Bad habits

[Tigerman]

I dont know if this is the right section, but here goes.

As Ive encountered different divers and read forums (not only this one), Ive started to think about something that I was told when I was skydiving and that also applies to driving.
Skydivers that is recently certified is careful and makes sure they do everything right. As they get more experienced, they get more confident and start getting bad habits and less careful. This leads to skydivers with 100ish jums being more prone to incidents than the newly certified ones. Then after a few 100 skydives they get "safer" again, because they have more experience and "cool down" a bit.
I know from driving that I was taking much more care the first time after I started driving than I did when Id had my license for a year or so. The next few years was not only filled with "safe driving" and sticking to the speed limits for sure. Then after a few years I cooled down and Im now (mostly) a much more carefull driver once again, although I DO have bad habits, just like anyone that has driven for a few years.

The question is simply if this also generally apply in diving? I think it do, and will therefore be aware of it and try not to get over-confident as I get more dives.
Any opinions or thoughts on the matter?

 

[fabasard]

I see your point, but (risking serious bashing) SCUBA diving while having dangers of its own, is a LOT less stressful that skydiving in that in that if you screw up diving, you MIGHT live. You screw up skydiving and ITS OVER. Now, back to your point, I try to always be mindful of my SCUBA diving. I have logged somewhere just over 100 dives and have yet to find myself in a precarious position because I am nothing if not overly cautious. Am also curious to see how others feel.

 

[TSandM]

I don't know if there are data to address this. But it's easy to imagine . . . The novice diver gets into trouble because of a lack of skill. She's cautious and worried, but despite her care, ends up doing an uncontrolled ascent because of poor buoyancy control.

Fast forward a year. She's got buoyancy control now, is pretty comfortable underwater, and begins to push the edge of the envelope. She does a dive she's a little uneasy about (because of water conditions, or her own state, or equipment, or whatever) because wotthehell, she's got a bunch of dives under her belt, she can do it. And something ends up going wrong.

Fast forward five years, or ten. She's got nothing to prove. She's learned that the better part of valor is sometimes to scrub the dive. There's always another day.

It's easy to imagine how novices and moderately experienced divers get into trouble, but few people survive to become VERY experienced divers unless they learn how to a) be skilled and b) avoid complacency.

 

[rjack321]

This is why the mentoring system is so important (in life not just diving).

2 newbies in 35ft of water have a relatively hard time making major life threatening errors

2 AOW divers with 45 dives each on a "deep dive" (for them) can get themselves into a hellava lotta trouble without even seeing it coming. Whereas having someone along with more experience can head off a bad dive before it even gets started.

In my own case, I bought a boat right about the time I entered the most dangerous period. Being paranoid about getting swept away from an anchored boat by the current keep us close to the anchor and way way more cautious for awhile.

I hope I'm through the worst of the danger zone with almost 400 dives and vastly better training than 5 years ago.

 

[Gary D.]

You’re right Tigerman but that attitude is not restricted to Sky and SCUBA Diving. It applies to everything we do in life.

The more you do something the easier it can be and the more relaxed one can become. Is it a hazard or bad habit? Maybe and in some cases yes while in other cases no.

I have seen OW divers freak out at the way commercial, military, PSD and others dive. They think that style is dangerous and reckless, but there are different levels of everything we do.

As long as one stays within their limits, ability and comfort level I wouldn’t call it a bad habit. Smoking and things like that are bad habits.

Many moons ago I had one of my newer team members’s say he wished he knew what I did because I’d never have an accident. I quickly set him straight and now he knows I am more likely to have an accident than the FNG'’.

From Bad Habits? No, from lack of attention to every little detail.

Gary D.

 

[Tigerman]

Gary D.
In my book lack of attention IS a bad habit

 

[Scotty g]

I think an element is to do with the macho thing also. Being very new to the sport, i would like to think that years down the line with a very good experience level, i would not be too big booted to call a dive if things weren't right for the sake of looking like a wuss in front of newer divers. In all, as a new diver with an obvious fresh alert to my own safety, i tend to respect an experienced diver who is pedantic to detail than one who would say "hell yeah, been bent tonnes of times - rock n' roll".

Scotty

 

[Walter]

Tigerman, you are very astute. There was a time when I'd get cocky and cut corners, the the ocean would slap me down and I was good for another 100 dives or so till I needed another good slapping. On my 760th dive, the cockiness and cutting corners nearly killed me. I sincerely believe the most dangerous point for a diver is between 500 - 1000 dives. I've put in over 1000 dives since that day and, so far, I've not needed another slapping down, but I have to constantly remind myself not to cut corners. Hopefully, I've finally learned my lesson.

I hope I'm through the worst of the danger zone with almost 400 dives and vastly better training than 5 years ago.

I hope you are too, but I fear you are just approaching the worst part. OTOH, you may be a faster learner than me. As long as you keep this concept in mind before each dive, you should be fine.

 

[nolatom]

I once heard an experienced offshore-liveaboard DM say that the divers who gave her the most "lip" and second-guessed her the most were in the 50-75 dive experience range. Those less experienced, and more experienced, pretty much didn't argue.

So maybe Tigerman's theory has some anecdotal merit.

 

[Steve_Dives]

I've heard (i.e. not seen convincing data) that pilots have an increased risk of accident at about 100 and 1000 hours.