A Little Worried....

[mccabejc]

New guy, recently got my OW in May, have only dived once after that, only because I haven't had the opportunity. That should change this weekend if my sinuses clear up. Damn Santa Ana winds....

Anyway, one thing I shouldn't have done is to look thru the Scuba Diving Magazine's "Lessons for Life" part of their training section, where they recount numerous dive accidents and fatalities. Same goes for the Accidents section of this board, especially where so many people talk about friends who have died while diving. Wow. Good way to scare the crap out of a new guy. Of course, I realize that by going thru the lessons learned from all of these I become a better diver. As a matter of fact, I'm developing a Dive Buddy Checklist from all of these incidents which I'm going to laminate and carry with me whenever I dive. And there ain't NO buddy of mine who isn't going to go thru each and every one of the items !!!! DROP AND GIVE ME 20 !!!!

And I'll probably buy a pony bottle setup pretty soon, too.

But when people say things like "diving is the safest of the 'risk' sports", isn't that like saying "flying a purple polka dotted dirigible on the third Sunday of the month is the safest way to fly"? There's just not that large a population of divers, I would suspect. Maybe I'll join DAN and see what they've got. I just wonder how safe diving is from the standpoint of number of accidents relative to total person-hours underwater, or something like that.

Anyway, I guess I have a healthy fear that will keep me extra cautious, and probably a pretty good buddy, since I'll take it VERY seriously. But how many buddies will I find who will want to stay at less than 10 feet on our dives?

 

[IndigoBlue]

Just remember Cousteau's own rule: Dont hold your breath while using the scuba. Then you should be fairly safe while diving.

Take an AOW course, as soon as you can, for some more supervised diving.

Join a scuba club, for some organized diving.

Soon you will be a natural at scuba, and you will meet several good buddies that way.

 

[The Wanderer]

Being a newbie myself, I would recommend:

1. Returning to one of your training sites for your first dive on your own. That will give you comfort with the familiar surroundings.
2. Somehow get (offer to buy food and drinks afterwards if necessary) an experienced buddy(s) to go with you.... or post a trip here on SB and ask for buddies to take you on your first dive. Don't dive with only another novice.
3. Plan to dive to 20 - 30 feet. Bouyancy is difficult to maintain if you only dive to 10 feet or so. That's why safety stops are suggested at 15 feet.
4. Have fun.

 

[mccabejc]

Thanks. Actually I've already joined a club, and hope to be diving with two other clubs this weekend. If I can swing it, two beach dives on Sat and two on Sun. And I was kidding about the 10 feet...

 

[saintsfan]

how safe do you think you are driving around the socal freeways,I will take my chances with scuba.I don't live too far from you,pm me for a dive some time.

 

[Rick Inman]

New guy, recently got my OW in May, have only dived once after that'''

And I'll probably buy a pony bottle setup pretty soon, too.

Oh, oh. I suggest you do a search and read up on ponies first. I sometimes dive with one, but I wouldn't recommend adding that task to someone with 2 dives.

 

[IndigoBlue]

Oh, oh. I suggest you do a search and read up on ponies first. I sometimes dive with one, but I wouldn't recommend adding that task to someone with 2 dives.

I agree with Rick. Stick close to your buddy, in case you have an OOA problem or equipment failure.

 

[mccabejc]

You mean the guy who's going to return my "out of air" signal with a "dude, you're screwed", and wave goodbye?

Just kidding...

I doubt he'd wave goodbye.

 

[IndigoBlue]

You mean the guy who's going to return my "out of air" signal with a "dude, you're screwed", and wave goodbye?

Just kidding...

I doubt he'd wave goodbye.

Well if you do not trust your buddy, then yes, you should have your own alt air source (pony), because diving with a buddy you dont trust is akin to solo diving, and for solo diving you should definitely have redundancy of some type, either doubles or a pony. Dont mis-take my statement as an endorsement of solo diving, however.

If on the other hand you have a hard time trusting somebody else, well, you have come this far trusting scuba instructors, and you managed that ok. Just make sure you are diving with a reliable buddy. That is always a good idea, even if you do have your own pony with you.

 

[mccabejc]

Actually my reasoning for the pony is not really reasoning, more of a "hell, why not, it will make me feel better" type of thing, and an inherent mistrust of mechanical stuff. In 25 years as an engineer, one thing I've learned is that if it can fail, it will. I really don't have any trust issues with buddies (I was joking about that...) though I was buddied up with some folks in OW class who I wouldn't trust as far as I could kick them. But that is manageable.

Anyway, I think that after I do some more diving my aprehension will subside and the pony thing will go to the back burner.