Panic Attack During OWC - Had to Bail

[Upwelling]

Shaken_bake:

During my OW one year ago I had a rough time and was not certified along with the other people because of bad bouancy and underwater swimming skills (ironically one person in the group did panic at the surface but was still certified that day--go figure). I got a lot of advice from this board and went back to the pool and was certified a month later. Now I have AOW & 33 dives, so it can be done.

 

[krick]

I recommend that you take your mask, fins, and snorkel to a local pool and do snorkeling laps a few nights a week for a month. Get used to breathing through a tube. Practice clearing your mask. Try swimming every other lap underwater part of the way (this is FAR easier if you have a DRY snorkel).

It's hard to concentrate when you are cold and uncomfortable. When you decide to try your certification dives again, you should try to find a wetsuit that fits properly without being overly constricting and keeps you warm. Try a 7mm full suit with a 3mm hooded vest for extra warmth. Make sure that your gloves and boots are both 7mm and fit snugly but not too tight. If they are loose, water will get in and make your hands and feet cold.

After one of my cert dives, my buddy told me that she was dazed and saw stars for a few seconds as we dropped through a thermocline into a colder water layer. I think that cold water was leaking in around her neck and chilling the blood going to her head. If she had a hooded vest, this probably wouldn't have happened.

If you don't like the cold water, maybe you can go to somewhere warm like Cozumel Mexico with one of your instructors and do your cert dives there. People at my dive shop do that all the time.

Anyway, if this is something you really truly want to do, don't give up. Just take your time and make sure that you're comfortable.

Good luck!

 

[Mona]

Shaken_Bake

I'm a pretty new diver myself, and I know exactly where you are coming from. Actually I panicked while simply doing a resort pool thingy!!! I decided to get my OW cert after seeing how much my husband, daughter, and son-in-law were enjoying it, and I felt like I was missing out.

When the people here say "baby steps", that's my middle name!!! Slow and easy, at your own pace. After being certified last July 30, I had a number of great, comfy dives. BUT at the end of the season, the last dive, the air was cold, water choppy, and I had on a 7mm farmer Jane that was, in retrospect, too tight. Well, the first 10-15 minutes of my dive went rather well, I was relaxed and enjoying the dive. We got to a 20' training plaform and I paddled around there for a while, when all of a sudden out of nowhere came the panic. I have since purchased my own wetsuits, 7mm for cold and 3mm for warmer water, that are just as comfy as can be.

To make a long story short, that was the last dive of the season last year. I mulled this over and over all winter long, and as my husband says, "made a monster out of it".

I went for my first dives last weekend, and admittedly I was very nervous on the first one...but just until I got into the water. It all came back to me why I got so excited about SCUBA in the first place. I'm still working on my comfort level a little bit, but like everyone says...baby steps.

Best of luck to you. You can do it!

 

[natprice_uk]

Hi

I had the same experience with my confined water dives - not enough air. I don't think my mind could wrap around the breathing under water thing. After going down then shooting back up in panic I was able to go down again without panic - my mind at rest that the surface was not that far away. Due to an ear problem after my last confined water dive I had to wait for a month to do my first open water dive.

That month was bad - I stressed myself out, couldn't sleep and was convinced that I wouldn't be able to do it. My partner was trying to be supportive, but he had completed his open water dives without me, as there was a possibility my ear problem would stop me diving (which was fine with me at the time ) and had had no difficulties at all. I eventually rang the dive center to let them know I would not be able to complete the course. The instructor I spoke to on the phone was very supportive and sympathetic and said that we could go out one on one for the first of my two open water dives.

I got kitted up but was still feeling very nervous. Once I was in the water the panic started and once we started down it got even worse. I signaled to go up but Monique placed my free hand on her shoulder and signaled for me to look her in the eyes and just breath. It took about 10 mins just under the surface of the water for me to feel comfortable. We started down on the guide rope very slowly, me still looking at her with my hand on her shoulder. It took a while but we finally got to the bottom and my panic had gone. After that the amazing fish and coral caught my attention and my mind had other things to think about. I finished my last two dives yesterday and didn't panic at all.

Without the one on one with the instructor I do not think that I would have been able to get down. Maybe it would help you as well.

Nat

 

[Kestrell]

The amount of support and good will expressed on this particular post is truly encouraging.

Just to add my $0.02 I want to add the following. It is very good advice to remind those who are anxious under water to breathe. However I think we must be more specific by advising them to exhale. The anxiety about being under water is about not having air and not getting that next breath. Consequently there is an urge to take in as much air as is possible, briefly exhale and gulp in the next breath. This creates the situation that the person was worried about in the first place. By not fully venting their previous breath the person actually isn't getting enough air, and while they are quick to blame their regulator, it is usually them that isn't breathing efficiently and not the regulator. Deep long inhales and complete long exhales. In and out. Relax and breathe and you will get enough air and you should have better luck dealing with anything else while under water.

 

[Web Monkey]

You were diving in cold water with ill-fitting equipment, and were probably over-weighted.

Any of these things are annoying/distracting alone. When combined, they're overwhelming. It's especially difficult when you're dealing with all this and trying to remember everything you learned in class, pay attention to the instructor and look like you know what you're doing. It's called "Task Overload" and is something that's good to avoid when possible.

I did my open water dives in April (about a month after the lake thaws around here), but after the first two dives in freezing water with leaky gloves, high wind, a wet too-big drysuit and too much weight, I got up walked out of the lake, told the instructor I didn't need to be certified bad enough to deal with all this, and left.

I came back in August and finished in a 3mm wetsuit on a sunny warm day in calm water, and it was wonderful.

All it takes is a patience, work and time. It's not like Final Exams in school where if you don't pass, you're done. SCUBA requires skills, and you can take whatever time needed to learn and perfect them until you're happy.

Once you're comfortable with your skills in good conditions, it's easier to move into "less favorable" water. I dive in water now that I wouldn't have wanted to stand next to a few years ago. It just takes patience, practice and equipment that fits and works properly.

Terry

 

[SHARKBAIT94]

Hey shaken_bake,
I don't have any experience as I’m just getting ready to do my check out dives my self and I really don't have anything to equate this to other then me going through the fire academy a while back12 yrs ago. My first time ever being in a real burn I did what every person would do I freaked out and ran back out the building (this really does have something to do with you and your situation) just like divemistress2 said "the worst thing you can do is not go back in the water" just like my fire instructors said if you really want to do this then don't let your self down and get back in side and fight the fire and you will be fine. Now I have been a fireman for 12 yrs and a line officer. It sounds like you have a great support team and an excellent instructor. So don't give up let alone give up on your self if you really want it you just have to go get it. Its yours for the taking.
best of luck
shark bait

 

[cindye]

My friend, we have had some similar experiences. My OW checkouts were spread over two days. The first day was a disaster. 7mil +30lbs= I couldn't breath. I had done my first part of the checkouts ok and then it came time to go down again. I just couldn't do it. I bailed and said I'd finish it the next day. One ex marine DI said,"well, what's going to change by tomorrow." Although at the time that sounded cold, it made me think about why I couldn't breath. turned out that in class I was fitted with a Medium BC, the velcro belly band didn't sit at my waist, it came across my lower ribcage. Then you add the 7mil+30lbs= no wonder I couldn't breath. The second DI brought a LG intergrated BC on the second day, and I was a different person. I finished all of the checkouts and recieved my OW on my 35 birthday.

through out my OW classes I had multiple things going against me. 1. I'm allergic to the glue used on neopreme suits = full body rash, I now have a polartec suit. 2. Drank the pool two times, from this I learned to recover my reg and cough through it and not bolt to the top. Don't really recommend the activity of trying to drink the pool as something that you practice. 3. first time to the bottom of the deep end of the pool, I was in full scuba gear, now I'm the one that counts down the days till vacation.

I still have issues during the first couple of dives on the vacation. I've learned to be very honest with the Dive shops. Do some relaxation techniques, go through the process in your mind, take your time. I've also purchased my own equipment so that I'm using the same things everytime I'm in the water, I'm very fimiliar with my stuff. Visualize the beautiful surroundings.
Trace your steps back to the reason that you wanted to do this, go slower in your learning process, feel comfortable with each step. I now have about 50 dives in warm open water, I've taken my AOW, to be able to understand more and also help myself feel comfortable in the water. I go to every new dive with the expectation of learning something new, weather it be about me and my equipment, my communication and my buddy, or those neat critters that are down there. Let me know how your trip to Belize goes. If you know that taking your time will help you, then watch out for the excitement bug that may take over when you get down there and don't jump into a three day course. I almost did it, glad I didn't, I think that it would have scared me to death. I needed the slow pace and repetativeness that the OW classes allowed me. Good luck.

All I can say is, "Wow!" Thank you, thank you everyone who's taken time to reply. You have all been so supportive and encouraging to a stranger. I can't tell you how relieved I feel, to the point where I'm thinking maybe I can try this again. You've all made some excellent suggestions and now I know I'm not completely hopeless.

I spent a lot of time tonight talking about my experience with my husband and another friend who's a diver. Everyone seems to agree that I should have had more time to get used to it, the cold, the new depth, the heavier equipment, before performing any of the skills. I wish I could pinpoint exactly what made me bolt, but I'm pretty sure that if the water were warmer and I didn't feel so constricted, the outcome may have been different. I don't know. As I sat in my car crying my eyes out right after I got out of the water, I was absolutely certain I never wanted to strap on a tank again. Now that I see what might have been different, I'm starting to think I might give it another go - someday. I have a feeling that when I'm snorkeling in Belize next month, watching my husband dive below me, I might regain the motivation that I had to begin with.

Thanks again!

 

[momotarosan]

I have just completed my OWC, and the first minute upon reaching 10 meters was terrifying. It took a few minutes to calm myself down, so I was glad I did not take my OWC last year when I have not had my electrical problem of the heart taken cared of...this sensation could have triggered tachycardia. The worst sensation after I got used to the depth was nausea on my 4th dive...I might have gotten sick doing confined water training in unchorinated pool...my stomach was bloated which probably affected my buoyancy...and you can't control your breathing when you are not feeling your best. After 45 minutes into my 4th boat dive at 40 feet, I hand signalled to my instructor that I was low on air with 5 bars lefts...he was a great instructor, and in a few minutes he had me practice buddy share air emergency ascent.

It is great to overcome your fear, but don't dive if you are not feeling your best.