SCUBA is a fun, relaxing, educational, interesting, and -- if
approached properly -- safe activity, it is nonetheless a sport
that has risks. SCUBA diving is in fact an extreme sport that can
injure or even kill very quickly, and in some very nasty ways. What
we are doing is entering an alien environment that is normally
hostile to human life. We cannot breathe in water without some kind
of mechanical assistance. These are facts and the details should be
covered in every Open Water (OW) class. All too often in today's
society, however, people do not want to take the time to properly
prepare and get the education to safely take on new tasks. Some
agencies appear to have responded to this by developing training
programs that turn out high numbers of certified divers in shorter
time frames, necessitating the reduction of time spent on what I
consider to be some necessary basic skills. While this has resulted
in great numbers of new divers entering the water, it has not
resulted in many of those divers staying in the water. New divers
are often given just enough training to enable them to dive in the
most benign conditions under close supervision. Even then, there
are still those who find out their initial training was just not
adequate. It is at this point that they either make the decision to
get more training or they leave the sport. The latter happens all
too often. The former, when it does happen, does not always occur
for the right reasons. Students should return to training to expand
their diving and learn new skills; they should not have to return
for new training just to be able to enjoy the sport safely. To
require students to come back for basic information is something I
find very troubling, and in some cases, has actually cost divers
their lives. A lack of rescue instruction has resulted in a number
of diver deaths when buddies did not know how to drop weights,
support a diver at the surface, or even stay in contact with their
buddy. This is another area frequently talked about, but all too
often not actually put into practice. The concept of always diving
with a buddy and just what that means in the "real world" is often
given too little attention. Unfortunately, it is impossible to
foresee every conceivable situation that can arise, but there are
many basic issues that can be covered. The following chapters will
hopefully address much of what is being overlooked or delayed in
many programs as they exist today. It is my hope that this
information also finds its way into the hands of those who have not
yet begun the training process. I have included a chapter on how to
select an instructor based on the quality of instruction and the
content of the course. In some cases, these classes may cost more
than the less comprehensive courses also available, but usually
they do not. In fact, when you consider the additional skills and
education gained from a more comprehensive course, you will find
that you have received much more value for each dollar spent. In
addition, you gain priceless benefits in the form of greater
confidence, enjoyment, skills, and -- most importantly -- safety.
Enjoy and dive safe
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