Safety Culture - diving in the zone
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“Thank [beep] for that! How lucky were we? We better not do that again.
Don’t tell anyone though, we don’t want to look like amateurs...”
Training
Buddy Dive adds extra week to Bonaire TeK!
Buddy Dive TeK is adding an extra week to Bonaire TeK!
Bonaire Tek is THE tec diving event on Bonaire, attracting tec divers from all over the world and manufacturers of the best gear in the industry.
This year, Bonaire TeK takes place from September 28 – October 5, 2024. Because of the huge success of the event, Buddy Dive TeK is adding an extra CCR week to Bonaire TeK!
Abort! A Dive Truncated…
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There are times when conditions on a dive may become challenging, and divers must decide whether to abort the dive. Simon Pridmore offers insights and advice on how to handle such situations and how to abort dives in a safe way.
DAN Introduces Continuing Education for Dive Professionals
This free program focuses on risk mitigation and is now available to all dive professionals via DAN E-Learning. DAN expects this program will not only enhance divers’ safety but will also help reduce dive operators’ liability risk.
To encourage participation, DAN is offering discounted premiums on individual professional liability and group professional liability insurance to all DAN members who complete the e-learning, which can be done in about an hour.
Trials & Tribulations, Part I: Planning for Gear Malfunctions
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In the first of a new two-part series, Simon Pridmore describes a few equipment-related problems that divers commonly encounter and offers some tips on how to avoid or deal with them.
It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas… Nitrox in Sport Diving: How It All Began
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Scuba diver on nitrox at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. (Credit: G.P. Schmahl / NOAA / NOS / NMS/ CC BY 2.0 DEED)
This article is an abridged version of an early chapter in Simon Pridmore’s history of the early days of technical diving, Technically Speaking—Talks on Technical Diving, Volume 1: Genesis and Exodus. The nitrox saga would end up as the subject of vitriolic debate and bitter division in the sport diving community for half a decade. This is its origin story.
Hip, Hip... Hooray!
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Simon Pridmore
Sofie Pridmore
Tim Rock
Author doing an unusual exercise for physical therapy after hip replacement.
How does one return to diving after hip replacement surgery? Simon Pridmore speaks from experience and gives an insight into how he used scuba diving in his physical rehabilitation.
Analysis and Reflection as Learning Tools
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Andrey Bizyukin
In my time, I have been head coach and assistant coach to pro, semi-pro and national league rugby teams as well as the Irish women's team. I have been a sports psychologist and an advisor on performance and setting performance environments in rugby, golf, motorcycle racing, rally driving and many other professional and Olympic sports. I am now a technical diving instructor as well. Why the mini-CV?
The Insidious Threat of Complacency
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Composite by G. Symes, source images: Samuel John/CC BY-SA 2.0, Peter Southwood/CC BY-SA 3.0
People commonly say that experienced divers should guard against complacency, but what does that mean? Some associate the idea of complacency with arrogance, carelessness or negligence, and reassure themselves that if character traits such as these do not apply to them, then they do not have to worry about being complacent. Simon Pridmore offers insights into this phenomenon and how to prevent it.
What Does It Take to Be a “Good Diver?” — Part One
You are chatting with a diving friend and the conversation turns to mutual acquaintances. “Do you know Bob and Carol?” your friend asks. “Oh yes, good divers!” you reply. We will usually refer to someone as a good diver when they are not around. We will rarely say it to their face. And it is something that we all rather hope people say about us behind our backs.
Helga and the Weight Debate
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How much weight should a diver use? How much is too much or too little to maintain proper posture, balance and air consumption? How do you adjust for a new wetsuit? Simon Pridmore discusses weight issues and offers tips and advice.