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How can I get more comfortable with the scuba diving mask skills?
Your ability to flood and clear, or remove and replace your mask is an important part of being a scuba diver, and essential to be a calm, safe diver. However, these scuba mask skills are sometimes a bit of a… Continue reading
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Psychological fitness to dive
Fitness to dive is important We can understand that physical fitness to dive is important because we know that our bodies will need to be able to cope with some stresses, like the pressure on our ears at depth, or… Continue reading
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Why do I panic underwater?
Because your mind and body sense a threat We are underwater. We would not survive long without our scuba equipment. Experiencing emotions like anxiety and fear is perfectly normal. These emotions are our signals to detect problems. But anxiety can… Continue reading
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What happens if you panic while scuba diving?
Most of the time, a scuba diver who panics will be probably be lucky enough to escape without injury. But that is not always the case, because panic is a state that makes people do strange things. The instinctive actions… Continue reading
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Nitrogen narcosis in scuba diving and why we don’t call it that anymore
Gas narcosis in scuba diving Narcosis in scuba diving, “gas narcosis” or “nitrogen narcosis”: this is the change in thinking and awareness, sensory and motor function and behaviour that occurs at depth. Breathing gas at depth leads to narcosis, often noticed around… Continue reading
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What does nitrogen narcosis mean?
Gas narcosis in scuba diving Narcosis in scuba diving is the change in thinking and awareness, sensory and motor function and behaviour that occurs at depth. Breathing gas at depth leads to narcosis, often noticed around 30m it can be an issue… Continue reading
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Why seeking psychological services is not like calling the coastguard.
A metaphor about psychological support We can imagine that going through life is like sailing your own boat across the ocean. We all have different boats, some are faster, some slower. Some are power boats and others sail with the… Continue reading
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What are psychological skills and how can they be useful in diving?
The aeroplane accelerated along the runway and as it lifted off I heard “we are going to die, we are all going to die!”. Nobody had said anything, everything was fine. The sudden appearance of this phrase in my head… Continue reading
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What can psychology do for divers?
Like any extreme environment, being underwater has a profound effect on how we behave and think. Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour, often described as both an art and a science, it provides insights into why we… Continue reading
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Social reactions to decompression illness
What can sociological and psychological sciences do for divers? Studies of diver behaviour can reveal important factors that contribute to risk of injury and how we react to incidents involving injury and/or fatalities and can potentially inform changes to procedures… Continue reading
Fit To Dive 