What do Safe Divers do that Unsafe Divers don't?

[MXGratefulDiver]

... to broadly answer the question posed by the title of this thread ...

What do Safe Divers do that Unsafe Divers don't?

They put some thought into what the potential risks are and some effort into being prepared to deal with them ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DaleC]

I will also answer broadly - Dive.

Much can be accomplished and learned by just having a regular exposure to the activity. Diving once or twice a year in a foriegn land, with borrowed gear, people you don't know and playing follow the leader is a very unsafe way to approach diving IMO.

 

[Rich Poorman]

Kunk35: "Bragging rights," indeed. A friend of mine who trained, was certified and dives in Japan noted that the typical Japanese diver thinks he's in competition with other divers, particularly if there are gaijin (Americans, Aussies) in the group. He told me several anecdotes to illustrate, too long to repeat here but very scary and dangerous. That got me to thinking: We all want to be skilled and accomplished divers, but it is not necessary to see the sport as a competition. I'm down there to see, learn, marvel, photograph (and kill lionfish), not to use less air, go deeper, swim farther, risk the bends, exceed the limits, yuck it up about breaking rules. But I often see people (young males in particular) who are keen on making some sort of mark, whatever it might be. When my wife and I encounter such a person (or, more dangerous and more common, a group of them) we stay as far away as we can. Sort of like avoiding stoned slacker snowboard dudes on the double-blacks, if you know what I mean. So, my definition of an unsafe diver would start with "thinks he's in a competitive event."

 

[ScubaSteve1962]

I think the biggest item that separates the two for me is an awareness that plays directly to gas management and dive planning.

Safe divers know their sac and use their instruments to confirm what they already know. Unsafe divers read their instruments because they're truly unaware of how much air/time/depth they've got.

Are you talking new diver, or experienced divers?

 

[mathauck0814]

Are you talking new diver, or experienced divers?

I'm talking about safe divers vs. unsafe divers. New or experienced doesn't matter. A new diver with complete training can be safer than the experienced diver whose training was incomplete; and vice versa.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Kunk35: "Bragging rights," indeed. A friend of mine who trained, was certified and dives in Japan noted that the typical Japanese diver thinks he's in competition with other divers, particularly if there are gaijin (Americans, Aussies) in the group. He told me several anecdotes to illustrate, too long to repeat here but very scary and dangerous. That got me to thinking: We all want to be skilled and accomplished divers, but it is not necessary to see the sport as a competition. I'm down there to see, learn, marvel, photograph (and kill lionfish), not to use less air, go deeper, swim farther, risk the bends, exceed the limits, yuck it up about breaking rules. But I often see people (young males in particular) who are keen on making some sort of mark, whatever it might be. When my wife and I encounter such a person (or, more dangerous and more common, a group of them) we stay as far away as we can. Sort of like avoiding stoned slacker snowboard dudes on the double-blacks, if you know what I mean. So, my definition of an unsafe diver would start with "thinks he's in a competitive event."

Perhaps someone should explain to them that in scuba diving SAC is a three-letter acronym ... and having a bigger one isn't necessarily a good thinig ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[burak]

for me a safe diver is a person who knows that he always has another chance to dive even if he says no to a perticular dive.

 

[freshorangina]

One more thing, know your equipment, know your buddy's equipment. This particularly applies to vacation divers who rent equipment. Have your dive shop explain all of the functions of your computer! Understand your buddy's computer, they might not. Otherwise you or your buddy might go into deco, not realize it and be confused by all the beeping. So important! I usually travel alone on my dive trips, and I have my own equipment. I always explain my i3 to my dive buddies. If something happens and they are looking for my hose, they will not find one. If they don't know the i3, they probably won't know how to inflate my bc. Also, never be afraid to ask about the experience level of your buddy and go over hand signals. Almost every place I have been has somewhat different signals, this can be confusing. You don't want to be trying to signal your buddy about a seahorse and have them think you want them to inflate their bc... :/

Also understand how different physiological aspects affect you underwater. This comes a lot with experience, and I am still learning. Being tired or even slightly hungover means that for me, I start to narc at a good 20 feet higher than usual. Realizing how depth affects you is sooooo important. If you are laughing hysterically at a sponge, it's time to move on up...

 

[TSandM]

I don't know; I think I could laugh hysterically at that sponge at any depth!

I think the bottom line is that what safe divers do that unsafe divers don't can be summed up in one word: THINK.

 

[txaggie08]

That sponge looks like a yip yip alien!