When to Scrub a Dive?

[Litefoot]

As a newbie, and after reading a significant number of posts here, I have all kinds of question. My primary work background is in telecommunications, including climbing towers. My recreational background includes rock climbing and mountaineering. At work, we had very good safety equipment and thorough safety briefings before each tower climb. If anyone wasn't physically well or if they just "weren't feeling it", they could stay on the ground; no problem, we needed climbers and ground pounders. And on mountaineering trips, I appreciated others who "knew what they knew" and "knew what they didn't know" and were willing to cancel a climb despite having invested a goodly sum to get there.

What are your absolutes that would prompt you to scrub a dive? And do you feel like the dive community does a good job teaching situational awareness and how to recognize and respond appropriately to sketchy conditions (weather, equipment, mental state, etc)?

 

[BoltSnap]

What are your absolutes that would prompt you to scrub a dive?

1. Not physically/mentally/emotionally/etc. being up to it, not feeling well or congested, etc.
2. Equipment issues, I don't go in the water if there is any equipment issue not resolved or a backup available.
3. Sea/weather conditions that are beyond my capabilities or that will get worse later. If there is any doubt in my mind about the conditions, no diving. This is the most critical factor in deciding to go in or not.
4. Any environmental conditions that may be a hazard
5. Any other condition that maybe a hazard (dynamite fishing or trawlers coming in close to shore for example. Heavy boat/jet ski traffic, too many fishing boats).

(above applies to me and to my buddy).

 

[rhwestfall]

add to the above:

Just not mentally up to it....

 

[rick00001967]

i am a gas fitter and have trained a few people. i will use the same protocol i taught them when deciding whether or not they should be doing what they are about to do.

anytime you are asking yourself whether you should dive or not.....you just answered your own question.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

And do you feel like the dive community does a good job teaching situational awareness and how to recognize and respond appropriately to sketchy conditions (weather, equipment, mental state, etc)?

No, lol... I think @The Chairman posted a picture last year (2 years ago?) that showed what people were willing to try and go out in.. It was atrocious weather.. I believe the boat couldn't even make it out past the break? Scary stuff.. but they were all dying to do it.

I can be that way... I try to pay attention to the older wiser divers in the group, or at the very least the captain... it's hard to say no to a dive (for me).

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Something just feels off. I once drove nearly 3 hours to assist with a class as a DM. Got out of the car and the group was already in the water. My gut told me they should not have been unless they rushed through the pre-dive stuff.
Waved at them, got back in the car and drove home.
As to whether or not the community teaches good situational awareness and response to problems? No. Not in any way, shape, or form at the open water level for the most part.
Individual instructors, mostly those with tech diving or teaching backgrounds, do because they realize that this is an extreme activity.
The average OW instructor coming out of one of the puppy mills? Nope.
This is evidenced by the way students accept being rushed in and out of the water and accept classes with minimal pool and classroom time.
As well as the way new divers will blindly follow a DM or guide they just met and think that the DM or guide actually is there to look out for them. Usually what they are looking out for is tips and the time to get back to the dock to get the next group in and out.
Rescue skills used to be a part of every OW class. Now people are told those are too advanced for them to learn.
And in some cases standards for one agency were just changed that are going to put divers and instructors at even more risk.

 

[Minion_Diver]

I go by 2 strikes and I am done. Whether that would be a leaky o-ring, hose failure, any issue on my breather, or just not feeling it. I called a dive last year in perfect conditions because I wanted to the Arthur Anderson go by.

There is nothing in the water that can't wait.

 

[TMHeimer]

--Air temp. too cold.
--Wind wrong direction (too much surf/surge).
--Wrong tide.

 

[GiraffeMarineSalvage]

What are your absolutes that would prompt you to scrub a dive?
Many of the above potential reasons already mentioned (temperature not so much thanks to drysuit, but right gear and experience level for a given dive's conditions absolutely..).
I would also stress dive group dynamics feeling wrong just like if mountaineering (for example importance of communications and expectations being set and maintained). If you're in a group of more experienced divers and something feels off or is above your abilities speak up with questions and expect quality answers, no one good is going to be defensive of honest well intended questions. (And "I don't know, let's find out why together" is absolutely fine, so long as the why can then become mutually understood...)

Regarding "And do you feel like the dive community does a good job teaching situational awareness and how to recognize and respond appropriately to sketchy conditions (weather, equipment, mental state, etc)?"

Portions of dive community yes, but overall emphatically no comment I feel the entire dive community could benefit considerably from the "human factors in diving" intro course until more dive agencies pay much more attention to incorporating non-technical skills and decision making into their cultures since "common sense" isn't very common anymore and it would be great to have common definitions incorporated at the same time so as to avoid the debacles of Q: "We turn left once we reach the wreck?" A: Right...

 

[Doc Harry]

Call a dive anytime you want, for any reason

Foster a relationship with you dive buddies so that you can call a dive anytime, for any reason, and not hesitate or feel bad about it.

Once I called a dive in less than 5 minutes. We dropped down a mooring line in heavy current to a wreck at 100 feet, and immediately I knew that I was in over my head. I called the dive.