I’m still in scuba training and have only done 2 dives so far, both with my instructors, but I’m really trying to conquer my fear of being underwater and get to the point where it feels natural instead of mentally overwhelming.
The anxiety for me is pretty much from descent all the way to the bottom. It’s like my logical brain knows I’m okay, but another part of my brain is going:
“Hey… humans are not supposed to breathe underwater. What if this happens? What if that happens? What if something goes wrong?”
Then I start thinking about how you can’t just immediately shoot to the surface whenever you want because that’s unsafe too, so my brain kind of spirals into feeling “stuck” underwater even though I know I’m technically okay.
I think a lot of it is just a fear of drowning honestly. I’m naturally an anxious person in general, but I REALLY want to get comfortable with diving because I love the ocean, fish, marine life, and I want to experience that calm/meditative feeling so many divers talk about instead of constantly being in my head.
One thing I’m struggling with is mask removal/clearing. I keep getting water in my nose no matter what I do, and the thought of that happening 30ft down definitely spikes my anxiety. My instructor explained that even if I cough or inhale a little water, I can keep the regulator in and cough through it like I would on the surface and I’ll still be okay, but my brain still panics about it. But mostly it’s my body feeling like I’m not supposed to be there.
I think I’m basically afraid of the “what ifs,” and my fear response triggers a little bit of panic. I also don’t know if this matters, but I’m naturally a really emotional person with every emotion, not just fear. I cry easily when I get frustrated or overwhelmed and it’s something I’m actively working on because I don’t want fear to control me or stop me from doing things I really want to experience.
I genuinely want to conquer this fear, and I think hearing from other divers who experienced the same thing and eventually got through it would really help me mentally. I need all the tips honestly. I have another dive next weekend and I really want to go into it with a better mindset.
Did anyone else feel like this during training or early dives? Did it eventually “click” for you? Any mental tricks, exercises, breathing techniques, or training suggestions that helped you get comfortable underwater?
TL;DR: New diver with anxiety/panic underwater. My brain gets stuck on the “what ifs” and fear of drowning even though I logically know I’m okay. I really want to love diving and conquer this fear, so I’m looking for advice from divers who went through the same thing and eventually got comfortable underwater.