How Often Do You Abort Dives?

[Stormdiver]

I have aborted three dives so far. The first one was due to low visibility, about two feet, after a few minutes trying to swim along without bumping into coral you couldn't see until you almost went face first into it my buddy and I both thumbed it at the same time.

I smashed my right knee on a concrete table the getting ready for a dive, about halfway through the dive I felt the knee starting to get stiff so I thumbed the dive before it got to a point where I was going to have trouble swimming back to shore.

I have also had one dive where my buddy and I had just had enough due to irritation after a pair of two foot long remora decided we looked like good hosts and we spent about five minutes trying to swim away from them and keep them from attaching to us.

In regards to conditions I have had many times where I have looked at the surf and/or currents and decided that the initial planned site was not worth attempting.

 

[Centrals]

There are many reasons why the dive was aborted eg. current, equipment(buddy or mine), separation, weather etc etc.
Some operators will still charge the dive but some will not. No big deal. There is always a next time.

 

[carolynaznv]

Only once so far in 45 dives.

 

[Darnold9999]

About 1 in 100.

1 because I got badly beat up on rocks in surge and bleeding in water is a bad idea
1 because I forgot my weights and didn't notice until I had swum out to the bouy and found I couldn't descend - doh - weights were at home
1 because my octo started to freeflow and could not be stopped - by the time I turned off the tank there was not enough gas to do the dive
1 because it just didn't feel right on the boat - anchor gave way and the boat started to drift about 10 minutes later
1 because I had three mishaps just getting ready - final one driving my macro stick into my hand. Stick was clipped to the BC - sat down with hands on the bench and the point of the stick ended up on my hand. No blood, but just didn't feel right, I was making too many mistakes.
1 because the camera housing started to drip at depth

What is more important is I don't think I have dived when in retrospect I should not have.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

One. My buddy's HP hose had a pin-hole leak and I was cramping in my hamstrings bad--which has never happened since and was weird.

Hard to dive if you can't fin.

 

[scubadada]

I have aborted one dive, ever, for zero visibility in Jupiter in 2013. It was like diving in mud.

 

[gekodivebali]

Numbers will go up when you dive ccr...

 

[scubabudie]

I have aborted about 3 out of 250.


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[Foxfish]

Some good points but I'd also add if you are aborting dives frequently then have a think about underlying problems. If it is gear, get good gear and check it before the dive. I normally check air pressures, regulator operation and BCD operation the night before a dive. If it is weather, why not check the forecast on the net. In our area you can get a pretty good idea a week in advance. My rule of thumb for comfortable diving is no more than 15 knot winds and 1.5 m swell. If you are frequently aborting dives because of health issues is this really the sport for you.

That said, if you need to abort a dive then you should do it and not feel pressured to continue. Your buddy should respect your decision without question and not pressure you to continue. On a recent dive my buddy was anxious and not feeling well. I guided her back to the boat. It was a charter and her over riding concern was that if she bailed I wouldn't have a buddy. She'd had a bit of trouble on the previous dive with her ears. She needed to be more assertive about not diving. A simple 'Sorry but I'm really not feeling up to this', is all that is needed and then head straight back to the boat. Save the detailed explanation for later.

Ooop. Just remembered. I did abort a dive in Bali when my camera flooded...

 

[Kharon]

I have a hard and fast rule - If I enter the water having forgotten something that dive is over. THe reason is that I dive solo and if I forgot something I am not focused enough for that dive. If it happens more than once diving is over for that day. For example, on Bonaire a couple of years ago I forgot my compass. I realized it when I attempted to take a reading on the mooring buoy. I could have returned to the truck and got the compass but the "lack of focus" rule cancelled that dive. I actually aborted a dive when I had switched to a 62cf to try it out without adjusting weight. That's about it. I have looked at conditions and decided not to dive. I don't consider that aborting a dive though. That's just common sense.