Escape from the Bubble Cloud
When his regulator hose burst during a dive, a diver not only lost his primary air source, he also was engulfed by a cloud of bubbles that made it nearly impossible to see or hear.
Alert Diver Category: Skills in Action
Practice Crucial Skills
WORKING AS A MATE ON DIVE BOATS for the past 22 years has allowed me to be a part of many interesting situations. When teaching scuba classes, I use one particular situation as evidence of the importance of maintaining skills through regular practice.
Remaining Calm When out of Air
PROPER OUT-OF-AIR TRAINING and practice are important so a situation like this will not be the first time a diver is exposed to it.
Shallow-Water Blackout
“DON’T YOU DO IT. END IT CLEAN. Don’t make me come get you,” I’m muttering under my breath as I kick furiously along a lane line, doing my best to […]
Slow and Relaxed with Good Technique
MY DIVE BUDDY AND I planned to do a longer than usual dive one Saturday morning at Madison Blue Spring State Park in Lee, Florida. For several years and more […]
Training Is Everything in a Rescue Attempt
Many divers are proud to be comfortable in the water and sometimes push their limits on air consumption, exceed their bottom time, or take one last shot of a big fish with a camera or spear before ascending. Some of them develop reputations in the dive community for being competent divers by looking cool and experienced while taking little risks. It may start small but snowball into making poor decisions for which the price you pay is not worth the reward.
Prepare to Get Found
Diver Jim surfaced before the rest of his group and unintentionally drifted in the water — separating him from the boat. Read more about how to play an active role in your rescue.
Clarify Hand Signals Before Diving
Divers spend much of their time underwater with a select group of buddies — the ones we trust to get us through the dive and surface with fresh experiences and stories to tell. Newly certified divers have had limited interactions underwater, having dived only with classmates, instructors, and assistant instructors during their classes.
Keep Your Head
When conditions took an abrupt and unexpected turn during an exotic warm-water dive, our dive leader decided to abort. In these situations, it’s important to stay calm.
Risk and Redundancy
Modern dive computers can give us a wealth of information, but what if yours fails? Equipment redundancy, or having a backup, can help you know your true circumstances and prevent an injury or dangerous situation.