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Establish the fact that anyone can
terminate a dive at any time for any
reason, even before the dive begins,
without repercussions. Creating an
environment in which divers feel
comfortable making such calls builds a
culture of safety.
Develop and continually reinforce
a predive ritual. It should involve
equipment checks, dive plan review,
hand signal review, diver separation
protocol review and out-of-breathing-
gas procedure review. This may seem
unnecessary if you dive with the same
people regularly, but these rituals
are time well spent if they give you
confidence and reduce the likelihood
that you are unprepared to dive. The
use of a checklist to assist in this
ritual is highly recommended. Never
say, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of
you.” That means one of the divers is
not as qualified or prepared for the
dive as he should be — a formula for
disaster. Anyone making a dive should
do so only if he is fully prepared and
wants to dive, not because someone
else wants him to.
THE DIVE
Once in the water, check each other
to make sure all equipment is secure
and in place, there are no leaks and
that buoyancy is properly calibrated.
Give and receive the OK signal,
initiate your preparatory ear-clearing
procedures, and begin a controlled
descent. Descending feet first using
a fixed line makes it easy to stop
the descent should the need arise
and may be advisable if a current is
present. If there is any doubt about
your preparation for the dive, make
a short stop 15 to 20 feet below the
surface to give and receive the OK
sign before proceeding to the bottom.
Maintain constant awareness of your
environment during dives, and know
when to call off a dive. It’s always wise
to plan your dive and dive your plan,
but you can modify your dive plan if
conditions call for a more conservative
approach. If you are working harder
during the dive than anticipated,
you may want to watch your air
consumption more closely and possibly
limit the time you spend at depth.
As you move underwater, your
pace should be dictated by the
slowest diver in you group. Never
assume another diver can keep up
with you. If a recreational dive starts
to feel like work, slow down — you
or a member of your dive group may
be doing it wrong. If you’re diving
in a group of three and one diver
decides to return to the surface,
either end the dive as a group or
escort the diver back to the exit point
and make sure he is safely out of the
water before continuing the dive.
Does this examination of diving
fatalities indicate that recreational
diving is inherently dangerous? No.
There are millions of certified divers
who have made tens of millions of
safe, enjoyable dives without incident.
But consider that there is risk in
anything you do. Is this risk we divers
subject ourselves to unreasonable?
I firmly believe the answer is no. A
degree of risk will always be part of
scuba diving, but it is a risk we can
identify and learn to manage.
Scuba diving is a fantastic sport
enjoyed by young and old alike. The
focus should always be to maximize
enjoyment while minimizing risk. You
overcome challenges in and under the
water by thorough preparation, physical
capability and the effective application
of knowledge and skill.
AD
REFERENCES
Buzzacott P, Zeigler E, Denoble P, Vann R. American Cave Diving Fatalities 1969-2007. International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education 3:162-177; 2009.
Denoble P, Caruso J, Dear G, Pieper C, Vann R. Common causes of open-circuit recreational diving fatalities. Undersea Hyperb Med. 35(6):393-406; 2008.
Denoble P, Pollock N, Vaithyanathan P, Caruso J, Dovenbarger J, Vann R. Scuba injury death rate among insured DAN members. Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine 38(4):182-188; 2008.
Orr D, Douglas E. Scuba Diving Safety. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics, 2007.
Vann RD, Lang MA, eds. Recreational Diving Fatalities. Proceedings of the Divers Alert Network 2010 April 8-10 Workshop. Durham, N.C.: Divers Alert Network, 2011. ISBN #978-0-615-
54812-8.
The three leading triggers of dive fatalitie
are running out of breathing gas, entrapme
and equipment problems. Proper attention t
gas supply and diligent maintenance of skill
fitness and gear are imperativ
intenance of s
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