Best scuba advice you’ve received

[steinbil]

I was teaching a scuba refresher group, and as they took their breaths to test their regs, I told them to look at the SPG to see if the needle was dropping. I told them if the valve was not fully open, it would drop and then recover, and if it was closed it would go to zero. As she looked at her SPG, a lady said, "So if the needle doesn't move, it's OK?" I replied, "It means that the valve is fully open."

So we went into the pool and started working on skills. Suddenly she panicked and indicated she was out of air. I shared air, and we went to the surface. I looked at her SPG, and she was indeed completely out of air.

How much air did you have in the tank when we started?" I asked.

"It was in the red," she said. "But the needle wasn't moving, so I figured it was OK."

Haha, while that is a funny story, it sure sounds like a case for stating how much gas you have as part of the pre-dive check before splashing.

 

[boulderjohn]

Haha, while that is a funny story, it sure sounds like a case for stating how much gas you have as part of the pre-dive check before splashing.

My spiel always included what the pressure should be in the AL 80s they were using, so what it shows is how someone listening to information can have trouble processing it all and putting different parts together. Hearing me talk about the needle moving at the end became paramount in her mind, and she forgot the earlier information. This shows the problem with information conveyed orally, and why long talks with too much information can be counterproductive.

Here is another example of that in action. I am sure students in every OW class are TOLD repeatedly that they should initiate an ascent by swimming, releasing air from the BCD as they ascend and become positively buoyant. I am sure they are TOLD not to use the inflator mechanism to begin the ascent.

Then throughout the class they are taught their skills on their knees, and they are overweighted to make that comfortable. At the end of each session in the deep end of the pool, they have to ascend, but they are overweighted, and their BCDs are empty. So the first step in the ascent is to add air to the BCD. (A couple years ago we had a discussion of an SSI video demonstrating how kneeling divers should add air to their BCDs before ascending in an air sharing experience, with the OOA diver having to orally inflate the BCD to begin the ascent.) Is it any wonder that many students leave the class forgetting what they were TOLD to do and instead use the inflator, as they physically practiced on every ascent?

 

[berndo]

I was teaching a scuba refresher group, and as they took their breaths to test their regs, I told them to look at the SPG to see if the needle was dropping. I told them if the valve was not fully open, it would drop and then recover, and if it was closed it would go to zero. As she looked at her SPG, a lady said, "So if the needle doesn't move, it's OK?" I replied, "It means that the valve is fully open."

So we went into the pool and started working on skills. Suddenly she panicked and indicated she was out of air. I shared air, and we went to the surface. I looked at her SPG, and she was indeed completely out of air.

How much air did you have in the tank when we started?" I asked.

"It was in the red," she said. "But the needle wasn't moving, so I figured it was OK."

Why didn't you let the students do a buddy check and didn't asked if they had full tanks?

IMHO, in a class, refresher or when guiding beginners, the instructor is there to make sure that mistakes like this don't happen. You need to watch the students when they do a buddy check.

 

[steinbil]

My spiel always included what the pressure should be in the AL 80s they were using, so what it shows is how someone listening to information can have trouble processing it all and putting different parts together. Hearing me talk about the needle moving at the end became paramount in her mind, and she forgot the earlier information. This shows the problem with information conveyed orally, and why long talks with too much information can be counterproductive.

Yes, I agree that overloaded/task loaded students can suffer from narrowing of perception to the point of missing something blatantly obvious like an empty tank, and that information delivered orally might contribute to this, but my takeaway is different then yours. Since it's a very human mistake to make, and we all make mistakes, I think it's more productive to talk about what procedures can catch those mistakes. And having divers state their tank pressure before splashing should (A) make someone realize they didn't process that information when looking at the SPG or (B) let the other diver/instructor know if they plan on splashing with an almost empty tank.

 

[undefined]

1. Two is one, one is none.
2. If you want to make a small fortune in diving you need to start out with a large fortune.
3. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
4. Doing the wrong thing quickly does not beat doing the right thing slowly.
5. Never dive with an angry buddy.
6. Instructors and DMs are not paid enough to put up with annoying customers.
7. If you wish to speak to the person responsible for your diving, use a mirror.
8. Self rescue is best rescue.
9. However much you are thinking about tipping your DM, instructor, or boat captain, double it.
10. If you don't value your health enough to pay for DAN, why would you expect those around you to value it more than you?
11. Don't race your bubbles to the surface.

 

[berndo]

Yes, I agree that overloaded/task loaded students can suffer from narrowing of perception to the point of missing something blatantly obvious like an empty tank, and that information delivered orally might contribute to this, but my takeaway is different then yours. Since it's a very human mistake to make, and we all make mistakes, I think it's more productive to talk about what procedures can catch those mistakes. And having divers state their tank pressure before splashing should (A) make someone realize they didn't process that information when looking at the SPG or (B) let the other diver/instructor know if they plan on splashing with an almost empty tank.

There is a process to avoid this. The instructor is supposed to watch as the students put the gear together and asked how much gas the tanks has. At some point the instructor should actually look at the gauge too. Before going into the water the students have to do a buddy check which includes checking pressure and the instructor has to watch.
I don't think it's a funny story and I think it's a 100% fault of the instructor. The student takes a refreasher for a reason...
Forgetting to let the students do a buddy check is the biggest issue here.

He would have gotten a very stern talking to by a senior instructor or the manager in any of the shops I used to work for.

 

[mariosx]

"Get your kids into scuba, so they won't have money for drugs."

No kids yet, but I will definitely will try to test it in the future. It checks out in my mind.

 

[undefined]

"Get your kids into scuba, so they won't have money for drugs."

No kids yet, but I will definitely will try to test it in the future. It checks out in my mind.

The only drug my kid will get to experience is high partial pressure of nitrogen.

 

[steinbil]

There is a process to avoid this. The instructor is supposed to watch as the students put the gear together and asked how much gas the tanks has. At some point the instructor should actually look at the gauge too. Before going into the water the students have to do a buddy check which includes checking pressure and the instructor has to watch.
I don't think it's a funny story and I think it's a 100% fault of the instructor. The student takes a refreasher for a reason...
Forgetting to let the students do a buddy check is the biggest issue here.

He would have gotten a very stern talking to by a senior instructor or the manager in any of the shops I used to work for.

I agree that it is the instructor's responsibility to make sure no student enters the water low on gas, especially in lower tier classes like OW and refresher classes. Trust, but verify.

And it seems you agree with me for once, the process of a pre-dive buddy check including stating gas pressure was exactly what I was talking about. Buddy checks or pre-dive checks are often lacking or missing, and I don't like the buddy checks that has your partner check things FOR you. I think every diver should check their own gear, but get verified by the partner (and in a class, the instructor), and I think the check should include stating your gas pressure and the type of gas you're diving verbally to your partner - verbalizing it is very helpful because you have to use the cognitive part of your brain, and not just do things automatically by muscle memory, like checking the SPG without actually taking in what it says. It will very often pick up the mistake of either not checking, or checking without processing what it says.

 

[berndo]

Buddy checks or pre-dive checks are often lacking or missing, and I don't like the buddy checks that has your partner check things FOR you.

If it's 'often lacking or missing' in a class or a refreasher, the instructor should be reported to PADI. It's a pretty big safety issue.
It doesn't have to be the buddy checking, you can look at they SPG yourself and push the inflator button yourself as long as the buddy sees it and can confirm the gear was checked before the dive.