Safe Diving with Scientists

[Adventure-Ocean]

After 20 years of diving with Marine Biologists we made very slow progress enforcing a dive safety program. We had little problems from the incoming students. They followed a very strict criteria before ever getting to dive and were watched closely until they finished they're scientific diving training.

Over the years our problems were with the professors and long term post grad student with projects. We did not have enough marine techs to dive with everyone who needed a buddy so the students and professors would buddy up for their research dive. When two divers go into the water with different agendas, the safety aspect of having a buddy can get pretty strained. Whether collecting data or samples, their attention is on their work. Just being two divers in the water together doesn't offer support unless they are being aware of their roll as a buddy. Like looking up occasionally.

In one instance the Director of our facility (my boss) came climbing out of the water into the boat to change batteries in his camera and left his buddy at about 40 ft down and 30 or 40 ft away. He didn't see that as breaking the buddy rule. On another project one of the professors started doing a 100 yard transect study with him starting on one side and the student on the other. They were not visible of each other through half the dive. These professors have 20 or more years of diving and tons of training. Generally these breaches are not necessarily putting anyone into immediate danger but they are clearly against the rules of any dive safety program in the United States.

Our responsibility was to the university and to maintain a strict safety diving program. Our scientific diving professors priority was always the science with a respectful recognition of safety.

I would enjoy hearing from others who have safety supervised underwater work. Maintaining the highest safety standard while production is the reason they're diving brings special challenges I'd like to hear more about. Adventure-Ocean

 

[TSandM]

Adventure-Ocean, you should PM Thalassamania. He doesn't post here all that much any more, but he was heavily involved in scientific diving programs.

 

[Kilili]

The US has dive safety rules? I've never heard of any other than certification. Please enlighten me with a list of such rules.

 

[Adventure-Ocean]

A list of such rules can be found in the Dive Safety Manual published online by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences.
Another, similar list of rules can be found in OSHA's dive safety manual. If someone is diving for hire or for a university in the US they will be following these rules. (Hopefully)

 

[EastEndDiver]

If you follow the rules why did this happen?

Just seems ironic doesn't it?

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...264-tough-lesson-learn-im-not-instructor.html

 

[covediver]

Does your diving manual give any guidance on how to deal with the issue? Most diving manuals have the standard phrasing about failure to follow rules may lead to loss of diving privileges, but it is seldom enforced.

Did the divers' dive plan state they must be in contact at all time? (Yes, it is a rule, but it is nice to put it in the plan.)

Progressive discipline starting with a simple conversation on diving, followed by more consequential actions may be the route to go. Make sure it is in your diving manual, follow it without favoritism, and get your diving control board to back you up.

Part of what you are dealing with is the culture of scientific diving, so it is figuring out how to tap into the culture to create a safety culture, not an easy task, as much of the culture is value laden and resounds with "myths" that transmit and reinforce those values. For example, any graduate student who has done field work in a remote location has been told the story of researcher x who did x in somewhat marginal or unsafe condtions to either get the data or secure the specimen. These tales are then told and retold transmitting and reinforcing the cultural value.

There is nothing quite like God on Earth as a general on a battlefield or a tenured professor doing research. They pretty much do what they want, within reasonable limit. The ones struggling for tenure will follow the tenured's lead. I recall diving with an about to be minted research diver, non-tenured faculty member, who asked as I helped him out of a particularly rocky and high energy beach exits whether I thought diving was "macho". I replied, "it can be whatever you make it out to be." I then observed "you don't seem to be having much fun, do you really want to be here." His reply went something like "not really, but since the senior faculty in the department all believe in hands-on field work, I am obligated to do this to be considered for tenure." that was about 20 years ago, I found out some years later he became a competent diver and did get tenure.

 

[Adventure-Ocean]

I can see you've dealt with similar difficulties with research divers. I'd like to point out that I am now retired. Our dive manual and procedures are very clear and dive plans are detailed and signed by the DSO before they go out. Enforcement for us was a huge issue. As my story pointed out, some of the divers pushing the limits were our supervisors. On that dive when my director got out of the water and left his buddy I wrote him up as an official warning. He, as the director and member of the Dive Safety Board, had to sign it and he had to sign it as the party involved. There were a few researches who pushed some of these safety rules but not all. Most realized they had to follow the safety manual strictly to show the right example for current and incoming students and faculty.
To EastEndDiver, I grew up, got trained, and learned to be a safe diver. It must be nice to have never made mistakes.