Sat out my first dive

[BoundForElsewhere]

uff. stupid double post...

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I'm a new diver as well, although I've always been very comfortable in the water (and originally did dive training way back in 1982, but just didn't have the opportunity and finances to actually get back to getting certified until now!) We did our first 3 skills dives in Vortex Springs, FL but the hotel I was in was right on a local highway and I had gotten maybe 5 hours of sleep the night before. Just a little tired for that first day but not a problem. The next day we were to dive in the Gulf of Mexico, meeting up an hours drive from where we were staying at 5 o'clock in the morning... I barely got 2 and half hours of sleep that night so I showed up at the dive shop and told my instructor that I wouldn't be diving as I was far too sleep deprived (a situation akin to be "buzzed", if not drunk) and even had a bit of upper sinus stuffiness. I wasn't nervous about the dive or my skills or anything, and I'm sure it was a fairly safe environment as there were many, very attentive, dive instructors and DMs watching over us, but I still felt it better to cancel.

I was quite surprised that this instructor, a very experienced, accomplished technical and cave diver with many thousands of dives over decades of experience who often mentioned during training the adage that anyone may cancel a dive for any reason, no questions asked (other than, perhaps, "Are you ok?" after surfacing) immediately responded with "But you HAVE to dive! You won't get your certification without getting one more dive in." I told him the situation and he immediately agreed that if I wasn't comfortable I shouldn't dive, but he very much surprised me with that response, I will admit. I'll be finishing my certification with another dive this next weekend, but I'm convinced it was still the right thing to do. Even if the situation was one being surrounded by many dive instructors and dive masters watching over all of us I would hate to be the one that just did that one stupid mistake because I just wasn't thinking straight and suddenly everyone else's final certification dives gets cancelled and they all have to do it again some other time because some potential emergency that involved needing to get me evacuated. It wouldn't have been good for anyone if I had made that decision to dive and something had happened.

If it's not obvious I very much agree that it's better to call a dive any time you feel it's "not right" than to take the risk that something might go wrong. It's one thing to push through anxiety and just general anxiousness to dive, but too many close-call and really bad dive stories start with "Something just didn't feel right", it seems to me. Better safe than sorry, especially when a bad outcome could affect a whole lot more folks than just you.

Diving with very little sleep is an express highway to bad decisions.

Doing anything, for that matter, on 2 1/2 hours of sleep is a bad decision.

You made the right choice but you don't need anyone to tell you that.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

@fruitrollup

First time a dive buddy (former OW/AOW student) called a dive as we were kitting up, I said "thank you" and he was surprised. So we went around the corner to get something to eat. That's one thing I try to instill in my students. If you are not feeling it, call it. Doesn't matter if it is during a class (why continue when learning is impacted?), during a dive (diving is supposed to be fun, I wouldn't want anyone to feel forced that they need to continue for my sake), or even before a dive.

Early in my diving, I had a good thing happen to me. I was diving with this guy who one day decided to dive in the middle of Puget Sound, in winter, from his boat that wouldn't be attended. I wasn't comfortable with that, and backed out the night before. Boy, was he pissed, and he never talked to me again after that. And that in retrospect was a good thing. He actually did me a favor. I was just in a long line of dive buddies he burned through.

Not your situation, but if the answer to dive isn't a definite yes, it is a no. A sorta-kinda is a no.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[digdug87]

Congratulations on doing the right thing! Anyone should be able to call any dive for any reason. I'm glad to hear that your husband and the dm supported your decision.

 

[gmerick]

Not a poll, simply a question: Do you write up your "thumbed" dives in your dive log? I have two dives I look at every once in a while. One I went in solo, and simply didn't feel like bucking the current. One was a group dive in a cavern, things just started going wrong (rushed prep time, air pockets under my wet suit, forgot 2nd computer) and i wasn't feeling it. These two 6 minute dives are my little reminder that I'm diving because I enjoy it - it's not a competition. Who else would count a "thumb" as part of their dive count?

 

[KenE]

OP, I am very much like you, except have been diving for 5+ years. Every dive day anxiety, just had to find a way to manage. I first realized my problem after calling a dive in San Diego on a chartered boat. I had rented regulators and one gave me a mouth full of water. Got it replaced and got back in the water. However, could not calm the anxiety, ask buddy to go with another team and I got back on boat. My breathing was out of control and it took 20 minutes to get breathing under control. Was able to calm down and dive the other two locations that day. I have since determined that my anxiety is consistent at the beginning of each dive day, doesn't matter if it is a new location, new buddy, or the same buddy at our favorite site. I have found that arriving a hour early, setting up my gear, and just relaxing before anyone is around has helped. I also found that taking a minute or two just before descending has significantly improved SAC rate and keeping breathing under control. These two simple items have reduced the anxiety to the point I don't experience it or notice it as much anymore, unless I don't do one of those two things, then it returns. I suggest you try a few suggestions and find what works for you, once you get your routine down the anxiety will reduce significantly. Rushing anything on dive day is a bad idea for your and my dive experience! Accept it, manage it, and keep diving!

 

[MrVegas]

At 20 something dives, skipping a dive seems like a huge deal.

This is a good point. There will be days . . . dives get blown out, a piece of gear isn't working (or forgotten), you or your buddy has ear/sinus trouble, someone is too cold, the visibility or current isn't what you thought it would be, etc. I think part of not being nervous is just remembering that it won't matter that much if that one dive doesn't happen.

 

[Cthippo]

I think one thing that can help with anxiety around calling a dive is to have an alternate activity in mind so the day is not wasted. I got to the dive site once this year and discovered I had a dead battery in my DC. Ok, well, we drove an hour to be here, there is the ocean, and I have mask, fins and a snorkel. We're going snorkeling! Turned out to be an awesome experience, even if I wasn't breathing air under water.

This won't always work from a boat, but when you get back to the dock you can probably find a beach or park and go play in the water, even if you are not diving.

 

[RobPNW]

I once bailed on a second dive because despite every trick I knew my mask fogged up relentlessly on the first dive. It was cold water and a stiff current and I think I was fogging up because of body heat. I had to clear my mask about 50 times and it just sucked. Just out of pure frustration I sat out the second dive and ate lunch instead. Never had nerves before a dive because I just do what I'm comfortable with. Another psychological trick you might try is to mentally rehearse the basics of what you'll do on the dive and visualize being calm, competent, relaxed and just enjoying the dive. And after it's over, talk to you buddy about all the cool stuff you saw and how fun it was. Positive reinforcement.

With that said, I bet the primary reason anyone gets nervous is fear of something going wrong. When humans think about stuff that might happen, your nervous system reacts as if it is happening. The only way around that is to make a list of things that could go wrong on a dive and mentality rehearse what the solution is enough times until you don't even have to think about it. Then do a training dive with someone you trust implicitly and drill those scenarios until you feel like you can handle them with ease.

Lastly, people get nervous when the feel like they are overthinking on a dive. Over time, with enough repetition, you develop enough muscle memory to the point where your body knows what to do, you obsess less, and your mind can focus more on situational awareness and just enjoy what you're seeing. I'm not a pro and am very much a work in progress but I notice this more every time I do a dive trip - less obsessing and more enjoying.

 

[Litefoot]

As I read this thread and upon personal introspection, I can see that, for me, personal pride and losing money on a pre-paid dive are the two reasons not to follow the intuition to thumb a dive; neither of which are good reasons not to be safe.