Dapper Dan
Banned
I don't think it's a question of how did they get certified. We're all extra careful when we're "brand new". I think it's because we eventually realize that we probably aren't going to die instantly if we "bend the rules a little bit" and we get complacent. It's like that in everything. I've worked with decorated officers who were great cops. But some of them did stupid things like shoot themselves in the hand because they ignored the rules. They knew better when they were doing it, but they got too comfortable and thought they were expert enough to get by with ignoring safely protocol. "The rules are for thee, not for me" mentality.
I've been diving for 30 years. Dived for NOAA. I've gone over the side with my air turned off, gone over the side with my weight pouches for my BC still on the boat, went in once with my glasses on instead of my mask, went in once with my reg still clipped to my BC instead of in my mouth, once I hit the water negatively buoyant I had to scramble for it. Buddy check? "Yeah I'm good, no time for that (I'm an expert)". Anybody who hasn't done something dumb like that at least once hasn't done much diving, I think. I knew in each of the cases after i did it that I was an idiot and was supposed to check all that. I was just too complacent.
Human nature is to get complacent the more familiar and more comfortable you become with something.
