A Diver's Responsibility to his family....

[Peter Guy]

A post on another thread hit me very hard and I just want to ask "the community" if it is just me or....

What do you believe is a diver's responsibility to his (her) family? It seems to me that since we all know that diving is a "high risk" activity, then a diver should have a special responsibility to make sure that:

a. His diving is as safe as it can be; and

b. His "estate" is as squared away as it can be -- down to, and including, appropriate insurance.

A while ago I was in a class (heliox) and the instructor talked about a dive he did where something went badly wrong with his buddy's gear while they were down around 250'. While they were able to get the problem solved, it apparently was a huge wake up call to the buddy -- who just happened to be a new father -- that he was doing something that was truly risky AND that he had responsibilities to his family he hadn't properly considered.

I do NOT want this to be a comment on any one -- but the other post did get me to thinking and I decided to ask the question.

What is a diver's responsibility to his family?

What say y'all?

 

[tedtim]

Peter,

I don't think that we have any more or less responsibility to our family as divers as we would if we were participating in any other "high risk" activity such as climbing.

If we dive within the limits of our training, follow the procedures that we have been taught, and maintain our gear properly, we can limit some of the "high risk" part of diving.

My biggest concern regarding my family is to assuage any concerns that they may have, especially if they hear of an accident causing injury or death to a diver. My kids are the ones who bought me my OW course and they are interested in what I, now we (my wife took up diving a bit later) do. I have taken my daughter into the pool for a Discover Scuba Session so that she will understand better what it is really like. She has no interest in doing a full OW. My son in not really interested and I don't see any value to even a DSD session for him.

I guess that they trust us to make good decisions.

As for my estate planning. Your advice is sound and should be something that we do regardless of the activities we pursue. Really, the only challenge I see is to ensure that the insurance coverage extends to diving, especially if we have purchased the insurance before we had started diving. This also extends to additional insurance such as can be obtained through DAN so that we do not place a financial burden on our family should we have an accident - whatever the cause.

It seems to me that they are very pleased that we have found an activity that we can enjoy together.

 

[Dive Junky]

I m an avid wreck diver from New Jersey and father of four who are all under 15 years of age, my youngest being 2 1/2 years old. I think we all have a responsibility towards our family members. Not just financially but more importantly mentally and emotionaly. If you are not going to take them into consideration, especially children, then dont have them.
Of course this applies not just to diving but every aspect of our lives,from employment to the way we drive. Dive safe and be happy.

 

[contender]

A post on another thread hit me very hard and I just want to ask "the community" if it is just me or....

What do you believe is a diver's responsibility to his (her) family? It seems to me that since we all know that diving is a "high risk" activity, then a diver should have a special responsibility to make sure that:

a. His diving is as safe as it can be; and

b. His "estate" is as squared away as it can be -- down to, and including, appropriate insurance.

A while ago I was in a class (heliox) and the instructor talked about a dive he did where something went badly wrong with his buddy's gear while they were down around 250'. While they were able to get the problem solved, it apparently was a huge wake up call to the buddy -- who just happened to be a new father -- that he was doing something that was truly risky AND that he had responsibilities to his family he hadn't properly considered.

I do NOT want this to be a comment on any one -- but the other post did get me to thinking and I decided to ask the question.

What is a diver's responsibility to his family?

What say y'all?

I also think about this due to the fact that most of my diving is in caves. I don't believe I have a special responsibility because I am a diver, but I have a responsibility to take care of my family in case of death. To me that responsibility is the same if I am killed diving or driving down the road. As a father and husband I have gone that extra mile to be sure they are taken care of for life in case I buy the farm, this includes proper insurance and a will. In the time of death stress and worry is hard on the family, it's the least we can do to be sure our family is taken care of so that finances are one less thing the survivors have to worry about.

 

[RJP]

What is a diver's responsibility to his family?

Don't be gone long, always come back.

 

[ucfdiver]

I'm 20, and to this day I still rely on my parents for more than just money. They're the best advice you can get from anyone 99% of the time, because no one cares about kids as much as their parents. I ask that my dad never exceed his training, always dive as he was trained, and seek training from the best. My dad and I have shared so many great memories together diving, I couldn't even fathom not diving due to the risk, so we just do as much as we can to minimize it.

 

[Beachlover]

Ucfdiver, you sound wise beyond your twenty years. Enjoy your dives with your Dad, but enjoy your time ( all of it) with your parents even more. I am 38 and I lost my Dad on May 22, 2003. I think of him and miss him daily. Thank God Mom is still here and doing fine. Sorry I got sidetracked from the main topic. I am a married man and a father to a beautiful 12 year old daughter, I still dive often and have a plan in place should something go wrong. I do not take any unnecessary chances when diving. My wife and daughter both know that diving puts me at peace and recharges my batteries. Driving on the 405 freeway here in Los Angeles is probably more dangerous than diving is to me. Anyway, keep diving and living!

 

[RonFrank]

There are no guarantees or absolutes in life, well maybe other than taxes and death!

IOW's, one is more likely to die in a car accident than on a dive. I try and dive in a responsible manner. I've done adequate training. I have redundant equipment, and follow reasonable dive profiles. I try to dive with responsible buddies, but that is not always possible.

In any event, diving deaths while tragic are no more or less tragic than a death that would occur for any reason. I have a wife, and son (14). I try my best to provide for them, but I don't think that changing my lifestyle to exclude things I enjoy is a healthy way to go about life.

 

[almitywife]

Don't be gone long, always come back.

simple but brilliant....

What is a diver's responsibility to his family?

IF... have your affairs in order and tell people where the paperwork is and your wishes

almity1 still hasnt done a will and that could give me a heck of alot more BS to deal with than i should have to

 

[Garrobo]

Luckily or unluckily, depending on how you look at it, I have no family except for a couple of brothers and sisters, all in their 60's. Never raised any children either. So if anything happens to me the courts can divvy up whatever I have left over and give it to whomever they like. I plan to not leave much to divvy up though if my diving plans and health hold up.