Fear of Going Under Water

Question
I'm 49 years old and have fear of going under water due to a couple of traumatic events as a kid where I inhaled some water. Soon after that event I always used nose plugs when I was a kid but I don't want to use them anymore due to a variety of reasons, mainly because I shouldn't have to. I need to overcome this fear and learn the correct way to breath hold to keep the water out of my nose/sinuses. I am 3 weeks away from taking a 2 week vacation to Hawaii where as you know has some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world. I really don't want to miss out on this. Also would like to go para-sailing which I would be more fun if I wasn't so concerned about possibly going down in the water. This fear is frustrating to me and would like to overcome it so I can see what I've been missing. Can you help?

Answer
I would suggest using the snorkel and mask at a local pool. That shouldn't be a problem. With a quality mask you should not get water in it. The ocean is going to be wavy and you will need to learn how to clear the snorkel. As far as getting over a "fear" of getting water up your nose. I'm not sure how to help you. If you had a whole summer I would suggest perhaps some adult swim lessons to assist you in learning how to properly breathe in the water.  The short answer is that you have to breathe out of your nose to prevent water from going into it. Even as a skilled swimmer I do, on occasion, get water up my nose and into my sinuses. Again some extra lessons would be beneficial. I wish I had a better answer for you in the short term.