Diving Stress & Panic
Posted: September 17th, 2008 | Author: admin | Filed under: Health, Health & Diving | Tags: English, Health, Health & Diving | No Comments »Question :
I want to thank you for your very informative dive website. It is the psychological portion that interests me the most.
I am a relatively healthy 26 year old female of above-average intelligence, with a strong desire to dive, but for some reason, I just cannot get past a terrible fear that my mask will be kicked off or that my regulator will slip out and I will panic and be unable to retrieve it.
As I live in Micronesia, specifically Truk, this is a huge problem for me. I have begun 3 different certification classes, and quit each one immediately following the first module of water practice.
Would you have any suggestions as to where I could find information that would assist me in overcoming this fear? I would greatly appreciate any bit of info you could pass along.
Answer :
There is a book that may be helpful called ‘Stress and Performance in Diving’ by Bachrach and Egstrom. This was written some time ago but it has been used by quite number of individuals who have difficulty with the stresses of diving. It is available through Best Publishing Company at 2355 North Steves Blvd. PO Box 30100 In Flagstaff, Ariz. 86003-0100. Fax 520 526 0370. The ISBN number is 0-941332-06-3 and it may be available through the library.
Developing a training progression to specifically deal with your anxiety problems. Progressive exposure to snorkeling skills with the mask, fins, snorkel and BC may need to precede your scuba training. Reaching a comfort level while progressing with each level of skill before getting into the next level is very important. Many current basic scuba classes do not take the time to deal with the progressive acquisition of fundamental skills.
You can find detailed upto date information about diving and health, in the official website of scubadoc. (http://www.scuba-doc.com )