Hello everyone, I am new to scuba diving, finished my two days training in the pool, I had some challenges learning how to breath, clear the mask, etc but it went well and the instructor gave me confidence that I am ready for the first open water dive as part of the training. It was one to one, shallow water and the minute he signaled to go under water, and I looked around I panicked, could not breath or use the regulator, I wanted to inhale from my nose and I felt as if suffocating. We tried several times and I could not make it and called it a day. Every time I think of being under water I have anxiety attack now and I feel really bad for failing. Is this Normal for new divers? Can I get better and overcome my fear or scuba diving is not for everyone and should not be forced and just accept the fact that it is fine if I can’t learn it. Would benefit from others experience and advice. Thank you!
Not being able to breath is a frightful experience.
And panic is not good for a diver, people suffering of panic attacks should not dive at all, in my opinion.
But let's evaluate another perspective.
The explanation you provided, is that you panicked (a psychological event) and the panick caused a glottis blockage, which impeded you to breath (a physiological consequence).
It is a perfectly reasonable explanation.
But let's analyze another possibility, which I witnessed at least three times.
A glottis blockage can occur as a spontaneous reflex, known as the perinatal reflex.
All childrens have this reflex up to 3 months.
It is triggered by some neuroreceptors around the nostrils. When they are stimulated by the contact of (cold) water or by an intense air flow, the glottis closes and you cannot breath.
This of course can trigger a consequential panic situation...
The fact that you had problems breathing underwater already in the pool suggests that you could suffer of glottis blockage triggeted by the neonatal reflex.
As said, I have seen this a number of times, typically when the mask is suddenly removed or flooded, and water hits the neuroreceptors around nostrils.
Despite still having the regulator in mouth, the diver cannot breath, spits the regulsmator and zooms to surface, risking lung damage due to air expansion.
You can discover easily if you suffer of this glottis blockage. Take your snorkel, no mask, start breathing through it, and then submrrge your face in cold water. You can do this at home in a basin.
If you experience difficulty or impossibility in breathing through the snorkel when you place your face under water, then the glottis blockage reflex is confirmed.
This is not the end of your diving career, indeed...
Whilst undeserved panic attacks are a big problem, instead the glottis blockage reflex is a much smaller problem. It can be fixed perfectly with a couple of months of daily exercises, in the basin at home or in a cold swimming pool.
Talk with your instructor, make the test for assessing if this is your problem, perhaps also make some other tests with a psychotic disturbances professional, for assessing your risk of suffering of panic attacks.
If you are lucky, it will end up that the problem was not an undeserved panic attack, but an episode of glottis blockage.
So a real physiological problem, the panic was just a perfectly normal consequence, and nothing that will repeat once you manage how to avoid the glottis blockage.