I love scuba diving. Ever since I discovered it a few years ago, I've been hooked. I particularly love scuba diving in Cebu. I truly believe that the island can offer some of the best diving experiences in the world. 

But I’d like to hold off on talking about the great places I've been to (and great places I've yet to discover), instead I’d like to cover exactly what the title of this blog says: what are the worst scuba diving mistakes out there? And how does a diver fix them? Or more importantly, how does a diver avoid them? 

A recent incident occurred a few weeks ago that really motivated me to write this blog. Let me first tell you all about it.

I have an old friend who is now based in New York City working as a line chef. Before she left for the Big Apple, we used to go on diving trips together, traipsing all over Cebu looking for the next best dive. Then she left, which is okay. Life goes on. 

However, I recently got a call from her sister saying she would be in town for a few days and wouldn't I want to spend time with her? Of course I said yes. I sent her an email and she wrote me back giving me details of her trip. Next thing I knew, she was finally here. I noticed she gained a bit of weight and didn't quite look like she used to, still pretty but I guess the toll of living in an expensive city got the best of her (which she admitted) and while having coffee, we excitedly planned a dive trip: morning dive, Pescador, our favorite, scheduled on the day before she headed back Stateside. I asked her if she had dived recently and she vaguely said, “Yeah… here and there.” So I guessed the scuba diving bug never left. Since she was visiting family and only had a few days here, I made plans and made sure I contacted the dive master we knew in Pescador. All was well and everything was looking good. Until that day arrived, I woke up with a bad flu. Needless to say, I was unfit to dive. But I urged her to go anyway, told her one of our friends was scheduled on that day too. So she went.

The rest of that morning was uneventful. I was nursing myself with warm chicken soup, Paracetamol and Vicks® VapoRub. Then I got a call. My friend had almost drowned. She had attempted to dive on a current-swept reef at close to 70 feet and was struggling for much of the dive and burned through her oxygen supply at an alarming rate. After gathering all the details from the dive master who called me, it was concluded that she was in poor physical condition and hadn't had gone on a single dive in 4 years. I felt terrible. Had I known, I wouldn't have allowed her to go. I heard from her the moment she arrived that evening and needless to say, she was out of sorts at what happened. She’s left the country already and here I am tapping at the keyboard, having this great big urge to gather the worst ever mistakes you can make when scuba diving and how to fix them. Henceforth, let us begin.

Poor Physical Fitness

As narrated above, if you neglect your physical health, things will go wrong. As I love scuba diving and I want to enjoy it for as long as I can, I try to exercise regularly, eat well and get a physical exam every few months or so. Even a cold or the slightest change in your health condition can prove to be problematic. Your body needs to fully recover from any and all medical complications first before you attempt to scuba dive again. So how do you avoid this? Stay in shape. Your health must be in tip-top condition so that your body is ready to respond to any accidents that might happen while diving.

False Sense of Confidence

This is very important to note. You might discover a new diving spot that you don’t know much about but you’re like,”Oh well, this is my 26th dive, I can handle this!” That false sense of security that blankets your logical judgment and will make you push the envelope a little bit more than usual. Then safety gets sacrificed for the thrill of the experience. Because of that thrill, dive briefings and prior agreements will eventually be forgotten and minor mishaps will happen. Even worse, your life or the lives of the other divers around you will be in jeopardy. 

How do you fix this? ALWAYS know and keep within your limitations. Never ever go beyond what you know. And if there are a few things unbeknownst to you, like what you can expect from a particular dive, never hesitate to ask and if you feel like this is beyond your experience, never attempt it. Another thing you can do is you can always take a refresher course if you feel like you’re unsure about a certain dive or you've taken a short hiatus on diving. Getting a refresher course is always a good way to keep your knowledge in check.

Improper Maintenance of Scuba Diving Equipment

For a diver, your scuba diving equipment is your lifeline. I know some people who would rather purchase from a sketchy website for some second hand diving equipment or even go the lengths of “borrowing” old equipment from a friend because you want to “save”.  Let’s get real here.  Scuba diving is a recreational sport where you invest in your gear and maintain the gear that you’ve invested in. If you use faulty or ill-maintained equipment, things are bound to go wrong. But, if you are renting equipment, make sure it is from a reliable dive shop preferably recommended by a good friend or other experienced divers.

How do you fix this? The right gear can make a world of difference. If you’re planning on cave penetration, for example, you have to invest in getting the right gear for that. Everything must be exactly right. And all your life-support equipment must undergo regular maintenance, service and undergo eagle-eye checking before, and even after, you dive.

Improper Practice of Critical Skills Taught at Initial Scuba Diving Training

Upon receiving your initial scuba diving training, you should have been taught some basic skills that are not only focused on scuba diving but also on how to deal with scuba diving medical emergencies. And just like any other skill, if you don’t often use them, chances are, they will get rusty. Lucky my friend was in the hands of a skilled dive master, who, with quick thinking and years of training, was able to save her. However, the rest of us aren't as well trained. 

So, how do you fix this? Here you can also try taking a refresher course to review those initial skills we learned. Practicing these skills regularly with a dive buddy or keeping yourself informed by reading books, articles and watching videos online is a great way to keep those skills sharp as a knife.

And just one last thing:

Lack of or Zero Buddy Communication

Your diving buddy is your lifeline as well.  Both for reasons of safety and practicality, diving with a buddy is a huge necessity. I would never venture scuba diving alone. Would you? Not being able to maintain contact or being separated during a dive is usually caused by lack of buddy communication and is a common cause for major accidents while scuba diving.

How do you fix this? Well, first I would recommend a diving buddy that’s also a good friend but more importantly, a diving buddy who is familiar with the terrain or dive spot.  And before each dive, common sense tells us to sit down with our dive buddy to talk about the dive plan thoroughly as well as reviewing safety measure. Trust me, this can save your life.

Hopefully this blog post is useful to someone out there who needs to be reminded that nothing is ever in our control. You see, wherever you dive, whether it’s scuba diving in Cebu or some other exotic location, whether you've got years of experience under your belt or what your certification level is, always remember that diving is not a competitive sport, it's a recreational activity that anyone can do given it is done within its safety standards.

And as Tom Hanks said in the great movie, Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.