What is the fundamental reason that prevents scuba diving from becoming popular?

[Cthippo]

Hey, using the ignore button feels really good!

 

[Lorenzoid]

What is the fundamental reason that prevents scuba diving from becoming popular?​

A thread like this one on scubaboard in the New Divers and Those Considering Diving forum?

Seriously. Maybe not the "fundamental reason," but if I were someone considering taking up the sport and found this train wreck of a thread on SB I would have second thoughts.

If someone comes across this thread in the future, they will probably never read this post, buried in the middle of a lengthy debate over things that don't really concern new divers, but if someone considering taking up diving does read this, I hope they understand that the argumentative tone is not representative of what divers are like. We are not generally argumentative people. We only become that when hiding behind our online personas. Maybe we're bored today because we are not out diving, and we use this place to blow off steam. But out on the water, the vast majority of us really are nice, friendly, helpful people. Really.

 

[boulderjohn]

I was taught to get into the vertical position to do an emergency ascent. I never thought it would be taught with divers in horizontal trim which does not make sense to me. I suppose in some sense if you are OOA and have someone you can signal to at same depth you would swim to them in horizontal trim.

You are supposed to do an actual CESA vertically, but when they are in a swimming pool, they can't, so they do it horizontally. That is what is wrong with it. A fundamental concept in all performance instruction is that you do not have the students practice differently from the way it is done for real. In athletics, it is called making the practice gamelike.

I would like to add that many non-balanced regulators like the Scubapro MK2 still get 'harder' when the pressure drops close to zero.

Yes, they do. But not at 10 feet deep in the bottom of a swimming pool with the air shut off. There is a big difference between what happens when air is shut off (which is done in the drill) and when a tank is running out of air (which is what happens in a real OOA situation. A regulator running out of air at depth will get gradually harder and harder to breathe during its last breaths. A tank that has been shut off i shallow water will breathe just fine until it suddenly doesn't give anything at all.

 

[El Diablo]

You are supposed to do an actual CESA vertically, but when they are in a swimming pool, they can;t, so they do it horizontally. That is what is wrong with it. A fundamental concept in all performance instruction is that you do not have the students practice differently from the way it is done for real. In athletics, it is called making the practice gamelike.

Yes, they do. But not at 10 feet deep in the bottom of a swimming pool with the air shut off. There is a big difference between what happens when air is shut off (which is done in the drill) and when a tank is running out of air (which is what happens in a real OOA situation. A regulator running out of air at depth will get gradually harder and harder to breathe during its last breaths. A tank that has been shut off i shallow water will breathe just fine until it suddenly doesn't give anything at all.

That's interesting. I had the impression it still behaves the same way.

 

[Marie13]

DM is worthless for someone who doesn’t want to be a dive pro. You’re better off diving and doing one on one with a good instructor if there are things you want to improve on. Improving your skills to demonstration quality does squat for someone who has no desire to teach other divers.

Gah, what thoroughly bad advice.

 

[boulderjohn]

That's interesting. I had the impression it still behaves the same way.

A regulator has to have more pressure coming from the tank than the ambient pressure around you. Your inhalation brings that pressurized air into your lungs. As the pressure drops toward zero in an emptying tank, you will need to work harder and harder to inhale with that lessening pressure.

I assisted classes for 2 years before becoming an instructor myself, and I can't estimate the number of times I played the role of the student in this demonstration. You have full air. Then you don't have any. In contrast, I have breathed stage bottles down to near empty. I frequently breathe the remainder of my O2 bottle after a deco dive while I am driving home. The last few breaths in each case get harder and harder to breathe.

 

[El Diablo]

A regulator has to have more pressure coming from the tank than the ambient pressure around you. Your inhalation brings that pressurized air into your lungs. As the pressure drops toward zero in an emptying tank, you will need to work harder and harder to inhale with that lessening pressure.

I assisted classes for 2 years before becoming an instructor myself, and I can't estimate the number of times I played the role of the student in this demonstration. You have full air. Then you don't have any. In contrast, I have breathed stage bottles down to near empty. I frequently breathe the remainder of my O2 bottle after a deco dive while I am driving home. The last few breaths in each case get harder and harder to breathe.

I believe you and I totally get it. I am totally aware of the mechanics, the pressure differential as well as the ambient pressure vs intermediate, etc... but I still had the wrong impression - it seems - that it did became harder the same way you described, in simulated dives. Maybe we did breathe down a stage bottle for demonstration purposes and it stayed on my memory

 

[Wibble]

I agree and I apologize for getting off topic. The whole argument started because of the 'bailing from 40m using your BCD as a rebreather BS'. It escalated quickly as it seems that we, Divemasters are only 'valets' for accompanying divers on trips.

People should not get wrong and potentially dangerous advises on a life threatening situation, that's all.

You run out of gas primarily through ignoring rule number one: know your gas pressure and know your turn/minimum gas pressure. You can only run out of gas if your redundant backup gas supply's not working -- or you failed to bring it, or you haven't practised using it before you need it.

A CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent) really is the absolute last roll of the dice when everything else has failed and your choice is drown or swim as fast as possible to the surface.

Should you be both out of gas and have some horizontal swimming to do prior to getting to the surface (or be trapped), then your only choice may be to use your BCD as a breathing bag. Again, this is an absolute last resort choice between drowning or maybe surviving (and treating the lung infection later -- if you make it out of wherever you are).

It's about options. The more challenging the dive is, the more options you need to leave yourself. Planning matters. Practice matters.

 

[Angelo Farina]

Why do they do it?

What is the benefit of becoming a DiveMaster if you’re not going to work in the scuba industry?

Why should one prioritise DiveMaster over doing, for example, ANDP, Solo Diver, Fundies, CCR MOD1, etc.

Well, these questions presume a vision which is possibly skewed by the American for-profit approach.
Here in Europe most people become assistant instructors and later full instructors operating inside no-profit organizations, which are diving clubs or diving schools, affiliated with no-profit agencies such as CMAS or BSAC.
These people are volunteers, they will never "work" in the "scuba industry". They volunteer teaching other people, but this is not legally a "work", as it is completely unpaid.
This was also my experience, for many years, before switching to become a pro (paid).
Volunteer DMs and instructors are motivated by the same reasons for which we operate in beneficial associations, from Red Crux to societies taking care of disabled people, of environmental preservation, or which operate in case of natural calamities (civil protection).
Becoming a DM or Instructor is the necessary requirement for being able to teach to new divers. Of course these volunteer DMs and instructors also receive a significant social gratification, which is part of the motivation.
For me, being a young high-level diving instructor was very appealing, it introduced me in a very small elite of the most famous Italian divers of the time. At 24 years, here in my town (Parma) I was the highest-level instructor, director of the diving school, and there were just 3 other lower-level instructors.
Of course these social factors are strongly location-dependent. But I assume that they play a big role for many people who decide to become DMs or instructors while they have no plan to really work as a professional in our field.

 

[Bob DBF]

A CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent) really is the absolute last roll of the dice when everything else has failed and your choice is drown or swim as fast as possible to the surface

Actually an emergency Buoyant Ascent is the last resort. A CESA is made at no more than 60 fpm (the controlled part), a buoyant ascent is as fast as the air bubble in your BC takes you up. The first will help you avoid DCS, the latter won't.