Left:
Tender-boat crew look out69 divErexperiences to be endured. For instance,
there is a useful drill that shows divers
what it feels like to run dangerously low
on air so that, if it ever happens for real,
they can react in time before running
out completely.
This is referred to by one training
agency as an “air-depletion exercise”. I
have witnessed instructors introduce it
simply with these three words before
describing how the exercise will play out.
The possibility that a diver can run out
of air might be implied but it is not stated
directly, let alone discussed. This
tendency, at beginner-diver levels, to
avoid awkward conversations concerning
bad things that might happen under
water, can lead to ignorance, over-
confidence and a complete absence of
constructive paranoia.
Here is a story that illustrates the point
perfectly. One day, my friend Robert
received a call from a friend of a friend.
She asked him for advice on diving Nusa
Penida, an island off Bali’s south coast
famous for big fish, but also notorious for
the strong, unpredictable currents that
make it an accident black-spot.
Robert asked how much diving she had
done, and was informed that she had only
just learned to dive. He pointed out that
diving around Nusa Penida could be
tricky and suggested that, instead, she do
some diving in easier conditions at
Tulamben on Bali’s north-east coast.
The woman became very upset at what
she felt was Robert’s assumption that she
was “not an excellent diver, which I am”,
and hung up on him.
Two days later, she called Robert back
to say that she had gone to Nusa Penida
and had had a great day’s diving. “So
there, you were wrong,” she said.When I heard this tale, I was of course
immediately reminded of Jared
Diamond’s story of falling trees.
The woman had evidently graduatedRead more from
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Scuba Fundamental –
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Scuba Exceptional –
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All are available on
Amazon in a variety
of formats.from her initial diver training with no
idea of her limitations as a new diver.
Nobody had told her that many popular
dive-sites around the world are genuinely
dangerous for beginners.
She seemed unaware that all new divers
need to ease themselves gently into the
sport, and that it actually takes a lot of
practice to become an “excellent diver”.
Nobody had taught her to be at all
constructively paranoid about her diving.
All the high praise she had received while
training had led her to believe that,
having obtained a couple of certification
cards, she could dive anywhere.
Constructive paranoia is not just a
useful tool to pick up; it’s a crucial
survival technique.
In the hierarchy of diver-training
courses it is usually not addressed until
the technical or professional level, but
it really should be incorporated from
the start.
As divers, we can teach ourselves to be
constructively paranoid by reading as
widely as possible about dive safety,
paying attention to reports published
by the likes of BSAC and DAN, and
thinking more about the way we dive,
potential threats to our safety and
what steps we can take to anticipate
and avoid risk.TECHNIQUE
FALLING TREES
divErNEt.com