Diving is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Hobbyists are quickly becoming full-time enthusiasts. Holiday divers becoming full-blown hobbyist. Simply put, the idea of modern-day exploring in the ocean depths is becoming a fast-growing pastime for many. But scuba diving is not always strictly fun and games. There is a serious risk of complications and injuries that naturally comes with putting one’s self in deep and expansive waters. This is why many practice in pools and in safe shallows before venturing out into deeper and less explored areas. One must fully appreciate the risk they are taking before they step into the deep blue. However, no matter how prepared, things can go wrong. Knowing what to do is the best bet of survival.
The most important way to avoid something going wrong is the pre-dive safety check. Before you dive, you must check everything. When you are satisfied everything is safe, check it again. So many small complications can become large if the proper pre-dive steps were not taken to insure safety. Making sure all the gauges, computers, and systems work properly can save not only your life but also others who must come to your aid if something goes wrong.
If things still go wrong after all your checks are cleared, it is important to remember the concepts of SAFE DIVE. Self-reliance means knowing you can manage for yourself. Attitude means coming into every dive knowing everything will be okay, and if something goes wrong you can fix it. Fitness means being physically prepared for the exertion that is asked of you when on a dive. Experience means that you have the training and/or underwater hours to know what will be asked of you. Diving skills means that you are sure you have the abilities to go along with your general fitness. Involvement means making the plans and implementing the safety checks not only for youbut also for others. Variety means knowing how to keep your mind sharp by giving yourself something new every time and making every dive a new and exciting experience. And finally, Equipment means making sure that you possess the right materials to make a safe and affect dive.
When you follow the rules of SAFE DIVE, you do not only ensure yourself a quality dive. You also ensure that everyone else can enjoy his or her dive as well. When everyone is safe, confident, capable, and fully prepared, there is less reason for concern. The number one cause of underwater mistakes is ill preparedness. The number two cause of underwater problems is panic and being unsure. When people are unsure, they panic. When people panic, they are likely to be hurt. And even if others are around to help them, their panic can cause harm to others. The number one rule when any negative situation arises is to make sure that you do not panic. If someone else is panicking, then the best rule is to make sure you can calm him or her as best as possible.
