bad dives, what did you learn?

[rmh84]

Anyway, not to hijack this to another topic, what did I learn? What I already knew/suspected: warm, clear tropical waters are better than a cold, dark quarry any day. :cool2:

This is what I was going to say

I was certified in Canada, and did a fair bit of local diving before my first ocean diving experiences. None of them were BAD per se, but not exactly exciting or pleasant (it's cold, and everything is brown).

My worst dive was probably one of my first dives in Bonaire. I was still fairly novice, and dad took me on a night dive the first night. My masked fogged up, and in my infinite wisdom I pulled my mask off to clear the fog, having done this a dozen times before in freshwater didn't even think about it. Needless to say, that first time the salt water hit my eyes it was a bit of a shock! Anyway, it was night, I was disoriented and got a bit panicky. It took a couple days of regular day diving before I really got comfortable again.

What I learned from this is that it's always a good idea to test out stuff during the day at the dock before trying it out at 45 feet! Also, up untill this year I've never ever filled my mask with saltwater intentionally, finally did it this last trip, not comfy, but it didn't kill me either!

 

[RonFrank]

One of the worst dives I have done was at the mud hole called the Chatfield pond. We were demoing the Fusion Drysuit. The dive was a train-wreck. We had at best 1 ft vis and we stayed together by touch. We likely did 30 minutes and I loved the drysuit, but I may never go back to Chatfield. I feel bad for those that get certified there, but I guess we saw about the worst it has to offer as a buddy swears its not that bad normally. I'd give it another shot.

 

[Rhone Man]

Bad dives are usually like the Titanic. It is a chain of events.

I remember learning that diving in stormy conditions and strong current with a tank which was only 2/3rds full to start with should not be done solo.

 

[Jax]

There are bad dives?


Okay, I had one where I was severely seasick. I counted on being better once I was under, which I was, but in coming up, the 20' and 10' elevator stops did me in.

I learned to go for prescription meds for seasickness.

 

[Bob DBF]

There are bad dives?

I've heard of them, but never been on one.

On the other hand I've made some very interesting dives that I will try not to repeat.



Bob
--------------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Quero]

My very worst and scariest dive (including, for those of you who insist that tropical diving is akin to a bathtub full of warm water, a freezing cold dive off the NorCal shore in a leaky rental drysuit) was in the warm, clear waters of Indonesia when I got caught in a wicked downcurrent. It's truly the only time diving I honestly thought I was in mortal danger.

What did I learn? A lot about that particular dive site, a lot about downcurrents and how to deal with them, and, later, a lot about the Indonesian Throughflow. I also learned that while Indonesian dive guides are wonderful critter spotters, they really give horrible dive briefings--it can be critically important to ask the right questions in order to receive a full dive site briefing when you've got local guides. I didn't ask the right questions on this dive and was completely taken by surprise with this current.

 

[Lemna]

My worst 'dive' lasted only 10-15 minutes, and it was entirely my own fault. Had an argument with my girlfriend the night before and was still very upset with her right before we got into the water, with a very experienced buddy. With all these bad feelings we did not do a good briefing before the dive and did not watch each other closely while descending and lost each other twice, in bad visibility and heavy current. I called the dive after the second time. I felt really bad afterwards about screwing up our buddy's dive, but luckily he was very gracious about it.

I feel that I learned a lot from this. I now take the time to talk and agree on communication and procedures before every dive, even when we all know the site. I learned to avoid letting feelings influence dive procedures, and calm down before entering the water. Most importantly, I try very hard to be as gracious and kind as our diving buddy was that day, even if a dive or a buddy is not as good as I had hoped.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Not a bad dive, but a bad dive experience earlier this week when I flooded my digital camera, which is toast- cooked beyond repair. It was an 8mpx, so perhaps it was time to upgrade anyway. The lesson learned: don't get lazy in preparing for a dive. Don't forget to check out all your gear (including the camera housing) for proper operation. I got lazy, didn't spot a grain of sand, and now I am shopping for a new camera. I am glad it was an accessory and not essential equipment. After years of diving, hundreds of dives, a person can get a bit lazy. The lesson for me is be thorough in preparation and equipment checks on EVERY dive. The camera (or life) you save may be your own.
DivemasterDennis

 

[TSandM]

Lemna, I had the same experience . . . I tried to go cave diving immediately after a bitter and very angry battle with my husband (we were lost, and blaming each other for it). I was a complete disaster in the water (and unfortunately, my husband, who was behind me, filmed it). I ended up turning the dive after about ten minutes. I would never even try to get in the water that upset again.