NOAA divers and their track record.

[CincyBengalsFan]

I've been researching NOAA diving this week and I think it's great they have a 99.7% non-injury rate. This may or may not be a great number to some but it sounds good to me. But they do dive in enviroment that a recreational diver and some cave divers wouldn't be caught in. Like 0 viz in nasty rivers and such.

NOAA divers log more than 15,000 dives a year total.

And here is the kicker...They dive the short hose configuration with full face half the time.

Now, this board makes it seem like diving the short hose is nothing short of dangerous.

If this is true, which it's not, then maybe NOAA training can show us all a little something.

 

[DFC5343]

All NOAA divers are trained by USN standards. This means although they seldom attend Navy dive schools their training is done exactly like the Navy does. Our injury rate is outstanding considering what we do (USN). As far as the short hose deal...I don't understand what that is. My hose varies from the 26 in. SCUBA to 600' umbilical.

 

[drbill]

Found this post very interesting, especially the excellent track record of the NOAA divers.

I have a friend who was employed by NOAA to dive in one of the Sanctuaries. Her comments on what she observed while diving made me feel the NOAA divers she was with were diving in very unsafe ways.

She described divers who were going very deep (well past rec limits as might be expected), not carrying pony bottles, not staying with buddies, leaving buddies alone at deep research stations in near darkness, etc. Based on her descriptions of what she experienced, I was quite concerned.

When I first met this dive buddy, she was into depth and had dived well past what I considered a safe depth. Her instructor had taken her very deep shortly after her certification. She enjoyed the thrill of it. I mention this to highlight the fact that she is not afraid of the kind of diving she did at NOAA.

After she started diving with me and another female buddy, she realized the risks she was taking and became a more cautious diver.

I'm glad the NOAA statistics are so good, but her diving experience with them sure made it sound risky to me. Of course that was only one group of divers out of all those that dive for the agency.

Dr. Bill

 

[cornfed]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...
I've been researching NOAA diving this week and I think it's great they have a 99.7% non-injury rate.

<snip>

NOAA divers log more than 15,000 dives a year total.

And here is the kicker...They dive the short hose configuration with full face half the time.

Now, this board makes it seem like diving the short hose is nothing short of dangerous.

Troll... :mean:

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

cornfed once bubbled...


Troll... :mean:

Slow Day...

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

DFC5343 once bubbled...
All NOAA divers are trained by USN standards. This means although they seldom attend Navy dive schools their training is done exactly like the Navy does. Our injury rate is outstanding considering what we do (USN). As far as the short hose deal...I don't understand what that is. My hose varies from the 26 in. SCUBA to 600' umbilical.

NAUI refers to NOAA's standards a lot in NAUI's own standards.

That is why I keep a copy of the most current NOAA Diving Manual at my fingertips at all times.

 

[cornfed]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...


Slow Day...

Tell me about it... looks like I'm on Karl's ignore list. All the time I spent on rec.scuba and I never made it into anyone's killfile. I come over here to avoid the mud slinging and bam, right in the ignore list.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...


NAUI refers to NOAA's standards a lot in NAUI's own standards.

That is why I keep a copy of the most current NOAA Diving Manual at my fingertips at all times.

Well the latest NOAA manual is about 3 yrs. old now...The latest Navy Diving Manuals are 1 yr. old. Go get yourself some Navy Manuals...

 

[Soggy]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...
Now, this board makes it seem like diving the short hose is nothing short of dangerous.

Jeez, CBF.

GET OVER IT.

And if you really want to play this game....what are the reasons for that .3% of injuries? A short hose works fine when everything goes right...it's when something goes *WRONG* that the long hose comes into play.

NOAA divers dive in environments that require use of AGA masks, so it doesn't surprise me that they don't use a long hose. They also frequently dive with surface support and full communication systems so if something goes wrong, support divers can come assist. Apples and oranges.

....oh....and I know a NOAA diver who uses a long hose....he's on this board.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

CincyBengalsFan once bubbled...


Well the latest NOAA manual is about 3 yrs. old now...The latest Navy Diving Manuals are 1 yr. old. Go get yourself some Navy Manuals...

Nice thought, however that does not help me, since NAUI and NAUI's insurance will be looking at the current NOAA standards, no matter what their present vintage.

I dont teach for YMCA, remember?