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My scariest moments are when I get really bad divemasters. I mostly try to control my buoyancy with my lungs instead of filling and dumping air in my bcd. When I first started diving, it took me a little bit longer to fine tune my buoyancy this way than it does now. And the %#@# divemaster would come over and inflate my bcd, causing me to go into an uncontrolled ascent because I had problems dumping the air.
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My scariest dive moment is actually pretty stupid on my part, but I can’t help but think it has happened to others as well. I was diving in all totally new gear, none of it had ben dived in before, that combined with the fact that I’m still a very new diver, brought this incident on. We were down about 35 feet, I was really having issues with my bouyancy, I was fighting my new BC (Zeagle Ranger LTD) and again, being a new diver I was bound to have some difficulities with bouyancy, especially with all that new gear that I wasn’t familiar with. Anyway, I was really having a hard time with bouyancy, when I suddenly started to rise, I somewhat panicked and when I tried to let air out of my BC I hit the wrong button, and actually added air, causing my ascent to increase in speed, thats when I really panicked. Once I surfaced I had to calm myself down, my dive buddy asked what had happened, I told him, and he could see that I was a bit nervy from the experience. He helped calm me down, and after a few minutes we decended again, back down to about 35 feet, after that my bouyancy issues improved dramatically, and the rest of the dive went well.
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Greg - 2/18/2009 10:59 AM 
When I was a new diver...my scariest moment was when I swam out to a far buoy to meet some divers. I was tired from the swim and I didn’t wait at the buoy to catch my breath. Instead, I started descending to start the dive. Once I was 50 feet underwater, I started to panic because I couldn’t catch my breath. I basically bolted to the surface. I guess I breathed or exhaled the whole way because I’m alive today and my lungs didn’t explode.
Lesson learned: Don’t start a dive when you’re overexerted. Give your body time to rest and catch up before you begin breathing underwater. If you get overexerted underwater...try to do the smart thing and STOP, calm down, hold onto something for reassurance, get your buddies attention (looking into their eyes helps to calm you down) and try not to bolt like I did. And if you can’t help but get out of the water...at least breath or exhale the whole way. And make sure to inflate your BC once you’re at the surface so you float and can calm down.
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Well it was my first open water dive, it was at canyon lake ( murky water with 10ft viz at the best i’ve seen). During the pool dives the water was much clearer than the lake and felt confident in the pool with no problems, but as soon as we started to descend in the murky water I guess I was about 10 ft or so when I started to have a slight panic attack (which I have not had before). We had a rope to help our descent which I held on to and closed my eyes took a few deep breaths and continued on,once on the platform I started to feel a little more comfortable with the situation and myself. We continued skills and the dive without any other problems. I am grateful that experience because now viz is not an issue for me anymore.
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Pixel - 2/18/2009 11:38 AM
Scariest for me was on a qualifying dive and I had to do full mask removal.
There was one hell of a surge and we were 15m deep. The instructor was holding onto my waist and as I took off my mask, I got swept up against a rock, cylinder first. I hit my cylinder really hard and of course I didn’t have my mask on. It took me a second to realize, "don’t panic, you can still breathe even though you can’t see". I nearly freaked. As soon as I had my mask back on, I of course reached back to double check that my first stage hadn’t been damaged.
Used a lot of air up after that trying to get myself back to normal.
Since that day I only use a din connection for my regulator.
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Pixel - 2/18/2009 11:41 AM
PS: The one thing that did teach me, was that no matter what happens underwater, if you can breathe you’re still ok.
Since that day, I’ve been kicked in the face, where’s I’ve lost my mask, (I HATE MASK REMOVAL OF ANY KIND!!), I’ve had my weight belt hooked that I nearly lost it.....other than being really pissed off, it was ok.
I could still breathe.
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My scariest diving moment was during a drift dive in Cozumel. We were diving the Santa Rosa wall, and this being my first wall dive and first drift dive, I was sooo amazed at this mountain i was gliding by that i didn’t keep an eye on my depth! I finally looked at my gauges because i was finding it a little hard to draw air. When i checked my gauges i was at 130 ft and almost out of air!! When i looked up, the dive master and about 5 other divers were about 60 ft above me waving like hell for me to come up! When i finally reached the dive master we had to buddy breath until we surfaced. I had never been so ashamed and afraid in my life!! I tipped the dive master 40 bucks and then told him and the other divers how sorry i was for ruining their dive!!
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Unresponsive Dive Buddy
My scariest moment was when I was hanging at 15ft for the safety stop...In paradise.. Looked around for a diver and he was sinking down looking up at me.. He wasn’t responsive at the surface.. Slid him up onto the boat, knifed his ScubaPro wetsuit off.. Stopped breathing 3 times while in route and took in a lot of sea water which ended up on everything..
Said that he was paralized and couldn’t move to hit the inflator button.. Spent 1 nite and 3 days going back for the chamber.. His arm and face was limp for a few days... I visit him still once in a while.. Its been 10 years now and his still healthy with no other problems..
This guy was taking all kinds of meds for depression and sleep disorders.. It would have been worst if it was one of my regular buddies that I knew.. Maybe some day I’ll pay for my Medic First Aid cert and pay for the Rescue Course to get my Master Diver Cert.. But I don’t think so.. Mike B.
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Hey, interesting you posted this Mike, last Saturday Robert and I, did a few dives, First dive was great, good vis, nice temps (for February), second dive we rolled over at same site and bada bing, big old bull shark right on us, and despite a hundred plus shark encounter over years, this one actually worried me, this guy would not leave. Most times, they come around and then leave. We had to toss our spearguns and fins on boat and get out, but I had let go of tag line for just a moment and was 10 feet behind boat with this shark kept swiming close enough for me to feel swish of tail. It is really hard to swim in current with out fins even 10’. I over came buy moving to another site about 2 miles away and jumped back in. PS I ordered a 357 bang stick, It should be in before I get back from you place next week.
It was actually the first time I was concerned. I have also rescued divers, as well as had equipment failures but this was different.
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Yes of course....I will second you an that. Mask removal was somethin that I was really scared of.......but thanks to your comments that while doin so I remmbered that I can still breathe...even though I cant see.
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Great posts. One of mine was at 90 feet, night dive, low-vis, I became slightly negative, got a few feet below my buddy and the rest of the group, went to give my BC a bump of air and my light went out. Total darkness with the sound of the turbines at Mansfield dam drumming (seemingly louder and louder). I looked around and everybody was gone. I could not get the light back on immediately, so within a couple of minutes I got my buoyancy stabilized and my secondary light on, banged my tank, still nobody. I had only been diving a short while, and I was pretty freaked out. Of course, when I got to the surface, they were looking for me.
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one time diving with a budyy our flag lines got twisted. his line ended up around my 1st stage, now my line is wrapped around me. meanwhile hes busy staring at a clam. I sat on the bottom removed my bc, and unwrapped myself, after all this he noticed me and gave me the u ok sign? my eyes said where the hell were you when i needed you, but I gave him the ok sign back as I did remain calm and asertive about the incident. Key word- Calm
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a good buddy is worth a million dollars. I often joke with my new dive buddies that I have never lost a buddy, and dont want to start with you. You know I mean that, some of my dive buddies that I beleived had been good buddies but soon learned they had been bad dive buddies above and below. every buddy on my list with a check I have dove with and would dive again with, several have been deleted and many have been denied as buddy, they now no the reasons. A good buddy is worth a million.
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Mine came in a quarry in Ohio. I had learned in the warm waters of south Florida and other tropical Carribean locations with plenty of viz and no more than a 3 mil wetsuit. I decided that I wanted to do a LOT more diving, and a friend of mine owned a dive shop so I started diving a little with him. I was invited to a quarry that we frequently visit, though this was my first time when this happened. Everybody had already entered, and my buddy, a divemaster student, was waiting for me a little on the impatient side. It was taking me a while gearing up because I wasn’t used to a 7 mm two peice with a whole assload of bouyancy and all the extra encumberance of cold water diving. I also was used to boat dives where I got ready and jumped right in, not having to walk 100 yards to get into the water. I did all of it got all ready, 88 degrees outside, I’m sweltering and headed into the water, out of breath, hooded for the first time, everything that could be set up for disaster I had it. I got in swam out to my buddy and we started to descend, I kept having trouble equalizing my ears on the way down, having to stop and ascend slightly then continue (the only time that has ever happened to me before or since). We finally reached about 49 feet then started our swim to meet the others that were down, but I kept having problems with my bouyancy with the 7 mil and all this weight. At the same time my buddy keeps grabbing for my inflator and making me more stressed. So let’s see low viz, cold water, barely controlled bouyancy, overheated, out of breath, difficulty equalizing, check. I was right there and it happened, my mask moved letting just a little water into my nose, and I FREAKED. Planted my right foot on the bottom and laddered my way to the surface. The whole time I knew I was freaking, and I couldn’t control it. I knew all the things to stop doing and did it anyway. Well I was ready to sell my dive gear right then and there and quit. My buddies wouldn’t have any of it, and helped regain my confidence so much so that I am a trimix tech diver now. Nothing phases me underwater now. I know that if I am breathing, I have time to take care of anything. My friend that owned the shop got me into his pool and doing a lot of task loading exercises to the point that if my mask floods I just close my eyes and sometimes don’t even clear it right away. I took, and got my rescue cert and trimix, and deep diver certs. By the way I got rid of the stupid 7mm two piece and bought a drysuit so I don’t have that bouyancy problem again!
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I had an air embolism with DCS in July of 2008...but that wasn’t the scariest moment! I was too out of it to really be scared. However, I was a little scared to get back to depth...and possibly come up too fast again. I had to wait 2 months to dive again, and when I did, I went with Dave (Flaski above) and he was an incredible buddy! I took my time and made extra safety stops at 60 and 30 feet, and he was right there with me. He never once complained about babysitting me, LOL. Dave is sooo right about diving with a good buddy. He is one of the best!
I found that the best way to overcome any difficulty (diving or in life) is to allow others with more experience to help me along the way.
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I haven’t had one yet ! but then again, Im anal when it comes to diving and safety... I believe in SELF RELIANCE way too much.. buddys are a good thing,, but it is up to YOU to be self preservence in every respect,, I firmly believe that when you put your life in someone else’s hands, that you will be disappointed.. I love me, way to much for that !buddys are a back up,, not a reliance !!!
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I see that you haven’t dove with me enough.. I still have your check mark of approval.. Mike B
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My moments... my first dive trip January this year, went to Cancun with my husband and I was soooo excited! My first dive did not go so well, I had a lot of trouble desending due to my ears. After the dive I could not get back on the boat, I kept getting smashed around by the swells. I didn’t do the 2nd dive because I was sea sick and to busy tossing my cookies. The 3rd dive, once down to about 60 feet, 5 minutes into the dive I was not able to breathe. I did not panic (surprisingly), I found the dive master and he was kind enough to share air with me and take me to the surface. Once back on the boat he suggested I turn my air on ALL the way next time. But none of that was the scary part... the scary part was trying to figure out a way to tell my husband I don’t think this scuba thing is for me after just spending $2500 on new equipment!!
But I didn’t have to. My dive master was great. He insisted I get back in the water and he stayed very close by on the next dive, which was only to 35 feet. He was was very attentive of me the rest of the week and made me feel safe. The remaining 4 dives that week went very well with no more issues! Now I am looking forward to my next dive trip in July... back to Mexico.
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Summer of 07, I was diving in Lake Travis (Austin, TX). My buddy and I decided to dive the pecan grove which is a stand of pecan trees at about 100’. Our plan included what to do if we got silted out. We would search for 2 minutes then surface. We entered the grove and within a few minutes were silted out. I began searching and 2 minutes later, began my ascent. At the time I was using gauges. While I began to asend, I was watching my depth gauge. I wasn’t moving. I first checked to make sure I wasn’t hooked on a branch. I was clear. I popped a little air in my bc but still was not ascending. I popped a little bit more air. No change. At this point, I’m getting a bit concerned. I was just about to ditch one of my weights when I see that according to my gauge, I’m now at 45’. I’d gone from 100 to 45 way too fast. I immediately dumped all the air out of the bc and began to desend again. I stopped at 85’ and began a very slow ascent finishing up with a 5 min safety stop at 15’. What had happened was while watching my depth gauge during my initial ascent attempt, I was fixated on the max. depth needle and not the actual depth needle. I was narced. All my other thought processes were clear, ie. checking to see if I was hung up, ready to drop some weight. It was definitely the scarriest moment I’ve had but at the same time, an excellent learning experience. Narced doesn’t necessarily mean you become a total idiot. In my case, just partial. I now use a computer and have ditched the gauges.
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