Mizer67
Registered
rovic,
Based on your initial post, I would strongly recommend that you not take up SCUBA diving. No this is not an attempted flame. Hear me out.
I have many friends that ride motorcycles. I would not ride a motorcycle because, even at $4 a gallon in my old 16 mpg truck (which I have since traded for something that runs about 30), I did not consider it worth the risk when confronted with the car drivers in my town.
I don't smoke, never have. But I know others who do.
I have friends who sky dive. I would not be interested in sky diving. They have a saying: every time you jump out of an airplane, you are dead unless everything goes right. That is not a risk I am willing to take.
For the sake of honest disclosure, I do run into burning buildings for a living. But I have training to deal with that and the confidence in my training and equipment to stay calm and work through any problems I encounter. I would not want to fight wildland fires in the mountains however.
I say all that to say this: We all face risks in life. Each of us face those risks based on their personal background, training, and experience. We evaluate the risks and the rewards and decide to undertake or not undertake activities based on our personal evaluation of those risks.
In my experience, and as has been pointed out, panic prevents people from carrying out the procedures they were trained in properly (for instance remember to exhale when making an emergency ascent to prevent an over-expansion injury even though you are out of air). If you actually believe that diving is a "very dangerous sport" you will be more prone to panic as your mind says "I told you so" when something goes wrong. Even something that should be manageable.
I believe, and I think the statics will bare out, that diving is safe when carried on by trained individuals, with properly maintained gear, diving within the limits of their training and experience. If I didn't, I would not have encouraged my 17 year old daughter to get certified.
If you believe diving is inherently dangerous, I recommend you find a different hobby, because panic can kill you in the water. The best divers I know are the best, not because of how many cards they have in their wallet, but because they can stay calm and think even when the get their backside in a crack. Without that ability, even something as minor as not turning your tank valve all the way open could potentially be fatal. If you aren't confident in your own abilities in the water, the equipment on your back, and the procedures you were (or will be) trained in, do yourself a favor and rent underwater videos instead.
Way longer than I started out to be, but that's my opinion.
Ray
Based on your initial post, I would strongly recommend that you not take up SCUBA diving. No this is not an attempted flame. Hear me out.
I have many friends that ride motorcycles. I would not ride a motorcycle because, even at $4 a gallon in my old 16 mpg truck (which I have since traded for something that runs about 30), I did not consider it worth the risk when confronted with the car drivers in my town.
I don't smoke, never have. But I know others who do.
I have friends who sky dive. I would not be interested in sky diving. They have a saying: every time you jump out of an airplane, you are dead unless everything goes right. That is not a risk I am willing to take.
For the sake of honest disclosure, I do run into burning buildings for a living. But I have training to deal with that and the confidence in my training and equipment to stay calm and work through any problems I encounter. I would not want to fight wildland fires in the mountains however.
I say all that to say this: We all face risks in life. Each of us face those risks based on their personal background, training, and experience. We evaluate the risks and the rewards and decide to undertake or not undertake activities based on our personal evaluation of those risks.
In my experience, and as has been pointed out, panic prevents people from carrying out the procedures they were trained in properly (for instance remember to exhale when making an emergency ascent to prevent an over-expansion injury even though you are out of air). If you actually believe that diving is a "very dangerous sport" you will be more prone to panic as your mind says "I told you so" when something goes wrong. Even something that should be manageable.
I believe, and I think the statics will bare out, that diving is safe when carried on by trained individuals, with properly maintained gear, diving within the limits of their training and experience. If I didn't, I would not have encouraged my 17 year old daughter to get certified.
If you believe diving is inherently dangerous, I recommend you find a different hobby, because panic can kill you in the water. The best divers I know are the best, not because of how many cards they have in their wallet, but because they can stay calm and think even when the get their backside in a crack. Without that ability, even something as minor as not turning your tank valve all the way open could potentially be fatal. If you aren't confident in your own abilities in the water, the equipment on your back, and the procedures you were (or will be) trained in, do yourself a favor and rent underwater videos instead.
Way longer than I started out to be, but that's my opinion.
Ray
).
