biggest risks underwater?

[Thrillhouse]

Someone just said in another thread "you can easily die at 30ft [while diving]." Right now, I have 12 dives under my belt, as I've only recently gotten my OW. My friend and I are both very responsible and are always certain to double-check our gear, stick together underwater, and almost always stay above 30ft, save for checking something really cool out at 40. I carry a knife and a light, and we of course both know all the stuff we learned in our OW class. Also, we dive in drysuits (shells) off the west coast in Canada.

That being the case, what are the major concerns for guys like us to watch out for, considering our current habits and location?

 

[mislav]

Holding your breath while surfacing and ascending too fast.

 

[sandapanda7]

practice skills you hated during your OW class... maybe every other dive... for ex I hated mask remove/replace, and in cold water its like a sledgehammer to the face... so practice skills you didn't like. the biggest danger is panic - if you are comfortable and aware there are very few situations that will get the best of you.

 

[Thrillhouse]

Actually, I told my friend I want to do that exact exercise next time we go diving, only right at the end when we've still got about 700psi left and in about 10ft of water by the shore. I more or less have to pinch my nose underwater, so I think getting more used to having my whole face exposed will make diving safer for me.

How easy is it to get lung over-expansion?

 

[gcbryan]

Actually, I told my friend I want to do that exact exercise next time we go diving, only right at the end when we've still got about 700psi left and in about 10ft of water by the shore. I more or less have to pinch my nose underwater, so I think getting more used to having my whole face exposed will make diving safer for me.

How easy is it to get lung over-expansion?

Very easy. In as little a 3 feet vertically if you hold your breath.

As someone else mentioned...panic is your worst enemy.

 

[battles2a5]

the biggest danger is panic - if you are comfortable and aware there are very few situations that will get the best of you.

+1

You shouldn't be down there thinking "Oh god, what can kill me down here?". Practice your skills to the point where they are automatic. That way, you don't worry about an overexpansion injury because you unconsciously exhale as you ascend and don't breathe as fully during the ascent. You don't panic when some noob kicks your mask off or knocks the reg out of your mouth because you do mask/reg drills on every dive. You won't panic in a free flow because you can shut down your tank valve and throttle it up to the surface. Once you do this you can concentrate on the situation around you instead of the situation within you, which is where you should be focused.

It sounds like you guys are diving conservative profiles which is great while you learn. Just keep hammering the basic skills and you will get comfortable in time.

 

[spectrum]

That being the case, what are the major concerns for guys like us to watch out for, considering our current habits and location?

First, as others have stated you are being smart by starting conservatively. Too often new divers are obsessed with running before they can walk.

With gear checks, basic skill proficiency and good buddy skills a lot of the risks of diving are nicely mitigated. So if it's that simple what should you be looking out for? Remember that many problems result when several small problems combine.

Task loading is one to watch for. Say you are doing something new like fumbling with a dive light at night, towing a dive flag, helping you buddy with a problem. It's easy to get distracted and find yourself in a surprise ascent, surge or other unfriendly situation. While your distracted with a new task your buddy may get out of sight and there goes your safety net. Now if you should have a gear failure or get entangled you're on your own, as is he (or she).

Think of yourself as a computer. Don't add tasks to your diving until you have extra processing power to handle them with. Likewise when you do add them you need to be able to time slice. Do first things first and work on the extra stuff in between.

Dive safe,
Pete

 

[diver 85]

Holding your breath while surfacing and ascending too fast.

These 2 plus never run out of air & you've 'bout got it made(sometimes it's best for new divers to not read this board till about dive 100 or so- some people here make it alot 'tuffer' than it is IMO)

 

[Steve50]

I more or less have to pinch my nose underwater, so I think getting more used to having my whole face exposed will make diving safer for me.

How easy is it to get lung over-expansion?

Suggest practise breathing with the mask off until you do not feel the need to pinch your nose. A crutch like that, could be a serious accident waiting to happen.

 

[battles2a5]

These 2 plus never run out of air & you've 'bout got it made(sometimes it's best for new divers to not read this board till about dive 100 or so- some people here make it alot 'tuffer' than it is IMO)

I disagree, Diver 85. The waters of the internet are quite treacherous indeed