Sombrero Island 12-28-24

42 minutes 79ft ; 26 deg - saw a moray eel …. I had a panic attack upon surfacing! The waves (lots of big ones) were hitting my face and my new backpack type BCD was too loose and pulled on me when we emerged on the top of the water. Everything felt so tight . I didn’t understand why I couldn’t seem to breathe until I realized I was hyperventilating. The kids did all they could to calm me. Pio took away my weights because I still had them on after removing my BCD and top wetsuit ( yes I almost took off all my tops because I couldn’t breathe! ). So that’s how it feels to panic- chest very tight, breaths very rapid. When I realized what was happening, I tried slowing down my breaths and it worked, kinda. Still , I gave my kids a scare!