Having recently watched James Cameron’s Scuba movie “Santum”, a scuba lesson that really stood out to me in the movie, was the fact that panic can be your downfall when scuba diving. Even in the most difficult of situations, staying calm when you’re underwater is the underlying principle of all scuba diving safety.
The first tragedy in the movie occurs when the fatigued cave diver Jude, panics when her rebreather hose snaps and she’s caught in situation with no bail out/ back up tank. Frank her dive buddy and expert cave explorer, resorts to buddy breathing with her but with a full face scuba mask it’s not an easy task. She panics even more, refusing to share their only one air supply, wherein it becomes a tough choice of letting her drown, in order to save himself.
As divers you’re told not to panic and this is imbibed into each diver as they undergo every stage of their diving certification courses, open water, advanced open water, rescue, master etc. . It is even reinforced each time, a scuba mask gets flooded, one runs low on air, the current is too strong for a dive, or you lose sight of the dive master etc. A conscious effort to not panic when things go wrong, stop think and act is crucial for all scuba divers.
It only takes a minute to go from cool as a cucumber to scared, disoriented and out-of-control. And if there’s one thing that could be pegged as the main cause of death in diving accidents…the answer is PANIC. Studies have shown that in most cases, scuba incidents are avoidable if the diver would just use their common sense and basic dive training. But, it is entry into a state of panic that usually spells disaster for the diver. Panic can kill in many ways. Rapid, shallow breathing with scuba gear can cause hypoxia and a buildup of carbon dioxide. This could result in making the diver act irrationally, breathe faster, expel the regulator or want to bolt to the surface with little or no concern for decompression sickness whatsoever.
Usually triggered, when a divers loses sight of familiar objects, becomes disoriented or experiences a form of sensory deprivation. panic responses can cause a diver to pass out, or even have a heart attack if they have a weak heart. Panicking impedes your ability to solve problems and get to safety. In most diving incidents whether it’s getting tangled in a line, running out of air or even equipment malfunctions, if you can keep your wits, remain calm, you can find a way out of almost any situation.
So how do you fight panic underwater? While it’s hard to fight off once you’re in a situation, a lot of knowledge, practice and preparation can soothe even the most anxious scuba diver. Here’s a look at a few points to help achieve some grace under pressure-
- Practice practice practice. Your most basic scuba skills are the probably the most important skills to remember in an emergency. Practice them till they are second nature to you.
- Plan your dive and stick to your plan
- Prepare for emergencies. Panic sets in when something out of the blue gets thrown at you. You can better prepare yourself by having a contingent plan and emergency procedure ready for any situation you may encounter on that dive. make sure your dive buddy is on the same page as you, and if the said happens you’ll both automatically be confident about knowing how to deal with it.
- Stop-Breathe-Think-Act. Make that your moto to remember if anything unexpected happens. Live by it, and dive by it.
- Listen to your instincts. If you have doubts about a dive for whatever the reason, your breathing didn’t feel right, the currents were too strong, you were getting tired….you can always end it. A simple “It did not feel right to me,” is more than sufficient reason to abort a dive. Don’t let anyone talk you into doing dives you may have doubts about.
The best way to ward off panic as a diver is to be prepared, practice all your skills and dive within your comfort zone. And remember panic in an underwater scenario is you worst enemy…Stop-Breathe-Think-Act!
