Error A Story of Poor Judgment

[sharkhugger]

That is beyond selfish if an instructor and teaching when you KNOW you are more likely to get a bad hit, have had them before and you having another while teaching puts your STUDENTS in the position of having to rescue you. It's unethical and irresponsible. WE know that especially in tech that the attempt to rescue fails much more often than not and that FAR too often the rescuer also becomes a victim. So, teaching when you are more likely and have a history of getting bent, especially tech, means that you are willing to have a student die or have trauma from watching you die/be badly injured. You REALLY think that's OK? REALLY???!!!

You think that maybe airline pilots should lose their career when they are medically unfit? Just saying

Well the number of scuba instructors that are forced to retire due to medical conditions pales in comparison to the number of pilots. But there are also many, many more pilots flying many, many more hours than scuba instructors teaching, especially tech instructors.

Maybe its time for the dive industry to borrow lessons learned in the aviation industry and apply some best practices before the instructor/student creates a situation where one of their students "isn't just a hypothetical" ...

 

[NothingClever]

Probably commercially uninsurable if disclosed to the agency underwriters.

Yeah, I just paid my annual DAN premium. I haven't read the entirety of the policy but I'm pretty sure that if I have a history of DCS and then go on a technical dive that ends in a chamber ride, I'm probably not going to get much help covering the bills.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Well the number of scuba instructors that are forced to retire due to medical conditions pales in comparison to the number of pilots. But there are also many, many more pilots flying many, many more hours than scuba instructors teaching, especially tech instructors

And dive instructors tend to be young and not teach that long anyway.

 

[crofrog]

SB and advised other divers who've had DCS to get a PFO test when there was no medical indication?

I’d really expect a learned doctor such as yourself to know there are only 2 causes of dcs. Dehydration and PFOs.

 

[johndiver999]

Yeah, I just paid my annual DAN premium. I haven't read the entirety of the policy but I'm pretty sure that if I have a history of DCS and then go on a technical dive that ends in a chamber ride, I'm probably not going to get much help covering the bills.

Perhaps you should read more?

 

[rjack321]

Yeah, I just paid my annual DAN premium. I haven't read the entirety of the policy but I'm pretty sure that if I have a history of DCS and then go on a technical dive that ends in a chamber ride, I'm probably not going to get much help covering the bills.

From DAN you will, read your policy "prior DCS" is not an exclusion. There were depth limits in some past policies but not the one underwritten in my state anymore.

 

[cerich]

Yeah, I just paid my annual DAN premium. I haven't read the entirety of the policy but I'm pretty sure that if I have a history of DCS and then go on a technical dive that ends in a chamber ride, I'm probably not going to get much help covering the bills.

Where dive pros are asked about any medical considerations that would make them unfit to dive is in the instructor renewals with agency.

Professional Liability insurance when you buy/renew it asks if you have ever been suspended, kicked out, had a policy cancelled along those lines.

Together they will "catch" if a dive pro should be teaching is the idea. Of course it doesn't always.


Many, many people with the diver DAN insurance policy have had DAN cover their medical etc bills for more than one DCS event, some for a shocking amount of them from what I have seen over the years. I know of someone that was bent and got chamber rides etc at least close to half a dozen times and DAN was there for them. Personally I would have stopped diving long before all of that (multiple DCS events that have no obvious "reason"), then again I have had friends get bent and have lasting issues such as having to wear adult diapers the rest of their life, unable to have sexual function, constant vertigo and balance issues etc and that scares me. Guess I'm just not dedicated enough to being a diver to knowingly take that risk if I knew I was more likely to have those outcomes.

 

[cerich]

Maybe its time for the dive industry to borrow lessons learned in the aviation industry and apply some best practices before the instructor/student creates a situation where one of their students "isn't just a hypothetical" ...

The industry used to look to aviation to apply best practices very much so. It was a thing. Then in the 90's we decided that the world needs to dive, we could teach them in a single weekend and applying risk management, accident analysis, and all the stuff that aviation tells is a good idea would "kill the vibe" of diving being super duper safe and easy that everyone should dive and you can take lessons with your grandkids when they are 10 and you 60.

 

[crofrog]

The industry used to look to aviation to apply best practices very much so. It was a thing. Then in the 90's we decided that the world needs to dive, we could teach them in a single weekend and applying risk management, accident analysis, and all the stuff that aviation tells is a good idea would "kill the vibe" of diving being super duper safe and easy that everyone should dive and you can take lessons with your grandkids when they are 10 and you 60.

I don’t think the FAA aeromedical division is what we should model in diving. I’m sure anyone who’s had any interactions with them would agree.

As for the for rest of the practices yes.

 

[NothingClever]

I’m quite alright with diving returning to a more exclusive activity.