Hi Nathalie,

Tell me honestly - what was it that made you chicken out? Did you think a shark would bite you, or that you'd drown? Weren't comfortable with your instructor. Had you ever been in a swimming pool with SCUBA gear before, or were you heading straight for the open water?

When you do the open water course you start first with some theory so you are comfortable with all the procedures. Then we put the gear together, then we do certain exercises in the pool. Once you are comfortable in the pool we move into the open water.

There's no magic cure for these fears - everyone has them to a certain degree. However I tend to recommend masks with low volume and a wide field of vision - much more comfortable. This may help to minimise it. But at the end of the day getting over these fears is often about tackling them head on. Before you know it you've beaten them. Remember also that during the course you'll be watched like a hawk if you don't look sure of yourself, nothing will happen to you.

If you think diving is scary, you should try sky diving. I did it a couple of months ago - the AFF (accelerated free fall) course. Now dangling from the wing strut of a small aircraft at 11,000 feet and having to let go by yourself is quite something I can tell you. It took me about 10 jumps to fully get over that fear! There's some videos of me doing the jumps here if you want to see them

Mark