SAFETY continued it can be quickly analyzed and a decision can be made about whether or not it requires action. For experienced divers, things like this happen on almost every dive. We see something out of the ordinary, we analyze it, take corrective action, and con- tinue the dive without any significant issues that detract from our enjoyment. For example, on a recent dive trip, I noticed a nearby diver staring at their submersible pressure gauge (SPG). I swam over and noticed their SPG needle fluctuate each time they took a breath. Recognizing what was happening, I reached back and opened their cylinder valve, increasing the flow of breathing gas, and solved the problem. Although this was not a direct threat to my safety, it definitely was to this diver. And, it could have been a threat to my safety, had the diver been less
Any overhead environment, whether it be kelp, rock, ▪ ship, or surface vessel traffic And anything that could compromise your safety or the ▪ safety of those you dive with By being truly situationally aware and understanding those things in diving that may compromise your safety, you can make adjustments during your dive that help you avoid or mit- igate potential risks. To improve our situational awareness, gain experience. Re- member, experience-especially recent experience-is critical to being able to effectively react in an emergency situation. Have effective communication throughout the dive with your diving companions. When you share and analyze past diving experi-
experienced, panicked, and came to me in a perceived out-of-air emergency. Instead, the diver was calmly trying to figure out the problem that I was able to solve by simply correcting the partially opened cylinder valve. Things like this may occur on any dive where a diver with lots of experience, es- pecially recent experience, is confronted with a potentially dangerous situation and manages the threat successfully. They never really see it as a truly dangerous situation.
ences and the experiences of others, it en- ables you to consider possible solutions if those same circumstances were to occur again. Scuba diving is a wonderful, and some say transformational, recreational experience. By understanding that the diving environment is very dynamic, we can enhance that enjoy- ment by being prepared. Situational aware- ness is also a dynamic, continuous process that involves continually checking and eval- uating the situation around you, comparing
On the other hand, a diver with less experience, confronted with the same potentially dangerous situation, may not be able to successfully manage the threat. This could lead to a series of incorrect decisions, resulting in an injury or death. This situational awareness process also demonstrates the im- portance of people being familiar with the diving environment and the potential dangers that are present there. Such awareness permits some threats to be avoided and others to be guarded against when we enjoy a diving experience. The components of being situationally aware should include, but not be limited to such things as: You and your diving companion’s breathing gas supply ▪ Your dive plan and how it relates to your current bottom ▪ time Your depth, any currents, surges, or surface wave ac- ▪ tions, and changes in visibility Your position in relation to your goals on that dive, and ▪ your current position relative to the desired exit point The workload you are experiencing during the dive. The ▪ saying, “If you are working hard on a dive, you must be doing something wrong,” should be your diving mantra
what you see with what you know to be within your dive plan, and safe behaviors. Scuba diving safety, after all, is no accident. “Situational awareness is the currency that buys you the time and op- portunity to solve a problem” Addendum to My Article : Confronting the Danger from Within Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE/IPO). Shortly after my article Confronting the Danger from Within Immersion Pulmonary Edema (IPE) was published in the December issue of Scuba Diving In- dustry Magazine, I received information that the South Pacific Underwater Medical Society (SPUMS) had published a paper in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Vol 54 that included a 5- point position statement jointly released by SPUMS and the United Kingdom Diving Medical Committee (UKDMC). The position statement directly references divers who have had IPE/IPO. One statement point was. “SPUMS and UKDMC
strongly advises against further compressed gas diving if an individual has experienced an episode of IPO. For further information, click here for Divernet’s post. NOTE: I believe this issue war- rants further investigation.
email Dan Orr
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