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Since the majority of “technical” divers did not just start out by doing 300’ deep dives with 4 hours of deco, but rather worked our way up from a very basic scuba course, perhaps sometimes we do not properly weigh out our odds.

Going underwater with any type of equipment designed to let us keep breathing in taking a chance whether we admit it or not.  We are effectively putting ourselves in a hostile environment that we are not built to be in.  We build machines and devices to let us do what we are not supposed to be doing.  Sooner or later the odds will catch up to us and we need to look at this realistically and with an open mind.

We need to be willing to admit that we are doing something that has a risk factor and share this with others in our life that it might affect.  Believe it or not, your death will have long lasting effects on many others that are still alive.

There are many things that are part of the whole risk vs. reward debate and I will never profess to know all of them.  I will however do what I can to mitigate problems and thus hopefully tilt the scales slightly in my favor.  I believe in continued education and practice of basic skills to keep myself mentally ready to deal with issues both quickly and accurately.  Keeping an open mind towards others view points and opinions has helped me to learn a lot of new things as I advance with my diving.

Basically, I am asking all of you to look at everything involved with each dive that you plan to do.  The location, depth, temperature, visibility, and equipment are just some of the obvious things.  Simple things like your personal comfort level are still just as important to consider when getting ready to dive. 

Make sure that you are not taking something for granted just because you have done it a thousand times.  There is no dive worth causing your loved ones to get a phone call that begins “We regret to inform you…………….”

As always – Have Fun and Dive Safe

Dsix36

Risk vs. Reward