Is this a normal feeling?

[Matt_K]

Hi All, first post to the forum of hopefully many. After scouring the forums daily for a while I felt this the best place to ask the question that has been on my mind of late.

I have been concidering taking up diving for a fair few months now, and have read up on a lot of stuff.

I am a healthy male in my late 20s and have become somewhat obsessed with Scuba. I have been thinking about booking my OW course however whilst looking around about diving I have read many stories, problems that can arise and have found myself feeling extremely nervous about the whole thing.

I appreciate that when looking at things, there is still only an extremely small percentage of accidents that occur, I just want to know if it is normal to feel this way?

Thanks in advance

 

[Storker]

Hi, Matt.

Different people have widely different attitudes towards diving. Some - like most of the folk here on SB - love it and aren't more nervous than they should be when being in an environment which isn't compatible with breathing air. Others are very apprehensive and won't ever try it, even if they were paid good money. Both attitudes, and everything inbetween is perfectly normal.

In my job, I sometimes have to work with, or ask people to work with things that are potentially dangerous. Before that, we always do a proper risk assessment. One of the safety factors is the operator themself. If the operator is nervous about a job, I won't ask them to do that job before they're comfortable with it even if all other risks have been reduced to an acceptable level.

So while diving is quite safe, your nervousness isn't very compatible with being safe. It's not the situation itself, but rather the person's nervousness that is the problem. So in my strictly personal opinion, if you are, as you say, "extremely nervous", I think you should work around that before taking a class. Maybe you should try snorkeling and/or underwater swimming to get used to and comfortable with being under water before you strap on a tank and go deeper?

 

[Neilwood]

I would say your feelings are quite understandable - you are about to try something very new to you and it is in a place where we were not designed to be.

It is quite easy to find negative information regarding diving but remember this - a lot of people will write about bad dives but fewer people will write about the dives where everything went perfectly and they came back perfectly unscathed.

Like most hobbies, when you follow your training it is very safe. Make sure your equipment is properly looked after, get the right training, make sure you keep your skills fresh, dive with a good dive buddy and you will have a great time.

A lot of the divers on this board have been diving for 10,20,30 even 40 years and I would imagine a lot of them have done thousands of dives with little or no incidents. What incidents there have been get dealt with by following their training.

 

[SNS-Mike]

My wife and I did a discover scuba dive in Hawaii last November. I loved it, but the waves smashing into my wife at the surface freaked her out and she got back on the boat.

When we returned home (Florida) I called a local dive shop as I knew I wanted to get certified and my wife still wanted to give it a go, but in a calmer setting. When I spoke to the prospective instructor, I laid out my wife's concerns to him and he explained how he would alleviate them all - first with several shallow pool dives, then a deep pool dive, then a lake dive, then, finally, an OW dive. For her, it was a gradual worsening of conditions, but only after she was comfortable at each level. The instructor was awesome! He was perfectly willing to keep her at whatever level, not progressing, until she was absolutely comfortable at the level she was in currently.

So, three times in the 6 foot pool, before progressing to the 12 foot pool. After her three dives in the 6 foot pool, she only needed one stop in the 12 foot pool and one in the lake. A few weeks ago, she completed her OW certification dive and absolutely loved the experience!

 

[T.C.]

I appreciate that when looking at things, there is still only an extremely small percentage of accidents that occur, I just want to know if it is normal to feel this way?

Absolutely. Everyone who starts something new that they lack experience in feels this why- if they say they don't, they're lying to themselves and you.

After taking your classes and doing your coursework and some pool dives, your nervousness will go down. If you are still concerned with some things, discuss them with your instructor, and ask for extra pool time to work to be more comfortable. They should be more than accommodating to help you, and as you progress through your open water dives, you should start to feel very comfortable with the gear, concepts and situations of diving.

Take it slow, and you'll have a great hobby for the rest of your life. But be warned: SCUBA is more addictive than crack!

 

[Matt_K]

Thank you all for your replies.

I thought it was just me, but it seems to be completly normal!

From my research my local dive shop comes very well recomended with fabulous reviews so I am very confident that the training I will get will ensure that I am able to be completely comfortable once certified.

I am also travelling to the Maldives next year so definitely want to be certified by that time!

 

[UFOrb]

It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous. I still feel a little nervous before a dive, especially after a few months break but that soon disappears once I’m in the water.
It sounds like some of the online info you’ve been reading has increased you’re anxiety unnecessarily. It’s obviously good to be aware of the risks but most accidents are avoidable. As long as you undertake you’re training with an instructor you feel comfortable with, using well maintained equipment, and stay within your comfort limits you’ll be fine.
Start slowly with some pool sessions and build up. Or if you do your OW course abroad make sure it’s somewhere with access to calm water with good visibility, and preferably warm! You’ll then get a good idea whether diving’s for you or not.
For info, I freaked the first time I went under water breathing through a regulator but as I leant the thing worked and I could actually breath everything was fine...and I’ve never looked back

 

[UFOrb]

Thank you all for your replies.

I thought it was just me, but it seems to be completly normal!

From my research my local dive shop comes very well recomended with fabulous reviews so I am very confident that the training I will get will ensure that I am able to be completely comfortable once certified.

I am also travelling to the Maldives next year so definitely want to be certified by that time!

You sent your reply before I sent mine. As you’re going to be learning with a local dive shop I’m guessing you’ll do your OW dive at Chepstow? In relation to uk inland diving I hear the vis can be pretty good there

 

[Matt_K]

@UFOrb

Correct, the OW side of things would be at the NDAC

 

[nolatom]

Yes to pool sessions. Many shops offer "discover scuba" or some such, where they bring the gear to a pool, you breathe underwater in about four feet of water, and you get a better idea of whether your apprehension is well-founded or just free-floating (bad pun there, forgive me). You'll probably gain confidence without having to commit to a the full course.

That's how I started, some instructors came by the condo where we were in Stuart, Florida, and invited us to a nearby pool. I went, liked it (ten feet deep!! I'm a diver!!), said so, and they invited me to join them for a dive off Palm Beach that weekend, with just me and one instructor together.

Your feelings are normal, just don't let them run away with you. Scuba's safe if you follow the rules. If you don't, it's not safe. But the rules are pretty straightforward.

Best wishes.


PS: this site has an "Accidents and Incidents" thread. Don't read it...;-)