SH294: Clickbait, trolls and comments. How dive incident posts can teach us — if we let them

When should a diver call off a dive, even when everything seems to be going well? Using the 1996 Everest disaster as a starting point, this episode explores why we often celebrate people who reach their goals while overlooking those who make the difficult decision to turn back. In diving, fatigue, minor equipment problems, rushed briefings and tension within a team can seem manageable on their own, but these warning signs can build up over time. The money, time and effort already invested in a trip can also make it harder to walk away, while previous successful dives may lead us to believe that taking the same risks is acceptable. The episode explains why knowledge alone is not enough and how divers can make better decisions by agreeing on clear exit criteria before entering the water. It also explores the importance of psychological safety, so people can say “I’m not diving today” without facing pressure or criticism. Ultimately, a good decision should be judged by the information available at the time, not by whether the dive happens to end safely. Knowing when to turn back is a skill that needs to be practised, and sometimes the best dive is the one you never make. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/quit-while-you-stil-can Links: Escalation of commitment: https://archive.org/details/entrapmentinesca0000broc Tags: THD-English| HITS-Decision-making

This episode explores what diving insurance can—and cannot—do, drawing on insights from two highly experienced dive insurance underwriters. Insurance can help cover the financial consequences of an incident, but it does not make diving safer or prevent harm, and policies may have conditions that limit when they will respond. The discussion also highlights how difficult it is for the diving industry to learn from incidents because insurers hold much of the claims data but cannot normally share it with training agencies. At the same time, qualifications and certificates may give little indication of a diver or instructor’s actual current ability. The result is a system that can focus heavily on paperwork, standards and insurance while missing opportunities to improve real-world competence. The episode argues that insurance should be the last line of defence, not a substitute for capability, ongoing learning and honest reflection. Reducing risk means understanding how decisions are made in real situations, learning from mistakes and near misses, and continuing to develop long after the certificate has been earned. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/the-insurance-illusion Links: Ineffective reporting of incidents and accidents: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/why-does-nothing-change Vetinary Defense Society: https://www.thevds.co.uk/aboutvetsafe Tags: THD-English| THD-Education & Content Type

In this episode, Brent Webb explores the idea that Human Factors should be more than a collection of concepts or courses—it can become the “operating system” of an organisation. Drawing on his experience running Scuba Adventures in Plano, Brent explains how psychological safety, Just Culture, systems thinking, debriefing and curiosity have become part of the way the business operates, influencing how staff handle mistakes, customer complaints, disagreements and everyday decisions. He reflects on how his own Human Factors journey began in 2022, when he realised that his behaviour under pressure could affect those around him, and how this led to a focus on personal growth alongside scuba diving. Brent also describes why successful events and near-misses are worth debriefing, using a recent lost-buddy situation as an example of how reflection can identify gaps before they become problems. The episode concludes by looking at the role of leadership in turning Human Factors from something written down into something people actually experience, with every interaction either reinforcing or undermining the organisation’s culture. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/human-factors-as-operating-system Links: Join us at next years conference: https://www.hf-in-diving-conference.com/ HFiD Products: https://www.thehumandiver.com/your-learning-journey Scuba Adventures, Plano: https://www.scubaplano.com/ “If Only…” Documentary: https://www.thehumandiver.com/ifonly Tags: THD-English| THD-Education & Content Type| THD-HFiD-Conference

In this episode, Connor Tate shares her experience of attending the Human Factors in Diving Conference while struggling with imposter syndrome as a researcher with limited diving experience. Despite understanding the science behind stress and decision-making, Connor discovers the difference between studying these concepts and experiencing them first-hand when a mask-clearing problem at depth triggers the early signs of panic. With the calm assistance of an experienced diver, she completes the dive and later reflects on how the experience connects directly to their research into detecting stress underwater. Through structured debriefs, practical training and an environment where people can discuss mistakes without blame, the conference demonstrates the value of psychological safety, teamwork and learning from experience. Connor also discovers that these lessons apply beyond diving, using human factors tools to improve communication and accountability at work. Ultimately, the experience shows that everyone has something valuable to contribute, regardless of their level of experience, and that progress comes from being willing to learn, reflect and be better than yesterday. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/am-i-enough Links: Join us at next year’s Gathering: https://www.hf-in-diving-conference.com/ Tags: THD-English| THD-Education & Content Type| THD-HFiD-Conference

We explore how capable, motivated divers can gradually push beyond safe limits when their environment rewards risk-taking and treats near misses as successes. Using the story of a young technical diver who died after entering a strong current, alongside examples from aviation, we examine how normalisation of deviance, practical drift, peer pressure and the need for recognition can erode safety margins over time. The episode asks whether we are recognising skill or simply rewarding luck, and looks at the responsibility of instructors, dive centres and teammates to create an environment where people can challenge decisions and stop a dive without fear of criticism. In an activity where there is no higher authority to stop a diver from making a poor decision, the people around us may be the last line of defence. The challenge is to tell these stories not as tales of foolish people making bad decisions, but as opportunities to understand how reasonable decisions can lead to terrible outcomes—and to recognise the early warning signs in our own thinking before it is too late. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/cashing-cheques Links: Blog about Normalisation of Deviance: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/normalisation-of-deviance-not-about-rule-breaking Lucky and good are different things: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/were-you-lucky-or-were-you-good-2 Jon Kieran’s article about training Doc Deep: https://indepthmag.com/i-trained-doc-deep/ The factors that allowed Holland’s fatality: https://convergentperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/attachments/Darker_Shades_of_Blue.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoqA5a510blcq1IOFitrQHksCF-mGJHc_5W7wcAmC1fl8A-MN7B5 Discussion about the term “second victim”: https://www.medstarhealth.org/-/media/project/mho/medstar/institute-for-quality-and-safety/about-miqs/abandon-term-second-victim-2019_web.pdf Calling a dive: https://www.tdisdi.com/sdi-diver-news/a-secret-tip-for-safer-diving/ Sidney Dekker’s checklist: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/restorative-just-culture References/Resources: Dillon and Tinsley. Near-miss events, risk messages, and decision making. & How Near-Miss Events Amplify or Attenuate Risky Decision Making Fit to Dive - Dealing with trauma after a diving accident Tags: THD-English| THD-Learning, Incidents & Just Culture