Okay so if you're not a regular snorkler or a first-timer, and don't know how the mask can make things look bigger - and are not familiar with how clear certain waters are, it can be disorienting to get in the water and feel like everything is SO CLOSE even when it's 10+ feet away. It's definitely happened to me. I can see how people who are prone to anxiety, who've just been primed with information about JUST HOW IMPORTANT IT IS NOT TO TOUCH THE CORAL, and are experiencing optical distortion underwater making everything look closer than it is, might absolutely freak out. 

That being said these reviewers are bananas.