SeaHorse81
Contributor
SB features numerous discussions about how the safety and quality of diving today compare to times past. There is much concern about how changing training standards may impact long-term diver safety and the integrity of the industry as a whole. There are impassioned opinions about this which often result in SB debates that start out being quite educational and too often devolve into name-calling and one-upmanship (or one-downmanship, as the case may be).
There are various statistics available which unfortunately cannot be compiled in a way that allows us to clearly see, one way or another, how overall dive safety now compares to, say, 10-15 years ago. I’d expect that there are more incidents today than in the past because there are probably more divers in the water today than in the past. What matters is the percentage of incidents compared to overall dives, not the raw numbers of reports. Because diving is not tightly regulated (yay!), this is information we just don’t have. We have our strong opinions about how it must logically be (on either side of the issue), but do we have proof, or are we just really sure because we think our reasoning simply makes too much sense to be wrong?
We don’t have hard numbers to figure this out, but we do have the experience of numerous long-term divers and dive professionals, many of whom are conveniently gathered here on SB. People who have been active and involved for ten years or longer have enough observational experience to provide the closest thing we’ll likely ever get to reliable information about how things have or haven’t changed.
I’m asking for observations only from dive professionals and divers with a minimum of ten years experience and 500 or more dives; I’m looking for people with plenty of been-there-done-that-seen-lots kind of experience. The question is, how does the average diver of today, regardless of agency affiliation and certification level, compare to the average diver of the mid-90s when recreational diving was really beginning to take off? Yes, this is subjective and over-generalized, but I think it’s the best we can do.
Here are some initial ideas for what you might compare, but I hope those of you who respond will add and comment upon any others you think useful:
Ability to properly assemble one’s own SCUBA gear (for a dive, not on a workbench) and assess that it is fully functional and safe.
Ability to make sound dive plans.
Buoyancy control.
Proper trim/weighting for the purpose of the dive.
Controlled descents and ascents.
Awareness and practice of effective buddy procedures.
Awareness and respect for sea life, reefs.
Self-awareness – knowing and respecting one’s own limits.
Ability to deal calmly with issues that may arise during a dive (equipment surprises, entanglement, etc).
Ability to assist other divers as needed (not necessarily a full rescue scenario, but helping with the little glitches that could result in a rescue situation if not addressed early)
Self-sufficiency vs. necessary dependence on dive professionals in the water on a dive.
Approach to diving as a serious sport vs. just another vacation activity.
Real understanding of the risks of diving.
Frequency of dive-related incidents resulting in injury/death (taking into account that there are more total divers today)
Frequency of new divers leaving the sport due to an early bad experience (taking into account that there are more total divers today).
Thank you in advance, for your thoughts and time.
There are various statistics available which unfortunately cannot be compiled in a way that allows us to clearly see, one way or another, how overall dive safety now compares to, say, 10-15 years ago. I’d expect that there are more incidents today than in the past because there are probably more divers in the water today than in the past. What matters is the percentage of incidents compared to overall dives, not the raw numbers of reports. Because diving is not tightly regulated (yay!), this is information we just don’t have. We have our strong opinions about how it must logically be (on either side of the issue), but do we have proof, or are we just really sure because we think our reasoning simply makes too much sense to be wrong?
We don’t have hard numbers to figure this out, but we do have the experience of numerous long-term divers and dive professionals, many of whom are conveniently gathered here on SB. People who have been active and involved for ten years or longer have enough observational experience to provide the closest thing we’ll likely ever get to reliable information about how things have or haven’t changed.
I’m asking for observations only from dive professionals and divers with a minimum of ten years experience and 500 or more dives; I’m looking for people with plenty of been-there-done-that-seen-lots kind of experience. The question is, how does the average diver of today, regardless of agency affiliation and certification level, compare to the average diver of the mid-90s when recreational diving was really beginning to take off? Yes, this is subjective and over-generalized, but I think it’s the best we can do.
Here are some initial ideas for what you might compare, but I hope those of you who respond will add and comment upon any others you think useful:
Ability to properly assemble one’s own SCUBA gear (for a dive, not on a workbench) and assess that it is fully functional and safe.
Ability to make sound dive plans.
Buoyancy control.
Proper trim/weighting for the purpose of the dive.
Controlled descents and ascents.
Awareness and practice of effective buddy procedures.
Awareness and respect for sea life, reefs.
Self-awareness – knowing and respecting one’s own limits.
Ability to deal calmly with issues that may arise during a dive (equipment surprises, entanglement, etc).
Ability to assist other divers as needed (not necessarily a full rescue scenario, but helping with the little glitches that could result in a rescue situation if not addressed early)
Self-sufficiency vs. necessary dependence on dive professionals in the water on a dive.
Approach to diving as a serious sport vs. just another vacation activity.
Real understanding of the risks of diving.
Frequency of dive-related incidents resulting in injury/death (taking into account that there are more total divers today)
Frequency of new divers leaving the sport due to an early bad experience (taking into account that there are more total divers today).
Thank you in advance, for your thoughts and time.
Last edited: