Do you always follow your training?

We all like to think we're well-prepared for handling problems and emergencies underwater. Our training targets the most likely or serious types of problems, and teaches us how to deal with them.

But do we always follow our training? I'd like to explore that question ... because I think there's something to be learned from it for divers at all levels.

As an example, we commonly hear about divers who ... when faced with an OOA emergency ... swim to the surface rather than signaling their dive buddy and sharing air. Yet we were all trained to do the latter. What causes these people to swim away from their emergency air supply?

I'd like to list a series of questions ... and ask that we stick to the questions and the topic. I specifically do not want this to turn into a topic where people start pontificating about the deficiencies of training ... or agency-bashing. Please stick to the questions, and please try to frame your responses in a way that will help create a constructive conversation.

1. Have you ever reacted to an underwater situation in a way that was not in accordance with your training?

2. Can you describe the situation, and explain why you reacted in the way you did?

3. Do you, in hindsight, feel that your response was appropriate?

4. What did you learn from it?

5. Do you feel that your training could have prepared you better to handle it? And if so, how?

Thanks for any offered information ... for those of us who teach, the answers might prove useful ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob:

This is a very good topic and I look forward to seeing the responses.

Over the 40 years I have been diving I have experienced a few problems and U/W emergencies.

Proper training does make a difference and, it seems to me, that if you are diving with others
their level of training is equally important.

Your diligent instruction will come into play for all your students if they continue to dive.

1. Have you ever reacted to an underwater situation in a way that was not in accordance with your training?

2. Can you describe the situation, and explain why you reacted in the way you did?

3. Do you, in hindsight, feel that your response was appropriate?

4. What did you learn from it?

5. Do you feel that your training could have prepared you better to handle it? And if so, how?

Click to expand...

1. Yes
2. Many, but one was I broke planned depth limits after I started an ascent, in order to check on another diver I thought was having difficulties.
3. Yes
4. I learned that under certain circumstances I would sacrifice personal safety to aid someone else.
5. No - I feel that the training I had was sufficient to handle the situation, even though my actions ran contrary to my training

This is a good thread. While I think it's important to follow your training, too many people get hung up on that fact. Sometimes people forget what they learned, sometimes skills aren't fully ingrained. That doesn't mean they're a bad student, or had bad training. It just means that everyone has a different threshold.

There may also be times when people make an educated decision to ignore their training. If this didn't happen, there would be no exploration, no pushing boundaries, no new discoveries. The key to that is making educated decisions. Training provides a basic framework for our actions. If there is a solid foundation, then that framework can support a much greater structure. I'm certain that with a little thought I could find many instances where I didn't follow my training, but rather the training I received allowed me to distinguish which actions might be foolish and which might be accomplished safely.

A few years ago I was diving, around 30 meters from memory, Im pretty sure my 2nd stage diaphragm collapsed and I got a huge influx of water and immediately started to choke. Instead of calmly swapping over to my backup and dealing with the issue as I had been trained I begin to panic almost instantly and began to shoot for the surface, just managed to catch myself, calmed down switched to backup and ascended a little more calmly.

I was pretty shaken up, not so much by the actual event because it shouldn't have been anything that couldn't be handled, but the way I almost instantly panicked. Made me think about how vulnerable I was and how easy it would be to become another statistc. I was disappointed that even as I classified myself as an "experienced" diver this one small equipment malfunction almost ended very badly for me.

What did I learn? that I wasn't as good as I thought, that my panic response was a little sensitive. I have spent many many hours since then going through all the things that can go wrong and working out how I would deal with them, I practice regularly swapping regs, using oral inflate, taking my mask off, disconnecting my inflator hose, breathing off a free flowing reg etc. I try to visualize my responses in the hope that together with regular practice it will become the new automatic response, muscle memory if you will.

I was "trained", most of what I was taught in OW i.e how to deal with various situations was completely forgotten once the course was over. The problem is I think that the skills I "learnt" were quickly forgotten as every single dive up until that dive had been without incident. I became complacent and forgot just how easily a single event can end in disaster if unprepared. Being told on a course in controlled conditions if A happens then you must do B is very very different from it actually happening in an uncontrolled environment at an unexpected time.

That one event made me realise just how vulnerable I was and the need for constant skill practice. No one knows how they will react until it actually happens. I have read many articles about how an experienced diver died and sometimes I wonder was this the first time something actually went wrong for them and did they just panic?

I do not blame anyone, Instructor or training agency, it was my own fault and I take full responsibility.

Not sure how helpful this is to your original request. But wanted to share anyway.

Cheers.

I've encountered one emergency so far (I'm pretty sure I shared this story once before in another thread), and I handled it horribly... until I realized I was panicking and calmed myself way down.

Accident: Out of air

Situation: During AOW, I was trying out a DPV for the first time. I regularly check my air supply, and I let my buddy (also my Instructor) know when I had half my air, 1000 psi, and once or twice more at some point after that - point is, he knew I was low on air. I kept following him until I noticed there was more resistance trying to take a breath. I looked at my SPG and saw the needle in the red... OH ****! [for details, we were probably somewhere around 60 feet)

My reaction: At this point, I wanted air - FAST. I held the DPV off to the side and tried to fin as hard as I could to catch up to him. I took my regulator out of my mouth and SCREAMED his name. This is when I realized I was panicking. Why would I stop using the DPV? It should help me catch my buddy. Why the hell would I remove my regulator and exhaust my precious air supply (and again to purge)? Why would I scream underwater - especially with the sound of his DPV going, there is NO way he could have heard me. I also realized there was no catching him in my immediate future - so I bolted towards the surface, swimming as hard as I could. I realized my next mistake within a few feet and slowed way the hell down. Took deep breaths and SLOWLY let out bubbles as I more slowly made it to the surface (still probably too fast, but at least WAY slower than I was before). After I surfaced, my SPG read below zero.

I stayed at the surface for maybe 3-5 minutes, then started heading to shore (give or take maybe 200 yards) where I saw others from our group standing (not diving with us, just hanging on the beach). After I made it to shore, I could see his head bobbing at around the distance I surfaced at and waved him in.

My mistakes: Not starting the ascent when I wanted to. Disabled the DPV. Removed my regulator. Screamed underwater. Bolted to surface. Chased my buddy for too long. Was too courteous - in the sense that I was trying to let my buddy know I was going to the surface. Left the surface to go to shore (as per buddy separation protocol, I should have waited longer for him at the surface).

What I did right: Let my buddy know I was low on air. Let my buddy know it was time to surface. Regained my composure fairly quickly after panicking and made a successful ascent to the surface.

What I should have done: Gone to the surface when I signaled, "IT'S TIME TO SURFACE".

In hindsight: Yes, I do feel like my responses were all appropriate, albeit maybe a little delayed. But for how the chain of events played out, I think I did alright. I definitely learned a LOT from this, and IF something like this should ever happen again, I would at least hope and think that my reaction will be smoother.

What I learned: You're on your own down there. Don't expect help in an emergency. Do what YOU gotta do to keep YOU alive. Stay very close to all future dive buddies, and more importantly, constantly look at them - a lot can go wrong in just even 15 seconds.

I feel my training was spot on. I knew what to do - I just didn't execute under panicked pressure, which IMO no training can teach you to do. Unfortunately, I think experience (handling emergencies under pressure) prevails here. Luckily I saw things spiraling out of control and resolved it enough for an eventful ending.

I feel like I should say this also: I would dive again with that buddy in a heartbeat!

Feel free to pick my brain if you have further questions or want more details.

1. Have you ever reacted to an underwater situation in a way that was not in accordance with your training?

Yes ...

2. Can you describe the situation, and explain why you reacted in the way you did?

Diving from a small boat, where I needed to remove my BCD in order to get back on the boat. I clipped my BCD into the lanyard and removed it exactly as I was trained to do. Unfortunately, I neglected to remove my weight belt first ... which I had also been trained to do. I reacted in the way I did because this was about two years after I had last practiced this skill. I just assumed I knew what to do and didn't stop to think it through first.

3. Do you, in hindsight, feel that your response was appropriate?

Heck no ... I sank like a rock ... and without a regulator to breathe off of. It scared the crap outta me.

4. What did you learn from it?

I learned that not thinking through doing things you haven't practiced in a while causes you to do dumb things, even though at a "knowledge" level you know better

5. Do you feel that your training could have prepared you better to handle it? And if so, how?

No ... in my OW class we'd practiced exactly what I should have done multiple times, both in the pool and during the OW checkout dives. I knew what to do and how to do it ... I just didn't think to do it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I'll post here in a different way - and apologize in advance if this isn't what you wanted put here. I took a lengthy recent absence from scuba, and upon my return, re-read my class notes (been certified for 23 years), and went back through a few reading materials. I am also currently working with my daughter doing a "study at home" course prior to her taking a formal class due to some learning difficulties she has. In doing all this, its interesting seeing the things that have been forgotten, changed, or, in some instances modified in the new curriculum. Complacency is an interesting element - is it because you are good? Because you are doing it right? Or just lucky?

rhwestfall:

Complacency is an interesting element - is it because you are good? Because you are doing it right? Or just lucky?

Click to expand...

I think because something bad hasn't happened, yet! This could also be mistaken for thinking you are good, doing it right, or are lucky.

rhwestfall:

I'll post here in a different way - and apologize in advance if this isn't what you wanted put here. I took a lengthy recent absence from scuba, and upon my return, re-read my class notes (been certified for 23 years), and went back through a few reading materials. I am also currently working with my daughter doing a "study at home" course prior to her taking a formal class due to some learning difficulties she has. I doing all this, its interesting seeing the things that have been forgotten, changed, or, in some instances modified in the new curriculum. Complacency is an interesting element - is it because you are good? Because you are doing it right? Or just lucky?

Click to expand...

In retrospect for me I think just lucky.

I think how good a diver one is is directly proportional to how well one can deal with problems. I could be better.