My first time in scuba gear was in a local 3 meter deep swimming pool on a try dive as a teenager in the early '90s. I was scared about pressure on my ears under water, due to a series of ear infections I'd had as a kid, when one drum had perforated and leaked puss for a week; I was sensitive about my ears. Once in the water I couldn't go deeper than about a foot due to a vicious mask squeeze. Now I think about it, I must have been trying to breathe through my nose.
A couple of years ago I met my current girlfriend, a keen diver, and I decided to try again. I did another try dive, this time off a beach on Pulau Redang, Malaysia, and all the former anxiety was gone. Will be doing my AOW in May, and hopefully my first diving in UK waters this summer. Can't wait.