SAFETY SERVICES
THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF SAFE DIVING B Y
J A S O N
M A R TE N S ,
P H . D .
/
P H O T O S
B Y
S T E P H E N
FR IN K
AS CERTIFIED DIVERS, WE SHOULD ALREADY have a pretty good understanding of how to dive safely. But many of us have found ourselves in unsafe diving situations such as diving beyond our training or diving despite apprehension or discomfort. Many of these dangerous situations result from poor decisions made before a dive, but why do divers make bad decisions when we know better? I have found myself in several unsafe situations in diving. Once a dive operator encouraged me to go on a dive that was deeper than I was trained to go. Another time one put together my equipment for me, and when I went to double check it he told me not to bother, saying they had “been doing this for years.” Many divers give in to this sort of pressure, but why does this happen despite all the training we’ve undergone? We could say these dive operators have an unsafe dive culture, but I think we must examine how such cultures arise. Many factors contribute to unsafe diving. One is pluralistic ignorance, which is when people act as if nothing is wrong because nobody else is acting like anything is wrong. In diving, this can occur when someone suggests something unsafe and nobody speaks out against it. When this happens we tend to look around, notice that nobody else seems to be concerned, and 78 |
2021 SPECIAL EDITION
