It only takes a moment....

Yesterday I was diving in the eastern sea off the Korean coast with members of a local dive club.Here is a series of events that happened to my dive buddy.She is Rescue qualified in Padi and they put her with me because her english skills were better.We drove across by bus and I spoke to everyone about the importance of pre and post dive briefings and alcohol and diving and buddy safety.There is a big problem with alcohol and diving here in Korea.In fact they sometimes have a meal with Korean whiskey in between dives.Many people smoke,including the instructors,who also are drinking culprits.
My buddy isn't,but there was smoking on the bus which was annoying.She went in with me and we dived first on an artificial reef at 25m.I had just noticed as I got her to show me her SPG that she had an unbalanced regulator.Anyways,She got donged on the head by another divers tank...(They swim oblivious to where they are here,and far too close to each other.), poor girl,and then as I started to go through a feature I turned around and she was gone.Nowhere to be seen.I was out of eye contact for no more than 15 seconds.She didn't know her regulator was unbalanced...something the shop she bought it from should have made sure she understood,and she had no idea how it would affect her diving.It was her first korean dive.
She thought that she was running out of air and headed for the surface without getting to me and my octopus reg.We were
deep and in 10 degrees C,so her air was running out faster.
When I couldn't see her I decided to do a search with my torch because at that depth,if I went up for her I wouldn't be able to safely go down to find her if she wasn't there.After a thourough search I decided that she had gone up to the boat and headed up and did my safety stop,surfacing to find her already in the boat.She was embarressed but I reassured her.The next dive after checking the reg first was halted when her SPG hose started leaking.Probably the O'ring.She got a reg from a diver who didn't do his second dive,(too much alcohol...heheh),and we went down on a natural rock feature.I set our maximum time and depth and I noticed that the borrowed reg was leaking through seals (probably not serviced regularly) but her air loss wasn't that serious when I checked her air and the dive was going to be a short one.However after 10 minutes she was cold and we surfaced doing a safety stop and got into the boat.My point is that there are going to be days like this.How we deal with them if they happen to us or to someone else is important.The fact is that we never react like we think we should.Regular practicing of skills,servicing of gear and knowledge of how our gear works and what's going on around us could have avoided all of the above.Keep upskilling and let's learn from our mistakes and keep diving safely.The last chapter of this day was when divers who smoked and drunk heard about this at the dive debriefing,(the first one they ever had and instigated by myself),where I asked my buddy to bring everything up and anyone else that had problems so we all could learn and support one another,they chose to try and blame me because of my stand on alcohol and diving.Hahaha.
They said that this is Korea and we do things our way.I laughed at them and said that the ocean doesn't recognise international boundaries.All diving has risks and a wise diver will try to minimize them.
Safe diving everyone.
The Gasman

WOW Greg, what an experience. You are very right in all you said. It's hard to believe that people are not concerned with their safety or the safety of others. The whole purpose of having a buddy is in case of problems there is someone there to help. It is always very annoying for me to dive with someone that will leave you when all you have to do is let your buddy know what's happening!! I've never had the chance to dive in Korea but if I ever do, you can bet I'll have my eyes wide open.

Ldreamin

Hi Greg,

Guess you are having a very unique time in Korea...
Do it the Korean way? Oh my...
I know Korean culture pretty well (drinking, smoking etc), but I did not know that it got transferred straight into diving...
I never had the chance to dive back at home,
but if I will, I better watch out.

How is diving in Korea?
I heard that you don't have too much freedom, and that people dive in big groups...
What is your impression?

Crystal

Hey Gasman,

Whatever it is it isn't nearly enough. Sounds like an old episode of the Keystone Cops.

Main thing, stay safe. You're probably not going to change the culture single-handedly.

Crystal,
They do dive in groups and have little freedom.They lack many basic skills and generaly swim far too close to each other.Sometimes in between you and your buddy.There is little to see marine wise and the visibility is generaly poor.They have developed a thriving culture out of the water where they are always talking about diving but it is mainly of a social club nature and have no reviewing of skills or skill training and they generaly do not actively encourage upskilling to higher certification and training.That means that bad habits are long lasting and never challenged by further training.Now don't get me wrong...there are some marvellous people here,but the culture within the dive community needs a complete overhaul.
The worst offenders are the long term members and leaders in the industry.Some of the younger ones are interested in learning the right way but the industry is controlled by the older generation and as you know,it is difficult culturally to challenge this.I,as a foreigner,have the ability to shake things up a little and did so this afternoon by sending an email report over the web site of the # 1 dive club in Korea.I had 50 hits in 1 hour.If I can't reach them through the leaders,then I'll go direct.
I expect that responses will be double barrelled,but I've got big shoulders and I like to see people diving safely.
Cheers all Ears,
The Gasman

Greg,

You confirmed what I heard from divers who visited Korea.
The Internet culture is pretty big over there, so posting
on the web was a good choice.
I am sure you will have some kind of impact.

What is the site name where you posted your mesg?


Crystal

Hey Greg,
I'm glad that you managed that trip ok - I suppose there is a good reason for buddy procedures prior to the dives as well? Whenever I dive with peopel I don't know or have not been out with for a while I always make sure that we agree on how to behave in any situation...

Dane

Wow. I know you've told me in the past of some of the -- well let's just say less than ideal diving skill sets that some of the folks you've been diving with have, but this makes me shake my head.
I'm glad it all ended safely and you came back to tell the tale. As perhaps a warning to us all, that we mustn't be relaxed in keeping up our diving skills.

Originally posted by WetDane
well? Whenever I dive with peopel I don't know or have not been out with for a while I always make sure that we agree on how to behave in any situation...

Click to expand...

I'll vouch for that . I sometimes feel like a dork asking all the questions, but I do it anyway. I aborted two dives in the last week partly because I didn't want to be in the water with the buddy I ended up with. Also if I am diving with someone new I like to dive at a familiar site.

Good luck with changing their diving culture Greg, I hope that they listen!!

-kate

what a pallava! You dealt with it as best you could.

(BTW.... what did I tell you?? )

Cheers Ears
CG