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Stress Management

	Stress Management
Author: roxnatwist Posted: 26-Jul-06 IP: Logged	I am relatively new to diving and thought I would pass along a recent experience involving the merits of dive training and education. I was open water certified in April of 2006 in the Ft Lauderdale area. Since my OW cert, I have been in some sort of class almost continuously and am diving every weekend. I am now Advanced, Enriched Air, Night, Deep and Wreck certified and am currently working on the Rescue Diver/Emergency First Response class. My goal is Master Scuba Diver and then on to the Divemaster program. Last weekend I was diving the Sea Emperor wreck off the coast of Pompano Beach. I had been to this site a couple of times before and loved it. The wreck is open and easy to penetrate. The variety of sea life on the wreck is fantastic. Giant rays, large morays, monster goliath grouper and a host of others. I described it to my non-diving friends as like swimming in an aquarium. I guess that's how it got its nickname of "Aqua Zoo". As we left the inlet, I was surprised at how calm the seas were. I was glad because last weekend had been rough. We motored almost full speed to the site. The divemaster jumped overboard to tie off to the wreck and was immediately caught in a heavy current. Current down here isn't unusual but this one went all the way down to the sand at 70 feet. After two attempts, the divemaster got us tied off and was ready to put divers in the water. I was the fourth person off the boat and had no problem getting to the anchor line. The current was rough all the way down but I made sure not to lose sight of my buddies. As we got to the wreck, the current was just as strong. Unfortunately, this wreck is an upside down barge so the top is actually the bottom. We left the line and swam toward the edge against the current. I went over the side and descended the extra 20 or so feet to the sand. The current was so strong is was difficult to stay away from the wreck. As I hit the sand, I was winded from swimming against the strong current. At that point, I didn't care where my buddies were or what their conditions were. All I could think about was catching my breath. I had never understood what "overbreathing" a regulator was until that moment. I was overbreathing mine BIG time. I guess one of the benefits of constantly being in a class is that some of the same techniques, education, etc. are repeated no matter what class you're in. Lucky for me, the training kicked in. For a few seconds I thought about making a mad dash for the surface but knew I had to Stop, Breath, Think and Act. I eventually caught my breath and checked on my buddies. We were all okay but being novice divers we decided to stay in one spot and watch things go by. When my buddy gave me the signal to ascend, we were fortunate enough to have stayed upcurrent so all we had to do was coast back to the anchor line. We all made it safely back to the boat but I learned the following: 1) I am pathetically out of shape- I'll be joining the gym next week. 2) Stress management techniques really do work- I wanted to bolt to the surface but knew I couldn't 3) Stop, Breath, Think, Act works if you can get yourself to the point where you think about it insinctually. 4) Always buy top-of-the-line gear. Had I bought the bargain basement reg, I may have not been able to keep myself on the bottom long enough to calm down. 5) Continue to educate yourself as you gain experience. 6) A dive site that has been calm and fun on past dives can get nasty and dangerous. Be prepared for both.     Reply | Report to Moderator
Author: TheScubaLady Posted: 28-Nov-06 IP: Logged	What a good story and what a good lesson. I have been diving for 44 years (lots of advanced certifications including Instructor Trainer from two different agencies) and I always learn something new on every dive. Very good advice about staying in shape too. When not diving I also work out regularily. The last time I had to tow an exhausted diver who had run out of air back to the beach against a current I reminded myself that this is "why I workout all the time". Best wishes with your continued envolvement with Scuba. Maybe we'll meet on a dive boat sometime.     Reply | Report to Moderator