SAFETY continued Industry Magazine. If any of these things happen, there are things you can do to mitigate any increased risk. As men- tioned before, you can ascend to a shallower depth, reduce your planned bottom time, or extend your safety stop. These are all contingencies that should be discussed with your div- ing companions prior to diving. Visibility, while not neces- sarily a direct threat to safety, can limit your ability to keep track of your diving companions and your directional aware- ness. It certainly can reduce the enjoyment of the dive for some. On a recent dive trip, where visibility had been aver- aging 100 feet (31 meters), as we approached the bottom, the visibility was less than 15 feet (4.6 meters) with a mild current. Since we were all unfamiliar with the area, we de- cided to abort the dive, complete a safety stop, and move to another location. It was the best decision, allowing us to
increased drag in the water. The late Dr. Glen Egstrom said that doubling the surface area you present to the water while swimming in a partially upright position increases your work- load by a factor of four. Increased workload while diving can cause you to consume your breathing gas more quickly and increase the amount of nitrogen being absorbed by your tis- sues which, to reiterate, increases your risk of DCS. I believe divers should discuss the pace of movement underwater prior to beginning any dive. In my opinion, moving at a slow pace allows divers to see more, reduce their breathing gas consumption, and get more enjoyment out of the diving ex- perience. And, not to belabor the point, but increased work- load during a dive may also increase the risk of IPE. 6. Overhead conditions. In research conducted by DAN and published in 2008, the number two triggering event in
make a safer and more enjoyable dive. 4. Position/Location relative to the planned exit point. It is always best, from a safety and enjoyment perspective, to end a dive at or near your planned exit point. Unless, of course, you are drift div- ing, where the dive boat is following you on the surface. Surfacing a significant dis- tance from your planned exit point may require a long-distance surface swim, pos-
diving fatalities (20%) was “entrapment,” mostly from diving in an overhead environ- ment without being qualified to do so. It is important not to get into overhead condi- tions where you do not have direct, vertical access to the surface without the proper training or equipment. Diving without the proper training, equipment, and recent ex- perience can seriously compromise your safety and the safety of others you dive
Overhead Environments: #2 Triggering Events in Accidents
sibly against surface wave action, winds, or currents. That unplanned workload can compromise your safety and cer- tainly detract from the enjoyment of the diving experience. An increased workload caused by a long-distance surface swim can increase the risk of IPE. Divers are advised to keep their regulator in their mouth for any surface swims as that provides an uninterrupted flow of breathing gas as com- pared to surface swimming while breathing through a small diameter snorkel. Surface swimming while breathing through a snorkel can increase the chances of ingesting water if the wave action is higher than the length of the snorkel, plus heavy breathing through a snorkel may increase the risk of IPE. 5. Workload. Doing more work on a dive than you expected is certainly not fun. The saying, “If you are working hard on a dive, you must be doing something wrong,” certainly ap- plies. In my opinion, recreational diving should be relaxing and enjoyable without any undue stress or strain. Increased workload can be caused by many things. including trying to keep up with a rapidly swimming buddy or dive guide, poor buoyancy control (where you have a significant amount of air in your BCD either causing you to be almost upright in the water), or simply increasing your surface area causing an
with. 7. Anything that could compromise your safety or the safety of fellow divers. By being truly situationally aware and understanding those things in diving that may compro- mise your safety, you can make adjustments during your dive that help you avoid or mitigate potential risks. Being obser- vant is also an essential safety skill. For example, if you ob- serve another diver whose scuba cylinder is floating unusually high off their back, this may indicate that the diver's cylinder is getting low on breathing gas. That may be an opportune time to ask how much breathing gas that diver has remain- ing. Scuba diving is one of the world’s most enjoyable recre- ational activities. As we enjoy the underwater world, safe divers understand that the diving environment is very dy- namic and can change during our diving experience. As such, situational awareness is a dynamic, continuous process that involves continually checking and evaluating things going on
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around you, comparing what you see with what you know to be within your dive plan and safe behaviors. Scuba diving safety, after all, is no ac- cident.
email Dan Orr
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