Safety Culture - diving in the zone
Images
“Thank [beep] for that! How lucky were we? We better not do that again.
Don’t tell anyone though, we don’t want to look like amateurs...”
Tech and Training
Technical Diving & Training
Section
What were the aims and objectives of Rebreather Forum 3
Over the course of the following three days 400 experts, manufacturers, instructors, training agencies and divers from around the world gathered to improve understanding, with the hope that this would translate to improved safety across the board.
We can always do things better. So it is a rationality check to see if we can make things safer.
Dr Neal W Pollock
What were the aims and objectives of Rebreather Forum 3
Over the course of the following three days 400 experts, manufacturers, instructors, training agencies and divers from around the world gathered to improve understanding, with the hope that this would translate to improved safety across the board.
We can always do things better. So it is a rationality check to see if we can make things safer.
Dr Neal W Pollock
Rebreather Forum 3: Diving with Rebreathers
Richard Pyle is an early adopter of technical-diving practices and is known around the world as a rebreather diver and designer. He is a highly respected Ichthyologyist (in plain English a scientist who studies fish) and he has discovered many new species of fish.
A dive with a profound effect
When Richard Pyle was 19 he was living and diving the western Pacific Ocean off Palau. During his time there he suffered a very serious case of decompression sickness and became quadriplegic.
Rebreather Forum 3: Anatomy of a CCR Dive: A Comparison / Contrast
RF3 was convened primarily as a platform for discussion of various issues that may have an impact on the safety of diving with rebreathers. It was attended by many expert presenters and rebreather divers who contributed to these discussions.
It was recognised however that the forum would also attract some divers who were not rebreather users, but who were perhaps contemplating purchasing one, or simply interested in learning about them. For this reason the program included this presentation on the basics of rebreather devices.
From Rust to Rock
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Pete Mesley
Deep in the engine room of Heian Maru, Truk Lagoon, Micronesia. Photo by Pete Mesley.
For years and years, people have often asked me, “Hey, why aren’t you a cave diver?” And I would respond simply, “When I have dived all the wrecks of the world (twice), I will then think about diving Wet Rocks!”
Interview with Jakub Šimánek
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Miloslav Dvoracek, Eva Simankova,
Martin Strmiska, Dusan Urban
and Dan Valek
Jakub Šimánek diving in Egypt
Jakub Šimánek lives for diving and dives for a living. He inherited his passion for the underwater world from his father at a young age. Currently, a Factory Instructor Trainer for the Liberty closed circuit rebreather (CCR), Jakub has been a part of the development team at the dive equipment manufacturer Divesoft since 2012.
Hilarion: Exploring the Greek Silver Mines of Lavreotiki
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Trifonas Egglezos, Maria Fotiadi
and Erikos Kranidiotis
Smiling faces after completion of a successful dive in Mine 80 (below) with Tzamalis (right) at the surface in support of exploration divers Kranidiotis (left) and Stamatakis (center), Hilarion mine complex, Lavrio, Lavreotiki, Greece. Photo by Maria Fotiadi.
In May 2019, a group of dry cavers visited the famous silver mines of Lavrion in the southeastern area of Attica, Greece. The main objective of the visit was to inspect and document the flooded chambers.
Land of the Sumps: Cave Exploration in the Cerro Rabón
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Adam Haydock and Teddy Garlock
What a resurgence! I first saw this amazing resurgence in 2017.
Out of Air with Plenty to Breathe
Take responsibility for opening your own cylinder valve before a dive. If someone else wants to do it for you or touches it to check it is open, politely refuse.
It was a beautiful day in Indonesia’s Banda Sea. Richard rolled back into the warm waters and swam over to join his wife, Florence. After exchanging signals, they descended together, heading for a patch of bright yellow sea fans on the reef wall at 30m, where their guide had promised to show them pygmy seahorses. The guide was already there below, searching for the elusive little creatures.
RESA and RTC are in concord over training standards
Prior to this meeting the Rebreather Education and Safety Association (RESA) and the Rebreather Training Council (RTC) had been having a robust active discussion about industry-wide rebreather training standards. It seemed sensible therefore to take the opportunity for the two organisations to find a common path forward.
Mark Caney from PADI and the RTC stated "The key item to come out of this meeting was an agreement for a joint committee to look at standards issued by both organisations, and work objectively towards harmonisation of standards.