In a new series of blogs, we are going to think, talk, and evaluate about instructor and diver’s behavior in today’s society. Can we keep jumping from course to course without getting enough experience and practice between scuba diver courses? Can we participate in courses where time spent with the instructor and number of dives may get shorter and shorter?
If we believe on the statement above, we also can believe that we have missed some important pedagogical points in our training as a diver, instructor, or instructor trainer.
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We ought to evaluate what we are doing, without culpability, and maybe change things for the better, we all can improve our techniques and our behavior as a diver. We just need to recognize our mistakes and correct them. I am sincerely confident we know whether we are doing a good job or not either in our training, teaching, and/or dive planning .
– Technical diver education and mental training- The Training “Trap”- The Path to self-sufficiency- To a new education?
Technical diver education and mental training
Discussing about diving preparation and diver’s self-sufficiency, we have noticed that the lack of self-awareness in the matter along with poor stress and risk management are often hidden causes of scuba diving accidents and fatalities.
As the diver requirements become stronger about the choice of a diving school that provides with adequate training and adapted to the diver personality, other requirements are also to be considered. When it comes to choosing diving gear to comply with technical, comfort and aestheticism criteria. We believe that the diver should be in the same way exigent with dive preparation.
- Personal evaluation: Physical and mental, Am I ready to make that dive today? How do I feel about that dive?
- Motivations: Am I focus on the dive’s objectives? What are my sincere motivations for that dive
- Responsibility: What are my personal and my team responsibilities? Is it a “solo team” dive? or is it a “team diving as a team” dive?
- Equipment needed: Do we have what we need? For the dive and in case of an emergency?
- Emergency scenario review and land drills practice: especially when diving on a rebreather.
- Pre-dive preparations: Like athletes a Technical diver should get ready physically and mentally, and should be focused. It is a good idea for the team to warm-up with some stretching techniques, rest the mind with some breathing exercises and visualization techniques.
- Land drill practice with check-list followed by in water safety drills, where last gear and buoyancy adjustments are made before the dive.
Most of the cave divers are pretty familiar with a well-detailed pre-dive technique preparation routine. Technical diver agencies are pushing this way, but this is not always the case with recreational divers, and sometimes forgotten by experienced technical or cave divers!
“Safety is our concern”.
To be continued…..