I was reading the incidents forum (I just joined and I'm reading a bit of everything) and I'm mnow very aware of my lack of knowledge not only in the experience part of the emergencies but even on the theory.
To the extent that a first cause is given for the incidents, they might be worth reading. I don't spend any time over there because I have a very active imagination. I ask myself, for every step of every endeavor, what am I doing that could cause me harm? Most accidents can be avoided by just thinking about the possibilities for failure.
Is there somewhere a list of what to do in common and uncommon events like: losing the weight belt, losing a fin, losing the mask, losing the bottle, losing the team, breaking something, discovering your buddy in unconscious and floating next to you, etc?
Most of these things are either self-evident or covered in the basic classes. If you are concerned about losing a weight belt (and if you dive in a thick wetsuit, you should be), make sure it has a metal buckle and that you have hips. Personally, I wear a DUI Weight & Trim Classic harness.
Losing the tank: if the straps are wet when tightened, there is less opportunity for the tank to slip. There are rubber pads on the better straps to help prevent sliding. Then make a simple rule: never dive with just one tank band. When you go to buy your equipment, make sure there are two bands. That simple rule will just about prevent tank slippage (assuming you tighten the bands) and eliminate 90% of BCs from consideration. In fact, you may find that none of the fancy BCs can meet this requirement and just buy a BP/W.
Losing a mask is a fact of life, carry a spare. And get use to having your face wet.
You should have been taught what to do if you lose your team. In general terms, for recreational divers with no overhead (deco obligation or physical ceiling), you should search for 1 minutes and then surface. Hopefully, your buddy was trained the same way. Discuss this before the dive.
Breaking things? Well, stuff happens so get over it. I was taught that equipment problems are best solved on the bottom (assuming there is a bottom and it is within a reasonable depth). So, stop and think! Is this loss important? Can I fix it? Should I abort the dive?
Once you decide to abort a dive, don't change your mind. Never second guess the decision, there will always be another day/dive.
As to rescue: take the AOW and Rescue courses as soon as possible. The Rescue course also discusses self-rescue and identifying stress. This is a very useful course.
Or the only way is reading the entire incidents forum and learning from other's experiences.
I suppose it is worthwhile to read these things if only to realize that the vast majority of accidents are self-induced. There was a solvable problem that went bad because the diver didn't solve it. Or the diver made bad choices. This is recreational diving. It should be as difficult as walking to the mailbox. Jump in, dive down, swim around, surface and wait for the next dive.
The key to safety is education. The more training you have, the better choices you will make.
Richard
