"Any diver can end any dive...

[Zept]

... at any time for any reason with no explanation."

I've seen this rule quoted on numerous occasions. In general, I think it's a good one. If my buddy signals that they want to go up, we go up... I don't need them to give me a reason. Some things are just too complicated to explain underwater.

However, if my buddy wasn't willing to talk about it afterwards, I wouldn't be wild about diving with them again (I dive with lots of different people, not always people I know). Seems a bit risky to get into the water with someone when you know they have some kind of issue, but you don't know what it is.

Any thoughts?

Zept

 

[devilfish]

Zept once bubbled...
... at any time for any reason with no explanation."


Zept

Absolutely 100%. Old caving rule. Anything else than that its trouble waiting to happen.

 

[Zept]

...would you get back in the water with someone who had terminated a dive unexpectedly and offered no explanation afterwards?

Zept

 

[Rick Murchison]

"Anyone can abort the dive at any time for any reason without repercussion" is the way we've always said it. An explanation is required in the debrief, and if the reason could be avoided in the future then a lesson is learned. But the diver calling the dive is never second guessed at the time he/she calls the dive and is never condemned for it afterwards.
Rick

 

[Spectre]

Zept once bubbled...
...would you get back in the water with someone who had terminated a dive unexpectedly and offered no explanation afterwards?

If there is no explination, and you don't honestly know what the problem is, then that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Let them collect their thoughts and talk about it later. I know I was involved in a dive that went dramatically downhill. It was close to a couple weeks later when we finally completed a full dive debrief. I debriefed with one of the buddies that night over a couple of beers, but it was definately hard to gather the courage to talk about what went wrong.

 

[Zept]

I'm not suggesting that I would beat my buddy around the head until they offered up their innermost thoughts and fears!

I think I prefer Rick's version of the rule, with "no repercussions" rather than "no explanation". Seems to me there's got to be an explanation at some point. Not necessarily then and there... I know it takes me some time to collect my thoughts... but before the next dive. I like Spectre's suggestion of meeting up later on.

Zept

 

[Se7en]

Sometimes "Didn't feel right" is enough of an explanation.

Earlier this year my buddy called a dive at 5m on the way down to a wreck we have been trying to get onto for about 18 months (it's in a shipping channel, plus subject to current )

Her reason was simply 'didn't feel good' - proably made up of a combination of poor vis, cold temperatures, and a 2 knot current which meant you had to dive fast to hit the wreck. Plus a bit of a cold which made her feel a bit dodgy, and have some trouble equalising.

'Didn't feel right' was enough of an explanation, it summed it all up quite well, and I trust that she'd explain in detail if it was something significant.

BTW - I also exercised the caveat to calling a dive... which is that if you call the dive, I will return to the boat with you, but may then elect to do the dive without you... As I said, it was 18 months trying to get on that wreck.

Mike

 

[Rick Murchison]

And a name for it when it's not really explainable in specific terms, other than an overwhelming feeling of foreboding bad things.
"I felt the dragon"
No further explanation required.
Rick

 

[jonnythan]

Rick Murchison once bubbled...
And a name for it when it's not really explainable in specific terms, other than an overwhelming feeling of foreboding bad things.
"I felt the dragon"
No further explanation required.
Rick

You certainly have a way, Rick...

Putting it that way forever turns "just doesn't feel good" into "the cruel, merciless mouth of the unyielding beast is waiting for me down there" for me.

I think I should thank you for that

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yesterday my wife aborted a cave dive less than a hundred feet in. She is a good cave diver and I usually turn the dive. Somewhere during the dive I just decide I don't need to go any further today. There is no hurry to exit just move closer not farther. On this dive, however she just wasn't happy with the way it started. There will be other dives. Another team mate and me restarted the dive after escorting my wife to the entrance and then my light failed. We returned to get another light. He came close to calling the dive but instead asked for a simpler version of the original planned dive. If the little mishaps unnerve you you need to back up.

For me, no explanation is required beyond "it didn't feel right" or like Rick said "I felt the dragon". Anxiety can be a self fulfilling prophicy. You work the bugs out as you go. If the dive doesn't feel right it may be just the willies which may lead to a mistake or maybe the dive is too ambitious and is a mistake.

cave training teaches that being too goal oriented can lead to trouble. There is always another day to dive unless you screw up too bad during a dive. It's better to come to terms with the demons before the dive.

If the diver makes a lousy teammate you can ditch them. If, however the are a good teammate alllow them some discretion. If someone aborts a dive that doesn't feel right they may have saved your life. If a diver doesn't feel up to the planned dive they are doing the right thing by calling it. Anything else would be irresponsible.