12th Sept 2023. 3 min read
Diving in Bali by author
I thought with 350 scuba dives under my belt, I would generally have smooth dives in Bali or anywhere else.
I would not want to pose as a headache to my dive guide as a senior diver to boot.
Over the years, I have learned to keep my balance air use to above 1000 psi to indicate my effective breathing technique and the optimal use of the air tank which can be a reserve for my dive buddy should he or she needs it.
I have become more aware of my diving depth so as not float towards the surface unconsciously resulting in triggering the 3 m safety stop. Moreover, there may be passing boats which is a danger to the unaware diver.
My hearing alertness has been enhanced for survival.
My buoyancy is quite good as I do not scrape against any corals hard or soft causing damage that may require decades to recover.
But during one of the dives, a final one at Blue Lagoon, Bali, the unthinkable happened.
In my enthusiasm to hover over the beautiful creatures of the sea, we took turns as each diver with camera went near for their best shot.
As I moved away, I thought my guide was waiting for me and proceeded to trail behind him. Most dive guides looked the same in the water with the their hoods, black wet suits and fins.
I trailed behind him for sometime, thinking it was my guide and my buddy in front with yellow fins.
Little did I know; when he turned around, I realized that they were the wrong guide and wrong buddy. By then, the rest of the group had disappeared from view.
Surprisingly I did not panic, no rapid heartbeats, no cold feet and chills down my spine, maybe that could be the result of reading all the positive articles on medium.
My assessment was that I could surface and bob on the sea with my inflated balloon but that would be a risk as I would be alone and the surging waves above may crash me against the rocks and cliff at a random spot.
I chose to swim towards the dive guide in front of me and signalled to him that I had lost my group. Fortunately, he waved for me to follow both of them.
My next thought was how my senior buddy must have felt frantic having lost me and the diving for the rest could be aborted. I felt guilty.
I was surprised at my composure and my decision but at that point, negative thoughts did seep in. What if these two local divers bring me to an isolated spot to surface. I would be captive.
My inner response was that I was allowing negative thoughts to overwhelm me but I tried to believe in the good nature of the locals in a touristy area.
Well, I reasoned that I could become their dentist with my invaluable skills I thought and teach the locals English using google translate?
Finally, we did surface after performing the safety stop and emerged with waves pounding at us mercilessly. I apologised for the inconvenience caused. I blurted out the name of the dive guide which I suddenly recalled and he immediately named the boat. It is a small community among the dive guides.
In a matter of minutes, my dive guide arrived in his small borrowed motor boat and was visibly upset. Apparently, my dive buddy had triggered an emergency search for me, the missing diver.
As for me, I am glad that the passage of time and reading positive stuff have mellowed me to a point of sensibility in the face of adversity.
After all, what can a panicked mind do though I concede that there was an internal stress that caused me to forget who my guide was and the name of our boat during the dive with these unknown divers. A little post traumatic syndrome.
It all came back after silencing and sorting out my thoughts eventually.
All was well. When I was returned to the boat, my diving operator was cool as cucumber and jokingly said that dinner would be on me.
I told that him I had given him a wet run for handling future missing divers. It was bound to happen again. Then I calmed my buddy.
There were lessons to be learned.
They could add the management of being lost to the divers during future briefings so that no other divers needed be interrupted in their dives. Key is to remain calm and think what is the best course of action. And trust that the operators will look for them.
Lessons learned
1 Adopting a composed mind would help more than panic.
2 Life will always throw us off balance when we least expect it.
3 We are more resourceful than we think.
4 People are kinder than we think.
5 Cut out negative thoughts as they cloud the mind. If it is going to happen, we still have to deal with it
6 Look for something positive from the episode and gain more wisdom.
7 Find some humour in it and make everyone laugh to relieve tensions.
I am thankful for the experience. It was not deliberate but it does reveal where my weakness lies and I am sure to overcome this Archilles heel.
Indeed this is a free tutorial shared not by many divers, except by a kind soul like you, of a traumatic but rich and fruitful experience in a deep sea diving trip, with lessons well learned.
You mentioned about basic safety protocol, of knowing how to use your air tank sparingly to keep pressure at more than 1000 psi as a reserve for emergency use by your buddy if needs be. No problem for awareness of diving depth being an experienced diver, with >350 dives under your belt, for you can tell where is your diving position to avoid floating dangerously to the water surface top, where collision with surface boats can occur.
With enhanced hearing and good buoyancy skill, you avoided scraping the corals reef for such injuries may well take decades to heal.
But in the haste by a few grps of divers to have a good camera shot of a beautiful sea creature, with each diver taking turn hovering near it, there was some chaotic moments and confusion , like that of a stadium gate stampede, as you lost your bearing and direction and follow another dive guide and his buddy to his destination.
Then wild thoughts set in , as you may be kidnapped by them it they were bad hats, in which case you may have to put your potential self defence, judo and acrobatic kicking skills to the test in the worst case scenario, the skills enhanced by your rock climbing, monkey bars and chin~up exercise, very potent indeed.
But as it turned out, the anonymous diver guide happened to be kind hearted at that moment, influenced by your divine grace and he brought you to your group dive guide, who came speeding in panic in a small motorboat. Your dive buddy earlier having lost you, had triggered an emergency rescue.
Indeed this episode is a real life experience of the gaps in the existing energency safety procedures of preventing a diver from drifting apart and searching for a missing diver should it be required. Needless to say, the dive operator should be grateful to you for this WET RUN to improve his emergency safey, search and rescue procedures.
All is well that ends well and you have added one more feather to your vast arsenal of wisdom and experience. In the midst of adversity, our greatest enemy is our fear and panic which can be easily subdued by a cool, calm and composed mind, and for which you did very well as you had testified, heart within and God overhead.
Thanks for your kind comments!