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

[Saniflush]

In my short diving career I have called two dives.

One was on the way to the boat. Seas were ok but the wind had really started whipping and did not show any signs of letting up. I really cannot say why exactly that I felt like calling it but I did, so I did. Interestingly enough the boat skipper called it for everyone about 30 minutes later because the waves getting through the jetties had become more challenging.

The other was when Mrs. Flush and I were getting our first of the season dives in the Gulf of Mexico a couple of years ago. We had a weekend without the kids and decided to make a flying trip down to PCB on a Saturday to get in four dives. 2 on the morning boat and 2 on the afternoon boat. It was a nice day for March but water temperatures were still in the mid 60's. Dives one, two, and three were fine but I could tell I was starting to feel the impact of heat loss from them. We started dive four, went down the shot line, got to the tie in and I remembered something @The Chairman had said on here about not doing it if it isn't fun. I think I could have pushed through the dive but what would be the point? I signaled to Mrs. Flush that I was cold and wanted to thumb the dive. She responded with a thumbs up to me. When we got back on the boat she confessed to me that she was glad I had thumbed because she was about to if I didn't from being cold.

In a bit of a proud instructor moment last week. A group of us went to Roatan for a week. One person in the group is a new diver I had certified 4 months ago. We were a couple of days of diving into the week, when during one of the dives she began to feel uncomfortable about the dive. No adverse conditions, not terribly deep (about 45'), nothing specifically happened, but she just began to feel uncomfortable. She thumbed the dive and she and her buddy (husband) went back to the boat. We finished the dive and got back on the boat. She told me that she had just become uncomfortable about the dive and remembered that I had stressed to her "that anyone, could call any dive, at any point, for any reason", so that's she did. I have to admit that I felt a real sense of pride that she had not only remembered that but had put it into practice.

 

[CosbySweater]

I've called several dives and even dive trips due to predicted conditions and never regretted it. Most recently, my girlfriend (who is also my dive buddy) and I were flying back to Fort Lauderdale from Nassau after a week long liveaboard and had planned to dive out of Key Largo on Saturday and Sunday. I called our planned Keys dives on Friday morning before we even left Nassau. 20 knots sustained and 5-6's predicted. We dove the Blue Heron Bridge on Saturday instead and saw things there we have never see anywhere else. Spent the rest of the weekend up in Jupiter and had a blast. No regrets.

 

[CharlieOneFour]

I think the only time to call a dive is ON THE DIVE.

all the stories I've heard to wit....got sick....car broke down....got the cold....hurt my leg getting on the boat....isn't calling the dive. It's changing your future plans. Calling a dive takes place after the dive is commenced. Waking up the morning of a dive with the measles is changing your plans.

I call the dive when my computer says my NDL is up and my buddies tells him he still has 8 minutes at depth.
I call the dive when my SPG reads 500 and my buddies reads 1,000.
I call the dive when any equipment failure that may affect my safety occurs.

 

[Rickk]

Many times I have decided not to gear up but only once have I thumbed a dive after gearing and getting wet.



My son and I then 17 were in Banff National Park. We were going to dive Lake Minnewanka, there was reportedly an abandoned dam and some buildings left under water when the dam was raised, and it was a common dive.


This was in July, very hot day which is unusual at 1450 m ASL. We surface swam out to the marker buoy, loosely held the rope and started our decent. Vis was great and water while some would say on the chilly side was bath like for a couple Canucks.


At 10 m we hit a thermocline, temps were ice diving conditions. Went from 10 to 12 to 4 C in less than a m. The vis also went from several m to all I could see of my son was his hand on the rope up to his wrist. Stopped got close to my son and we thumbed the dive.


What had happened was the warm weather caused extra ice melt on the glaciers that fed the lake and the fine dust in the melt water was in the colder water, which being denser than the rest of the lake was just under the thermocline. Local divers told me later that this happens occasionally there.


Unfortunately, we never got the chance to go back there and see the underwater town.



To paraphrase an aviation saying: I would rather be on the shore wishing I was underwater than underwater wishing I was on the shore.

 

[Edward3c]

Over the years I’ve called a number of dives, some as a diver others as the organiser.

Part of building relationships for our conservation project I was taking Belizean Government officials out to dive the outer reef of Turneffe Atoll from Calabash Caye. The conditions were such that I could put them in the water, but it would have been iffy getting they back in the boat, so I called it. Turned out that was the action that convinced them we took safety seriously if we were prepared to disappoint them.

Last Saturday I called off the South Scotland regional training session as the weather forecast indicated it wouldn’t be safe to put trainees in.

I once drove 2 hours to a dive site, didn’t like the look of the sea state and drove home again. My two buddies went in and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard as they couldn’t get back out with 6ft waves breaking on the shore.

 

[The Chairman]

I think the only time to call a dive is ON THE DIVE.

You're debating meaningless semantics right now. The intent is the same: there's nothing down there worth getting hurt over. There are many, many things that contraindicate a dive. Some happen before you splash while some happen in the suds. In any event, it's up to you to stay safe. Your safety is your most important job.

To paraphrase an aviation saying: I would rather be on the shore wishing I was underwater than underwater wishing I was on the shore.

Exactly!

You have to get over disappointing others. Their dive is not your problem. Remember the rule of fun. If it's not fun, it's probably not safe. Think about that. Diving is always optional. It's not your fault that others are willing, even wanting to put themselves and their gear in jeopardy. Your diving is always up to you. YOU can call a dive at any time, at any time for any reason, no questions asked and no repercussions. Know your limits and honor them. If it ain't fun, it ain't for me.

 

[markmud]

You have to get over disappointing others. Their dive is not your problem. Remember the rule of fun. If it's not fun, it's probably not safe.

Hi Big Kahuna,

Do you remember the Rouse incident?

When I read your post, both paragraphs, I thought of the Rouses (father and son team). I don't recall the exact actions that led up to their fateful day. I do remember something about Chrissy having a "bad" week before the dive. He did not get the trimix for himself and his dad. The dad goaded Chrissy to dive the U-boat on air after Chrissy repeatedly thumbed the dive.

Long story short, they got narced and their poor decision chain continued. They died.
The Last Dive - Wikipedia
Shadow Divers - Wikipedia

"If it aint fun, it aint for me."

Your dictate above is my criterion for diving. I must add, if it hurts, it aint for me. My ears are soar, or my knees are screaming? No mas amigo! I will save the gas for another day!

m

 

[Steve_C]

Was diving out at Molasses with a buddy and an instabuddy. Only three of us on the boat. I was leading. We had already done one out and back to make sure I knew where boat was. At the end of the second out a sea turtle swam up and rested in the middle of a nearby clearing. I swam over and took some pictures and we headed back. But I had now gone up the wrong sand channel. Swam for a bit and realized we were lost. Only 30 ft deep so I swam up to get bearing. So now we were a long ways from the boat even with the stern. A strong wind had come up blowing perpendicular to our path generating a strong surface current. Buddy and I were fine on air but instabuddy was running low. So I signaled ok to the boat, took a compass heading and we started swimming at a depth of about 7-10 ft at a 45 degree angle to our desired direction. 3 or 4 times we found some bare coral, took hold against the current, and I did a quick navigation check and I checked insta-buddy air. As we got to the boat, I went to the float line and brought it over to the other two divers who were together but behind me. Viz was good, there were fish. Buddy said he was thumbing he was really beat. I was drained also and I thumbed also. Hated to do it since instabuddy was also done but too tired to enjoy and be safe if I needed to do anything. One of the very few times I have thumbed a dive on a boat.

I know I could have signaled for the boat to come get me, but point of (false?) pride to get ourselves back to the boat alive and with air.

 

[The Chairman]

Do you remember the Rouse incident?

I read about it in "The Last Dive" and "Shadow Divers" like most everyone else. This was my main takeaway from those books. I've actually avoided diving with divers who will go to great lengths to do a dive. One caver actually bragged about being a total ass when others called dives. He's asked a number of times, but I always seem to be otherwise engaged. I simply don't trust his judgement and I don't want to feel that I HAVE to make that dive or earn his scorn. BTW, he doesn't see himself as being a total ass. He feels quite justified in making people "keep their word" as he put it. Who needs that kind of pressure?

Your dictate above is my criterion for diving.

Yeah. I like how you dive, too. I sincerely mean that and I try to surround myself with like minded divers. Often they are attracted to me because I dive like them. In diving, opposites are a real problem. Divers of a feather, will flock together and that's a good thing. A real good thing.

 

[Marie13]

Hi Big Kahuna,

Do you remember the Rouse incident?

When I read your post, both paragraphs, I thought of the Rouses (father and son team). I don't recall the exact actions that led up to their fateful day. I do remember something about Chrissy having a "bad" week before the dive. He did not get the trimix for himself and his dad. The dad goaded Chrissy to dive the U-boat on air after Chrissy repeatedly thumbed the dive.

Long story short, they got narced and their poor decision chain continued. They died.
The Last Dive - Wikipedia
Shadow Divers - Wikipedia

"If it aint fun, it aint for me."

Your dictate above is my criterion for diving. I must add, if it hurts, it aint for me. My ears are soar, or my knees are screaming? No mas amigo! I will save the gas for another day!

m

No Trimix for the Rouses as they didn’t have the several hundred dollars for the fills. That incident was what made me decide to do helitrox with AN/DP.