A PA28 LOW TIME PLT; UNWILLING TO ADMIT HE WAS LOST; CHANGED FREQS WITHOUT PERMISSION; CAUSING VRB TO ACTIVATE SEARCH AND RESCUE.

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AFTER PRACTICING ABOUT 1.5 HRS OF COMMERCIAL MANEUVERS (CHANDELLES; LAZY 8; STEEP TURNS; AND SLOW FLT) OVER THE PRACTICE AREA NE OF THE MAN-MADE LAKES; 6 MI W OF VALKARIA ARPT; I DECIDED TO HEAD BACK HOME. AS I TRANSITIONED OUT OF THE PRACTICE AREA; I MADE MY CALL OVER I-95 HDG SE; TUNED IN TO THE ATIS; AND SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ. I WAS TOLD TO RPT R DOWNWIND FOR RWY 29R. WHEN I RPTED ON R DOWNWIND; ATC REPLIED 'CHEROKEE; I DON'T HAVE YOU IN SIGHT.' IMMEDIATELY; I REALIZED I WAS AT THE WRONG ARPT AND KEPT HDG S ALONG THE SHORE. ATC SAID 'SQUAWK 1200 AND IDENT.' THEN ASKED ME; 'WHERE ARE YOU NOW?' I RESPONDED; 'ABEAM SEBASTIAN ARPT.' BUT I WAS WRONG AGAIN BECAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY ABEAM FORT PIERCE ARPT; 17 MI S OF VERO BEACH. THE PRACTICE AREA WAS ONLY ABOUT 20 MI NE OF THE ARPT. OBVIOUSLY; I HAD LOST MY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS BIG TIME AND I KNEW IT. WHAT I FAILED TO DO WAS TO CONFESS TO VERO BEACH TWR AND TELL THEM I WAS LOST AND GET VECTORS TO THE ARPT. IF YOU ASK ME WHY; IT WAS A MATTER OF PRIDE. I DIDN'T WANT MY BUDDIES; WHO WERE ALSO OUT THERE; TO KNOW I HAD GOTTEN LOST. INSTEAD; I SWITCHED THE TWR FREQ OFF WITHOUT SAYING A WORD AND TUNED TO ZMA AND TOLD THEM I WAS ON THE 170 DEG RADIAL OF THE MLB VOR AND IF I COULD GET VECTORS TO VERO BEACH. CTR REPLIED 17 MI S OF VERO BEACH. I LOOKED UP AT MY 12 O'CLOCK POS AND SAW A LANDMARK I RECOGNIZED AND KNEW WHERE I WAS. I FINALLY RPTED BACK WITH VERO BEACH TWR. ATC SOUNDED REALLY ANGRY; TO SAY THE LEAST; AND TOLD ME THEY HAD CALLED SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR ME. ALL THIS HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF ABOUT 10 MINS. THE MORAL OF MY STORY IS DON'T BE AFRAID TO TELL ATC OR ANYONE ELSE THAT YOU'RE LOST. YOU'LL JUST CREATE MORE WORKLOAD FOR THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WHEN THEY COULD HAVE USED THEIR EFFORTS TO GIVE ME SIMPLE VECTORS TO THE ARPT. WHY I GOT LOST SO EASILY IN AN ENVIRONMENT I TRAINED IN ALMOST EVERY DAY; I DON'T KNOW. PERHAPS THE MANEUVERS TOOK THEIR TOLL ON MY MENTAL AND PHYSICAL STATE WHEN I WAS FLYING BACK TO HOME BASE. FINALLY; I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT NEXT TIME I WILL CONFESS IMMEDIATELY AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF BECAUSE THAT IS THE RIGHT DECISION!