Mr Chattertons Self Reliance Article...

[DevonDiver]

I don’t remember which expedition they were on but they did indeed blow up part of some reef. It was a common thing back then. Like dynamiting fish to collect samples, they did that too.

There was an episode where they befriended a big grouper. After a few days of being fed it wouldn't leave them alone.

So they locked it in an underwater cage for a week......... LMAO

 

[chillyinCanada]

Geez that guy . . . (shaking my head) Jacques, thanks for nothing!

 

[DaleC]

John says he will fight off marauding unsafe divers........ DIR divers would just not dive with unsafe divers....

This worries me more than anything else. It's not the risk you anticipate that kills you; it's the one you think you're immune to.

 

[DevonDiver]

"Unsafe" means what?

If it means 'prone to human error', then I think that's a universal trait..

 

[lowviz]

Keep that thought, Andy.

And talk to Doppler about his "Disaster Scenario Clinics". I left one wondering what I learned, yet very often find myself reaching back to the personal survival skills that I got from it. Same with LaPenta's rescue course. They were both quite "nonstandard".

 

[PfcAJ]

"Unsafe" means what?

If it means 'prone to human error', then I think that's a universal trait..

To me, unsafe means someone who is not on board with me in regards to equipment, training, experience, etc. For a shallow OW dive, I'll dive with nearly anyone. As the dive plan gets sportier, the list of buddies gets short...ier.

The chance of human error always exists. For all I know, I might be the one making the error some day. To me, this is one of the best parts of the buddy system.

 

[lamont]

"Unsafe" means what?

If it means 'prone to human error', then I think that's a universal trait..

I've had the experience of diving behind another diver in a cave exiting, and just watching their behavior I can see their lack of awareness -- lack of line awareness and cutting corners, lack of personal buoyancy control, lack of awareness of light control and constant discoballing, and other issues -- and that put me in the mindset of trying to figure out if they got into trouble at what point i'd cut my personal risk and not let them drag me into a situation where they'd wind up killing us both. I prefer not to dive with someone who makes me preoccupied with that and where I can generally trust them to have good sense and awareness, so haven't dove with that person in a cave again after that. There's other people who I'm pretty certain are sociopathic above ground and I would't rely on them in an emergency and expect that at some point they're going to wind up surfacing with some story about how their buddy did something stupid and died even though they did all kinds of heroic **** to save them, and I don't want to be that diver's dead buddy.

Normal human error is fine. If we're both really on the same team and both trying to double-check each other, then I'm not so worried that we'll ever get into that kind of you-or-me situation. If we both follow our training, mitigate most of the problems with pre-dive checks, and tend to have boring uncomplicated dives then any trouble we get into we can probably fix once our training kicks in. And you can look at CCR divers that have rescued their buddies on tech dives supplying them with OC gas and taking them through deco stops all the way to the surface and its the same mentality. You're going to get training in how to save your buddy, and if the worst happens, training will kick in, and as long as you can avoid a double-fatality you have a chance of not having to explain to the spouse/SO/kids about their last moments -- and if the worst does happens, you know that it was simply not possible... You don't simply abandon them and pop them to the surface like an SMB and guarantee an embolism and death because you're diving every-man-for-themselves and don't want to put yourself at risk...

 

[DaleC]

How did the buddy system help Jim?

 

[DevonDiver]

To me, unsafe means someone who is not on board with me in regards to equipment, training, experience, etc. For a shallow OW dive, I'll dive with nearly anyone. As the dive plan gets sportier, the list of buddies gets short...ier.

Yes, the list does get shorter. For me, that just reflects the competency vs. demands relationship of the dive.

De-facto: any diver attempting a dive that demands more competency than they possess is dangerous.

The chance of human error always exists, for all I know, I might be the one making the error some day. To me, this is one of the best parts of the buddy system.

I've made enough errors - and consider myself a 'safe' diver. Those errors were survived (obviously) and taught lessons. Effective training is a far better way to learn lessons though. One lesson I learnt, and absolutely believe in.. is my ability to make errors....especially due to complacency. Where I made errors was on 'simpler' dives...the ones well inside my comfort zone. I don't dive outside of my comfort zone, so errors don't happen there... probably why I am still alive.

The buddy/team system helps prevent that, but is not infallible either.. because it too relies on humans not making errors. Defeating complacency through rigid adherence to proven protocols helps also. Proper equipment is vital. So is the use of appropriate techniques, ingrained through diligent and correct repetitive practice. So is functional stress management.

 

[lowviz]

How did the buddy system help Jim?

Not sure, but if you mean Jim Lapenta, I can answer that.

Quoting myself:

My dive buddy:
Emergency room type. Really getting to appreciate this mentality, trained with several like her in the past. I learned so much about being a real buddy in this course! First time down to get the unresponsive diver, we couldn’t find anything and quickly realized that we didn’t know what we were doing because we couldn’t communicate. Surfaced, made up a dive plan. Descended in constant touch contact, agreed on touch signals for “thumb the dive”, “found the victim”, and how to position ourselves so our inflators were on the proper side. None of this means very much in clear water, however, it is critical in zero visibility. My victim was too negative to lift, so I handed my inflator to my bud, she felt it and knew just what was needed and what to do because she asked how my inflator worked when she saw it on the surface. Situational awareness at its best! Back to my negative victim, I didn’t dare risk leaving the victim’s back to adjust my own buoyancy as the rules were that a victim’s hand on either my reg or mask meant a failed rescue and a re-try. Thanks to my bud, team success!

-so there you go, TSandM. I correct myself. At times, depending on the circumstances: Yes, I do teams too.

---------- Post added February 21st, 2013 at 02:01 AM ----------

...//... lack of awareness of light control and constant discoballing, ...//...

Now that obscure reference is just plain evil, clever, and very funny!

Here is the link: Scuba Diving - New Jersey & Long Island New York - dive Wreck Valley - Artifacts & Shipwrecks - Andrea Doria Disco Ball Found