Browsing Tag emergencies
Should I set up my own gear or trust the resort to do it for me?
Sadly, the current state of the South East Asian dive industry has devolved into operators who pander to their divers every need. Setting up equipment before the dives, changing tanks between dives, and even putting on fins for their customers.
Some divers have come to expect this level of ‘service’ and being spoilt with this lazy way of diving, have forgotten completely how to set their gear up themselves.
I am personally against this, and will not allow it in the operations that we have. It’s not that we can’t do it, but a matter of principle.
Who’s really responsible for your safety?
If divers can’t take personal responsibility for their own safety, then who is really at fault when an incident occurs?
The scuba equipment that we use is critical to keeping us alive underwater. If we don’t even understand how it works, then if and when something does happen underwater, does that diver know how to react and how to deal with that situation?
Should we be faulting the operations at which these incidents occur?
Or should we be faulting their Open Water instructors for not training these divers well?
Or is it the diver, who gets complacent and fails to check their equipment prior to getting in the water?
The practice of signing liability forms and waiver forms before any dive doesn’t negate the responsibility that operators have in keeping divers safe.
However, when we continue to produce divers who can’t even remember how to set up their gear, who is really at fault?
Blame, blame, everywhere blame
This is a chicken and egg situation, and I’m afraid passing the blame from one party to another is not going to change anything.
Ultimately, individual divers should and must have responsibility for their own safety.
Dive operators are there to provide the logistics for diving, and to provide a safety briefing of the common local conditions found at that location.
Divers should take primary responsibility for their own safety, and not rely entirely on a dive guide or Divemaster.
If a dive is risky, or uncertain, divers should not be afraid to speak up and ask questions, rather than just trust that everything is under control and follow blindly.
It’s not just about setting up equipment, is it?
I know this question is about equipment setup, and maybe some people will think that it’s not a big deal, but to be honest, I think it’s not just about equipment setup. This leads to other skills and knowledge that most divers take for granted.
Personally, I do think that this is symptomatic of a larger problem in the diving industry.
As individual divers, always look to get better training, even if you think you already have the relevant certification, as no two dives are ever the same.
We never know what Mother Nature is ready to serve up to us, so all we can do is to be as prepared as we can be.
How is the GUE Fundamentals course different from the PADI Advanced course?
The difference between the Fundamentals course and the Advanced course is really about the curriculum and comprehensiveness of the courses.
The Advanced course offers the new diver a chance to experience 5 other types of diving environments and covers those in a relatively quick format.
The Fundamentals course instead focuses on an individual and team’s dive skills, in order to manage these new environments effectively.
Diving and Driving, an analogy that keeps on going
The Open Water course is like the basic driving course that everybody does in order to get a driving license. It covers basic techniques, such as accelerating smoothly (propulsion kicks), parking (hovering), braking (ascending smoothly to the surface) and signaling (communication).
The Advanced course would be like getting experience driving on real roads, in real conditions. For example, driving at night (night dives), at high speed on expressways (drift dives), tight car parking spaces (peak performance buoyancy), and trying to navigate while driving in another country (navigation dives).
The Fundamentals course would be more like a defensive driving course, where you’d learn how to minimize your risk (awareness and teamwork), perform pre-trip inspections (gas management, dive planning, decompression management), and handling skids, accidents, and hazards (emergency drills).
Investing in yourself is never a bad decision
While the Fundamentals course and the PADI OW and AOW are different in terms of how they approach diver training, both are absolutely necessary for any serious diver’s training log.
Only after the basics are learned, can a higher level of skill be developed.
Personally, I would always recommend investing in yourself by taking the Fundamentals course, as it takes a more detailed and focused instruction in order to attain a higher level of skill.
I do believe that both types of courses serve their purpose well, but if you truly want to be a serious diver, then the Fundamentals course is the best place to get started.
What tools do I need for a dive trip?
It’s always good to have a small set of tools when you dive. Better yet, have them on hand in the boat! You never know when you might need to repair something just before a dive.
Here are items that are useful to have, but of course, not all are always necessary. I’ve listed them in terms of two levels of preparedness: An essential set of tools, and a hardcore-fix-almost-anything set of tools that would serve you well if you wanted to dive at the end of the world with zero logistical support.
The Essential 14
- Adjustable spanner, one small and one medium sized – For regulator hoses and SPG removal
- Screwdriver, one Philips screw head and one flat-blade – For canister lights, hose clamps, etc.
- Cable tie, 5 to 10 pieces – For miscellaneous attachments.
- Nylon line, 1 to 2m long – For tying bolt snaps and other miscellaneous attachments.
- Lighter – For burning ends of nylon line.
- Bungee, 1 to 2m long – For replacing necklaces and other attachments.
- Scissors or cutter – For miscellaneous cutting.
- Duct tape, 1 roll – Never leave home without this! Duct tape is useful for Nitrox labelling, holding stuff in place, and other general uses.
- Allen key set containing multiple sizes of keys – For port plugs on first stages.
- Scuba Multi-tool – Some multi-function scuba tools combine a few of these tools in one small, compact package, and these normally come with screwdriver heads, various Hex key sizes, and an O-ring pick.
- O-ring pick – For removing O-rings. (Note: A small one should be sufficient.)
- Spare O-rings – For port plugs, regulator hoses, and SPG spindles.
- Grease – For lubricating parts like the O-rings (Tip: Instead of bringing out a large tube of grease, a simple solution would be squeezing some grease into a small ziptop bag. It’s also convenient to use – just pop the O-ring in the bag, seal and slide it around with your fingers. Voila, the O-ring is greased!)
- Spare mouthpiece – In case you get so excited that you accidentally bite through the mouthpiece on your regulator.
And here comes the list for total preparedness at extreme dive locations where you’d want to have everything on hand, except the kitchen sink!
Fix-it-all
- Tank knob tool – Larger dive operations like dive shops and liveaboard boats should have this tool, but it’s good to have your own as you never know when or where you’ll be when a tank knob gets stuck!
- DIN or Yoke adapter – For times when the boat operator doesn’t have the type of tank valves that you need for your first stage.
- Spare inflator assembly – Good to have replacements on hand as inflators are fickle; the button spring is a salt sink that gets sticky from just missing a single wash.
- Spare double enders and bolt snaps – Infinitely useful, these little things make carrying equipment underwater very manageable.
- Small metal parts like washers, wing nuts, LP and HP port plugs – These are useful if something breaks and you need to plug a first stage. Small washers and spare wing nuts for your backplate system are also useful. Place these in a small ziptop bag to keep them safe and secure.
- Seasick pills and Charcoal tablets – These are typically classified under medication, but these meds are needed so often, there’s no harm stashing them in your tool kit AND first aid kit.
Storage
Keep these tools in a small-sized waterproof box that you can stow in your dry bag. Avoid leaving them around, especially wet surfaces, as tools tend to get rusty real quick around seawater! To absorb moisture trapped within the box, place a small silica gel bag or unused cat litter (inside a tiny sock) inside.