Dive Training Blogs
Jump into… Mental Health and Diving
So, despite this being the longest blog post in the series, this is a subject that has been on my mind to write about for a while, and there was never going to be a ‘perfect time’, so here goes…
Having considered doing this for a while, my main concern was at first the ‘embarrassment’, and then my personal feelings of not making my personal life public. The more I thought about it though, how will things ever change if we are too afraid to talk and make others aware that they are not alone?
Having been in the dive industry for a number of years now, like many others I have been faced with the relentless disparaging comments, and bullying from some individuals. Entering the industry as a young, 21 year old female – what could I possibly have to offer in the industry? ‘No life experience’ and could not possibly have a ‘grown up attitude’ at that age. The fact is, we never know the past history of anyone.
At 15, my dad passed away. He ‘committed’ suicide; I have always hated that term as it seems as though an offence has been made. At the time, I was embarrassed about what had happened. Mental health was not as spoken of, and when asked what happened, I would just say he was in an accident. Over the years I realised that I had no reason to be embarrassed, and it was completely ridiculous and offensive to his memory that I was doing this. At this age, I quickly grew up. I learnt that nothing was to be taken for granted. By the age of 21, I had already been in the Fire Service for 3 years, a disciplined service, being faced with life or death decisions on a regular basis and at the same time, had been teaching for 2 years as an instructor, I then started Duttons Divers. At the age of 21, I already had a fair bit of ‘life experience’.
The reason for the brief backstory, and trust me, it is very brief, is that following this came the bullying in the industry. Up to this point I could manage what had been thrown at me. When I made the decision to take on Vivian Quarry, I was met with day to day comments of ‘what do you know, you won’t last 2 seconds in the industry’…. Mocking messages about courses that I had ran, comments made to my customers saying that I didn’t know what I was doing and that they should come to them, and relentless comments of how poor I was at conducting myself in the industry. These comments started to drive me down. I began to focus on every small negative, that I forgot everything that I had achieved: Becoming a Course Director, having a successful business, a career outside of diving that at the time I enjoyed, the house and car I wanted, but none of that seemed to matter.
Those comments at the time were my breaking point, and I began to feel like there was no way forward. I had no drive to get myself out of the dark hole that had been created by these people – some that I didn’t even know. It took me a while to come to realise that the people who I was letting do this had literally no bearing on what I was doing. Nothing had changed; the business was still successful and growing; I did not need them. I found it easier to ignore the comments (still a mistake); I contacted a local mental health charity for support, which as the time I was highly embarrassed about, but now could not care less. It took me 4 years to get to a point where I felt strong enough and in the right mind set to challenge the behaviour and take action.
So I know that this very brief post isn’t exactly the happiest that I have ever written. But it is a period in my life that I think it is more than necessary to talk about. The amount of messages that I have received from others now speaking out about their own personal experiences of bullying in the industry… all because of one post. I could have spoken about this years ago, and I have no doubt that others in the industry have their own stories to tell… so tell them. There’s no reason to hide them away, and it could mean the world of difference to someone else and help us to put an end to this type of behaviour in the industry. Those that are ignorant to other’s past experiences, and make judgement that they know better, have no idea what any person has gone through.
It’s clear that as an industry we have tolerated bullying, whether this be on social media, the “inter-agency banter” or between dive centres and clubs. The fact is that none of it is acceptable and it will only be made unacceptable if it is challenged. The fact that someone is from another agency doesn’t mean that it is acceptable to call them names. When someone wears their equipment in a way different to yours, it doesn’t warrant a comment that what they are doing is wrong and highlighting it to use it for your own personal gain all over social media. No negative comments are necessary. These types of situations don’t make derogatory responses acceptable.
In diving we are in an amazing industry that allows us to dive with people from all walks of life, people that we would probably never be in the same room together with if it wasn’t for diving… and it doesn’t matter what someones background is, who they dive with, what equipment or brand that they use; it has no impact on your life what they do and bullying anyone is in no way acceptable. So my advice is that as a whole we challenge this behaviour, report those responsible and we can all work together to show that this type of behaviour will no longer be tolerated.
Remember – You are always welcome to call into either of my centres for a brew, chat or dive!
Clare began Duttons Divers at just 19 years old and a short while later became one of the world’s youngest PADI Course Directors. Find out more at www.duttonsdivers.com
Blogs
Intro to Tech: What is it about?
Article by José Pablo Mir
Pictures by Cezary Abramowski
The world of technical diving is exciting. It opens the door to new sites, depths, and bottom times. More importantly, it opens our minds to a new way of planning, facing, and experiencing dives, even those not purely technical.
Becoming a technical diver is a process, and like in other aspects of life, we should find the proper entry point that suits us best based on our knowledge and experience. The Introduction to Technical Diving course from TDI -the world’s largest and most recognized technical diving teaching organization- is the best option for divers who have yet to gain experience in the fundamental aspects of this new practice. The course’s content and its embrace of new techniques and technologies make it possible to acquire a solid foundation to learn and gain experience in this practice properly.
Becoming a technical diver is not something that happens overnight, whether deciding to become one or receiving a certification card stating we are now technical divers. It is a slow process extending farther away than any introductory course. It requires effort and dedication. But it will bring us satisfaction from day one -or two.
It is a matter of mentality
First, we must understand and accept that technical diving, involving greater depths, longer bottom times, exotic gases, virtual or real ceilings, and more, comes with higher levels of risk than the sport diving we have been practicing until now.
Although this discussion usually starts with a warning about risks, as I’ve done in the previous sentence, our practice is not a game of chance.
Technical diving is a rational activity that requires maturity and good judgment, and we will put everything into ensuring that each dive is a successful one -meaning we return from it safe and sound. With this understanding, we will strive to establish a mental attitude more aligned with our practice and its realities.
This new “technical diver” mindset we will develop will lead us to be more cautious in our executions, more analytical in our plans, more rational in our strategies, and more detailed in our procedures.
Experience will keep teaching us to know ourselves better, to keep our anxiety and other emotions under control, and to manage our impulses. Over time, our senses will sharpen, and we will be more attentive to the particulars of the situation we find ourselves in.
Strategies and procedures
Our strategies, those broad guiding lines tracing the path to follow, from how to approach planning to where, with what, and how we are willing to get there, will be more specific and more practical. Not because they magically become so, but because we will consciously and deliberately frame them that way.
We will establish clear, concise, and realistic procedures. Not only for the undesirable situations that may present themselves but also for those that are part of our dive objectives.
Even though, as technical divers, we often use equipment different from what we were previously accustomed to, it is essential to note that the gear does not make the diver. In a way, we could consider such equipment as the necessary tools to implement what our goal seeks to achieve, according to our strategies and procedures.
Technique plays an important role
We must put our greatest effort into learning and perfecting the different techniques we will be acquiring. Buoyancy, trim, propulsion, cylinder handling, deploying DSMBs and lift bags, valve drills, and more are essential skills we must begin to master to progress in our art. What we cannot do, when we need to do it, can harm us.
Our techniques must be effective and achieve the purpose for which they were devised. But they must also be efficient and require the least resources possible, including the time they take and the effort they demand. Effectiveness and efficiency will prevail over beauty and other considerations that may come to mind, although none of them should be mutually exclusive. A technique executed efficiently and effectively tends to have an inherent beauty.
Refining techniques is a lifelong mission. Some of them will be easy to master from the go; others, on the other hand, will be our life mission and will require many repetitions just to resemble the idea we have in mind of how they should be executed.
We must consider the environment
Our learning, the needs and musts of the practice we engage in, the experience we gradually gain, our strategies and procedures, and even our equipment and tools change with the environment.
Diving in the ocean, everything about us must be suitable for ocean dives. Conditions there rarely emulate those found in a pool, lake, or river. Variable winds and currents, greater depths, visibility conditions, other divers with uncertain skills around us, marine life, maritime traffic, distance from the coast, and many other factors add complexity and uncertainty.
It is never necessary to master the pool on the first day, but planning and aspiring to gradually cope with the ocean’s conditions is essential.
The cost of good training
We are aware that our resources are often scarce in relation to the possibilities of use we could give them if they were not. To a greater or lesser extent, we are part of the economic reality in which we are embedded.
Fortunately, the cost of good technical diver training is not an entry barrier. Comparing training and equipment costs, we see that the former are generally lower. Yes, lower cost for personalized service, essential to our future
performance and safety, than for a series of mass-produced products that are mere, albeit necessary, tools for an end.
The value of good training
The value of the training we received encompasses a range of characteristics, from emotional and methodological to technical and technological. TDI and its Introduction to Technical Diving course offer a deep and modern approach, with a teaching strategy that aims to create thinking divers, not merely obedient ones.
As technical divers, our knowledge is our primary tool. In this type of activity, what we don’t know can harm us.
Is this course optional?
Unfortunately, the fact that this Introduction to Technical Diving course is not a prerequisite for any subsequent training is an invitation to consider it optional. And we all know what usually happens to “optional” under budget constraints.
However, this course should be seen as optional only by those divers who are somehow familiar with the use of technical equipment, who have a mindset more in line with the requirements of this type of diving, who plan and execute the dives the proper “technical” way, who know their gas consumption rate, who are not intimidated by non-decompression tables, who feel comfortable using their dive computers, and know the techniques and have at least an acceptable level of buoyancy, positioning, and propulsion. Those can go straight to a more advanced training course, such as TDI’s Advanced Nitrox.
We must ask ourselves whether or not we are in that group.
Remember our goal: to have fun
Recreational diving is our passion. Jumping into the water carrying heavy equipment and having properly dotted our I’s and crossed our T’s have only one ultimate goal: fun. This is the activity we have chosen as a hobby. We must enjoy it; it must give us pleasure and make us vibrate.
Having a good time is not optional!
Blogs
Four opportunities to go pro in 2024 with Dive Friends Bonaire
Dive Friends teaches the Instructor Development Course (IDC) several times a year to students who are eager to share their passion for diving with the world.
Dive Friends is known for the personal approach throughout the course. Their in-house course director will lead the students through every essential step, mentoring them to achieve their fullest potential as a dive instructor.
Applications for the following IDC start dates are now open:
- 12 April
- 5 July,
- 20 September
- 29 November
Partnership with Casita Palma
If the student opts for the IDC-Deluxe or IDC-Supreme package, their accommodation will be arranged for them at Casita Palma. This small and quiet resort is within walking distance from Dive Friends Bonaire’s main dive shop location and has everything you need to relax after an intense day of IDC training. Breakfast is included, so the student will always be fuelled and ready for their day.
Contact Dive Friends Bonaire’s Course Director Eddy for more information: coursedirector@divefriendsbonaire.com.
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