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
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 […]
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.
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.
When the Unexpected Happens
The onset of pain in my left ear was sudden and excruciating. I knew something was wrong, so I gripped the anchor line and stopped ascending. My buddy saw me stop, and I communicated via hand signals that something was not right with my ear and that I needed to pause our ascent.
Chumming the Waters
Getting to the wreck of the Caribsea off the coast of North Carolina can take up to an hour and a half. While traveling to the dive site, I regrettably ate a prepackaged lunch with an indecipherable expiration date I had purchased the night before.
Now I Know Better
A dive photo instructor witnessed a diver perform a rapid, uncontrolled ascent to the surface. Thankfully, the dive instructor’s rescue training came in handy. Read more about the incident.
A Tourniquet Saves a Diver’s Life
A recent dive trip changed the lives of everyone involved, and I hope this story might help save another life. About 30 days before the trip, I was talking to […]
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.