We might stop diving

[billt4sf]

We might stop diving.

I’m not sure why I am writing this. But if you want to comment, please read it through, and be respectful.

We love diving! Yet the death of Quero really bothers me. I am her age. I “talked” with her on SB! Maybe she made some mistakes, did some things she shouldn’t have – yet who among us has not made mistakes? And it’s not just her – others have died – repeat: DIED, as in IT’S OVER – while diving. There was a Russian couple – experienced divers – both of whom died at Pt. Lobos a few months ago. I love diving! But I’m not ready to die, and there are plenty of great things to do in this world besides dive. (Like those things you do with dive buddies after you come out. Like hiking. Like observing wildlife – nature in any form. Like music. Like family. …. )

We might at least stop cold water diving. I do love it, though. I really enjoyed the dives I had recently with dive buddy Kim. Those were great days! Also quite a few with my wife, and the experiences have brought us closer together. That’s a plus. And being a diver has given me more motivation to stay in shape – that’s another big plus.

We talked about it. New rule: we need to have at least 10 feet visibility for all our dives. Period. We’re planning to at least take the GUE Primer course first, then decide. Maybe we’ll feel more comfortable then. But plenty of experienced divers have died – repeat: DIED!

Yeah, it could be that those deaths, maybe even Quero’s, were due to medical issues. But a medical issue on land is one thing – and a medical issue under 50 feet of water – that’s entirely different. Or maybe they were due to dive events that they couldn’t handle. We have certainly had our share of them (I have written about several on these boards). So when does one get enough experience that dive events don’t happen any more? Realistically, never – though their frequency should go down. Yet experienced divers still succumb, as we can see on SB every week.

The dive industry shares some of the blame. The industry as a whole continues to claim it’s a safe sport. But really, we do not know how safe diving is – in part because we don’t know how many dives have been taken. Not even that basic information is available. (I wonder why? The cynical part of me has an answer…) At a minimum, LDS’s could count the number of fills as a pretty close approximation of the number of dives. Also, it is clear to me that the vast majority of dive operators operate in a “You should be OK” mode – no significant check on skills required for a dive. Too often, there is not realistic information about the skills required for a dive from the operator. We have certainly fell victim to this mentality on more than one occasion.

There is no data that tells us what the incremental risk of diving is. I can find my risk of a heart attack based on may age (5.2% over the next 10 years) but I cannot find the incremental risk of suffering death from the 5% chance because I am underwater (I suspect it is nearly 100%). And I cannot find the incremental risk of having a heart attack or other medical events due to the various challenges of the sport.

And, as has been well-documented on these boards, the certification requirements are in drastic need of repair. Good courses depend too much on the instructor, and the certifications awarded do not relate to the skills required for the dives offered by the industry (case in point: AOW). And usually, no one fails a cert course (except Fundies as far as I know). I am a teacher myself – I know what happens when you have a system where no one fails!

If we stop diving, we won’t be the first ones to take this decision. Many divers have noticed that lots of folks dive for a while, then stop. Has the industry ever tried to find out why? I think I know some of the reasons…

If we stop just cold water diving, then it places warm water diving into the “vacation only” paradigm – maybe that’s more dangerous. We would have to commit to doing refresher courses. Also, we might go back to using jacket BC’s, as (I know this is heresy here) jacket BC’s are easier for once-in-a-while divers.

Maybe we’re just not the type of people for diving. We sure tried – we bought nearly all of our own equipment. We took several training courses. We did a number of pool dives to develop our skills. I’m OK with mechanical things, but it’s not my favorite thing to be doing in my free time. Emily is much less interested in taking care of the equipment. And physically, we’re OK, but neither of us is really the athlete type. Meaning that maybe we have more “events” than the average “good diver” simply because our mind-body coordination isn’t anything special (one way or the other). We are probably more prone to panic than the average “good diver”. Age plays into that, too. We’re not 35 any more. I am being honest about my limitations.

Maybe, instead of diving, I’ll take up the euphonium. I love diving! I would miss it. But for how long?

These are my thoughts. If you reply, please be respectful. There are a lot of insults flying about on SB – one reason I don’t post much any more.

Thanks for reading this far.

- Bill

 

[RJP]

I mean this respectfully:

More people die in car accidents in one day in the US than die while diving in a year.

Will you stop traveling by car?

 

[JamesK]

With all due respect, letting it impact you the way it has is not healthy. Sure it is hard when someone dies. Sure it is hard when that person does doing something you love. However living your life in fear of dying is not living. I have lost many friends driving. I continue to drive. I have lost friends in my line of work, yet I continue to do it because I love it. I have lost friends diving, and I will not stop.

While I respect your decision, I feel it is being made in haste. SCUBA is safe. It is dangerous when you let it become dangerous. As long as you are an all around safe diver, your dive is safer then your travel to the dive site.

It's not the years in your life that matter. It's the life in your years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cave Diver]

You're the only one that can tell you if you need to stop or not. Most things that we do everyday entail a certain amount of risk. So my questions to you are these:

Do you do dives that you consider are risky? If so, in what ways? Are there things you can do to mitigate those risks? What level of risk do you deem acceptable?

 

[Michael Guerrero]

Bill,

You're the only one who can answer this question. It seems you have a pretty good understanding of the overall risks and your specific risk profile given your individual training, ability, and comfort. Any activity that takes you out of an environment where you can naturally survive (you can't breath underwater), is risky.

Maybe you need to take a break and see if the call of the sea overcomes the trepidation you feel.

 

[chillyinCanada]

With respect, are you trying to get us to encourage you to keep diving because that is what you want to do? Ya, many of us are a little shaken right now because of Quero's death. My recommendation is that you and your wife sit down with one another and do a decision tree. I hope you understand that the "decision tree" is specific to you and your wife, and your lives, your family, friends, wants, needs, and desires.

I'm quite shaken too, and feeling a frisson of fear, but for me, I fear not diving more.

 

[DiverGirl1972]

I can understand this thought process to some degree. I used to LOVE riding my motorcycle. I got a lot of enjoyment from it. Then I had an accident. I did a lot of soul searching and risk analysis and decided that the enjoyment I got from the activity still outweighed the risk, so I bought another bike. Then, there were a rash of highly publicized motorcycle accidents in the news and then someone in our club, who has ridden bikes for more years than I have been alive, had a catastrophic accident and sustained significant injuries. That gave me more pause, so I started riding less. I put a bunch on conditions on the riding I would do: Only during the day, only if there was zero chance of rain, only if it was during non-peak traffic periods, etc... Then another two friends were in motorcycle accidents and sustained major injuries. Again, more contemplation on my part about whether or not it was worth the risk.

It's been a year since I've been riding and this summer, I realized something. I have lost my confidence and the mere thought of riding makes me anxious. I would go so far as to say that I have fear about getting back on my bike and something terrible happening. It was at that point that I realized my riding days were likely over. If I can't get past the anxiety, then I have no business being on the bike. I will only be a danger to myself and others.

If, for any reason, you develop enough anxiety about diving or any other extracurricular activity that is not necessary to be a functioning human being (such as driving a car), then maybe it's time to hang it up and pursue something else. I sincerely hope I never get to that point with diving, as I feel like it's part of my soul now, but ya never know....

Best of luck to you!

 

[Dsix36]

As with every activity that you might pursue, there is the risk vs. reward factor that only the end user is able to decide for themselves. Nobody can give you the answer, only their personal opinions and you will have to make the hard decision for yourself.

It makes no difference to me if you continue to dive or not. It is your call and I will respect your decision.

 

[Frosty]

Bill Im involved in another sport being motorcycle racing.Racing can never be called a safe sport no matter how we paint it. But again its a heck of a lot safer than driving a car on the open highway.
Every time a racer gets killed I hear exactly the same feedback as you are giving here.
Only you can decide if the risk exeeeds the reward. You woon't be enjoying your diving if you are constantly worried about getting hurt or worse.
My recommendation to you though is to just wait awhile. Don't make decisions whilst this is fresh in your mind. Heck the sea isn't going anywhere. If after a few months you feel the same way then youll know its a rational,balanced decision.

 

[FoxHound]

everything we do in life will get you killed including doing nothing.


There are many things we can do to mitigate those risks.....continue to train and improve....realize that you can learn something from EVERYONE you meet. Don't be complacent and don't let ego control what you do.

In regards to diving, like what was said by RJP, you likely have a better chance crashing your car on the way to the dive site, yet you still drive. I have had friends die doing just about everything i love doing including bicycling, running, sports, skydiving, scuba diving, driving a car, and walking down the road. Yes it sucks but at the end of the day I refuse to let fear run my life. I'm going to do the things I love, I will do everything possible to keep myself and the people I do these things with safe. I will not be reckless and keep within my skillset and training.


I hate to say it but some of those experienced divers that have died have done so because of complacency and ego.

Did you know that in skydiving, most injuries and deaths occur under perfectly working parachutes by very experienced canopy pilots, or by less experienced going well above what their experience and skill allow them. Same can be said for scuba diving. The worst thing that can ever happen to someone is going against everything they have learned and going well beyond their training and having nothing happen to them........makes them think they are invincible and makes others think they can do the same thing.


At the end of the day, its up to you to do the risk/reward analysis, however I would be sad that you would leave a sport that you love in such circumstance.