Safe Diving Practices - Yes or No?

[vladimir]

I think the agency also has a responsibility to train within the parameters they've defined ... unfortunately, I think in many cases they fall short of that responsibility. The buddy system is the most glaring example ... nearly all agencies insist you must dive with a buddy, but they generally do a really poor job of defining and teaching people how to be a dive buddy ...

... and that's why the term "instabuddy" is generally not used as a compliment ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I agree. In effect they are saying, Our training will allow you to dive safely, IF you...follow Andy's list of recommendations, basically. To the extent that is not true, they are not fulfilling their ethical responsibility.

 

[Ste Wart]

Back to your lure, the swim-through, a little deeper, longer . . . The diver pushes his/her envelope based on one's training and experience . . . "common sense" says you can see through the ship, so you can swim right through.

Unfortunately, if your bubbles dislodge a huge piece of ceiling, causing collapse, silt everywhere, and the debris fall blocks your way . . .

Those that have "done it a thousand times" believe they have the experience to bend or blow off rules. However, the rules are there for that infrequent 'fit hits the shan' moment when experience is for naught and one must rely on the rules (tools?).

Absolutely.

well the're not so much rules....

... more like guidelines really

 

[muddiver]

1. Maintain good mental and physical fitness for diving. Avoid being under the influence of alcohol or dangerous drugs when diving. Keep proficient in diving skills, striving to increase them through continuing education and reviewing them in controlled conditions after a period of diving inactivity.
I do most of these, I just don't have time to stay in top physical condition.


2. Be familiar with my dive sites. If not, obtain a formal diving orientation from a knowledgeable, local source. If diving conditions are worse than those in which I am experienced, postpone diving or select an alternate site with better conditions. Engage only in diving activities consistent with my training and experience. Do not engage in cave or technical diving unless specifically trained to do so.
Except for the cave diving, diving is all about exploring, plus most locations I dive are new each time anyway. One can never be exactly on the same spot on every dive. If I do go some where really different than the west coast I might engage the advice of a local dive professional.

3. Use complete, well-maintained, reliable equipment with which I am familiar; and inspect it for correct fit and function prior to each dive. Deny use of my equipment to uncertified divers. Always have a buoyancy control device and submersible pressure gauge when scuba diving. Recognize the desirability of an alternate air source and a low-pressure buoyancy control inflation system.
Yep, it's my gear (i.e. my tools) I keep them in outstanding condition and don't touch my stuff!

4. Listen carefully to dive briefings and directions and respect the advice of those supervising my diving activities. Recognize that additional training is recommended for participation in specialty diving activities, in other geographic areas and after periods of inactivity that exceed six months.
What, I have to retrain to SCUBA dive in Hawaii? The meat of this statement is really geared for vacation divers hopping off a charter boat. If I do that, then yes I pay attention.

5. Adhere to the buddy system throughout every dive. Plan dives – including communications, procedures for reuniting in case of separation and emergency procedures – with my buddy.
Fail, when acting as an assistant or Divemaster I have to dive alone while herding the cats for the instructor. It is really dangerous to dive surface supplied with a buddy. Way too much stuff to tangle up.

6. Be proficient in dive table usage. Make all dives no decompression dives and allow a margin of safety. Have a means to monitor depth and time underwater. Limit maximum depth to my level of training and experience. Ascend at a rate of not more than 18 metres/60 feet per minute. Be a SAFE diver – Slowly Ascend From Every dive. Make a safety stop as an added precaution, usually at 5 metres/15 feet for three minutes or longer.
Yep, pretty much. Except that the U.S. Navy Table 9-7 is a No Decompression table so a safety stop is just an optional step, not a requirement that a lot of scuba divers seem to think it is.

7. Maintain proper buoyancy. Adjust weighting at the surface for neutral buoyancy with no air in my buoyancy control device. Maintain neutral buoyancy while underwater. Be buoyant for surface swimming and resting. Have weights clear for easy removal, and establish buoyancy when in distress while diving.
I think Thal has a good point here. One should be neautrally buoyant at depth, not at the surface. Typically I am slightly buoyant at the surface when I weight to be neutral at 20 feet.

8. Breathe properly for diving. Never breath-hold or skip-breathe when breathing compressed air, and avoid excessive hyperventilation when breath-hold diving. Avoid overexertion while in and underwater and dive within my limitations.
I have no idea, I don't fixate on my breathing.

9. Use a boat, float or other surface support station, whenever feasible.
You ever try to hard hat dive without a surface support station?

10. Know and obey local dive laws and regulations, including fish and game and dive flag laws
It depends on if I know what they are.

 

[muddiver]

This is the kind of attitude I am keen to investigate. It seems to be a predominantly American phenomenon.

There isn't a single mention of these being 'rules', either in the thread or the documents themselves. But, still, they seem to engage a rebellious streak in certain divers who then seek to flout them.

As opposed to Russians that rocket to 200+ feet deep on a single aluminum 80?

 

[Teamcasa]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

I split the coffee sidetrack to http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/whine-cheeze/391764-coffee-drink-creates-new-law.html - Let's try to stay on topic. Thanks.

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[Jax]

Most agencies have a published statement upon which they state their definition of safe diving practices, which they expect divers holding their qualifications to adhere to.

Having read many threads on Scubaboard, that invariably deal with the issue of diving safety, I was wondering what divers' attitudes towards the safety recommendations given by their agencies were. Many of the posts that I've read certainly seem in opposition to these most basic safety recommendations that certifying divers declare to adhere to.

Snipped.

My interest is to investigate the extents to which recreational divers adhere to these safe diving practices and their general attitudes towards them.

1. Do you apply these safe diving practices and to what extent?

2. If/when divers do not apply all/some of these practices, then what reasoning (if any) do they apply to that decision?

3. If you're a dive pro (instructor or DM), or a dive operation, to what extent do you enforce/support these practices when dealing with customers? Do you require customers to sign such a declaration?

Divers from other agencies, should answer in relation to their own certifying agencies' equivalent stated safety practices and / or recommendations / limitations. Where possible, the relevant document should be cited/quoted and linked.

Fixed that for you!

1. I apply the safe diving practices strictly, as I have insufficient experience to know when it is "really" safe to bend a rule.

2. N/A for me, but I see rules violated when a person (or team) makes a risk assessment and judges the risk to be acceptably small. Unfortunately, sometimes you really have to question others' judgement . . .

3. N/A.

 

[Thalassamania]

I'd refer you to my diving skill level definitions.

Please note how the perspective on rules change as skill levels increase. Note under "Expert" where it says: "He or she no longer needs to rely on rules, guidelines or maxims and posses an authoritative knowledge of the disciplines that make up diving that leads to a deep tacit understanding of, as well as a holistic and intuitive grasp of situations."

 

[Jax]

I'd refer you to my diving skill level definitions.

Please note how the perspective on rules change as skill levels increase. Note under "Expert" where it says: "He or she no longer needs to rely on rules, guidelines or maxims and posses an authoritative knowledge of the disciplines that make up diving that leads to a deep tacit understanding of, as well as a holistic and intuitive grasp of situations."

:huh: Really?

Most experts I know are far more likely to toe the line of the 'rules', as their experience has taught them not only how far they may bend them, but how much more likely they are to be successful if they follow the 'rules'.

"Experienced" cave divers may do visual jumps. Expert divers will not. "Experienced" divers may forego the primary to the start of the main line. Expert divers do not. (just my totally anecdotal gatherings from reading the forums. )

There again, the rules to be followed are set according to one's experience and training. Once one is into 'expert' status, the rules followed may be particular to the person.

Akimbo?

 

[Thalassamania]

An an authoritative knowledge of the disciplines that make up diving that leads to a deep tacit understanding of, as well as a holistic and intuitive grasp of situations would dictate no visual jumps, that would not even be open to question since, for an expert, that would be part and parcel. Not needing to rely on rules, guidelines or maxims does not mean that actual practices will not usually mirror them, it means that you will behave correctly without the need for an outside authority dictating that you do so.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

An an authoritative knowledge of the disciplines that make up diving that leads to a deep tacit understanding of, as well as a holistic and intuitive grasp of situations would dictate no visual jumps, that would not even be open to question since, for an expert, that would be part and parcel. Not needing to rely on rules, guidelines or maxims does not mean that actual practices will not usually mirror them, it means that you will behave correctly without the need for an outside authority dictating that you do so.

So in other words ... an expert doesn't need the rules, because they understand why the rules were created in the first place, and by acting on that understanding they're following the rules anyway ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)