diving tales

[msdiver04]

I'm a rescue diver, and I have been diving for 4 years. Over the summer, I was diving in Baja, Mexico, and I had the chance to share a room with someone getting certified. I felt compelled to teach him the important lessons I had learned along the way, and he was greatful. When we went out to eat and engaged in conversations with other divers, I always ask "tell me your worst experience." By talking about such things, I and the new diver learned a lot. Like reading posts here, talking about bad situations is a great way to avoid them.

I heard several stories this summer and more in the past about divers getting tangled in CA kelp forests and drowning. I was surprised by this, not only because I'm told open water cert. divers don't need a divemaster but because this is totally avoidable if one is carrying the correct equipment (knife!) and has thought about a situation like this ahead of time. Take off the BC if necessary and cut yourself free, no?

This brings me to my last point that my dive instructor taught me: think ahead of what may go wrong and how you would handle the situation. This makes a big difference. Envision the situation and your response to it, so if it happens, you're more mentally prepared.

Finally, I have noticed that divers with some experience seem to take great pleasure in diving away from the group. It seems they like to show everyone else how good they are or something egotistical like that. This concerns me because most seasoned divers have a story about a hose letting go at depth. This can happen to anyone, so by diving alone, you may be too far to get to someone's octopus. I write this to caution new divers not to be lulled into such behavior because so many others are doing it. Stay with your buddy!!!


Live and let dive

 

[Crowley]

Some good advice I think....

I always teach students to visualise situations before they occur - from simple buoyancy techniques to more complicated rescue or instructional scenarios. Just spend a few minutes running through a dive or problem before they occur. This is not something limited to diving, I think it applies in all walks of life. It was an important techique I learned for racing motorcycles, for example.

I have seen many "advanced" divers who feel they have some need to show off in front of "newbies" - not all divers fall into this category of course - most are fairly sensible. My feeling is that those with more experience should "show off" their skills and ability by showing how good their buoyancy control is, how well they stick to standard recreational scuba practices and limits, and by maintaining good buddy contact.

Safe diving always,

C.

 

[biz_nate]

That is good advice. I have one thing to add, though- more a sidenote than anything else. Not everyone who strays from the group is necessarily trying to show anything off. I should think, actually, that that mentality would keep someone closer to the group- so that everybody else can see them.

Not so long ago, I went with my family to Cozumel- sort of a family reunion thing. There were 7 divers from our family, sometimes 1 or 2 other divers in the boat. I often took off by myself. I had nothing to prove to anyone, I did it for two reasons:
1) I wanted to experience the reef apart from a large group of people clamoring all over the place. Most of the divers were fairly experienced, but even 8-10 divers breathing and swimming in a close area makes a lot of noise.
2) I moved much slower than the rest, and wanted to take my time at any particular place of interest. I felt like everyone was rushing to get from point A to point B, I wanted to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Eventually, I hung too far back and was chided for it. I grudgingly stayed with the rest of the group after that. Some time later, I started thinking about how safe my behavior really was. I concluded that I lacked the appropriate equipment, and wasn't as safe as I could have been. I never strayed when diving deep, but I could understand why people were concerned. There's more to worry about than just equipment failure and OOA.

I also wanted to add that there are people who pre-arrange with the DM leading the trip to go off more on their own (solo) and stay loosely attached to the group. Some operations don't allow this, but some do. Don't assume that just because someone's gone off on their own that they're trying to show anything off. They very well could just prefer to be alone. I can certainly empathize.

 

[msdiver04]

Yes, I understand that sometimes people just like being alone, but there were definitely some egos at work during my dives this summer. I didn't mean to imply that's the only or even the main reason people do it, but the bottom line is that things can and do go wrong, and it really bothered me to see the new divemasters doing that when the person I was sharing a room with was just getting certified. He told me at one point, "I just can't wait to be able to go off on my own like "Mary" does. That's when I realized what a bad example this person was setting for the newbies.

I'm a bit of a loner by nature, but when diving, I stay with the group or a buddy if possible. That was all I wanted to share, but I guess I worded it incorrectly. No offense intended....

 

[msdiver04]

Crowley, yes, I agree that this applies to many things in life, from job interviews to diving....

 

[biz_nate]

No worries, and no offense taken. Like I said, further reflection led me to the conclusion that what I was doing wasn't safe as it could be. I just wanted to throw out the idea that sometimes there's more at work than simple ego.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I agree that in many instances there will be ego's at work. I personally am NOT a fan of the cattle boat and pack dives however in strange places I accommodate. Being a responsible diver, I will follow the DM when I am in an unknown and therefore "more dangerous" diving location. This is not to downplay the inherent dangers which are always at play underwater, however getting lost at sea, trapped in an outcropping etc. are things that may not be as prevelant in your "day-to-day" diving.

Even participating in a pack dive in a location that I know, I will stray from the group however not without my buddy. This would be discussed and agreed before we got in the water. The other real threat is a diver getting experience and very comfortable and then feeling safe saying "I know what I am doing and can get out of any situation" which I thinks happens all too often.

In the end, it falls back to the individual diver (new or seasoned) being able to recognize somebody that is putting themselves in unnecessary danger and realize that they themselves should not do that. I personally dive for the love of being underwater and have little interest in jeopardizing that.

Safe Diving to everybody.

 

[TSandM]

It's a very good point to think about and plan for the specific hazards likely to be encountered in any given dive. My dive plan review mnemonic includes an E for "Environment", which is exactly that -- What do we need to be mindful of at THIS particular site? Up here, it's usually visibility or current, but can be boat traffic. In Catalina, it was kelp. At Laguna Beach, it was surf. Taking a moment to think about what makes this site different and possibly challenging will help prepare you for what you might encounter, and make sure you have the knowledge and skill to deal with it.

Very good tip.

 

[DennisS]

Finally, I have noticed that divers with some experience seem to take great pleasure in diving away from the group.
Live and let dive

Some divers just don't like crowds.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Some divers just don't like crowds.

This could not be more accurate....As I stated, I hate pack diving. I am a very relaxed diver and DO NOT rush from spot to spot. Most pack dives are exactly that... a group of divers rushing around looking like a bunch of swarming locusts. They rush around blowing through their air and miss so much by just swimming over it. As I stated, I stay with the pack in unknown areas however my buddy and I dive the same, and we steer clear of the pack if we know the site. It is not only the rushing: when you get that many divers, it is likely that at least a couple of them will stir up the bottom thus reducing vis and lessening my potential enjoyment. This is just my outlook and my 2 psi.