The subject of training, gear choices and the development of diving skills can seem secondary to a new diver. Something to get out of the way so we can get out there and dive. The experience of diving is what it’s really all about, right? The wreck, the cave, the wildlife, shooting film, bagging the lobster. Yeah, we can do all that with so-so skills.
But the true enjoyment and safety of the dive is greatly enhanced by how we dive – how we move through the water, control buoyancy and trim, whether we utilize our equipment efficiently, communicate effectively with our dive buddies, and work as a team. It’s also about how we resolve equipment malfunction, a rolled off valve, a free-flowing reg, a lost mask, or an out-of-air situation.
When was the last time you removed, replaced and cleared your mask underwater? Five years ago, maybe once or twice in your open water class? What if your buddy kicks your mask off on your next dive? How comfortable would you be in replacing and clearing it quickly? How much depth would you lose by the time you got squared away again? Have you now lost your buddy? Maybe you’re now on a runaway ascent to the surface?
This simple scenario can easily happen, and it can lead to a real screwed up dive. The same can be said of any number of other little things gone wrong. Here’s another mask scenario:
What if your buddy loses his mask at depth? How long would it take for you to notice? Can you then take him safely to the surface, with safety stops, both holding your positions and communicating with touch hand signals when to move and when to stop? How about doing this on a free ascent, without an upline to hang on to? Did you think to check his air before the ascent?
Divers are even more vulnerable to these stresses after initial certification. And if the level of initial skills and comfort in the water is not minimally sufficient – if the initial training doesn’t demonstrate what those skills should look like and provide a guide for how to develop those skills through practice and drills going forward – then the student is left to struggle on his or her own, and may never learn the most efficient way to do things. How many instructors demonstrate a high level of skill and refinement to their students – showing them what is possible – how it should be done, and what to strive for? (here’s one I know of).
In the lost mask example above, I can think of several skills that you need to have mastered for this situation to resolve smoothly and safely. First, you need to be acutely aware of your surroundings and your buddy, to notice in the first place that he has an immediate problem. Take your head out of that lobster hole once in awhile and look around. This is not as easy as it seems. Situational awareness is a skill in itself, something we need to consciously work on.
If the mask is gone or not functional, you’ll need to take him up safely. You both need to know the protocol for doing this – so team coordination and contingency planning is important. Next, you need to be able to communicate with touch hand signals – calling the dive, move up. You need to check his air, just in case he’s about to need an air share – you don’t want to add to the stress of the situation by waiting for this surprise, remember he can’t see. You both need to have good, intuitive control of your ascent – nice and slow and smooth. When it’s time for the first safety stop, you need to signal your disabled buddy with the touch signal for leveling off, then up to the next stop. You both must hold your position at each stop exactly – 30 feet, 20 feet, 10 feet. Let’s hope your buddy, and you, know how to fine tune buoyancy control with breathing and know how to vent your drysuits with finesse – remember he can’t see his depth gauge to make gross corrections.
In most situations, you might guide your sightless buddy to an upline or anchor line and work up the line. But if you need to make this unplanned ascent away from the surface vessel, and perhaps if there’s a current, you might need to first deploy your SMB to notify the boat crew of your position. Before beginning your ascent, depending on depth, you would signal your buddy to hold position while you blow the bag. There’s another skill you’ll need – quick, efficient, smooth deployment of your SMB. And you’ll need to reel it up while maintaining touch control of your buddy.
All this may sound simple, maybe easy, but it’s really not at first, as I and many of my (even technically trained) dive buddies can attest. To master these skills requires a few things: knowledge of how to execute them correctly; likeminded divers who will practice them with you in a calm, shallow environment; and a desire to practice them over time. No different than if you were to spend a Saturday hitting buckets of balls at the driving range to refine your golfing skills. How much better and more enjoyable will your next game be as a result?
Refined diving skills should not be the domain of the technical or advanced diver alone. They can and should be part of every recreational diver’s abilities. Practicing them with good friends can be fun, and it definitely pays off.
More on how we practice skills and drills on our “workout dives” in my next post. (You work out at the gym don’t you?)
Jim Costopulos is a Chicago-area executive with an industrial products distribution company. He began diving as a teenager in Southern California; around Palos Verdes, San Diego and the Channel Islands, which he desperately misses. Currently, diving in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and of course local quarries is also great fun. He will post here on a regular basis and welcomes your comments.
