Doing It Right
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Doing It Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving Doing It Right: The Fundamentals This book was written for anyone who wants to get the most out of their diving. From augmenting dive safety to increasing the enjoyment of your family’s Caribbean diving trip or planning deep cave exploration, DIR diving is the new foundation for all diving practices. This book outlines not only the essential skills and techniques constituting sound diving practice but also the central elements of a holistic approach to diving. “Jarrod Jablonski’s “Doing It Right” is an outstanding text on equipment configuration, bridging the gap between sound conventional diving and technical diving within all environments.” Tim O’Leary, Bruce Wienke NAUI Technical Training Operations “Now there is one great starting place for the information, skills and methods that, when used as intended, should not only eliminate the ‘accidents’ in diving, but should make anyone’s diving more successful and above all Doing It Right: more enjoyable.” George Irvine, Project Director The Fundamentals of Better Diving Woodville Karst Plain Project Jarrod Jablonski “DIR has taken volumes of SCUBA principles and improved upon them. At the core of DIR and GUE methodologies is the discriminating diver– a person who has a clear perspective on his or her role in dive exploration, and one who will eagerly embrace sound diving practices.” Tec Clark, Associate Director YMCA SCUBA Program Global Underwater Explorers Jarrod Jablonski is the president/founder of Global Underwater Explorers and the CEO of Halcyon and Extreme Exposure diving equip- ment. Actively involved in dive research, education, and underwater motion picture production, his exploration work includes dives to nearly four miles from the nearest air source (19,000 feet) at a depth of 300 feet, resulting in several world record accom- plishments. Jarrod Jablonski ISBN 0-9713267-0-3 Global Underwater Explorers Contents Contents PREFACE: WHY THIS BOOK.......XII CHAPTER 1: WHAT AM I MISSING?.......16 THE REAL STORY.......18 WHAT MAKES A GOOD DIVER?.......19 DIVING EXPERIENCE.......19 DIVING ABILITY.......20 THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK: HAVING FUN.......21 CHAPTER 2: LEARNING HOW TO LEARN.......23 WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND A GOOD DIVING EDUCATOR?.......23 WHAT IS THE INSTRUCTOR’S PERSONAL DIVING HISTORY?.......24 HOW OFTEN DOES THE INSTRUCTOR TEACH AND/OR DIVE?.......25 EDUCATE YOURSELF.......26 DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE DISCOUNT STRUCTURE.......26 THE AGENCY.......26 CHAPTER 3: BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION.......29 BASIC DIVING SKILLS.......29 AQUATIC COMFORT.......30 WHERE DO YOU RANK IN ANY OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CATEGO- RIES?.......32 MASK CLEARING.......32 HOW ARE YOUR MASK CLEARING SKILLS?.......33 BUOYANCY CONTROL.......33 HOW IS YOUR BUOYANCY?.......34 TRIM.......35 HOW IS YOUR TRIM?.......37 GAS MANAGEMENT.......37 HOW EFFECTIVELY DO YOU MANAGE YOUR BREATHING SUPPLY?.......37 PROPULSION TECHNIQUES.......38 HOW ARE YOUR PROPULSION TECHNIQUES?.......38 TYPES OF PROPULSION TECHNIQUES.......39 DIRECTIONAL AWARENESS.......41 DO YOU HAVE GOOD DIRECTIONAL AWARENESS?.......41 BUDDY SKILLS.......41 HOW ARE YOUR BUDDY SKILLS?.......42 vii Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving COMMUNICATION.......43 NUMERICAL HAND SIGNALS.......47 EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT.......49 HOW WELL DO YOU MANAGE YOUR EQUIPMENT?.......49 CHAPTER 4: DIR PHILOSOPHY.......53 POOR TECHNIQUE IS A REAL DRAG.......53 DOING-IT-RIGHT.......54 CHAPTER 5: AN OVERVIEW OF THE DIR EQUIPMENT CONFIGURATION.......66 DIR VS. OTHER EQUIPMENT “STYLES”.......67 THE DOING IT RIGHT SYSTEM .......68 THE BUNGEE STYLE—DONATING FROM ONE’S RETAINING DE- VICE.......68 DIR—DONATING FROM ONE’S MOUTH.......69 WHAT ABOUT OPEN WATER DIVING? .......69 CAN I STILL DIVE DIR WHILE USING A SHORT HOSE ON MY PRIMARY REGULATOR?.......70 MINIMALISM AND THE STREAMLINED DIVER.......70 CHAPTER 6: THE DOING IT RIGHT EQUIPMENT CONFIGURATION.......75 DIR DETAILS.......79 WEARING A SCUBA TANK.......81 THE HARNESS AND BACKPLATE .......81 BUOYANCY COMPENSATORS.......84 REGULATORS.......86 REGULATOR CONFIGURATION.......93 GAUGES.......98 MASK .......98 SNORKEL.......99 FINS.......100 VALVES.......100 KNOBS .......101 MANIFOLDS.......102 ISOLATOR VALVES.......103 CYLINDERS .......104 DIVE LIGHTS.......109 viii Contents STAGE/DECOMPRESSION BOTTLES.......112 SCOOTER DIVING.......115 COMPUTER DIVING.......118 A BAKER’S DOZEN: PROBLEMS WITH COMPUTER DIVING.......119 THE BODY .......121 CHAPTER 7: ARE YOU READY FOR TECHNICAL DIVING?.......124 HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE SHOULD I HAVE BEFORE TAKING A TECHNICAL DIVING COURSE?.......125 WHAT BUOYANCY SKILLS SHOULD I MASTER BEFORE TAKING A TECHNICAL DIVING COURSE?.......126 HOW IMPORTANT IS PHYSICAL FITNESS TO THE TECHNICAL DIVER?.......127 CHAPTER 8: ALTERNATE BREATHING MIXTURES.......130 WHY ADD OXYGEN TO AIR?.......130 WHAT IS NITROX?.......130 ADVANTAGES OF BREATHING NITROX.......130 COMPLICATIONS OF USING NITROX.......131 NITROX SUMMARY.......132 HELIUM-BASED DIVING GASES.......132 GAS NARCOSIS.......134 CHAPTER 9: DIVING ENVIRONMENTS.......137 CAVE DIVING.......138 COLD WATER.......138 ICE DIVING.......140 WRECK DIVING.......140 DIVING FROM A BOAT.......141 ANCHOR DIVING.......142 DRIFT DIVING WITH A SURFACE MARKER.......142 DRIFTING INTO A FIXED POINT.......143 GETTING BACK TO THE BOAT.......143 UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE UP-LINE.......144 SURFACE SUPPORT.......145 CHAPTER 10: RESCUE DIVING.......148 THE NON-RESCUE .......148 ASSISTING TIRED DIVERS.......150 RESCUE DIVING SKILLS.......150 PANICKED DIVERS.......151 ix Doing it Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving UNCONSCIOUS DIVERS.......152 VENTILATING AN APNEIC VICTIM WITH A SCUBA REGULATOR.......156 VENTILATION BASICS.......156 VENTILATION COMPLICATIONS.......156 TECHNIQUES.......157 CLINICAL EXPERIENCE.......158 COMPLICATIONS.......158 CHAPTER 11: ACCIDENT ANALYSIS: ARE YOU AT RISK?.......161 HOW DO CAVE FATALITIES RELATE TO RECREATIONAL DIVING?.......162 EXCEEDING ONE’S LEVEL OF TRAINING.......163 GOING BEYOND ONE’S PERSONAL LEVEL OF COMFORT.......163 DIVING BEYOND THE RANGE OF ONE’S GAS MIXTURE.......163 USING IMPROPER OR INSUFFICIENT EQUIPMENT.......164 STRESS ON THE DIVER.......165 RECOGNIZING STRESS.......165 COPING WITH STRESS.......166 PANIC.......167 CONCLUSION: DOING IT RIGHT.......169 INDEX.......171 x.