Claustrophobia in a full wetsuit?
914
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1072 days
PJT posted 2 years ago.
I'm not especially claustrophobic, but I have experienced something similar when scuba diving in colder water. What got to me was the feeling of overheating when geared up in a full 7mm farmer john & jacket, hood, gloves, & boots, plus scuba gear.
Two things help: 1. Remind yourself that the gear is designed to be used in the water -- it will feel much less constricting and much more comfortable once wet. 2: Don't get fully suited up until just before you get in the water. Nothing worse than waiting 5 minutes in a fully zipped wetsuit & hood.
Finally, practice a lot. Do some short open water swims and learn to enjoy the advantages that a wetsuit brings: speed, a slippery bodyline, and buoyancy. I actually find o/w swimming to be pretty fun after a winter in the pool.
192
Member
839 days
Sling posted 2 years ago.
Update!
Thanks for the tips, PJT. Just got the wetsuit from the UPS man - it's a ProMotion Fluid - and it feels great; not too constricting and plenty of range of motion.
I don't think I am going to have too much problem with claustrophobia with this suit after all. But we'll see. I'll keep the advice in mind when I try it out this week.
Speed hurts; how fast do you want to go?
618
Member
1021 days
deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
The very first time I put on my wetsuit, I did feel a little constricted in the chest area and it gave me some concern about how hard it would be to breathe in it. I noticed that the neoprene becomes looser and has more "give" once it's wet so that problem went away immediately. After swimming around in it, the very noticeable buoyancy factor and the warmth made me feel more secure and at ease in it than out.
3315
Member
1281 days
RV posted 2 years ago.
In my old wetsuit - I did feel that way, as it had a high neck. It was better once it got wet and "loosened" up a bit. My new wetsuit from Ironman - blue 70 now I think - has a low cut neck and no longer an issue for me.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
I just ordered a new full wetsuit for the 55 degree swim at Alcatraz.
It has not even arrived yet, but just thinking about wearing the full suit, the booties, the neoprene hood and gloves makes me feel claustrophobic as heck!
Has anyone else felt like this? And how did you get over it?
Speed hurts; how fast do you want to go?