Blueprint for survival

By Mark Mumford abridged from aquaCorps #12

About 12 years ago, in response to the then growing number of fatalities, the US Cave Diving community developed a set of safety principles which were later refined by Sheck Exley in his book Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for survival.

These guidelines have been further refined into a general set of principles for technical diving.

Requirements:

The general requirements are summarised by "AKTEE"

• A - Attitude. There is no room for recklessness or machismo
• K - Knowledge. Have some options when problems occur
• T - Training. Skills must automatic (part of muscle memory)
• E - Experience. (In this dive) This takes exposure and time
• E - Equipment. Use an appropriate set of tools.

Training

• Always be prepared and trained for the dive you plan to conduct. Do you and your buddy meet AKTEE?
• Review and practice emergency procedures frequently so that they become second nature.

Gas supply

• Always dive with an appropriate redundent breathing system in overhead environments or below 40m.
• Pre-plan and calculate the gas required to conduct the dive. Dive the plan. Use the rule of thirds.
• Plan at least a 33% reserve for your Decompression gas.
• Carry all the gas you will need for the dive unless it can be reliably staged. In open water, the goal is to be self-sufficient to the maximum extent possible.

Gas mix

• Always dive the safest possible mix for the dive.
• Always analyse, label, and log your gas, even if its air.
• Maintain your PO2 at or below 1.4 bar.
• Say no to any Nitrox mix (inc air) beyond 55-61m.

Decompression

• Always use appropriate and reliable Decompression methods and tools, and be conservative.
• Use a hypoxic mix for Decompresison whenever possible.
• Use regulator guards to prevent use of inappropriate or dangerous mixes at the wrong depths.
• Plan for, and always be prepared to deal with Decompression illness. Know how to give oxygen.

Equipment

• Use the best possible, well maintained equipment.
• Carry appropriate equipment and know how to use it
• Always use a continuous guideline when diving in an overhead environment

Operations

• Pre-plan everything, provide effective and immediate assistance to a diver in distress at any point in the dive, be prepared for the worst, and always have plenty of oxygen.
• Dive as a team, but remember the rule that anyone can abort the dive at any time for any reason.
• Stay within your own comfort zone for the whole dive
• YOU and YOU ALONE are responsible for you own safety. Avoid overconfidence and peer pressure.

The full original article can be found at the Aquacorps Archive.

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