I Learned From Your Lessons

[Charles21093]

I just want to say thank you for all that I have learned (and continue to learn) from to honest compilation of near-misses, mistakes and hard knocks that have been posted here.

Last weekend, my daughter and I went diving in a local quarry. I am still under 100 dives on my card, and my daughter was only AOW certified last November. This was just a chance for us to dive together and we were going to take it very easy. Long story short, the combination of 7 mm wetsuit, hot day, long walk to beach, etc., wiped her out before we even hit the water. We were in the water no more than 10 minutes and she called the dive.

Out of the water she took it pretty hard. She felt she had let me down and ruined my day. I told her you learn something on every dive. And what we learned on this dive was that anyone can call a dive and that decision will be respected.

We have a liveaboard scheduled for late December. Will will dive again before then to build up our skills. But best of all, we learned something that day and I wanted to say thanks to you all for each time you reinforce this lesson.

 

[ronbeau]

I just want to say thank you for all that I have learned (and continue to learn) from to honest compilation of near-misses, mistakes and hard knocks that have been posted here.

Last weekend, my daughter and I went diving in a local quarry. I am still under 100 dives on my card, and my daughter was only AOW certified last November. This was just a chance for us to dive together and we were going to take it very easy. Long story short, the combination of 7 mm wet suit, hot day, long walk to beach, etc., wiped her out before we even hit the water. We were in the water no more than 10 minutes and she called the dive.

Out of the water she took it pretty hard. She felt she had let me down and ruined my day. I told her you learn something on every dive. And what we learned on this dive was that anyone can call a dive and that decision will be respected.

We have a live-aboard scheduled for late December. Will will dive again before then to build up our skills. But best of all, we learned something that day and I wanted to say thanks to you all for each time you reinforce this lesson.

That is an important point for all of us to remember. You handled it well and reinforced the point with your daughter.

As a result you both came away with something learned from the dive no matter how short it was.

Enjoy your live-aboard vacation and diving with your daughter.

 

[Trixxie]

Glad all are well - hope we can all continue to contribute and learn from one another

Thanks for sharing

 

[TSandM]

What a great way to deal with what happened!

What you don't ever want to have is a person who is uncomfortable or unhappy on a dive, but is trying to maintain because he or she feels that the buddies will be difficult to deal with if the dive is called. I had an experience last February, where I was leading a dive on a vacation trip (where every dive is precious, because the time there is limited). The dive had had a couple of issues, and I reached a point where I was simply unhappy to be there. I wanted to go home. I turned the dive, but I worried about what my buddies would have to say when we got out. They were WONDERFUL! I used the exit time to work on getting more comfortable in my gear and in the water for that day, and we went back in and had a lovely second dive.

Sometimes, you just aren't supposed to be there, and everybody should be okay with admitting that.

 

[Reef Man]

Ditto's on all that has been said...It sounds like you had a great time with your daughter!!!

There is no shame in calling a dive!!!! There is a great sense of security in knowing that no one will hold that against you when that need arises.... There is always another day for a longer dive!!!

 

[ektess1]

Wonderful post. Everybody should feel free to terminate a dive for what ever reason. As a budy, even an insta budy, it is not our place to question the person who ended the dive. We should be supportive of their good judment. We may not have wanted to stop, but we don't want to be in a rescue situation either. Good job making her feel good about it.

 

[Ann Marie]

What a great way to validate the stories and the people that have had the courage to post their mistakes or lessons learned in this forum.

I truly believe that we should listen to our 'inner-voice', our instincts, or our hunches. How many times have you heard someone say, "I had this feeling...."

Not long ago, I had a friend that was experiencing the first stages of heat exhaustion. He called the dive and several times he said, "I'm sorry." I told him that he NEVER needs to say I'm sorry for calling a dive. A dive can be called for ANY reason!

Your daughter may be a fairly new diver, but she did something that many experienced divers fail to do....know when to call a dive and actually do so. Also kudos to you Dad for handling it like a pro!!!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Great post. My buddy and I usually dive in groups with a guide or divemaster. A few times my buddy has had to call a dive and each time he says that I should have just stayed with the group and let him get back to the boat on his own, but I'm never going to do that. I feel like no matter what I enter the water with my buddy and I want to exit the water with my buddy. And I agree there is never a reason to feel sorry for calling a dive. Best to call a dive and be healthy to dive another day.

 

[ScubaSteve]

..................Sometimes, you just aren't supposed to be there, and everybody should be okay with admitting that.

This says it all in one nice little package. When we are diving, we are somewhere that we are not supposed to be, a feeling of apprehension can be expected from everyone now and then. And as said before, you handled this marvelously. If our dive gets called early and we hear why on the surface....at least we are all able to go down for another dive no matter where it may be. As long as we surface safe and sound, there is always an opportunity for another dive. Calling a dive is a difficult and brave thing to do and we should be rewarded for thinking safety rather than made to feel guilty.

I have only called one dive. There was three of us and it was a shore dive. We usually swim out a ways before we drop down because it is a gradual sloping bottom there. In the shallows, you could not see anything.....even the rocks on the bottom in less than 1 feet of water. We all decided that we would swim out and hope it was better out where we drop. Needless to say, since you know we called the dive, it was not better. I could not see my fins while I was floating on the surface. So, we agreed there (mutually I might add) to call it and got in the car and drove the 2 hours home. The second time this happened, we (different people) were comfortable in saying "Let's see how deep the zero visibility goes" and my buddy and I were very pleased to see that one we broke through about 13 feet, it was like falling out of a cloud....a cloud of sediment flowing above our heads but reasonable (not great) visibility in front and below us.

 

[diverbob]

All great posts. One other "trick" I have picked up, is to give them an easy out on calling the dive. I have a good dive buddy that has called a dive a few times, usually in a cave. As soon as we get out, I'll say something like "I'm glad you called that one. I was about to call it myself. I was getting a cramp that wouldnt go away..." Not only do they feel better, but it takes some of the pressure off them, thinking you was about to call it yourself.

I have called a few dives, usually due to narcosis in a cave. And neither time did my biddies ever give me a hard time about it.