Help with Anxiety of Scuba Diving

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melmelray
melmelray Posts: 12 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I need some help from anyone who Scuba Dives. My husband and I tried to take a scuba diving class with MDT Divers in Pensacola Florida and they were phenomenal and I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn!

MY husband did awesome and he loved every second of it, however I did not do so well. In the first night of skill training in the pool I lost control of my weight belt while taking it off and I began to flip over in the water which triggered a panic attack. After this I was completely unable to go back under the water and finish the class. The rest of the weekend I watched my husband finish the class with 4 dives in the Gulf and he kept telling me how much fun it was. I have decided that I want to try it again because I know that what happened to me was just an accident and that no harm came to me. This is also something that I have always wanted to try and I don't want one bad experience to ruin my curiosity.

We have scheduled another weekend in early May to go back so that I can retake the class. My problem now is that every time I think about getting back in the water I freak out and I feel like I am having another panic attack. I know that this is a mind over matter situation because all the fears I have are totally irrational. I have been in and around water all my life and I love it.

Is there anything anyone can suggest to help me get over this anxiety quickly so that I won't be terrified by irrational fears when I go to take the class again?

Thank you in advanced for your help, I appreciate your help.

Replies

  • melmelray
    melmelray Posts: 12 Member
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    I'm Sorry I meant to say MBT Divers in Florida.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    How comfortable in the water are you just generally? I used to scuba quite a bit before the kiddos came along and in my experience, it is best to be pretty comfortable in the water just generally. I'm an avid swimmer, snorkeler, and was a life guard for years so I'm as about at home in the water as a fish...my wife's friend who joined us one year on vacation was not so comfortable and I spent a good deal of time with her just in the water swimming around, going under, opening eyes, etc without any gear on at all...then we did some more work with snorkels and masks so that by the time she went to take her class she was much more comfortable just being in the water generally.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Your instructor can help with activities to relieve anxiety -- you should be very clear and upfront with your instructor about what happened last time, and ask for help in easing the anxiety you're expweriencing.
    How comfortable in the water are you just generally? I used to scuba quite a bit before the kiddos came along and in my experience, it is best to be pretty comfortable in the water just generally. I'm an avid swimmer, snorkeler, and was a life guard for years so I'm as about at home in the water as a fish...my wife's friend who joined us one year on vacation was not so comfortable and I spent a good deal of time with her just in the water swimming around, going under, opening eyes, etc without any gear on at all...then we did some more work with snorkels and masks so that by the time she went to take her class she was much more comfortable just being in the water generally.

    And this is good advice. Gradually becoming more and more comfortable in the water -- snorkeling, diving underwater without a mask or goggles, general play underwater (without equipment) can help ease overall anxiety associated with water. Again, talk with your instructor about it - you are not the first would-be diver your instructor will have worked with who is dealing with some anxiety challenges.
  • melmelray
    melmelray Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks both of yall! I have been swimming since I was 4 years old and I am constantly in a pool or on a boat every summer and I love being in water, but I've been out swimming for 6 months so I will start going to our community pool and start swimming more to start getting back into the swing of swimming. I definatly will be communicating with the instrustor about what happened as well and practice some of the motions and tasks out of water so that it won't be such a forign act to do it under the water.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    How comfortable in the water are you just generally? I used to scuba quite a bit before the kiddos came along and in my experience, it is best to be pretty comfortable in the water just generally. I'm an avid swimmer, snorkeler, and was a life guard for years so I'm as about at home in the water as a fish...my wife's friend who joined us one year on vacation was not so comfortable and I spent a good deal of time with her just in the water swimming around, going under, opening eyes, etc without any gear on at all...then we did some more work with snorkels and masks so that by the time she went to take her class she was much more comfortable just being in the water generally.

    totally agree with this.

    ask yourself this question, would i be 100% comfortable going on a boat with a group way out into the ocean and jumping in the water and just hanging out there with a life vest.

    Not everyone will say 'yes' to that. if you didn't then this guy is 100% right. If there is any trepidation in going into the water at all, putting all that combersome gear on and going underwater is going to intensify that.

    Do you snorkel at all? if you are totally comfortable snorkling then you were probably just freaked out from the new experience and its something that can be quickly over come.

    if you don't snorkel i highly recomend you try that first. you're going to dramatically build your confidence, and personally, i like snorkeling a lot better then scuba diving, especially in tropical places. You see all the same fish snorkeling as you do using scuba gear. And in the event you wan to dive deeper then you typically snorkel, there's far less fish that deep and you can only stay there for like 5 min (depending on depth).
  • melmelray
    melmelray Posts: 12 Member
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    I am 100% comfortable snorkeling and I LOVE it. The reason that I wanted to learn to dive was because we are going to Grand Cayman this summer and we wanted to be able to dive on the ship wrecks that we had snorkeled on the last time. I think I just freaked out by having all the equipment on and just being immersed in the experience without fully preparing myself for the stress of the skill drills.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    the difference in ease of motion between scuba and snorkeling is night and day to me.

    but it would be good for the wreck diving, that sounds awesome.

    I dove a WWII corsair wreck (fighter plane) in Ohahu. it was cool, but it was almost 100 feet down. we were there for less then 3 min.

    it had been about 5 years or more since i had last been diving. mask filled with water and i forgot how to clear it, drifted up at least 30 ft without realising it. wont tell you the other mishaps i've had. must admit just being down there and not remember how to clear my mask was a bit disconcerting lol. dive master found me and demonstrated. it was all good after that.
  • melmelray
    melmelray Posts: 12 Member
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    We are only going to be going down to 60 feet at the absolute most, but the wrecks and reefs we are planning to go to are around 30 to 40 feet. having your mask fill up and not being able to clear it does sound like it sucks and I am glad you didn't tell me any of the other problems you had. LOL.

    :smile:

    We also found out that they accept former students to come on the dives too. So my husband will be coming with me on the qualifying dives just to get more practice. That really makes me feel a little better that I will have him down there with me.
  • Mr_Excitement
    Mr_Excitement Posts: 833 Member
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    I would suggest just playing around with the equipment in shallow water for a whole weekend. Just sit in the shallow end of a pool or some other calm, shallow spot and play with the gear. Take it off, put it on, clear the mask underwater, clear the reg, take your bcd off, put it back on, etc. Just sit and relax and enjoy the quiet.

    Hop out and unhook your tank, hook it back up, etc.

    That can help you build your confidence and feel more in control of the whole thing.
  • melmelray
    melmelray Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks for all of the advice, I feel much more confident that I can get over this fear...

    I joined a local gym with an indoor pool and started practicing some of the skills like mask clearing, ear equilization and such as well as swimming with fins. I am trying to get ahold of a BC and tank to get farmiliar with as well. I feel that by the time the class rolls around again in may I will be ready to tackle this again.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Thanks for all of the advice, I feel much more confident that I can get over this fear...

    I joined a local gym with an indoor pool and started practicing some of the skills like mask clearing, ear equilization and such as well as swimming with fins. I am trying to get ahold of a BC and tank to get farmiliar with as well. I feel that by the time the class rolls around again in may I will be ready to tackle this again.

    Just don't play around with breathing off a tank in the water until you've overcome this and completed your training -- focus on getting super comfortable in the water w/o equipment and with stuff like mask, fins, etc. It seems hard to believe, but breathing compressed air, even at shallow pool depths, can be dangerous if you panic, or if you just lose concentration and unconsciously hold your breath (for example). Take it slowly and patiently and you'll get this.
  • melmelray
    melmelray Posts: 12 Member
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    I am definitely was not planning on breathing off of the tank until I get back to the class and have professional instruction.

    I was more considering trying to get the BC on and off in the water and getting more familiar with assembling the equipment, I just want to make sure I am 100% comfortable with the processes that I can simulate at home. I am also going to wait until I get 100% comfortable with the mask and fins before I do any of this. I never want to experience that sort of panic again and I want to do all in my power to make this work.

    I am trying to be patient and through. :smile:

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