When to call a dive... a question of limits.

[DBPacific]

First dive I called off before getting wet was a practice shore dive for some of my teammates to get practice catching lobster (had to catch, measure, and release them for work that summer). Woke up feeling off, then about an hour before we suit up the world starts to go sideways and I let the boss know that in no uncertain terms I have a date with my bed. End up managing to come back out for some fresh air and a ginger ale to make my stomach stop rolling and I watch their bubbles while they're under and help them de-gear after the dive.

A few other dives I've called because buddies kicked up enough silt before zooming off that I was left in a 0' vis cloud trying to find where the hell they went and waiting out the 1 minute hoping to see their fins before doing my best to follow the ground contours out of the silt cloud and back up to the beach to surface and look for bubbles.

There have also been dives that I should've called but didn't because I didn't want to seem like a bad diver or wanted to finish the task. Namely:

Checkout dive before starting work at a different place happened at 8am the morning after I'd spent 2 sleepless and mostly foodless days and nights travelling there. Surface gear removal and retrieval went well, but then we had to do long surface swims and tows, after which I was more than safely dizzy and out of breath. When we were about to descend for mask and reg removal/retrieval, the lead diver asked if I wanted to wait until tomorrow since I was holding onto a buoy for dear life in dead calm water. I refused because I wanted to get it over with and signaled that I was good to descend. I sink first and can't see jack **** and end up sinking my fins and my belly in mud that I didn't see because I was so out of it. Barely managed to avoid raising a 0'vis cloud when I worked myself out of there and end up spinning horizontally 180 degrees during mask removal. I was so tired and ready for that dive to be over I didn't even feel the embarrassment until the next day. In retrospect, I really should've skipped that dive.

 

[eponym]

For more thoughts on the subject of calling the dive "without any questions" and perhaps "with ensuing q&a" I would urge everyone to find, watch, read the work of Gareth Richard Lock on team dynamics and (non-technical) human factors in diving. I paid for a brief course and it really opened my eyes to how much is unspoken and assumed before a dive. Find him at humaninthesystem.co.uk

Biggest takeaway for me was new post-dive analysis methods. What did I do well? What did I do that you did not understand? What could I have done differently?

This is a departure from assigning blame. Instead, analyze and learn. I can't do his thesis justice in a post. His book is well worth reading.

 

[BalekFekete]

I've only thumbed one dive so far, albeit with a very small N value to pull upon.

My wife and I decided to dive while two of our kids did their check out OW dives in the local quarry. Double 7mm, gloves and hoods sorta diving. We found out the year prior that equalizing with a hood on and my wife don't mesh. She trucked through our checkout dives but was miserable while doing it, particularily on the 4th dive where we went to 45' and beyond two thermoclines.

Now it's a year later and me, being the sympathatic hubby, thought I'd dive without a hood too. We decide we wanted to make an attempt to reach a sunken school bus at 55' while the kids do their skill drills. We're moving along, get to the line heading to the bus and start the descent. Half way there I'm feeling like a thousand imps are stabbing me with knives all along my head and face. I turn the the Mrs. and thumb the dive. The 'ohhh tough guy eh?' laugh exhaust out of her reg was quite noticable.

That was the last dive I'm doing there until wet suit training, spare air fill coupons be damned.

A big tiger came at me once and I got flat on the sand as the wranglers knocked the crap out of the shark to get him off of me.

And now I have another insta-thumb written down - anytime the word 'tiger shark' comes up in a briefing. Three strikes right there!

 

[Skulmoski]

I had 5 days of diving with Orca Dive Centre in Mirbat, Oman, and stopped diving with them after 2 days due to unsafe practices by the German guide. 5-10 minute pre-dive. briefing in German, followed by a 30 second briefing in English. On a dive following the guide, my daughter behind me was intrigued by some nudis; I stayed with my buddy, while the guide swam away oblivious that he was guiding others! We followed standard separation procedures, completed our safety stop, and sat out dive #2. It was a quiet boat.

 

[tkaelin]

An experienced diver, like other experienced outdoor enthusiasts, knows to call a dive whenever and as often as circumstances dictate. Last trip to Cur I called off my first dive of the trip. I like early am night dives but the set up area by the cliff, the steep steps down to an 8' jump into the ocean was all dark - the resort lights were off for some reason. Just didn't feel like setting up and getting down to the water in the dark. Didnt' want to start the trip with a fall or miscue with my gear set up. Decided to get a cup of coffee and waited 40 minutes for some faint morning light. Can be that simple and undramatic.

 

[Hoag]

For more thoughts on the subject of calling the dive "without any questions" and perhaps "with ensuing q&a" I would urge everyone to find, watch, read the work of Gareth Richard Lock on team dynamics and (non-technical) human factors in diving. I paid for a brief course and it really opened my eyes to how much is unspoken and assumed before a dive. Find him at humaninthesystem.co.uk

Biggest takeaway for me was new post-dive analysis methods. What did I do well? What did I do that you did not understand? What could I have done differently?

This is a departure from assigning blame. Instead, analyze and learn. I can't do his thesis justice in a post. His book is well worth reading.

I did a LOB a few years ago & got paired up with an "Instabuddy". Before our first dive we went over our tendencies as well as reviewing to make sure that we would be using the same signals and where things like our octo and ditchable weight was located. After the dive, we did a quick debrief along the lines of did I do anything you weren't expecting or was there anything you would have preferred to see me do differently. After a couple dives, it was as if we had been diving together for years.

It is amazing what a little communication can achieve.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

Under the 200ish mark, I made a handful of dives that were probably less than advisable because I, baby diver, had major Fear of Missing Out. Each dive was individual and special and I wanted to cram in all of the diving experience that I possibly could.

Sometime between dives 200-250, I had to make my first rescue that ended up putting my life in danger to pull off (NB: not the rescue that I wrote about publicly here). While I was physically fine, I was mentally wrecked and decided not to make the second dive. (The person who I pulled up from 85' after going OOA.... felt perfectly fine and did go on the second shallow dive.)

Since then - and especially after getting formal tech training - I have no problem blowing off a dive if the totality of the circumstances doesn't meet my standards. The FOMO has been replaced by a greater understanding of the stakes of a bad dive.

 

[Neilwood]

I did a LOB a few years ago & got paired up with an "Instabuddy". Before our first dive we went over our tendencies as well as reviewing to make sure that we would be using the same signals and where things like our octo and ditchable weight was located. After the dive, we did a quick debrief along the lines of did I do anything you weren't expecting or was there anything you would have preferred to see me do differently. After a couple dives, it was as if we had been diving together for years.

It is amazing what a little communication can achieve.

That is what a good "instabuddy" pairing should be like - a good predive brief and a post dive discussion where you both try to learn from each other. Amazing the difference that a couple of minutes chatting can make to both enjoyment and safety.

Under the 200ish mark, I made a handful of dives that were probably less than advisable because I, baby diver, had major Fear of Missing Out. Each dive was individual and special and I wanted to cram in all of the diving experience that I possibly could.

Sometime between dives 200-250, I had to make my first rescue that ended up putting my life in danger to pull off (NB: not the rescue that I wrote about publicly here). While I was physically fine, I was mentally wrecked and decided not to make the second dive. (The person who I pulled up from 85' after going OOA.... felt perfectly fine and did go on the second shallow dive.)

Since then - and especially after getting formal tech training - I have no problem blowing off a dive if the totality of the circumstances doesn't meet my standards. The FOMO has been replaced by a greater understanding of the stakes of a bad dive.

That is a great way to describe the issue for new divers in particular - Fear Of Missing Out. My internal risk/reward scales probably tip slightly in the favour of FONGO (Fear Of Not Getting Out) rather than FOMO.

As someone above mentioned Gareth Locke and his study on human dynamics. I know of him from a UK forum and have read a number of his posts on the subject. Very interesting and makes you think about things.

 

[caydiver]

What is calling a dive to you? For me it means getting wet and then going back up or even perhaps deciding not to get off the boat once I am geared up and on the dive site (not happened yet but definitely have aborted dives when I couldn’t equalize). I don’t think of feeling unwell (snuffy head and cancelling before even getting on the boat or on site) the same way as I do about getting there and deciding not today. What’s the consensus? Spent another afternoon in the chamber with someone who should’ve just left it for another day. Most do in hindsight.

 

[Esprise Me]

I would count any dive for which you had concrete plans that you cancelled no earlier than the day of.