Not an accident/incident: re safety

[sea_ledford]

Another good one is HALT: Hungry, Angry, Late, Tired. Any of those will affect your decision making process. Not necessarily a call the dive situation, but something to be aware of.

Substitute appropriate words for HALT, hungover for example

Great call @InTheDrink!

 

[hedonist222]

Late affects me.
I dislike being late to anything - whether formal/informal/recreational.
I abhor hurrying with gear setup.

 

[Marie13]

Another good one is HALT: Hungry, Angry, Late, Tired. Any of those will affect your decision making process. Not necessarily a call the dive situation, but something to be aware of.

Substitute appropriate words for HALT, hungover for example

Great call @InTheDrink!

Or combine the first two - Hangry

 

[Akimbo]

Anything that interferes with your ability to concentrate is a safety risk, regardless of the activity. Diving, driving, and crossing the street all require situational awareness. Emotional distress, physical exhaustion, drugs, alcohol, and physical pain can all take your eye off the ball.

 

[scrane]

This may not be the appropriate forum for this

+1

 

[tursiops]

I got some bad news while I was driving to my full-cave class. The first dive was terrible; I could not focus. I postponed the class, and went back later to do it.

 

[CanadaDan]

Excellent choice. State of mind is nothing to take lightly.

I've called dives when my brain wasn't able to focus due to external or internal issues (bad news, my mental health demon hamsters etc).

 

[Marie13]

Late affects me.
I dislike being late to anything - whether formal/informal/recreational.
I abhor hurrying with gear setup.

Yep. People rushing me stresses me out.

 

[Jimchris]

3 strikes, go enjoy food and drink instead

 

[Steelyeyes]

This may not be the appropriate forum for this but a minuscule thought regarding diving and safety.

This morning I was booked in to do my first dive in Sydney, Australia. Rental kit, new location, no big deal.

Whilst getting ready to go to the dive shop I received some quite troubling news from back home (UK).

I went to get a coffee from the cafe and called the dive shop on the way. I told them I was canning the dive as I’d had bad news and I have a rule about diving after receiving bad news. All good.

I went back to the apartment. I’d forgotten my keys. Been here 3 weeks in and out constantly, used keys several hundred times and this time I forgot the keys - my mind must have been drifting on the news I was absorbing.

This could as easily have been me forgetting to turn my tank on or whatever. Something I never, ever do. Like forgetting my keys.

The lesson obviously is that the best accident and incident is the one foreseen and avoided. If you’re head’s not in the right space, maybe dive another day.

Best,
John

Completely agree. My wife and I were scheduled to rent a couple of DPVs for a day and in the morning she didn't feel up to diving. I went down the the dive shop to pay for the rental anyway because it was a last minute cancellation, husband and wife shop, etc.
The owner wouldn't take my money. He said, "You can cancel a dive for any reason at at anytime". We rented them a few days later and all was well.
I try not to make a person feel bad for backing out on a dive. This incident just increased my resolve to do so.
You did the correct thing.