Newbie Mistake

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As it's been mentioned checklists are the way to go. Anything technical (and scuba is for all intensive purposes) uses checklists.

The human brain (mine especially) has a tendency to become complacent and overlook what should be minor stuff. Just today I forgot my dive computer of all things because I didn't use a damn checklist.

We had a local pilot just crash his own plane that he's owned for 25 years because he didn't run through the checklist....of all things forgot to turn the fuel pump on, luckily landed just fine without damage in a nearby field.

I swear by them,... and then at them every time I don't use one!
 
As it's been mentioned checklists are the way to go. Anything technical (and scuba is for all intensive purposes) uses checklists.

The human brain (mine especially) has a tendency to become complacent and overlook what should be minor stuff. Just today I forgot my dive computer of all things because I didn't use a damn checklist.

We had a local pilot just crash his own plane that he's owned for 25 years because he didn't run through the checklist....of all things forgot to turn the fuel pump on, luckily landed just fine without damage in a nearby field.

I swear by them,... and then at them every time I don't use one!

Funny, I swear at myself when I've forgotten to run through the check list.
 
Funny, I swear at myself when I've forgotten to run through the check list.

Agreed...I swear at myself, the list, the car, the traffic going back home with my tail between my legs,....!
 
When I was a DM, the skipper gave me 30secs to get off the boat and get UW to be a lost diver for a rescue course. Grabbed my BCD, tank on, test breathe, fins, splash. Really struggled to get down, yep, no weights. Another DM pulled my integrated pockets out because the thought it looked unstable on the rack. They were sitting right by my station when I got back on board. I've had a few issues with boat crew and my gear, but all would have been fine if I had done a competent check instead of socialising.

Also tore a drysuit wrist seal, right after thinking I needed to get some spares for my save-a-dive bag. After some tape work, managed to knock out two dives with a slow leak, a heap of gas and wet insulators. Its the entire point of scitech seals, but nope, no spares.
 
Yeah, the socialising. DON'T talk to me about "what's it like to scuba dive" while I'm gearing up. You'd think after all this time I could do that and not risk skipping clipping something or something else.......
 
Yeah, the socialising. DON'T talk to me about "what's it like to scuba dive" while I'm gearing up. You'd think after all this time I could do that and not risk skipping clipping something or something else.......

Yup. I learned early on that if anything breaks my concentration during gear setup (ex. Chatting bystander)...stop where I am, go back to the beginning, and repeat the process again.
 
I've lost count of the number of items I've forgotten pre-dive! People talking to me doesn't distract me but the young ladies walking around in bathing suits have been know to get me off track!
 
My buddy and I were doing a shore dive not long ago. It was a hot day and we had a fairly long and steep walk from our staging area to the entrance to the lake. Our usual routine is to gear up and hang out in the shallows waiting for the other (where we then do a quick check and start the dive) so no one overheats.
He was hot and tired and ready to go so he headed down while I got my last bits set up. I noticed he left his fins behind as I was grabbing my own - by this point he was at the bottom and wading into the water.
I did what any good buddy would do and grabbed his fins, which I hid behind my back when I headed down (so he couldn't see them).
He saw me, realized he didn't have his fins, and swore. I had a good laugh when I handed them over.

I frequently forget to put my reg in my mouth - sometimes it's floating around nearby but usually it's in my hand. :banghead:
I've also forgotten to zip up my wetsuit more than once and don't realize it until after splashing.
 
Yup. I learned early on that if anything breaks my concentration during gear setup (ex. Chatting bystander)...stop where I am, go back to the beginning, and repeat the process again.
Exactly. Or at least back up a few steps. I imagine that would be the same for me if I was one of those 5,000+ dive guys. I also don't like people talking to me while I'm on the phone.
Oh, another one-- I once descended in the pool using my snorkel. That doesn't work well.
 
Get yourself a decent "wet bag". They don't have to be expensive. I use the Mares Cruise mesh deluxe that I paid $40 for. After I clean and dry my gear, I put it all right back in the bag. That way when it's time to go diving I don't have to worry about forgetting anything. It's all right there in the bag. Grab bag, grab tanks, go.

I haven't ever forgotten my fins but I did forget my dry-suit inflator once. I also didn't pack a wetsuit, and BARE uses a proprietary connector so I missed all the diving during a scubaboard weekend event. Nobody in High springs sold the things. Now I've got an extra hose in my save-a-dive kit so I if I make that mistake again I can solve the problem myself. I've been half tempted to replace the power inflator on my drysuit so I can use a standard hose.

I have had a mask fall off the boat and find it's way to Davey Jones locker once. I foolishly didn't bring my SAD bag onto the boat, so I had to borrow an ill-fitting mask. That was a bummer.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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