Motivation
Since the beginning of mankind, underwater excursions have held a special fascination. The uninitiated have often looked at the aquatic realm as an area unable to visit or explore. With over 70% of our planet being water it is a privilege to be able to explore, visit and swim underwater for short or prolonged periods of time based in the type of diving one is engaged in.
Those of us who have penetrated this watery underworld know that diving is one of those few experiences actually offering the opportunity to explore inner space, to be in an area of our planet few do visit and experience the wonders or our world. We have learned that diving mirror the reflection of timelessness, penetrating beyond our presence into the realm of eternity. We have felt the intrigue to discover what lies beyond the next reef, rock or turn. We have, indeed, taken the road less traveled. We have been down a passageway into the unknown. Our senses have been alerted.
Commitment
The commitment needed for diving goes beyond the time spent in the water and includes serious challenges to one’s self physically and mentally. The rewards are great and satisfying. Enrolling into some form of advanced diving course is a step into a new world.
Long-term commitments do not only include the financial investment for the proper training needed to dive the various dive environments safely. The financial commitment includes the equipment needed for this type of diving, the necessary life support equipment and the diving to come, to continue and practice what was learned during the training program, not to get rusty but to practice and practice again.
Mental Considerations
Mental conditioning is vital for survival, a positive attitude for survival, with an understanding of the inherent risk associated with diving, the willingness to strive for perfection in the art of diving, the willingness to practice emergency exercises again and again until they become second nature. Cave, Wreck, Mixed Gas, Rebreather or ice diving is not for everyone but for experienced divers willing to make an effort and accept certain inherent risks will reward these divers with some of the best diving on this planet, and a truly unique experience. It is crucial that we understand all of our equipment, get the proper training, and use the proper techniques and procedures in order to dive safely.
Experience
Diving experience is the accumulation of one’s dive training, diving experience accumulated in various diving environments and the study or research on related topics. While some divers are more gifted and accumulate diving experience with a certain capability other divers have to work harder to archive the same experience or comfort level in diving. Diver training is one of the first steps to gain experience, maintain levels of training and prepare for future diving adventures. While diving for prolonged period of time individuals gain experience, skills and elevated levels of comfort.
A constant repetition of learned skills is necessary to keep the level of experience and skill learned and will build the solid foundation of one’s personal diving experience. The engagement into a wide variety of diving activities will ensure the maintaining of learning skills but as well to intensify and develop new skills. The refinement of learned skills is a worthwhile goal, the strife to excellence and proficiency will be rewarded with outstanding diving experiences and the ability to cope with adverse or potential hazardous situations.
Fitness and Diving
A proficient diver needs to be physically fit to prevent injury. Cardiovascular fitness provides the stamina to be comfortable while swimming extended distances in SCUBA gear. It has been documented that unfit divers may retain up to 50% more CO2 than physically fit divers. This is important. CO2 is additive to early fatigue, decompression illness, inert gas narcosis and oxygen toxicity. In other words, excess CO2 may hurt you. Increased CO2 may also lead to uncontrolled respiration. It is a major factor in loss of consciousness with resultant drowning.
Some of these dead divers left notes of helplessness to loved ones. Many times these so called “helpless” divers were close to an exit up-line or the surface. If they had stopped writing and had started searching for a way out, they would have lived to dive again. A survival diver, if killed on a dive, should be discovered kicking “one leg up and one down with his fins extended”. Remember, as long as we discipline ourselves to keep on going and struggling to survive, there is always the probability of living. Quitting equates to dying in a life and death circumstance.
Divers who maintain good physical conditioning will discover the human body is much like a boat’s hull. Once a boat reaches hull speed, doubling the power produces little or no increase in forward momentum. Divers’ bodies behave similarly. Human bodies, like boat hulls, come in different shapes. Some shapes pass through the water easier and faster than others. Exceeding our “hull speed” takes more work and produces a minimal increase in performance. Unwanted respiratory induced stress results.
Unlike boats, divers can change the shape of their “hulls”. This is accomplished by contouring the body with exercise and diet. A lean profile generally produces less drag and is more efficient in the water. A “lean” profile is also greatly affected by a diver’s equipment configuration. Swim posture, too, contributes efficient propulsion. Poor swim posture may lead to stress. It takes more energy to maintain poor posture. This, in turn, makes increased demands on our respiratory system. Effective diving techniques are designed to reduce physically induced stress.
How well do I have to swim to be a competent diver is a question sometimes asked. It is true that scuba divers do very little swimming without fins and flotation equipment that makes movement underwater and on the surface almost effortless. However, if the scuba or buoyancy system malfunctions or a fin is lost, a poor swimmer could be in serious difficulty. Equipment cannot be a substitute for waterman ship or physical fitness. A competent diver must be capable of handling any situation that might involve the loss or malfunction of any or all components of the diving system during the dive.
To dive, you must be comfortable in the water. In general, good swimmers are comfortable in the water and poor swimmers are uncomfortable. The more comfortable you are, the safer you are likely to be. And furthermore, the more comfortable you are the more you will enjoy diving.
For a poor swimmer who is uncomfortable in the water, the training experience can be unpleasant and learning is seriously compromised. Such individuals may drop out prior to the end of the course, fail to meet the certification requirements, or sneak through. An individual that “sneaks through” is at very high risk.