On May 19, 11:33 pm, eselk2...@gmail.com wrote:

When I first read this I got the impression you were a well
experienced diver, just not a qualified one. I re-read your post and
I'm worried a little. I know you mentioned you didn't want to hear
this, and I'm hoping you simply meant you didn't want the simple "your
stupid" answer. Here's a more well laid out explanation.

The potential to die during diving is very real and the circumstances
under which it can happen are not always obvious.

Using a metaphor, consider diving is like driving a car. If you've
never experienced driving as a passenger or driver and you take a car
for a spin, you will likely die. Now the rules are simple and many are
obvious. Drive on the correct side of the road, stop for octagonal red
signs, red and yellow traffic lights, drive to the conditions of the
road, etc. If the new driver doesn't get one of these rules it could
be fatal. Even if they do know the rules they are nervous, mistake
prone, and panic easily until they've become experienced. If you've
ever trained someone to drive you know what I mean.

Diving is the same and it taught pretty much the same, although there
are some physical and medical components to it. If a diver doesn't
understand a rule it could kill him, just like driver that flies
through a red light. New divers are very likely to have these problems
which is why it's recommended to learn from a qualified instructor.
I'm not an instructor so I can only assume why they are more qualified
to teach. I think it's because learning to teach diving is again about
experience. As they learn they assist instructors and see first hand
what can go wrong and how to deal with it. So when a new diver has
problems it's not a panic situation for the instructor it's a calm and
suitable response.

To be specific here are some situations where it's not intuitive the
danger:

1. You run low on air so you hold your last breath and go as fast as
you can to the surface. This would be a common panic response.
However, that breath could very easily be your last. Your lungs could
rupture as the air expands when you rise. Bubbles could form in your
blood stream and cause embolisms then you die. A ruptured lung could
collapse and you'd suffocate.

2. You get snagged on wreck, an old fishing line, net or other object.
Panic can set in, you can struggle to get free, you might not think of
getting out of your gear to get loose, or you could do it improperly
and rocket to the surface (see #1.) In your panic and struggle you may
fail to notice your air pressure and run out.

3. There are lots of other problems that are a little more obvious but
could still be deadly. Being hit by a boat, Losing or breaking your
mask,  getting lost, dealing with currents, losing weights, free flow
BC inflator, ruptured BC, other equipment going faulty.

4. What temperatures can you dive in, how deep, how long can you stay
under, how much weight do you need, how much air do you use, when
should you abort a dive, and on and on. These are all questions, some
of which are essential to staying alive.

Diving is safe only when the risks are carefully managed. The risks
can only be managed through knowledge and experience. A c-card is
supposed to represent that you have that. If you happen to have the
knowledge and experience the course should be a breeze.

The course and certification is also cheap (like $200) and there is as
much class time (8 hours or so) as dive time. Then all this wouldn't
be an issue and you'd have the knowledge to be much safer in the
water.

P.S. Do yourself a favour and check out the dive fatality reports. It
will sober you up on the dangers. A complacent diver is also a
dangerous diver.