List of Diving Hazards and Precautions - Diver Behaviour and Competence

Diver Behaviour and Competence

Hazard Consequences Cause Avoidance and prevention
Inadequate learning of critical safety skills. Inability to deal with minor incidents, which consequently may develop into major incidents.
  • Inadequate demonstration and assessment of skills by instructor.
  • Ineffective skills taught, due to inappropriate training standard, or misinterpretation of training standard.
  • Insufficient correct repetition of skills during training.
  • Quality assurance by training agency
Inadequate practice of critical safety skills. Inability to deal with minor incidents, which consequently may develop into major incidents.
  • Insufficient practice of skills during training.
  • Insufficient practice of skills after training.
  • Clear standards for competence in assessment criteria of training programme.
  • Quality assurance by training agency.
  • Post training practice of vital skills by the diver.
  • Periodical re-assessment of skills by a competent assessor.
Overconfidence. Diving in conditions beyond the diver's competence, with high risk of accident due to inability to deal with known environmental hazards.
  • Over-optimistic self-assessment of personal competence by the diver.
  • Insufficient information due to inadequate training.
  • Objective assessment and accurate feedback during training.
  • Realistic training standards and competence level descriptions.
Inadequate strength or fitness for the conditions
  • Inability to compensate for difficult conditions even though well versed at the required skills.
  • Over-exertion, overtiredness, stress injuries or exhaustion.
  • Underestimating severity of conditions.
  • Overestimating fitness and strength.
  • Conditions deteriorate during the dive.
  • Excessive task loading.
  • Use of equipment that requires greater exertion than the diver can produce.
  • Experience and familiarity with local conditions.
  • Use of weather and tide forecasts when planning dives.
  • Maintaining fitness to dive by adequate exercise.
  • Use of equipment and techniques which reduce physical exertion required.
  • Gradual buildup of task-loading to develop appropriate skills and fitness.
  • Training with equipment in benign conditions before using in severe conditions.
Peer pressure Inability to deal with reasonably predictable incidents in a dive.
  • Divers may be pressurised into undertaking dives beyond their competence or fitness.
  • Divers may be pressurised into diving with unsuitable buddies, often by dive professionals who should know better.
  • Objective and accurate knowledge of the diver's capabilities.
  • Recognising and accepting responsibility for possible consequences of exerting or submitting to peer pressure.
Diving with an incompetent buddy Injury or death while attempting to deal with a problem caused by the buddy.
  • The buddy may get into difficulty due to inattention or incompetence, and require a rescue which is hazardous to the rescuer.
  • The buddy may get into difficulty and mishandle the situation or panic, creating an incident which is hazardous to both divers.
  • Diving with a buddy is known to be competent and who can be trusted to behave responsibly.
  • Training to deal with emergencies and rescue.
  • Carrying equipment to be independent of the buddy in most emergencies.
  • In some circumstances it may be safer to dive without a buddy.
Overweighting Difficulty in neutralising and controlling buoyancy.
  • Uncontrolled descent.
  • Inability to establish neutral buoyancy.
  • Inefficient swimming.
  • High gas consumption.
  • Poor trim.
  • Kicking up silt.
  • Difficulty in ascent
  • Inability to control depth accurately for decompression
 Carrying more weight than needed. Recreational divers do not usually need more weight than is needed to remain slightly negative after using all the gas carried. Professional divers may need to be heavy at the bottom to provide stability to work. Establish and use the correct amount of weight for the circumstances of the dive, taking into account:
  • Density of water (sea or fresh).
  • Buoyancy of equipment (mainly exposure suit).
  • Buoyancy change of cylinders as gas is used up.
  • Tasks of the dive.
  • Capacity of buoyancy compensator to neutralise buoyancy at depth and provide positive buoyancy at the surface.
  • Use surface supply equipment or a lifeline if it is necessary to dive heavy.
Underweighting Difficulty in neutralising and controlling buoyancy.
  • Inability to achieve neutral buoyancy, particularly at decompression stops.
 Not carrying sufficient weight. Divers need to be able to remain neutral at 3m depth at the end of a dive when the gas has been used up.
Diving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or with a hangover
  • Inappropriate or delayed response to contingencies.
  • reduced ability to deal timeously with problems, leading to greater risk of developing into an accident.
  • Increased risk of hypothermia.
  • Increased risk of decompression sickness.
 Use of drugs which alter mental state or physiological responses to environmental conditions. Avoid use of substances which are known or suspected to reduce the ability to respond appropriately to contingencies.
Use of inappropriate equipment and/or configuration Muscular cramps Use of fins that are too large or stiff for the diver
  • Exercise to develop skills and fitness appropriate to the fins chosen
  • Use softer or smaller bladed fins (this may compromise speed and/or maneuverability)
Lower back pain Use of heavy weightbelts for scuba diving
  • Use of integrated weight systems which support the weights directly by the buoyancy compensator
  • Different distribution of weights - some weight transferred to the harness, BCD, cylinder or backplate
  • Avoiding excessive weighting
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