Does the thought of tech diving scare you? What are the aspects that concern you the most? Let’s take a look at some of the obstacles one may face in this type of diving as well as how to overcome them and why tech diving is totally worth it!
How do diving and fitness relate? Think about your buoyancy, is it harder or easier to control when you’re lighter or heavier? When you’re wearing your dive gear and a heavier set weight it’s going to make it tougher for you to carry because you’ll likely be out of breath much faster.
Most of the time, it seems that the only pay off they do receive for recovering a weapon or someone’s child, is to be informed that they have no clue what they are doing
So which is more important? You have to decide for yourself. Getting all of the training in the world will not help an individual who simply cannot perform the tasks under stress and does not have their head in the game.
by Josh Norris:
There is no way to tell what your reaction will be during an emergency until you actually go through it. For all of you out there who believe that knowing CPR and going through a three day rescue course has you prepared to face some of the horrible things that could go wrong in scuba diving, you are incorrect. Let us be honest for a moment. The rules of CPR seem to change more often than some of us change our shirts. Many people believe that giving rescue breathes in the water while dragging someone out is simply a waste of time, and there will be someone there to tell you all about the things you did wrong even if you pull someone to safety. Despite the many opinions out there, there is no way to predict when something will go bad. The only thing we can do as divers is try to be as prepared as possible for when they do. Believe it or not, under the water is not a natural place for human beings to play around. So how do you keep your cool and stay calm during an emergency situation?
There are certain moments in life where you realize the universe is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself. Seeing a loved one, or regular dive buddy, trying to hold onto life while you desperately attempt to help them could be just the opportunity for you to step up and knock it out of the park. While this is obviously not an ideal scenario, the world is simply not an ideal place. After all, no one made you get in the water to begin with. The adrenaline rush and sense of adventure is what drove many of us into diving in the first place. Without that basic need to push further and further, there would be no use in wreck diving or all of cave country. We could all be satisfied by seeing the pretty reefs at 40 feet. However, no one actually watches a NASCAR race to see people drive in circles. The wrecks make it worth it right? Just like no one wants to watch a soccer match for nine hours just to see people faking knee injuries every twenty seconds. The point is that because we push further into caves/wrecks and because we dive deeper and deeper, the chance for some really bad stuff to happen increases exponentially. Finding the inner beast to do what needs to be done may just mean the difference to someone. Dragging someone out of the water half dead may be better than pulling them out a few days later and trying to collect from your dive insurance.
Once you make the decision to intervene with someone to help, you better not stop until that individual is safe, killing you, or dead. There is no room for a half measure when it comes to emergencies. Wrapping your head around this notion is necessary in staying calm in the midst of something chaotic. Once you make the conscious decision that you will not stop, everything else becomes easy. Either you will succeed or you will die trying right? Either way, no one has time for you to second guess yourself. If you were wrong and misinterpreted the actions of your dive buddy as a sign of distress, then fight it out on the surface or at the bar. Maybe they should not have been acting erratically while diving to begin with. When it comes to dive professionals, there is a big line in the sand it seems. When should a pro get involved with someone? What if that person is not my student? What if the other Instructor ends up hating me? Who cares? If someone is in trouble, or you think they are in trouble, then you should probably go ahead and help out. If someone sees me stroking out in the water, please send me to the surface and help me get out of the water. I promise that I will not hate you for ruining my dive. All of that said, DO NOT be the guy who has to stick their nose into everyone else’s business at every turn. There is still a learning curve in diving and some take a bit more time to learn than others.
So you may have found yourself in an emergency situation, and your mind is racing with all of the information you could possibly remember. Take a moment and think about this though; what is the absolute worst case scenario for you? I always tell my students, in a very matter of fact way, that “Josh is gonna be alright.” In essence, I will go through hell trying to save you but if it comes down to it; I will walk away and be just fine. Any time there is a diving incident, there are so many people who want to point to the Instructor or dive operation and scream that it is their fault. Whatever happened to bad things just happening sometimes? No one expects for a high pressure hose to explode under water 200 feet down or 7,000 feet into a cave, but it happens sometimes. Good luck trying to sue the Chinese guy who made it. Sometimes bad things just happen. Ironically, bad things seem to happen to the nicest of people. So when you are handed the chance to help out, think about how bad it could possibly be. Try to do the right thing and everything will be alright.
So basically, there is no magic answer to staying calm during an emergency. I would say that all you need to do is pop a couple of Xanax before your dive and you will be calm no matter what. However, there are so many things wrong with that. As long as you understand that the longer you stay in diving, the more likely you are to run into a bad situation; you will become more and more prepared. That does not mean that you should bust out the red cape and start a new superhero scuba trend. All it means is that no matter what, you should have a basic understanding of what is right and what is wrong. As long as you stay on the “what is right” side of things, a bad situation will work out one way or another.
– Josh Norris
Owner/Instructor – Air Hogs Scuba, Garner, NC
by: Joshua Norris:
As we all know, the scuba world is filled with many different types of diving. There are caves to explore, reefs to play on/near (don’t touch anything for God’s sake), diving in springs or a quarry to relax for a while, and almost anything else you can think of. Wreck diving has always been a popular activity. There are a few things to consider prior to entering a wreck in order to stay as safe as possible. However, this is not your normal “do” and “do not” list. These four discussion points are simply things to take into consideration. The ultimate decision is going to be left to you, the diver, and your buddies (if you have any). This brings us to our first discussion point:
These are some of the common sense approaches to take when preparing for a wreck dive. Things will go wrong, computers will fail, your buddies may call the dive leaving you in an awkward situation; just don’t be the diver that goes in and doesn’t come back simply because you rushed into it. I can guarantee that no one will care if you missed the wreck dive in five years. If you injure yourself or someone else though, that scar may never fade away.
– Joshua Norris, Air Hogs SCUBA
The dive industry is just like any other: there are complete and utter a**holes that you will have to deal with.
by Joshua Norris:
At any given point throughout the day, there is a dive shop employee hearing a story that is repeated time and time again. An individual will walk in or call and start a conversation by explaining “I used to dive all the time but then ______________ happened and now…” The reasons usually revolve around some sort of life change. It could be a divorce, prolonged sickness or injury, or a new addition to the family. No matter what the reason is, the fact remains that the diver has been dry too long and now wants to return to the sport they love. How can this be done safely? Divers should know that leaving their gear and knowledge hanging in the closet or garage for ten years equates to needing some sort of an update. Sadly, this is not the case in many instances. Needing to update or at least service your equipment is arguably the least of your worries. Having the ability to dive with confidence is something that perhaps has been lost during a diver’s time off. With the SDI Inactive Diver Course, an individual has the opportunity to ask all of those “embarrassing” questions that they may not otherwise get to once on a boat.
What is the SDI Inactive Diver Course?
This course is designed for individuals who feel the need to reinforce their skills and knowledge prior to scheduling a dive. Spending time with an instructor in a contained and monitored environment allows a diver to slowly remind themselves of what diving is like instead of jumping right back into the water and realizing their comfort level has diminished. The course begins with a reintroduction to the knowledge side of diving. The instructor will take time to bring the student up to speed with current standards and practices. From there, the student will conduct a dive under the supervision of the instructor in a controlled environment. During this dive, the student will perform the open water skills. The goal of the course is to make the diver who may question themselves into the diver who knows the answers.
So how long is too long out of the water?
There is no magic switch that will force a diver to become uncomfortable in the water after “X” amount of time. How long someone is out of diving does not dictate when the Inactive Diver Course should be completed. The comfort level of the individual in the water does. It is ultimately the responsibility of the diver to inform a dive professional if they are not 100% confident in their skills and knowledge prior to diving again. Without this information, the dive professional cannot and should not assume that someone will have issues in the water while others will not. To minimize the chance of having an incident, the diver should go through the course if they feel the slightest need. In essence, if you are questioning yourself then you need to entertain the idea of participating in the Inactive Diver Program. It is an easy way to regain confidence.
When a diver stays out of the water too long, skills begin to deteriorate and comfort levels start to fade. Going through the SDI Inactive Diver Course is the best way to refresh those skills. This is especially true if the diver is coming back from an injury of some sort. While the body may feel better, the way in which one dives could be impacted. Once the diver is comfortable and confident, the anxiety and hesitation should fade away. At that point, the diver can begin to remind his or herself why he or she got into this sport to begin with. It is important to remember that meeting people from all walks of life is one of the diving industry’s unique offerings, on a single dive boat there may be a range of individuals – from heart surgeons to cash-strapped college students. The SDI Inactive Diver Course leaves you no excuse for missing diving.
Joshua Norris
Air Hogs SCUBA
www.airhogsscuba.com