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I don't know if this is the right section for this but I would really like to start working on my scuba diving license but I have this fear of deep water. I get kinda freaked out if I can't see the bottom. I was wondering if any of you had any tips to help get over this fear>
I find it helps to have company.
You won't be alone doing diving anyway, so yea that helps :)
It's also helpful to find out what exactly you fear.
Is it sharks/large predatory fish?
In that case you could try starting in lakes, and only once you're comforatble with the gear and all, proceed to ocean diving.
Thanks! My fear really lies in predatory fish (like sharks). I hadn't even considered lakes but that makes a lot of sense! Thanks a lot!
Glad it was helpful :)
You would need to find a dive course which is held in a lake, of course.
Depends on where you live, but it's definitely less scary to dive in the open ocean later on if you already are familiar with diving itself.
Also note that you don't have to dive super deep. There are cool things to see at just twenty feet. Also, scuba is nothing like swimming. You go down legs first, remaining upright, and there's no alert going off in your brain that you need air. Once you are under you can hardly tell how deep you are--until your dive computer starts beeping and you realize you've descended a few feet further than you meant to go without even noticing! I would give it a try--unless you live on the ocean, most dive courses are done in lakes, and they ALL start you off in a swimming pool before you move to open water. If your fear is sea creatures, you are actually better off scuba diving than swimming along the shore, as you are MUCH likelier to be attacked swimming or paddling near the shore than deep below the surface. Overall, don't go into it thinking of it as "going into deep water." Recreational divers don't go very deep anyway, and you will start shallow, in a pool. Once you've moved from pool to lake or ocean, you will be surprised how little you notice your depth--it's hard to judge distances under water, and the surface often looks much closer than it is! SCUBA is a totally different experience than any other kind of water sport I have partaken in, so give it a shot in the pool and I bet you will be surprised how comfortable you are under the water!
(Can you tell I've drunk the SCUBA Kool Aid? And I've never even had the chance to dive in blue water! Man I love it under the water!)
If its sharks you fear i wouldnt worry so much - believe it or not they are scared of you ! i dive with them all the time and they dont wanna be right next to us bubbling divers. they have never attacked a scuba diver in my area either - deep water doesnt always mean sharks - a lot of the time sharks are in shallow on the reefs cruising around looking for reef fish to eat but like Seavanna said with any scuba course you start off with theory in the classroom and then go to the pool ... also once you understand the theory it isnt as scary as it seems - the ocean is such a beautiful place you should defo check it out ! x
Logically speaking you have nothing to worry about. Only around 70 people are attacked by sharks per year, in the entire world. You're more likely to be killed by a dog or a car or lightning. The idea that you need to worry about sharks is a popular myth created by the movie Jaws and reinforced every year by Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. I know that phobias are inherently illogical and statistics don't really help, but I wanted to get that out of the way first.
As for how to deal with it, its it possible that you could slowly confront your fear with trips to an aquarium? You could also talk to divers to learn more about marine life.
If you try some of the suggestions made in this thread without any success you could talk to a mental heathcare professional to see help for your phobia.
BTW, I went swimming with leopard sharks a couple weeks ago, and it was amazing. They're such beautiful creatures, and pose no threat to humans. Here's a picture Greg took:
https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/...91812827_n.jpg
The problem with this kind of statistics is that they paint an inaccurate picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by malinghi
Sure, sheer number-wise it's correct.
However, you need to realize that there are a whole lot more cars and dogs around the average human than sharks :p
Of course it's likelier to get killed by a car, everybody has one, you pass by maybe hundred cars every day.
I encounter around 5 (larger) dogs per day.
Now, how often is the average person in a location of a possible shark attack? ...
The statistic would be more meaningful if there were the same number of sharks around everyone as cars and dogs.
But there are also places where people are around sharks more than cars - on phi phi island there are NO cars but plenty blacktop reef sharks that divers swim with everyday and there's never been an attack here ... Except in the movie the beach lol honestly more people die every year from coconuts falling and hitting peoples heads than shark attacks
And Hippos...more people get killed by hippos than sharks, so the likely hood is very low.
Sorry had to put my little fact in >_<
Thank you everybody! I still need to get over the fear but I really appreciate the help!
Don't watch Jaws II!!!
Said like a true mermaid, Seavanna! :mermaid kiss:Quote:
Originally Posted by Seavanna
It's the same for me. I was born near the water, I've always lived near the water, my signs are all water signs, and I looove it under the water.
LOL- great facts ilyena. Well, nobody's ever been killed by a hippo in Canada :thumbs-up:. In fact sharks live in Canadian waters, and nobody has ever been killed by a shark in Canadian waters either!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilyena
Maybe Canadian animals are just friendlier :hug:
Do stay away from the grizzly bears though . . . and the polar bears.
^^maybe there's just less people in the Canadian waters than in, say, Australian ones? (wouldn't blame them either lol)
Jaws 2,3 etc were lame.Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt Nemo
There is really nothing all that dangerous where people typically swim in Canada but the water gets super cold. Even in summer there are icebergs not too far off my coast. Cold and dark. I could never learn to freedive in Canada.
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There's actually nothing poisonous in Canada animal wise lol
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Well, believe it or not, there actually are 3 kinds of poisonous snakes in Canada: the North Pacific Rattlesnake, who lives in the dry central part of British Columbia; the Prairie Rattlesnake who lives in Alberta & Saskatchewan; and the Massassauga Rattlesnake who used to live all over southern Ontario, but seems to be restricted to the Muskoka and North Bay areas now. I think people killed all the ones in the south, although one was spotted a few years ago living on Quinte's Island in Lake Ontario, and nobody killed it, which is what tends to happen further north.
I've seen the North Pacific rattlesnake, and are they ever vicious! The little guys were hissing at me and trying to strike. Fortunately they were really small, I don't think I'd like to meet a full grown one.
I'm not aware of any poisonous animals in Atlantic Canada, though. I guess you live in a more benign place.
Im a professional diver (Yes, im 15 years old, but i have a scuba certificate) and deep waters aren't that scary at all. None of the fish can hurt you unless you hurt them, so take that in consideration. Also, poisonous fish only react to quick movements, so if you keep your calm, i bet everything will be A-ok. Sharks? They are actually scared of people, so getting hurt by a shark is really hard.
This thread makes me feel better. :) I sometimes get afraid of swimming in dark water. I agree thought that swimming with others makes me feel much less afraid. The more people, the less afraid I feel.