water_monkey
Guest
Hello all.
I have been reading scubaboard for a while now and finally decided to sign up. I won't bore anyone with personal details, but I will give you my perspective on diving.
Diving is an absolute blast and one of the most unique experiences on the planet.
Just about anyone can learn how to dive. The mechanics are quite simple.
There are exceptions to the above statement; I would NEVER invite some of my best friends to take up diving, because though they could learn the mechanics, and they are great people, they would not make good divers.
Becoming a diver is MUCH MUCH more then learning the basic skills.
Logging tons of dives does not necessarily make you a good diver.
Arrogance (yours or someones else's whom you are diving with) can kill you.
Inattention to details (yours or someone else's) can kill you.
Disregarding even the simplest and most basic rules can kill you.
Do NOT be concerned about "hurting someone's feelings" if you think something is amiss or you feel the need to abort a dive, otherwise, it can kill you.
MANY folks seem to ignore the limitations of their experience. "If I can go forty feet with no problem, then sixty feet should be no problem." Typically yes, but a problem at forty feet takes on a whole new series of issues at sixty feet.
ALL of the basic skills, such as dealing with gear problems in the water, CESA, buoyancy, basic navigation, self rescue, buddy rescue, etc., MUST be practiced on a regular basis: What good is it to do a CESA once for OW and then never do it again?
It seems that the desire to get folks certified and paying so much attention to the fun aspects has distracted from paying more attention to the inherent dangers that diving entails. Yes, diving is a wonderful experience on many levels and virtually all of the potential issues are manageable and survivable, providing you practice. It is a very social activity. You meet some very cool and interesting people and of course have the opportunity to experience it all over the world. Each dive is unique, even if you dive in the same location often. In order to sustain a long and happy dive life, it is important to fully understand all aspects, both good and bad. People may argue that well, you can get hurt riding a bike, skating, skiing, bowling (you get the idea). All true but a problem while participating in these activities on a recreational level will typically not get you killed. This is not the case in diving. I have been researching diving related accidents, and the dominant theme seems to be that accidents are mostly due to human error. Either improper equipment checks, poor planning, inadequate training of divers, instructors and operators, or is some cases a total lack of common sense. I am talking recreational diving, not tech or commercial. That is a whole other ball game.
I am by no means trying to discourage anyone from diving. On the contrary, I want MORE people to dive. I am just trying to point out that many people, including divers, instructors, operators, etc., too often seem to take diving for granted, getting too comfortable and sloppy. In many ways, you can compare diving to being an astronaut. It has got to be an awesome experience blasting into space. The astronauts seem to really enjoy themselves. But, they also train, train, train until its second nature. They seem to always have some checklist or other in hand, constantly check their equipment, are constantly aware of what is going on around them, and they don't panic if something goes amiss. Sound familiar?
I have been reading scubaboard for a while now and finally decided to sign up. I won't bore anyone with personal details, but I will give you my perspective on diving.
Diving is an absolute blast and one of the most unique experiences on the planet.
Just about anyone can learn how to dive. The mechanics are quite simple.
There are exceptions to the above statement; I would NEVER invite some of my best friends to take up diving, because though they could learn the mechanics, and they are great people, they would not make good divers.
Becoming a diver is MUCH MUCH more then learning the basic skills.
Logging tons of dives does not necessarily make you a good diver.
Arrogance (yours or someones else's whom you are diving with) can kill you.
Inattention to details (yours or someone else's) can kill you.
Disregarding even the simplest and most basic rules can kill you.
Do NOT be concerned about "hurting someone's feelings" if you think something is amiss or you feel the need to abort a dive, otherwise, it can kill you.
MANY folks seem to ignore the limitations of their experience. "If I can go forty feet with no problem, then sixty feet should be no problem." Typically yes, but a problem at forty feet takes on a whole new series of issues at sixty feet.
ALL of the basic skills, such as dealing with gear problems in the water, CESA, buoyancy, basic navigation, self rescue, buddy rescue, etc., MUST be practiced on a regular basis: What good is it to do a CESA once for OW and then never do it again?
It seems that the desire to get folks certified and paying so much attention to the fun aspects has distracted from paying more attention to the inherent dangers that diving entails. Yes, diving is a wonderful experience on many levels and virtually all of the potential issues are manageable and survivable, providing you practice. It is a very social activity. You meet some very cool and interesting people and of course have the opportunity to experience it all over the world. Each dive is unique, even if you dive in the same location often. In order to sustain a long and happy dive life, it is important to fully understand all aspects, both good and bad. People may argue that well, you can get hurt riding a bike, skating, skiing, bowling (you get the idea). All true but a problem while participating in these activities on a recreational level will typically not get you killed. This is not the case in diving. I have been researching diving related accidents, and the dominant theme seems to be that accidents are mostly due to human error. Either improper equipment checks, poor planning, inadequate training of divers, instructors and operators, or is some cases a total lack of common sense. I am talking recreational diving, not tech or commercial. That is a whole other ball game.
I am by no means trying to discourage anyone from diving. On the contrary, I want MORE people to dive. I am just trying to point out that many people, including divers, instructors, operators, etc., too often seem to take diving for granted, getting too comfortable and sloppy. In many ways, you can compare diving to being an astronaut. It has got to be an awesome experience blasting into space. The astronauts seem to really enjoy themselves. But, they also train, train, train until its second nature. They seem to always have some checklist or other in hand, constantly check their equipment, are constantly aware of what is going on around them, and they don't panic if something goes amiss. Sound familiar?
