Top 10 "Don'ts" for Newbies
- Thread starter Curiousite
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....and when you bail off a moving boat to swim with the pretty dolphins, the crews in cozumel get cranky, trust me
fire_diver
Contributor
Another thread brought something to mind that I don't think has been mentioned yet (could be wrong, there has been so much posted).
DO NOT ride the curve of your computer!
What is riding the curve you ask? For example, staying at 100 feet until you are at the NDL, then moving up to 80 until NDL, then up to 50 until NDL. This type of diving puts you at a huge risk for DCS.
DO NOT ride the curve of your computer!
What is riding the curve you ask? For example, staying at 100 feet until you are at the NDL, then moving up to 80 until NDL, then up to 50 until NDL. This type of diving puts you at a huge risk for DCS.
HJeffreyM
Contributor
My OW instructor told us that if we followed these three simple "don'ts" we would probably live to dive a long, long time:
1) Don't ascend faster than 30fpm.
2) Don't ever hold your breath while diving.
3) Don't fly for at least 24hrs after diving.
Lots of great posts in this thread. Keep up the good work and happy diving!
1) Don't ascend faster than 30fpm.
2) Don't ever hold your breath while diving.
3) Don't fly for at least 24hrs after diving.
Lots of great posts in this thread. Keep up the good work and happy diving!
Darcey
Contributor
Just because you've completed your OW or AOW doesn't mean you can stop working on your basic skills. You never know when your mask will get kicked off or your reg will get knocked out by a flailing diver.
Buoyancy is golden. If there's one skill you should always work on improving it's buoyancy. Running into a reef, causing a silt-out or running into a fellow diver is not only going to make a bad name for yourself but it can also damage our eco system and other divers.
Get involved in your local dive community. They won't bite (too hard) and it's a great way to meet other divers, gain more knowledge and go diving!
For the love of God, dive within your limits!
If a dive agency tells you that it's fine to do a "shallow" dive (20-30ft.) within 24 hours before you fly don't do it. You never know what your body can take and it's too risky to do it. One more dive isn't worth taking a chance of getting bent. (Yes, I have run into this.)
Buoyancy is golden. If there's one skill you should always work on improving it's buoyancy. Running into a reef, causing a silt-out or running into a fellow diver is not only going to make a bad name for yourself but it can also damage our eco system and other divers.
Get involved in your local dive community. They won't bite (too hard) and it's a great way to meet other divers, gain more knowledge and go diving!
For the love of God, dive within your limits!
If a dive agency tells you that it's fine to do a "shallow" dive (20-30ft.) within 24 hours before you fly don't do it. You never know what your body can take and it's too risky to do it. One more dive isn't worth taking a chance of getting bent. (Yes, I have run into this.)
I have one do and one don't. As many other folks have said, keep breathing! And my don't. Don't poke the critters! Some of them poke back.
Xaryo
Contributor
Oh yeah, I know they do poke back.
Next time, I'll poke with something else than my finger.
RubberDucky
Contributor
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Since you said you liked the DOs too, here's a few things I've picked up from here and from a few very experienced divers I know when I was new (still am, really). Keep in mind that all of my dives have been drift dives done exclusively in Cozumel. Some of these things might not necessarily apply to all dive locations.
Do look at your SPG when testing your air before you jump in the water (BWRAF). If the needle moves as you breathe in, your air is probably not turned on properly. You might not notice it on the surface, but as you descend this could become a problem. Tell your buddy about this check as well. Most instabuddies I've dove with didn't know about this.
Do pull your mask down and wear it around your neck while getting back on the boat (vice putting it on your forehead like sunglasses). If a wave smacks you in the face, you don't want to lose your mask because of something so easily avoidable.
Do remove your fins last before boarding the boat. If you're hanging onto the ladder and removing gear, and if you lose your grip for some reason and get separated from the boat, you better have your fins on so you can swim back to it. You are no match for the ocean without them.
And some things from me:
Do obtain and learn how to use an SMB ("safety sausage") as soon as possible. I never thought I'd need one until I blew through my air in 36 minutes and ended up surfacing before everyone else. Do have someone train you on how to use it properly. They may look easy enough to use, but they still take both proper instruction as well as practice.
Do obtain a whistle and attach it to your BCD. If you surface too far from your boat, you might need to use it to get their attention or the attention of another nearby boat. You should also know the name of the boat you are diving from as well as the channel they operate on. This information should be given to you during the dive briefing. This is information that you can provide to any other boat in the area so that they can radio your location to your boat.
Do hydrate well on the days you dive. Every morning I woke up to dive, I would drink water until my pee was clear, and then I'd drink a little more. Then I'd drink some on the boat. Hydration is an important part of helping to prevent DCS. Watch what you eat, too. I read something on here in the Accidents and Incidents section about someone who "took an undeserved hit" (got bent - DCS - unexplicably). They later found that the packaging on one of the foods they had been recently eating mentioned something about "increases nitrogen loading/intake" or something to that effect. I think this person may have also been working out at the gym after their dives too. I know I read something along those lines.
Do read as many threads in the Accidents and Incidents section of this forum as you can stand. I promise you will learn things never taught to you in your training, or even things specific to certain dive locations. Had I never learned about downcurrents (also called downdrafts or downwellings, apparently), I don't know what I would have done if I was ever caught off guard by one. I was surprised to learn of their occurrences in Cozumel, and despite not having seen one, I know there was one at least a few months ago. Thankfully everyone was getting on the boat when it happened. I have no idea at what frequency they occur there.
Do pick up the book "Diver Down". It's an easy read, based on analysis of some dive accidents.
Do ask lots of questions, and ask the same questions from different people. I've asked multiple folks, "what would you do if you were at depth, and while putting a little air into your BCD for buoyancy control purposes, the inflator button gets stuck, rapidly filling your BCD with air?" I had something similar happen to me when I was getting my OW, but thankfully I was already at the surface. I don't know a single person who went through the PADI course that was taught about disconnecting the inflator hose while underwater if the need ever came up. It might sound like common sense, but things can happen so fast underwater that if you've not practiced a certain skill before, who knows how you will react when an incident actually occurs. Know where all your dump valves on your BCD are as well.
Diving feels deceptively safe, but in reality it is inherently dangerous. Being aware of the dangers and practicing your skills to mitigate them could help to save your life, or the life of someone else around you. Stay safe, and I hope all of your dives are enjoyable ones!
Do look at your SPG when testing your air before you jump in the water (BWRAF). If the needle moves as you breathe in, your air is probably not turned on properly. You might not notice it on the surface, but as you descend this could become a problem. Tell your buddy about this check as well. Most instabuddies I've dove with didn't know about this.
Do pull your mask down and wear it around your neck while getting back on the boat (vice putting it on your forehead like sunglasses). If a wave smacks you in the face, you don't want to lose your mask because of something so easily avoidable.
Do remove your fins last before boarding the boat. If you're hanging onto the ladder and removing gear, and if you lose your grip for some reason and get separated from the boat, you better have your fins on so you can swim back to it. You are no match for the ocean without them.
And some things from me:
Do obtain and learn how to use an SMB ("safety sausage") as soon as possible. I never thought I'd need one until I blew through my air in 36 minutes and ended up surfacing before everyone else. Do have someone train you on how to use it properly. They may look easy enough to use, but they still take both proper instruction as well as practice.
Do obtain a whistle and attach it to your BCD. If you surface too far from your boat, you might need to use it to get their attention or the attention of another nearby boat. You should also know the name of the boat you are diving from as well as the channel they operate on. This information should be given to you during the dive briefing. This is information that you can provide to any other boat in the area so that they can radio your location to your boat.
Do hydrate well on the days you dive. Every morning I woke up to dive, I would drink water until my pee was clear, and then I'd drink a little more. Then I'd drink some on the boat. Hydration is an important part of helping to prevent DCS. Watch what you eat, too. I read something on here in the Accidents and Incidents section about someone who "took an undeserved hit" (got bent - DCS - unexplicably). They later found that the packaging on one of the foods they had been recently eating mentioned something about "increases nitrogen loading/intake" or something to that effect. I think this person may have also been working out at the gym after their dives too. I know I read something along those lines.
Do read as many threads in the Accidents and Incidents section of this forum as you can stand. I promise you will learn things never taught to you in your training, or even things specific to certain dive locations. Had I never learned about downcurrents (also called downdrafts or downwellings, apparently), I don't know what I would have done if I was ever caught off guard by one. I was surprised to learn of their occurrences in Cozumel, and despite not having seen one, I know there was one at least a few months ago. Thankfully everyone was getting on the boat when it happened. I have no idea at what frequency they occur there.
Do pick up the book "Diver Down". It's an easy read, based on analysis of some dive accidents.
Do ask lots of questions, and ask the same questions from different people. I've asked multiple folks, "what would you do if you were at depth, and while putting a little air into your BCD for buoyancy control purposes, the inflator button gets stuck, rapidly filling your BCD with air?" I had something similar happen to me when I was getting my OW, but thankfully I was already at the surface. I don't know a single person who went through the PADI course that was taught about disconnecting the inflator hose while underwater if the need ever came up. It might sound like common sense, but things can happen so fast underwater that if you've not practiced a certain skill before, who knows how you will react when an incident actually occurs. Know where all your dump valves on your BCD are as well.
Diving feels deceptively safe, but in reality it is inherently dangerous. Being aware of the dangers and practicing your skills to mitigate them could help to save your life, or the life of someone else around you. Stay safe, and I hope all of your dives are enjoyable ones!
Sas
Contributor
Sorry to quibble but I do not necessarily think this is the best way to ensure your air is turned on properly. It's probably something you need to test first with your SPG and with tank in different valve positions to see when this starts to occur. I did an entire dive the other night with my tank on one turn only (was a shallow dive, only about 5m), and didn't notice. I had checked my SPG before the dive and so had my buddy, as we do before every dive - it did not move at all. My old air integrated computer didn't move when the tank was only turned on slightly either. I am sure if I had been diving deeper it would be a problem. I usually check my tank valve just before entering but not all of the time. I will do this from now on.
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