10 WORST MISTAKES MADE BY RECREATIONAL DIVERS

9/30/2011 by Capt. Darrick Lorenzen | 0 Comments | 877 Views

1.      Don’t make safety decisions based on financial considerations! Many fatalities and injuries occur because people want diving, dive training or dive travel to be cheap, easy and fast. Always use the proper equipment while training or travelling to ensure your dive will be safe and comfortable. Examples are: dive computer, slate, whistle, knife, watch and safety sausage. Research your instructors credentials and dive or train with the most experienced instructor.

2.      You are not an expert diver after a Discover Scuba class or 4 open water dives and a basic certification! Don’t share your “expert opinion”. You know nothing about training, equipment or dive travel! You may have enough common sense and skill to stay alive blowing bubbles at 20-feet if conditions are perfect. You need continuing education to be competent. 100 dives MAY make you a competent diver.

3.      Your friend who dives knows more than your instructor! Bull___! Listen to the advice of your instructor, you might live longer!

4.      Don’t buy gimmicks! Split fins, flip up fins you can walk in, hyperstretch wetsuits and heads up displays in masks are all an example of gimmicks.

5.      Don’t buy used equipment. I had one student who purchased his equipment at a garage sale and wanted to use it while training to avoid the rental! Smart!

6.      Don’t buy any life support equipment over the internet. It could be grey market or repackaged resale from failed dive shops. Manufacturers warrantees will not be valid and most important of all is that you may jeopardize your relationship with your dive instructor or shop. You don’t understand configuration, fit and function. You are not an expert on diving equipment even if you are a doctor or an engineer!

7.      Don’t rent wetsuits if you can afford to purchase one. They cannot be disinfected properly and everybody urinates in rented wetsuits. Some people don their wetsuit naked and have jock itch or yeast infections!

8.      Never buddy up with a person you don’t really know. When you are travelling solo ask to dive with a divemaster or instructor.

9.      Don’t attempt to dive after a layoff of a year or more. Take a refresher. You forgot how to dive! You are unsafe! Make 6 dives per year.

10.  Stay fit to dive. If you are out of shape and weigh 400 pounds, you are not only putting you and your family at risk, but everyone else diving with you. Get regular physicals and make sure you tell your doctor you are a scuba diver. Buy DAN insurance.