairly well too. I was impressed with my performance, because I thought I was going to shoot to the top over and over again, but didn't. I knew I felt comfortable as I placed my open palm hand to my forehead and swam up to my boyfriend like I was a shark (have it on video too).
First openwater dive was amazing. I did need some help controlling my buyoancy (which I believe is natural), but once I got the hang of it, I felt comfortable.
Second openwater dive I was in full control. My main fear was coming across a shark, but I couldn't focus my time wondering, "Where is a shark?" or "Is there a shark behind me!" I learned to push any fear in the back of my mind and concentrate and appreciate my surroundings.
I LOVE DIVING!!!
On my way to my first confined water class, I was so scared. When I arrived there, I looked down at the pool water and thought, "I can't do this!" Realizing I can't just say "I can't do this" without trying, I gave it my best shot. I was surprised how well I did. My boyfriend who is a Resue Diver was in the pool with me as I learned with my instructor, which also gave me a sense of security because if anything happened to me, they were both there to help.
The other confined water dives went fairly well too. I was impressed with my performance, because I thought I was going to shoot to the top over and over again, but didn't. I knew I felt comfortable as I placed my open palm hand to my forehead and swam up to my boyfriend like I was a shark (have it on video too).
First openwater dive was amazing. I did need some help controlling my buyoancy (which I believe is natural), but once I got the hang of it, I felt comfortable.
Second openwater dive I was in full control. My main fear was coming across a shark, but I couldn't focus my time wondering, "Where is a shark?" or "Is there a shark behind me!" I learned to push any fear in the back of my mind and concentrate and appreciate my surroundings.
I LOVE DIVING!!!
rusky4u
Guest
"...have always had fear of water when I can't see the bottom. "
hi there!
what you mentioned about having fear when you can`t see the bottom happened to my girlfriend too.
what she did was looking me straight in the eyes when we were going down the line, not looking down!
hold the line to keep control and look your buddy in the eyes, this way you will get to the bottom slowly without any stress!
ask your buddy to grab your BC, so that you feel a bit of human touch and to assure you that you will not "plummet" away to the bottom!
once in the bottom all you have to do is pivoting (remember it?) and swim way!
in shore or in the boat, before diving, tell your buddy that you will look him deeply in the eyes (and why!) and that he/she sould grab you by the BC, otherwise he/she may misundertstand the overall situation!
i`m a divemaster and i use this tactic every time someone has that problem and... it works!!!
just let yorself go !
dive with a pro around for a while, it will increase your confort level and he/she will handle any problem for you!
dive safe & have fun!
rusky
hi there!
what you mentioned about having fear when you can`t see the bottom happened to my girlfriend too.
what she did was looking me straight in the eyes when we were going down the line, not looking down!
hold the line to keep control and look your buddy in the eyes, this way you will get to the bottom slowly without any stress!
ask your buddy to grab your BC, so that you feel a bit of human touch and to assure you that you will not "plummet" away to the bottom!
once in the bottom all you have to do is pivoting (remember it?) and swim way!
in shore or in the boat, before diving, tell your buddy that you will look him deeply in the eyes (and why!) and that he/she sould grab you by the BC, otherwise he/she may misundertstand the overall situation!
i`m a divemaster and i use this tactic every time someone has that problem and... it works!!!
just let yorself go !
dive with a pro around for a while, it will increase your confort level and he/she will handle any problem for you!
dive safe & have fun!
rusky
Scubanurse,
Relax, you'll be fine. Everyone (pretty much) experiences first time jitters and anxiety - I know I did. I almost didn't even do my OW dives I was so nervous. Once I got in the water, I was fine. Just take it slow...go down a few feet, then a few more.
Hey, I just did one of my first dives alone since getting certified and had an anxiety attack (vertigo) myself - so youre not alone. It happens. It happened to 2 of the 3 of us diving 2 wks ago. Just go slow and take your time. If you start to get scared, just back off, try and breathe and relax. Doing your open water dives is just like the pool, pretty much. In fact, its just more open. Water is water. You know your skills. If not, perhaps an additional class or 2 in the pool will help if you work on these problem skills - if any.
If your mask is leaking, find out why. Poor fit? Hair or a hood under part of the mask skirt? There is nothing more aggravating than a leaky mask. If thats a problem, fix it now or get a new mask that fits correctly! THATS important!
A Divemaster told one of the students in our class who was suffering from anxiety that perhaps they go talk to their doctor about a low dosage of Xanex (say .025 or less) before their dives. They did, and were fine. It was just enough to 'take the edge' off of their nerves, w/o making them sleepy or tired, etc. I am not a big advocate of drugs or alcohol before or during diving - but this person NEEDED to calm down a little - and that applied to their life overall and not JUST diving. Made a world of difference for them. Once they DID get in the water during checkouts, they had a ball and we all dove the 2nd day to 44 ft for like 30 mins, and they were fine and we all had so much fun. Just take your time, talk to your instructor and he/she will give you extra attention and help. They know - they have seen this all before.
No one is born like a fish. We live our life on land; don't breathe thru a regulator all day long, so this is all new.
Relax, keep at it, and practice makes perfect! Nothing comes easy - including diving skills!
Good luck!
Relax, you'll be fine. Everyone (pretty much) experiences first time jitters and anxiety - I know I did. I almost didn't even do my OW dives I was so nervous. Once I got in the water, I was fine. Just take it slow...go down a few feet, then a few more.
Hey, I just did one of my first dives alone since getting certified and had an anxiety attack (vertigo) myself - so youre not alone. It happens. It happened to 2 of the 3 of us diving 2 wks ago. Just go slow and take your time. If you start to get scared, just back off, try and breathe and relax. Doing your open water dives is just like the pool, pretty much. In fact, its just more open. Water is water. You know your skills. If not, perhaps an additional class or 2 in the pool will help if you work on these problem skills - if any.
If your mask is leaking, find out why. Poor fit? Hair or a hood under part of the mask skirt? There is nothing more aggravating than a leaky mask. If thats a problem, fix it now or get a new mask that fits correctly! THATS important!
A Divemaster told one of the students in our class who was suffering from anxiety that perhaps they go talk to their doctor about a low dosage of Xanex (say .025 or less) before their dives. They did, and were fine. It was just enough to 'take the edge' off of their nerves, w/o making them sleepy or tired, etc. I am not a big advocate of drugs or alcohol before or during diving - but this person NEEDED to calm down a little - and that applied to their life overall and not JUST diving. Made a world of difference for them. Once they DID get in the water during checkouts, they had a ball and we all dove the 2nd day to 44 ft for like 30 mins, and they were fine and we all had so much fun. Just take your time, talk to your instructor and he/she will give you extra attention and help. They know - they have seen this all before.
No one is born like a fish. We live our life on land; don't breathe thru a regulator all day long, so this is all new.
Relax, keep at it, and practice makes perfect! Nothing comes easy - including diving skills!
Good luck!
cougar
Contributor
Scubanurse
Hang in there. My daughter had some terrible fear problems...second dive she decided she was a failure and would never get wet again. She's now at 45 dives...confident and poised. In fact she got invited to a dive with the Marine Park people in Cozumel. She did a dive with a group that was all instructors...they couldn't believe her relative inexperience as she used much less air than anyone on the dive and had beautiful skills. This from the young woman who was scared to get in the water. Hang in there....relax...you'll be fine.
As for your mask. When I got my mask I got help from the LDS people....lots of advice about how to make sure it fit etc. It leaked like a bloody sieve. Yeah...I was fine with clearing...but every two minutes?? I finally figured out that the problem was my hairline. I have a small face to start with and the distance of skin between my hairline and the beginning of my eyebrows is the width of one finger. A friend had some spare masks and happened to have one that fit perfectly in that finger width twixt my hairline and my eyebrows....no more leaks. Put on your mask and look carefully in the mirror. Could hair be breaking the seal and causing problems? I also found that if I removed my mask underwater and replaced it...I'd get my bangs under the top edge...fix for that is something like a Dee Rag...keeps the bangs out of the way. Check Dee's site. I've been using a bandana 'cause I didn't have time to get one from her before I left...but I'm gonna...I promise.
Hang in there. My daughter had some terrible fear problems...second dive she decided she was a failure and would never get wet again. She's now at 45 dives...confident and poised. In fact she got invited to a dive with the Marine Park people in Cozumel. She did a dive with a group that was all instructors...they couldn't believe her relative inexperience as she used much less air than anyone on the dive and had beautiful skills. This from the young woman who was scared to get in the water. Hang in there....relax...you'll be fine.
As for your mask. When I got my mask I got help from the LDS people....lots of advice about how to make sure it fit etc. It leaked like a bloody sieve. Yeah...I was fine with clearing...but every two minutes?? I finally figured out that the problem was my hairline. I have a small face to start with and the distance of skin between my hairline and the beginning of my eyebrows is the width of one finger. A friend had some spare masks and happened to have one that fit perfectly in that finger width twixt my hairline and my eyebrows....no more leaks. Put on your mask and look carefully in the mirror. Could hair be breaking the seal and causing problems? I also found that if I removed my mask underwater and replaced it...I'd get my bangs under the top edge...fix for that is something like a Dee Rag...keeps the bangs out of the way. Check Dee's site. I've been using a bandana 'cause I didn't have time to get one from her before I left...but I'm gonna...I promise.
Scubanurse,
Hope things are going well for you - isn't this board great for encouragement?
My wife and I just did our first OW dive at a local lake and although my wife did great, I had problems with my mask leaking and sucked a bunch of water through my nose after completing my mask clears - this lead to coughing and apparently lots of air swallowing! I started feeling nauseous and I signalled that I needed to go up - a divemaster accompanied me and slowed my ascent as I was going a bit fast. Once I reached the surface, I removed my regulator and was ready to upchuck the contents of my stomach - you know what came out? LOTS OF AIR!! I must have burped enough air to fill an air tank After that I felt much better. One of the problems I had was that I was breathing out/slightly inhaling through my nose which lead to the coughing, swallowing air, followed by much belching (at least the gas didn't come out the other end! ).
The last pool session my wife and I had was 3 weeks ago and I guess I forgot how to breath only through my mouth - I did this fine in the pool. Practice makes perfect!
Best of luck!
Paul
Hope things are going well for you - isn't this board great for encouragement?
My wife and I just did our first OW dive at a local lake and although my wife did great, I had problems with my mask leaking and sucked a bunch of water through my nose after completing my mask clears - this lead to coughing and apparently lots of air swallowing! I started feeling nauseous and I signalled that I needed to go up - a divemaster accompanied me and slowed my ascent as I was going a bit fast. Once I reached the surface, I removed my regulator and was ready to upchuck the contents of my stomach - you know what came out? LOTS OF AIR!!
I must have burped enough air to fill an air tank After that I felt much better. One of the problems I had was that I was breathing out/slightly inhaling through my nose which lead to the coughing, swallowing air, followed by much belching (at least the gas didn't come out the other end! ).The last pool session my wife and I had was 3 weeks ago and I guess I forgot how to breath only through my mouth - I did this fine in the pool. Practice makes perfect!
Best of luck!
Paul
greg somers
Guest
Great that you are trying it out. As to the fear, most times it's related to a bad experience had previously in or around the water. I have met people who have had near drowning experiences when they were younger and they have trouble putting their head underwater. Some even have trouble washing their hair in the shower. Lot's of love and support is needed, but let me also suggest that you may want to seek some counselling to help in this area. Nothing major or scary, but a helpful concerned and experienced counsellor who can guide you through your fear without the need to force you through your fear just to complete a course. Sometimes we can't even remember what may have happened so a friendly and safe environment such as a counselling office can be very helpful. You decide, but I have myself used the services of a counsellor in other non related dive issues when I went through my own counselling training and I found it beneficial.
Cheers New to the Board Ears,
The Gasman
Cheers New to the Board Ears,
The Gasman
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