Question Where does complacency begin and end?

[lermontov]

pretty much everything

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I try to learn from every stupid mistake I make. When I started out, I had no freaking clue that I was making any mistakes. Now I question myself consistently. It isn't due to a lack of confidence, but a dedication to diligence and improvement.

 

[Blackcrusader]

What changes have you made since you were certified?

I changed agencies and got better training and skillsets. I got older fatter and happier than when I was younger.

 

[Bob DBF]

Does adding an SPG, a BC, and getting certified over a couple of decades of diving count?

 

[TMHeimer]

I went from mounted snorkel to foldable one in pocket to almost none. Only time I consider it is if there may be wicked current. My diving has been local and same old sites so I know I'll be trying to figure out how to use up my tank air after a while and surface swims don't exist.

 

[broncobowsher]

The biggest was probably changing from open circuit to closed dircuit

 

[rick00001967]

You might see lots of answers from "perfect" divers who say to just "never" get complacent.

All humans get complacent with repetitive tasks and there is always a significant risk of "Normalization of Deviance" as people "get away" with tiny complacencies over time.

No one is immune to this. Everyone gets complacent in different ways at different times. The goal is to mitigate this with acceptance of our imperfection and implementing procedures and mentalities that help mitigate it, rather than pretend it won't happen. The robustness of these procedures will be related to what risks exist in the type of diving you're doing.

Highly recommend "Under Pressure: Diving Deeper with Human Factors" if you are interested in this topic.

very well said

 

[tursiops]

What changes have you made since you were certified?

How does this question (which is perfectly good) relate to your thread title (which is a bit cryptic, at best)?

 

[Angelo Farina]

What changes have you made since you were certified?

I made a lot of changes. I evaluate all of them having been done towards better safety and lower risk, but let's see your opinion on each of them:
1) during my diving course we mostly used CC pure oxygen rebreathers. I quickly gave up using those very dangerous systems and switched to OC with compressed air.
2) we were trained using twin tanks with reserve. I switched to single tank with a pressure gauge.
3) We started with a single reg with yoke mount. I quickly moved (after an OOA episode) to two complete regs on two independent valves. Nowadays they are both DIN.
4) We did not use a BCD - I first made some experiments with a DIY BCD, and finally purchased a good one, plastic backplate + separate rear-inflating bladder in 1989.
5) the ascent rate was 18m/min. In 1980 I reduced it to 10 m/min.
6) the nominal dive time was calculated excluding the time for ascent. After 1980 I started to consider also the ascent time as part of the total dive time.
7) 4 years ago I abandoned my thrusted US Navy dive tables, purchasing my first diving computer.
8) Around 1995 I gave up doing planned deco dives at significant depths (40÷50m) and continued only with shallow diving with my children, at less than 15-20m, and very far from NDL.

I do not know if all these modifications were done for complacency or not. I was thinking to deviate from my original training for good reasons, aiming at safer and less risky diving. Certainly diving the way I was trained did require much more fitness, attention, planning and careful execution.
The way I dive now is far more relaxed, unplanned, and it does not require a particular fitness or attention.
Is this complacency?

 

[Jimchris]

The biggest was probably changing from open circuit to closed dircuit

Same here.