Hydrophobia... go scuba?

[Santa]

One way may be to advertise special "phobia classes" in the LDS from time to time and kinda round'em up there. they could be non-scuba water adaptation/snorkling courses, or "scuba preparation courses" or something. Alternatively one might make special ow classes for the h2o-challenged. Takes an instructor with some ekstra social skills or a maybe psychological or pedagogical background of course.

Such special offers might even bring in a new set of customers - and would most likely be an educational status symbol for the shop as well. "Scuba-therapy" ;o).

 

[Puffer Fish]

I think someone should start calling the American psychological Society and ask them to stop sending hydrophobic and hydro-traumatized individuals to scuba shops. I mean... shouldn't they start their fear-overcoming journey by, let's say, combing the beach first? Frankly, I find it a little too much to ask someone who's terrified of a swimming pool to be breathing from a compressed air tank 40 feet below the wonderful Californian waves. Not to mention that it's really a distress-filled situation when you're trying to work with these water-challenged individuals... and to see them try so hard and not going anywhere... to have to try and pull the plug on the situation. Why are we getting these people in our scuba classes?

I would suspect you are cheaper than therapy.

I've had lots of people that were afraid of one aspect or another at being in/under water, and in many cases they do just find. I suspect that it has more to do with the desire and how well the individual can learn to control their fear.

The problem is, fear is one step away from panic and that, as we all know, can be fatal to more than just the student.

In a reasonable class size and assistance, you have the chance to spend pool time to resolve if the person is a danger to themselves or other, or just needs the time.

My worst student was an old Marine, that took the class because his unit was taking the class. Wost swimmer I have ever seen and most afraid of the water of anyone I have ever seen actual get in water. But he wanted to show his guys that he could do what they could. I gave him extra pool classes, he did extra work on his own, and in the end passes easier than most regular students. Most are not like this.

As the two major aspects of this are desire and the ability to control their own actions (at least as I see it), evaluations take a bit of time, but should be fairly easy. Some should not take the class - some are ok.

Note: Never had a single student who was afraid of the water ever get into trouble or have a major problem later. They either never went out, or they went out with more safety concerns than the normal person.

 

[Wayward Son]

Depends on what the issue is & why the person wants to tlearn to dive. I know 2 people such as this.

My friend Quincy had a fear of deep water. Not water in general, deep water. Didn't even like being over it in a boat. So a few years ago he decided to learn to dive & see if that would help him get that under control. It did.

The 2nd is my wife. She likes the water. Enjoys boating, fishing & swimming. What I didn't know is that she never really learned to swim. She could move around the surface & not drown for a while, but had never learned a real stroke. She also had issues with putting her face UW, something she had never told me about. Dated way back to when she was a kid & her brothers were being cute, dunking her, and it scared the **** out of her. And she never got over it. Last year she decided that she wanted to learn to dive. Not bc I was pushing her too, I never did. She just wanted to find out what it was all about, figured if I liked it so much there must be something to it & if she learned, she could dive with me. Plus here unstated thought that it would help her get over her fear about putting her face UW.

Class work went fine. 1st pool session was a disaster, & the 2nd. She finally told me some of this stuff so I pulled her out of the class, got her into a pool & started teaching her how to actually swim. Once we got the basics of that down, I worked with her on basic snorkeling on the surface, eventually to simple, shallow breath hold swims & clearing the snorkel.

Then it was back into class, and she couldn't clear her mask without sucking water up her nose & choking. Instructor just kept telling her that some folks shouldn't dive, maybe she was one of them & should consider giving up. Wouldn't do a damned thing to help figure out what the problem was, what she was doing wrong, and maybe actually *teaching* the basic skill he was supposed to be. so I got that sorted out & then we got her in a class with a new instructor. At which point the rest of her water skills went fine, she finally did her OW dives, got certified & started diving with me out in the gulf. Now she has about 20 logged dives & is enjoying herself immensely.

 

[BabyDuck]

just like everything else in the world, there's a fine line here. if a person is trying scuba as their own way (no pushing from anyone) of dealing with a water fear/discomfort they really want to get past, then i hope the instructor is willing to go above & beyond to help them attain their goal (and i'm sure most would). but i think it's really a crappy copout for a psychologist or psychiatrist to tell someone who is *really* pathological about this fear 'oh, just go take a scuba class'. dude or dudette, they're asking YOU to help them! if they get to a point where something like a scuba class would help, i'd think it would be up to the psych to set it up with someone with time and experience with such frightened folks, not turn the person loose on an unsuspecting random instructor!! [/rant]

 

[HarleyDiver]

Hydrohobia is also another name for RABIES.
don't let any of these people bite you.

Actually, it's a SYMPTOM of Rabies.

 

[DementialFaith]

Thanks for the input people, and of course if the person is very well motivated then I think nonone in the dive profession has the right to turn them away. Still, as some people have mentioned, maybe they should go through some rudimentary swimming classes before trying on scuba? Just another thought

 

[rockjock3]

I guess it depends on the level of phobia. I grew up in the Jaws era and was terrified of water that was deeper than knee deep, if I couldn't see the bottom. I saw a shark on my first OW cert dive and was absolutely in awe of this magnificent creature. Now 34 dives later I actually go looking for them. I don't try to draw them to me or harass them, but I do watch for them and really get a high when I find them and can just watch them swimming or hanging out around the reef.

 

[TheRedHead]

but i think it's really a crappy copout for a psychologist or psychiatrist to tell someone who is *really* pathological about this fear 'oh, just go take a scuba class'. dude or dudette, they're asking YOU to help them! if

The OW instructor should charge the psychologist's hourly rate and the problem would go away.

 

[mguebert]

I experienced a similiar situation with my wife. During planning for our vacation this year (cruise) I told my wife of my plans to dive at least once during the trip. She announced much to my suprise that she wanted to get certified and go with me.

See I never thought she would even attempt such a thing because of a fear of water caused by a childhood incident of being held underwater. She did have some difficulties at first with the mask drills but a patient instructor got her through it, that and some one on one time in a pool with me.

She also had a little of a rough first real ocean OW dive when she forgot to inflate her bcd fully and went under more than she expected, she got spooked. She kept with it, and by the end of the trip she had logged 6 more dives and has now become a die hard, already talking about the next diving trip. The best part is I now have a dive buddy (and wife).

I was proud of her getting past her fear and doing this. She now understands why I enjoy diving so much.

 

[douglasville diver]

Scuba Changed My Fear Of Water ( Drowned @ 17 ) But It Was My Choice No One Talked Me In To It. Like Alot Of Others Before Me I Overcame A Few Problems . I Guess I Was't Born With A Regulator In My Mouth Like So Others Seem To Have Been.
Now Loving Drift Dives,doing 80-110ft At Least Once Every Trip And Being Addicited To The Point That If My Job Would'nt Let Me Have At Least One Fri. Off A Month For A Trip Then They Would Have To Replace Me All I Can Say Is It's Been The Best Thearpy I Could Have Ever Found, Not Just To Over Come The Fear Of Water ,it's Thearpy For Life!