Reading Diver Down

[dbush]

I absolutely love this book! In my mind it should be required reading for the Advanced Diver rating if not OW. In the SCUBA world (actually, in all of life), there is nothing better than learning from someone elses mistakes. The articles make people think and be more safety conscious. Hopefully they will help prevent accidents. I give it a 10 out of 10 for divers.

 

[H2Andy]

i agree. accident analysis is a wonderful tool

 

[made for it]

Dear Jen,
At this point or time please do not worry about diving / not diving with asthma until you hear what a dive doctor has to say once he/she has seen YOU, an asthma check is easy and a quick process. To locate the nearest dive doctor you need to find out were the nearest hyperbaric facility is to you (Big hospitals usually have a hyperbaric unit attatched to them) otherwise find the nearest dive school, they "should" know were one is. You need to ask for a DMO (Dive Mediclcal Officer) this is a doctor who specialises in dive medicine. Unfortunetly local GP"s are un aware of the physiology and how the body reacts under pressure in the water, so a DMO is adviced.

made for it
(DMT)

 

[octgal]

I have read this book recently, and while I agree all of them could have been prevented. The one thing I do take from reading accident analysis, is to yes, learn from others mistakes, but also to not allow myself to become complacent. A little "fear" I think is a good thing when doing activities such as scuba diving, flying an airplane etc. It keeps you aware of the dangers, so that you do not overlook the small but very important details. Complacency kills.
After my cave course, I found myself thinking before ow dives that, "ah well its only OW"! BAD ATTITUDE. I stopped myself before i got in the water to give myself a re evaluation. I treate all my dives like I am in a cave, going to the surface (bolting) is never an option, therefore it forces you to really plan for crap to hit the fan and be able to deal with all even at 40' in ow. Never break your rules you are NOT above the minor mistakes that these people may have made or major for that matter.

Now if it is real fear you are having, then you shouldn't be doing the dive to begin with. If you panic that will most definately kill you. Stay within your skill and comfort level.

just my 2 cents

 

[octgal]

another thing i thought this book was good at pointing out was that a dive never gets better only worse. It is never usually 1 single factor that leads to a death, but a multiple of issues compounded. We use this thinking in aviation all the time. We call it the swis cheese affect in air traffic control, all the holes end up lining up in the end, you need to recognize the potential problem at the beginning and stop it in its tracks, even if that means calling the dive

 

[jennasnyder1980]

I have read this book recently, and while I agree all of them could have been prevented. The one thing I do take from reading accident analysis, is to yes, learn from others mistakes, but also to not allow myself to become complacent. A little "fear" I think is a good thing when doing activities such as scuba diving, flying an airplane etc. It keeps you aware of the dangers, so that you do not overlook the small but very important details. Complacency kills.
After my cave course, I found myself thinking before ow dives that, "ah well its only OW"! BAD ATTITUDE. I stopped myself before i got in the water to give myself a re evaluation. I treate all my dives like I am in a cave, going to the surface (bolting) is never an option, therefore it forces you to really plan for crap to hit the fan and be able to deal with all even at 40' in ow. Never break your rules you are NOT above the minor mistakes that these people may have made or major for that matter.

Now if it is real fear you are having, then you shouldn't be doing the dive to begin with. If you panic that will most definately kill you. Stay within your skill and comfort level.

just my 2 cents

Octgal,

I agree. I don't think I have a real fear of diving. I am very comfortable in the water (used to be a swimmer). The only time i feel strange, is when I look up and I'm really deep (which probably isn't deep compared to what a lot of other people dive). It's gotten better the more I dive and I actually try to force myself to look up and reassure myself because I want to be more comfortable.
Before I go diving next, I will definetely be refreshing my skills a bit though.

Thanks
Jen

 

[alm]

I'm glad this thread got started.

I think the book is top notch; the clarity
of the writing and the no-nonsense point of view
makes it a pleasure to read. Also, the printing and graphics are
textbook quality.

"Should be required for an advanced course" is right on target,
but I suspect that the writing is a little too blunt for certain
certification agencies.

 

[TheRedHead]

Octgal,

I agree. I don't think I have a real fear of diving. I am very comfortable in the water (used to be a swimmer). The only time i feel strange, is when I look up and I'm really deep (which probably isn't deep compared to what a lot of other people dive). It's gotten better the more I dive and I actually try to force myself to look up and reassure myself because I want to be more comfortable.
Before I go diving next, I will definetely be refreshing my skills a bit though.

Jen, where do you normally dive? Cold water and bad viz can play head games with you. Even bad viz makes a dive seem a lot deeper. 130 feet doesn't seem deep when you can look up and see the sunshine on the surface. 80 feet of green water can seem very deep at times.

I would suggest spending some time diving shallow warm water reefs. Perhaps a trip to Key Largo would boost your confidence?

I ordered the book today from Amazon.com.

 

[Jcsgt]

i agree. accident analysis is a wonderful tool

I whole-heartedly agree. We do this in law enforcement, as well. It's sad that there has to be a tragedy in the first place, but good can result if it saves someone else from the same fate.

 

[ItsBruce]

One nice thing about the book is that by relating actual scenarios, it makes dive safety "real." I would guess that everyone who reads the book says "I wouldn't have done that." I'd also guess that the victim would have said the same thing had they not been the victims. Real scenarios help focus our thinking more than just reading rules.