Panic in Poor Viz

[CamG]

Thank you for sharing your experience and as many others have shared it will get better. Listen carefully to the great advice given as a beginer we all have times like described. That's what makes diving really awesome! It is a constantly evolving with in us. The more we dive the more it grows! The more opportunites to dive; continuing education, etc. the better divers we become. I found great security in not so favorable conditions knowing my skills and abilities as well as my buddies had been guided and developed by a instructor in a controled environment first. It has been my experience that the things I struggled with the most I have come to enjoy the most! So congratulations and welcome to the world of diving! I love the post that mentioned, "Plan the Dive, Dive the Plan!" Good luck, practicing skills repeatedly makes them habit! For once a habit that could save your life! CamG Keep diving....keep training....keep learning!

 

[b1gcountry]

BTW, in the 5-10 seconds my OW instructor spent on Dive Planning, I was a little mixed up about what "Plan the Dive, Dive the Plan" meant. At first, I thought it meant that whatever it was that you planned to do, was what you were expected to do. In reality, it is an upper limit, not a lower limit. Going shallower, shorter, or turning around earlier, for the most part, is always supported by the plan. Going deeper or longer is not.

I tried diving on the Hilma Hooker in Bonaire last month. My wife and I geared up, entered, and swam the 150yards or so to the mooring buoy. We had to thumb the dive at 15' because I could not equalize. It wasn't my problem, it was both of our problems, and we both aborted and had a long swim back to shore. It sucked, but it was the best solution we had available to us.

Tom

 

[KerriHMI]

Low vis was a part of the dive plan but it was me that under-estimated my own reaction to the poor conditions.

Thanks once again for all the advice and comments.

 

[Phreak]

Dealing with almost / brink of panic....Wow...thats a rough scenario.

Ok- what I do is start mumbling out loud thru my regulator.

Seriously, Ive done this at least two scary dives so far and it helped calm my inner self down.
Sounds goofy? Yep. Did it work? Heck yes.

Imagine it sounded just like this...

"Mmm...vishability suckssss...SSSS...Wow...rearry schucks...SSSS..."

" Well..SSSS...I'm calling this one....SSSS... letsh make a nish...SSS...schlow....SSS...ashent..at...80 Feet Per Minute...SSS"

 

[cowdog77]

Imagine it sounded just like this...

"Mmm...vishability suckssss...SSSS...Wow...rearry schucks...SSSS..."

" Well..SSSS...I'm calling this one....SSSS... letsh make a nish...SSS...schlow....SSS...ashent..at...80 Feet Per Minute...SSS"

_______________________________
Hah....good stuff !

 

[alchemist117]

What's the point in diving if you can't see anything anyway?

 

[tonka97]

Went diving yesterday in Strangford Lough, and even though I am normally a perfectly calm diver and nothing much phases me I have now found my achillies heel when diving... The visability was less than one meter and by the time I had got to 10m's down I was on the verge of full scale panic. My buddy tried to calm me down but I had to get up and out.

Of course today I am very annoyed with myself for getting out of the water. Anyone have any tips for how to stop the panic or should I just wait until conditions improve??

We are diving for FUN; if it isn't fun, get out of the water, and go motorcycling or play the guitar!

I don't think you panicked; I think you were not comfortable and enjoying the experience....Go diving someplace nice....Bonaire?

 

[Buoyant1]

One dive we did last year was like diving in milk! We gave the thumbs down, descended, and I couldn't see my computer right at my face... I ascended, and saw my two buddies doing the same thing...luckily we were in a very familiar quarry, and in no more than about 20 feet of water at that area...we surface swam over the road (or where the road once was) and dropped into the other side into better viz (maybe 10-15 feet)

Some times it's good, other times it's bad, but it's good training for when it happens unexpectedly, and helps me to not panic when it does, for instance I did a wreck course in the Keys this past November, and day one was on Flagler's Barge. The viz was pretty bad for the Keys, I didn't seem to mind it, but the guy that was with us doing his wreck dive and boat dive for his AOW class was freaked! When he got back to the dock he told his wife that it was the worst dives he ever did...I was pretty comfortable, and really enjoyed them!

You may get to a point where they don't bother you.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

Thought some of you might enjoy this:

SH Sellers. BRIDGING THE EXPERIENCE GAP: TECHNIQUES FOR REDUCING THE STRESS OF ZERO VISIBILITY TRAINING. In: Heine and Crane (eds). Diving for Science...1993. Proceedings of the 13th Annual Scientific Diving Symposium, American Academy of Underwater Sciences. Pacific Grove, California. RRR ID: 6333