Hello, it's me again...its about my 100th post! I have a question that I have been dreading asking. I searched for 3 hours in the archives and found no direct answer to my question. I'm just going to ask here because you all seem very kind. Okay...I had a very rough dive vacation in November in Cozumel. If you would like to hear the horrid story (involving a chamber and a ruptured eardrum) then read my post-I think its the 3rd one-in the "need a good fish ID book." Anyway, it turns out I did not have the bends...only a panic attack due to a ruptured eardrum...but I am still a bit anxious about diving again. We are going to Bonaire on July 1st and are staying at the Sand Dollar with a group of 17 divers. Included in our package is 6 boat dives. I want to go very slow, descend slow, and not be pressured to don my gear quickly or dive to a certain depth. Do you think that I will be hugely missing out if I just do shore diving and skip the boat dives? For some strange reason I am more comfortable doing night dives, and so maybe I could make the boat dives night dives. I don't yet know the people who I am going with (except my dear husband who puts up with anxiety ridden me). The leader of the group knows that I am a nut, but I am so embarrased about the others finding out about my going to the chamber and my ear barotrauma and ruptured eardrum. So, will it be a big mistake if I do not do the boat dives? (I am a very abnormal diver. I have an anxiety disorder but for some reason diving gives me so much confidence, and I never have panic attacks in the water. Diving has been true medicine for me. I have my Advanced Open Water Cert but of course am in NO WAY advanced. I have done about 55 dives in Cancun, Cozumel, Kaui, Grand Cayman, and here in Monterey and Carmel in California.) So, I'm glad I got it off my chest. Also, in dive groups traveling together is it customary for the group to do all dives together? Anyway, thank you for your time.
Keely

No questions about dive safety are stupid questions! I perforated an ear drum blowing my nose a few years ago so you don't need to tell anyone how it happened. If you want to try boat diving,tell the dive master and explain what you would like to happen. I have found that most dive masters on Bonaire want everyone to have great time and from what I have heard about the operation at Sand Dollar they are a good bunch of people. My suggestion would be that you get into the water at the front of the queue. You can then descend slowly as the rest of the group get into the water. You can follow the divemaster at a depth you are happy with, so find the ear comfort zone and stick with your buddy at that depth. It is very easy to gradually come up the reef in Bonaire on the way back to the boat. I have also spent a dive just swimming in a large circle around the boat, just remember to tell the dive master that's what you will be doing so there is no worry that you are lost!
You do not have to tell the whole story of your horrible experience, Keely, just enough to explain what you want to the people on the boat. Boanire is such a laid back place that I'm sure you will soon be going with the flow.

Good Points Julia!!
Keely, there is nothing in this world to be embarassed about just because you did a chamber dive. There are similar symptoms and it is better to be safe then sorry..I would suggest that you and your hubby enter the water almost last, after you both have all your gear donned and ready and then stick around the boat mooring..There is always enough to see right there.. Or one other solution might be to ask Sand Dollar to provide you with your own guide/divemaster, just a couple of times until you feel at ease with the other people on the boat. That way you can decend and accend at your own slow pace{each time you will be able to clear alittle easier and faster}, but you will also have a guided tour. Make sure you do do some boat dives as that is the only way you will be able to dive Klein Bonaire the small island across form Sand Dollar.
OOps almost forgot , start clearing your ears before you get in the water.. I usually start as soon as I get up, at breakfast and then while I am suiting up a couple of times.. Good Luck RELAX!!!! and have a wonderful vacation
PS where is the photo of you in your profile?

(Message edited by scubahb on June 13, 2005)

Keely,
Yes, dive groups usually get their own boat. You will most likely all dive together from that boat.
If you're one of the first people on the boat you can set up your gear at your own speed and be all ready to don it when you reach your dive site. You won't need to rush.
The boats can go to sites on the mainland which are only boat diving sites as well as all the sites on Klein. So don't skip the boat dives.
Night dives rarely occur from boats, although your group could ask that one of its boat dives take place from the boat.
I agree with Julia. Get in the water among the first and SLOWLY start your descent. Your buddy will be with you, so even if you take a long time, you will still have somebody to dive with. But chances are good that if you go in first, or among the first, you will descend in plenty of time to dive with the group.
I speak from experience. I equalize my ears slowly, especially if I have not been diving in a while. I always go in first and do a slow, relaxed descent.
I suggest that when you're ready to begin your descent you let yourself go totally limp as you start slowly letting air out of your BC. You need to remember to control your descent and equalize, but otherwise pretend you're a rag doll. I know this is an unconventional approach, but it will meet your combination of concerns, letting go of your excess tension. Remember how happy you are and look at how beautiful the sea is (without worrying just then about fish i.d.!!!) Take it slow and easy, letting out just a bit of air at a time. If you need to slow your descent, don't add air, just fin a little bit. If you feel yourself tensing up, you can just lie back in the water like it's a big water bed. NO NEED to feel self conscious. Nobody but your buddy is paying any attention to you. They've got their own concerns. If you think of the descent as just another enjoyable part of the dive and see the sights as you do it, you will stop worrying about your speed. Your speed is the right speed, even if it's very slow.
Your buddy will be there for you, and I know he'll be patient and let you take your time. And you can always dive a bit shallower than the others. However, for me, once I've done the equalizing down to about 25 feet, the rest gets easier.
I hope I've covered all your concerns, Keely. If not, let me know.
Tish

I understand your feelings-sometimes I feel inadequate doing boat dives. But if you're going to be with a group, you'll be diving with them as was said, so that should ease your anxiety.

You did not ask a stupid question; you recognize your apprehension and are trying to deal with it. GOOD FOR YOU!

Keely

You will be staying at a place that has one of the easiest reefs to dive on the whole island. Bari reef is in front of the Sanddollar and is famous for a nice "layed back" dive with plenty of marine life including lots of macros (if you are in to those) and they have a pier that is very convenient to dive from. Yep, most large Dive Shop groups get their own boat. We usually only do the boat dives when they go to Klein because that is the only way to dive Klein. As for many of the boat dives they can be accessed by shore. Since the shore dives are a nice and easy and the rubble and sand shore drops gradually to the reef you can clear your ears without any trouble. Realistically you probably will settle down somewhat after a couple of dives and your trepidation will pass. The diving is easier in Bonaire because most dive sights have little current and you can descend as slowly as your dive buddy will tolerate. Tell the DM you have ears that take a while to clear. Get to him or her first when you board the boat and then remind then right before the briefing.

One other suggestion to add to the above advice, if you do the boat dives pretend they are shore dives. Many of the boat dive spots are right next to the wall, instead of swimming down the anchor line, swim over to the shallow water and go down from there. Start out in 10' of water descend to the bottom and then follow the bottom contour to the deeper water. This may help with both problems.

Keely, am I correct to assume that your E.N.T. has cleared you for diving since your injury? If so, follow the good advice others have shared IF you want to boat dive. If not get the ear checked out.

Remember, you do not have to do any dive you are uncomfortable with and you can end a dive at any time.

Relax and remember if you are not enjoying the sport, find something else to do. You are on vacation to enjoy yourself, not to be stressed.

As Cecil alluded to above, all the boat dives are done from moorings, so there is a line you can use as a slow descent guide, unlike Cozumel where you are doing 'free descents' from a drifting boat. That will make all the difference in the world. You should be allowed to wear a glove for this; all the mooring lines are mussel encrusted and can cut.

You will miss very little doing shore dives instead of boat dives, if you decide you want to do that. As you can see from above, many people, myself included, shore dive the 'big island'' and boat dive only Klein, which is reached only by boat.

The ENT clearance is important. too. I perforated an eardrum years ago and have had no problems.

So, take it all at your own pace and enjoy Bonaire!

Thank you all for the kind advice. I didn't realize that the boat dives have moorings. I just couldn't stand it in Cozumel, doing all of the free descents. My problem was this: I had to wear 2 wetsuits because I was so cold. Also, this made it harder for me to get down, even though I added more weight. Plus, I think I was nervous. So the dive master told me that I was going to have to make head first descents. Silly me, I was so intent on getting down that I didn't even think about clearing...I just let them clear on their own. Ouch!I could have added more weight, but I already felt to overweighted at the bottom. Tish, I really like your suggestion about turning myself into a rag doll. I am going to try that and take my sweet time getting down. Everyone, thank you for such good advice. I didn't realize that the boat could take me to Klein Bonaire. I thought that was too far away. So I will go on the boat dives after doing some shore dives on my own to get relaxed again in the water. I certainly don't want to miss out on Klein Bonaire, and I am sure that these people are nice that I am going with. I will meet them before the trip so hopefully that will make me feel more comfortable with them. I am going to make a copy of this thread and read it again! Oh yes, and I am going to the doctor in two days, and I will have him look at my ears.

Keely, The dive masters on Bonaire are great. I have a problem doing giant strides because I can't see where I am going. The dive masters let me sit at the ladder and don my gear and the do a side roll into the water. I apologized to them for my fear and was told that the purpose of diving was to have fun and however I needed to get in the water was OK. I think that is one of the main reasons I like Bonaire so much, The Dive Masters are GREAT!
Andy

Keely, I often have trouble getting down feet first. I use head descents all the time-if you do that, just before you go down put your fingers on your nose. It will help you remember to clear.

Keely,

I am not sure how you ruptured the ear drum though it sounds as if you did the 'hard blow' thing after you were too deep and had a large pressure differential between your inner ear and breathing air.

You may want to try head first and feet first to see which is better for you. And start immediately under the surface to blow gently and frequently all the way down: this is another place where prevention (of pressure difference) is worth a pound or more of cure.

Even better, try clearing without blowing. Try pushing your jaw forward and swallowing. It takes me a bit of practise to do it but once I have it working my ears clear smoothly. And no blowing to stress an eardrum.

Practise on a few shore dives on the shallow sloping shelf and then go deeper.

Enjoy Bonaire!

One more thing: if you find it hard to clear on any occasion, go back a bit shallower until you can clear rather trying harder to clear deeper. Haste blows ear drums and your buddy should understand!!!

Hi Keely,

You don't HAVE to be on the first boat either. instead of booking the morning run, do a couple shore dives right out front of the resort, and see how you feel for the afternoon or later in the week.

You could spend ALL vacation just doing day and night shore dives on that stretch of reef and see something new and interesting on EVERY dive. The resort has simple stairs you walk down to get into the water, the reef is just a few fin kicks away and slopes to WHATEVER depth you enjoy. No need to go deep.

If the good doctor clears you for diving, just take it at YOUR pace. I think you will find Bonaire diving to be unlike anything else you've experienced.

Have a great safe trip. Relax and enjoy.

Also, if you can't clear your ears on a boat dive, you always have the option of staying close to shore in shallow water (with your dive gear on, or snorkeling). Even in 10 feet of water you'll see great things! (possibly even small baby turtles near Klein!)

I so agree with Randy (hi Randy!) about diving in front of Sand Dollar. You will not find an easier reef or entrance anywhere, and it is fabulous. Do this a few times until you gain your self-confidence.

Hi Keely,

I've read earlier that you bought a camera.
Don't take me wrong, but I think it's wise to leave the camera until you're confident again. Especially diving with a camera makes it more difficult to clear your ears and control your buoyancy while taking pictures all at the same time.

I agree with everybody to clear your ears while you're still at the surface. The earlier you start, the better.

Good luck
Dénise

I agree about the camera. I originally started diving to take UW photos, but I still don't feel comfortable enough to do so.

I too have difficulty in clearing my ears and over the years just learned to take my time and go at my own pace. With the visibility in Bonaire I found with slow descents I get the "big Picture" view on the way down and can see most everything except the close up stuff. Going at your own pace is important. Remember there are old warriors and bold warriors but no old bold warriors.

Keely
Do not pass up the boat dives, as an ex-instructor and photographer on the island I had lots of folks who had all kinds of problems.

The great thing about Bonaire is when moored you can dive at any depth you want. On a lot of the sites fish life can be great at dephs 40 feet or less.

Using a camera - I have seen people who use a camera are able to forget about the problems they have. The camera becomes the object that they tink about and not their fears.

So for the first dive maybe loose the camera then do a shore dive with the camera.

Plus, I always told folks to find a small area to look at instead of doing a grand tour. This is when the fish will stay put and you will get a lot of great shots.

Sue, yes the reason I first got into underwater photography was to forget about my anxiety. My instructor first told buy a camera to help give myself something to focus on other than worrying what might happen to me, and I bought a very cheap camera. It really helped. My anxious dives are the dives WITHOUT the camera! Even now, planning my trip, I am becoming less anxious as I learn about my new camera. I'm even going to try it out before we go. So, Denise and Mary, I will have to thank you for your advice, but in my experience, the camera has only relieved my anxiety.

Do what works for you!

Clear early and often!

Keeley..The rule on equalizing is to go SLOW & NEVER resort to the valsalva technique (pinching nose then blowing).
I suggest you at a minimum see a competent ENT doc to rule out a deviated septum which would adversely affect your ability to equalize.

Hi, I just wanted to report on my trip briefly in regard to my original posting.I did shore dives and boat dives, and I was just fine.I was nervous but that went away! I was very careful with my ears. One time I even stayed shallow because I thought there was a possibility that my left ear felt odd. I used ear drops. Everything was just perfect (even thought the viz wasn't great for the last few days). I loved it so much that I am going to buy a drysuit so that I can dive here in California! Thank you for the encouragement everyone.

Keely, we dive throughout the summer (July through late October, early November) off the coast of Southern Cailfornia. We use skins, 7mm suits, 5mm hoods, gloves and booties, and it's not cold (usually). Send me a private email if you like, not sure what part of California you live

We have been diving here when it's 55F, but it's cold after about 20 minutes!

Keely, so sorry I did not get to meet you while you were here, but glad you enjoyed diving on Bonaire!!
Tish