1995 February
1. Panic Underwater
More than half of scuba divers experience potentially life-threatening panic
attacks, study says
2. Industrial Fellowships Deadline Feb. 19
3. MarinaNet Brings Marinas Online to the Internet
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The peaceful scene of scuba divers gliding through a silent underwater world may not be quite as serene as it looks. Not, at least, according to a new UW Sea Grant-funded national diver survey.
More than half of the scuba divers in the survey reported that they had experienced panic or near-panic on one or more occasions, according to William Morgan, director of the UW-Madison Sport Psychology Laboratory. Morgan has conducted several Sea Grant-funded diver panic studies over the last 10 years.
"In simple terms, panic behavior is when a diver behaves in an irrational manner," Morgan said. "There is usually an objective, observable stimulus responsible for this behavior, such as the sudden appearance of a shark, loss of visibility, loss of air and so on."
Most experts agree that panic is responsible for many of the diving accidents and fatalities that occur among scuba divers.
"Of those divers who have not reported panic episodes up to this point, it's probable that a number of these individuals will experience a panic attack in the future," Morgan said.
Other findings in Morgan's diver study include:
- Incidence of panic was higher in women (64 percent) than men (50 percent), though more men (48 percent) than women (35 percent) perceived the events as life-threatening.
- Panic attacks are not restricted to novice divers; veteran divers also can experience attacks.
- It was possible to predict panic behavior in beginning scuba divers with 88 percent accuracy using a measure of trait anxiety.
- Divers who score significantly higher on a measure of trait anxiety than divers in general are potentially at greater risk of experiencing a panic attack while diving.
- Using psychological treatments such as biofeedback, hypnosis or imagery to reduce anxiety responses in scuba divers exposed to various stressors has not been successful in the limited research conducted up to this time.
- Anxiety responses during and following scuba diving exercise were associated with the interaction between water temperature and protective apparel worn by divers. That is, divers who did not wear a suit in cold water or wore a suit in warm water were more prone to panic.
- The risks and dangers of panic attacks during scuba diving are not well known among the recreational scuba diving community. Such terms as anxiety, stress and fatalities do not appear in the index of commonly used scuba training books, nor are topics such as panic even addressed in most training manuals, Morgan said.
Morgan said he hoped his panic studies will help prevent fatalities by informing diving instructors and divers about the panic phenomenon in order to screen out divers who might be susceptible to potentially life-threatening panic attacks.
Results of Morgan's study were published in the December 1995 issue of Sports Medicine. Reprints of the article are available free of charge from the UW Sea Grant Communications Office.
- Laurence Wiland
Industrial Fellowships Deadline Feb. 19
To aid in the transfer of technology and strengthen ties between academia and industry, Sea Grant is offering industrial fellowships for the 1996-97 academic year.
The National Sea Grant Industrial Fellows Program provides support for qualified graduate students researching topics of interest to a particular industry or company. The student, his or her faculty advisor, Sea Grant, and an industry representative work together on a project from start to finish.
Fellowship proposals should be submitted to UW Sea Grant by Feb. 19.
For further information, contact Mary Lou Reeb at (608) 263-3296; email: mlreeb@seagrant.wisc.edu.
MarinaNet Brings Marinas Online to the Internet
To improve communication and productivity among marina operators, academics, regulatory agencies and other marine-related organizations, the National Sea Grant College Program has established MarinaNet.
Led by Rhode Island Sea Grant, MarinaNet uses the Internet to expand the existing informal network of Sea Grant researchers and outreach staff working with marina operators.
For more information, contact Mark Amaral or Virginia Lee at Rhode Island Sea Grant, (401) 874-6224, or email: amaral@gsosun1.gso.uri.edu.
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