A deceptively easy way to die

[Doppler]

And I'm going to disagree with you again, the invocation of death risk is regularly made here with little or no qualification of its probability given the specifics of the discussion.

I really, really do not understand what your issue is. Really, I do not.

Not trying to get into a fight, because that's a waste of time... There are lots of data that show us when someone is presented with evidence that disproves a preconceived notion, it does not change their position... usually does not change their position.

So before you attempt to change my mind, let me explain that you will not. In my opinion, your stance is ill-advised and you will be unable to argue your way out of that. You are, in my opinion, being foolish or obtuse, or both.

In January 2014, I published a book called: Staying Alive. My reasons were pretty simple, and are stated plainly in the book's preface: basically people keep killing themselves while diving,and just maybe I can do something to help save one or two of them. In essence, it's a whole book about death, doom, ending up dead.

Funny thing is that it sells... a lot.

Other funny thing are the messages I get from average punters... people who are not technical divers, but people who are sensible, successful members of society... thanking me for writing it. The messages are different but say essentially the same thing: I had no idea how risky my behavior was and how little I knew.

 

[widget]

In some of the most popular places for diving in the world--I'm thinking specifically Florida, though for all I know the Italian coast qualifies too--it is more than an "off chance." Just about everyone in this region at some point in his diving career is in one of those spring basins and looks at the cavern area. In some of them, it isn't like there is a clearly defined portal with a clearly marked threshold beyond which one is in danger of the so-called "overhead environment"; rather, it's more like a continuum from the daylight to progressively darker and narrower, and it's common for divers to venture farther back to varying extents. It's all too easy to convince oneself it's okay to just peek in a few feet to have a look, since the daylight shines in, and all the other open-water divers seem to have done it ... and then feel confident to venture in just a few more feet, maybe turn on one's light, ... and then a few more feet ....

I hear you, we have many caves in South Africa as well, some very well known for the wrong reasons, and sure, some people have died in them, and sure some have escaped death by the skin of their teeth, although strangely enough, most of them were experienced divers and not divers fresh out of basic class. Which by inference could also point to new divers not often venturing into environments that they feel uncomfortable in or have been taught not to venture into.

But this isnt the point I was making, the point is, in general, people doing a dive course are there to learn because they want to dive safely, if you teach them not to skip breathe, they listen, if you teach them not to hold their breath, they listen, if you teach them not to go into an overhead environment, in my experience, they listen. One does not need to use shock tactics, how many instructors show pictures of a bent or embolised diver to re-enforce the tables or not holding your breath on ascent, few I would argue, its totally not necessary, so I dont see why its different here, with all the best intentions in the world, just the same as some people are killed in their car's, homes or places of employment, some divers will occasionally still get bent, embolised and lost in caves, its the nature of the beast.

 

[DogDiver]

If you come across a sign like this in the springs. Please heed the warning.


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[gypsyjim]

If you come across a sign like this in the springs. Please heed the warning.

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Your just gonna scare new divers.....

 

[Jim Lapenta]

While there are a number of instructors that seem to manage to get the message across that going into an overhead has a good chance of killing a diver, there seem to be others unable or unwilling to do that. Usually it seems to be the same type of instructors that pay lip service to the buddy system.

They reference it, talk about it in the classroom, but do not buddy up students in the pool into clearly defined teams. Teams with a clear idea that when their buddy moves, they move. They descend with the buddy, not with the instructor though they may be following the instructor down. When it's time to come up they should be looking into the eyes of their buddy, not at the instructor. Because they have been told to do so.

Some instruction is clearly not conveying the messages. Others are saying it but then showing in no uncertain terms that it's purely optional by leading students on checkouts single file. Best way in the world to say the buddy system is not important.

One great way to say that the overhead admonishment is to be taken with a grain of salt is to lead them through a swim thru. Or right after their OW dives take them into a "cavern". It's still an overhead, and again, a clear lesson that you can ignore the no overhead rule. As too many seem to do. If you need to swim a body length to go straight up it's an overhead and without training a diver has no business being in there.

Shock value? No, common sense approach that takes into account some people are just hard headed and some are ignorant because they were out and out lied to. Lied to that diving was a safe activity.

Then you have the cowboys who no matter what will do whatever they damn well please. I've turned away a couple of those. Didn't like their attitude towards safety.

Others though have to recover the stupid, cocky, and ignorant. So they have to risk their lives and safety.

If you don't like that this type of warning exists, don't watch it.

Guarantee me that you will now dedicate your very being to making sure no open water diver does something dumb again.

Guarantee me you will identify and call out every so called "professional" that implies any kind of overhead is safe.

Guarantee me that you will call out every agency that seems to look the other way at these unsafe practices.

Otherwise you have no ground to stand on when it comes to me and my students and what I will use to make sure they are as safe as possible. One big lesson will be to think for themselves and never depend on, or trust, a DM, Guide, or possibly even instructor to have their best interests at heart if they don't know them and know them well.

 

[oya]

If you come across a sign like this in the springs. Please heed the warning.


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I have that sign on the door to our apartment.

 

[IVC]

This is actually quite expected due to causality.

Other funny thing are the messages I get from average punters... people who are not technical divers, but people who are sensible, successful members of society...

Thinking and the ability to learn (see below) results in successful members of society (above).

... but say essentially the same thing: I had no idea how risky my behavior was and how little I knew.

 

[gypsyjim]

I have that sign on the door to our apartment.

:spit:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I was thinking about this thread yesterday while I observed a new instructor take his students ... on OW Dive #2 ... to the bottom of a wall at 70 feet, where they promptly silted the vis down to zero. After the dive I pulled him aside and spoke to him about the fact that it's a seriously bad idea to take students that raw to that depth. He seemed surprised when I told him how deep he was (he claimed that he was "only at 58 feet") ... and focused on that, rather than how hard it would be to get one of those students to the surface alive if they'd decided to panic when the vis went to zero ... or what he'd have done if he'd managed to lose one of them down there.

Even outside of an overhead environment there are plenty of deceptively easy ways to die ... and many of them start with not knowing what you don't know. The common sense survival instinct isn't nearly as common as some folks seem to believe it is ... even in some "dive professionals" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[oya]

After the dive I pulled him aside

This is the best thing about the above (overall awesome) post.

Quietly trying to correct an instructor who is screwing up (horribly and outside of both standards and responsible action) without completely subverting their authority in front of students. Good show!

Lamentably, there are all too many instructors out there without anyone to correct them certifying lots of students who don't know better.