Nothing bad is going to happen...

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Cave Diver

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A recent discussion elsewhere prompted me to post this. I was part of a discussion on safety and it was mentioned that people do unsafe things all the time and get away with it. Every time they do so, it reinforces the idea that nothing bad is going to happen. This immediately made me think of some of our diving habits and what we can do to break that cycle. While this is applicable to all of us, I'm posting it new New Divers because they are the ones I want to be especially aware of this.

So, what bad habits do you have that may be unsafe, but you've gotten away with?


  • Not having gear serviced frequently?
  • No dive plan?
  • Descending/Ascending without your buddy/team?
  • Buddy separation during the dive?
  • Diving beyond your skill/certification level?
  • "Trust me" dives?
  • Others...?
 
Good topic ... for new divers I'm going to add one ...

- Putting pressure on yourself to do a dive you know you shouldn't do.

This is sort of a corollary to "Trust me" dives ... but it's less about trust than it is about not wanting to "ruin" someone else's good time. I see this a lot in new divers ... there's something about the dive that they feel isn't right, but talk themselves into it anyway because they're worried that not going will ruin the dive for someone else. I've had this thought verbalized to me several times by new divers, and I always tell them that the best way to ruin my dive is to put me in a position where I have to rescue them ... so don't do that.

Problems never get better once they're submerged in water. If it doesn't feel right, it isn't right ... and one of the most unsafe habits you can develop is ignoring your own inner sense that maybe this dive isn't a good idea ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
A few more big ones that seem to frequently come up in discussion here on SB (especially over in A&I):

  • Deep diving without knowledge of adequate gas reserves.
  • Decompression diving without knowledge of adequate contingency planning (gas requirements, redundant equipment, buddy medical emergencies, etc.).
  • Somewhat related to deco diving: "Riding" the computer during ascent, assuming nothing will go wrong requiring a faster ascent.
 
Skipping the pre-dive safety check.

Not paying attention to DiveMaster's pre-dive briefing.
 
Yeah I've skipped the pre-dive safety check as well. I guess because I solo dive a fair bit. But that's no excuse, as one must be concerned that the buddy is also set to go. I tend to be slack if I know the "insta buddy" is a pro, or very experienced, etc. This was a thread long ago--I would bet many, even a fairly big majority of experienced divers have skipped the check at times. As for Cave Diver's list, I can say that I don't think I've (blatantly at least) done any of those things. I have been fortunate to have not yet found myself in a really serious situation--maybe just lucky. I'm getting up there in age, so maybe I can keep following the rules and never find out how I would truly react in a really tight spot.
 
So, what bad habits do you have that may be unsafe, but you've gotten away with?


  • Not having gear serviced frequently?
  • No dive plan?
  • Descending/Ascending without your buddy/team?
  • Buddy separation during the dive?
  • Diving beyond your skill/certification level?
  • "Trust me" dives?
  • Others...?


Since this was a question I'll admit a few.

* Often the dive plan is, Descend till we have had enough and then ascend.

* Concerning buddy separation the plan occasionally is, if we get separated I'll catch you on the surface after the dive.

* Buddy checks can consist of, "you ready?"

These are probably the most frequently occurring habits that could be called unsafe.
 
A recent discussion elsewhere prompted me to post this. I was part of a discussion on safety and it was mentioned that people do unsafe things all the time and get away with it. Every time they do so, it reinforces the idea that nothing bad is going to happen. This immediately made me think of some of our diving habits and what we can do to break that cycle. While this is applicable to all of us, I'm posting it new New Divers because they are the ones I want to be especially aware of this.

So, what bad habits do you have that may be unsafe, but you've gotten away with?


  • Not having gear serviced frequently?
  • No dive plan?
  • Descending/Ascending without your buddy/team?
  • Buddy separation during the dive?
  • Diving beyond your skill/certification level?
  • "Trust me" dives?
  • Others...?
While I agree with most of these, I have to ask what is "frequently" with respect to servicing gear, in your opinion? Most gear issues can be noted as a deterioration in performance, so why the need to "frequently" service it if it's performing well?

I'll add to your list too...
--Not having a buddy check & pre-dive discussion that includes relevant information (like experience) but isn't really part of the "plan".
 
I have to ask what is "frequently" with respect to servicing gear, in your opinion?

In my opinion it's going to be related to use and care of the gear. Diving nasty silty water, where debris can get stuck in a demand or over pressure valve will probably require more frequent servicing than someone always diving clear water. Same thing for people who shore dive and leave gear laying on the beach (sand and sun) vs. those who move it from truck to boat and keep it always covered. Someone diving 20 times a month will probably require more frequent service than someone who does 20 dives a year. As you may see, there are too many variables to assign an actual value to the term, but the loosest interpretation I can give is that frequent should mean that it's done before an actual failure occurs.
 
I've been reading too many accidents and incidents lately and there have been a number of safety gear discussions, so I'll add:

Not having safety gear appropriate for the dive/location
 

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