OW starts in a week. Maybe I need to stop reading so much.

[dumpsterDiver]

You know, when you look at the number of people who dive, and the number of dives done worldwide per year, and how many of those people are intermittent divers at best, you realize diving is a surprisingly safe sport. You can make some BIG mistakes and live through them, if you don't compound them -- I know, because I did! On the other hand, there's no particular need to make big mistakes. Take a good class that gives you time in the water to get a handle on buoyancy control. Discipline yourself to check your gas. Don't let anyone talk you into doing anything you don't feel comfortable doing. Follow those rules, and you are very unlikely to get into any significant trouble.

And less than a week after this post, she dies while scuba diving. Ironic and Sad.

Personally, I consider diving dangerous. I have seen several fatal accidents and many serious accidents.

 

[iamrushman]

yes diving is dangerous...but i'm going to continue to dive as safely as possible.

 

[diver 85]

And less than a week after this post, she dies while scuba diving. Ironic and Sad.

Personally, I consider diving dangerous. I have seen several fatal accidents and many serious accidents.

yep----anytime you're 60 feet(OR MORE)& a minute or so(OR MORE) from 'REAL' life sustaining air, it can be dangerous.......

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I refer you to my blog entry on the subjected, reprinted here for your convenience.
[h=4]Student Divers: Don't Think too Much [/h] [h=6]

[/h]

0 Comments
by DivemasterDennis
, July 18th, 2011 at 08:37 AM (1398 Views)

I have been reading posts by dive students that are having problems with their certification dives, and want to share a thought with you all. Some problems reported are equipment related, and some pertain to conditions- cold water, poor visibility, and others relate to physiological problems, like an ear that won't clear or neck/back pain. But there is a recurring theme in the reporting, and it is that student divers who are having problems appear often to be "overthinking" the dives. By that I mean you may be focused so much on discomfort, or getting a skill right, that you are stressing out and creating problems that you might not otherwise have. My suggestion: HAVE FUN!". I am not saying to ignore an ear squeeze, or other comfort issue, but I am saying don't be preoccupied with it to the point of obsession. Also, remember you have done all the skills you are going to do in confined water, and can do them. In fact, many are actually easier to do ion the open water dives than in the pool. Don't overthink them and create stress. Relax and enjoy the experience. Whether you are in a quarry in Ohio, or warm seas off the coast of Florida, you should have fun on those certification dives. Look around, enjoy weightlessness, as you pay attention to your instructor. Some of you will have difficult issues to work through, but you will be less likely to have them, and fewer of them, if you relax and enjoy the experience rather than "waiting for something to go wrong." You instructor and dive masters are there to help if it does. It probably won't. So the night before your first open water dives, relax, watch a movie, look at underwater pcitures or videos, or read a travel magazine about a destination you are headed to. Be positive in your outlook and you experience is likely to be positivie too!
DivemasterDennis

 

[nolatom]

I'm about as average a diver as there is, so my average advice for what it's worth:

All the stuff in the book was learned the hard way by someone. the result is a bunch of "rules", guidelines, principles, or whatever we call them.

Diving's relatively safe if you follow the rules. And unsafe if you don't.

And we have to accept the risk that things that could happen any time and any place (unexpected medical accidents, heart attack, seizure, anything of that nature) can be way more life-threatening if they happen underwater than on land.

All that said, I do think it's relatively safe. But still a risk, as post #21 reminds us, and very poignantly too since she was "one of us" on this board, well-respected and well-loved.

 

[jonhall]

Don't be a "vacation diver"...dive often, preferably with people with more experience and training than you and learn from those people. Make checklists (even if they are mental) and go through those checklists before every dive. If you are feeling "off" or unsure...then thumb the dive. Don't go deeper than your training has taken you no matter what there is down there to see. Progress in safe and steady increments...don't chase C- Cards. If you follow these simple rules (and the great advice of others in this thread) you will be safe, have fun and enjoy years of this fantastic sport.

Have been a "vacation diver" since I started diving in 1998. I also was and am very comfortable in the water. Some of my first dives after my OW checkout dives took me below the "60 foot" guideline level to as deep as 110 ft. If you have any trepidation from what you're reading, take great vacations where you can dive. Go places where the water is usually clear and warm and enjoy yourself. Most of my diving is in the Caribbean. There are so many islands!

BUT, do refresh yourself with equipment and safety procedures and heed the majority of the advice here on SB. You'll find out what you're comfortable with.