False Sense of Security

[alvinsuper]

Not something that I believe in, but a misconception that I think is very common is that all divemasters are competent and they will look after the divers in the group. Sometimes that's true, but sometimes it isn't at all.
The same considerations can be made about instructors.

 

[TMHeimer]

Of course many of the underwater segments in "Jaws" were filmed just two miles from my marine biology lab on Catalina. Ever wonder why giant kelp was present in New England waters?

Like, 40 years ago I was at the spot where the dock was where they dropped a steak or something off the end of the dock and Jaws came and ate half the dock. Think it MAY have been from Jaws II and on Martha's Vinyard, Mass.?

Anyway, I have no false sense of security. Many of you know I have not seen a shark yet in over 700 dives in quite varied locales--and hope never to. I go in the water just being aware of everything that's around me, be it in murky Connecticut waters with 3 feet viz or clear NW Florida. Not paranoid, but my tentative plan has always been to slowly ease myself away from there and out of water. Hopefully, I'll get too old to dive before that happens (like next week...?).

 

[Fibonacci]

What's yours? What do you think makes people feel safer, but in reality, not so much?

Octos... when I first started diving buddy breathing (as in swapping a reg) was the norm and practiced repeatedly during OW training.

The advent of an octo attached to the same first stage makes OW training easier (and sells more gear ) and seems to make new divers feel safer.
Yet somehow they don't seem to realise it is still drawing from their primary air supply.
Let alone the fact that the octo is often dragged though the rocks and sand and in poor shape.

If they have poor air consumption or a first stage gear problem and go OOA at depth no octo will save them!

 

[sigxbill]

My list of 'false sense of security' items includes: pony tanks, recreational deep diver cert, and recreational wreck diver cert. - imho - cheers

 

[drrich2]

Assuming a buddy is observant and ready to meaningfully assist you can turn out to be a false (or not) assurance; preferable not to find out the hard way which...

Main benefit of clear water for sharks, from what I'm told, is that the shark can better see that you're not a seal or other 'natural' prey. At least with some sharks - I've read of this with great whites and bulls; not sure whether it'd apply to oceanic white-tips, for example, so species probably matters.

Wonder how often someone gets taken by a great white in the New England area? Seems like Florida and California get the shark attack buzz...

Richard.

 

[BDSC]

It has just been recently "discovered" that the waters off Montauk (Long Island) are a birthing ground for Great Whites I say this because I live out here and have been diving the wrecks of NY/NJ since the late 70's I know a few people who have actually seen a Great White during a dive I have never seen a shark diving up here......to me instabuddies are more dangerous.

I was at a presentation just last week about great whites on the east coast. Folks better believe they are there. Here is a graph showing their movement.

 

[Blueringocto_73]

My false sense of security is because I have large biceps and a six pack. I have a false sense of security that I'll pair with an attractive female dive buddy.

 

[BDSC]

I think the "number of dives" can give a person a false sense of security.

Typically the more dives you have done the more experienced you are, but if you have 500 dives and 450 have been in your local quarry, you might not be as good of a diver as one may think. Dive count can give some indication of experience but there is so much more to it than that.

 

[KristenK]

I worry about my wife and daughter when we’re diving as a group....no different on land, but I feel obligated to protect while diving....kinda takes the fun out of it for me. I need to just let it go...their accomplished divers albeit they get distracted very easily.

My 15 year old daughter just completed her OW whilst in Roatan. We were diving a wall, she was a few feet away with several hundred feet of water beneath her. I distinctly remember looking over at her and thinking, "well, that's a new kind of worry."

 

[njdiverjoe]

It has just been recently "discovered" that the waters off Montauk (Long Island) are a birthing ground for Great Whites I say this because I live out here and have been diving the wrecks of NY/NJ since the late 70's I know a few people who have actually seen a Great White during a dive I have never seen a shark diving up here......to me instabuddies are more dangerous.

Trace I know of one dive op here that does cage diving "Sea Turtle Divers" never used them so can't give you any other info just see them at the fuel dock often.

Sea Turtle Charters.com,wreckdiving,sharkcage,montauk,blockisland,longisland

On a couple of dives this year (east of NJ, south of long island) where I've been in the water we've had a couple of white shark sightings, both times small juvenile whites.

I know they are in the water with us and try my best not to think about it as there really isn't anything I can do about it. When I'm doing deco I sometimes feel like I might be a tasty snack conveniently suspended in the water column. Hopefully my profile doesn't look too much like a seal!