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LEARNING GOALS In this chapter you will: • Learn the general method for resolving problems under water. • Be introduced to situations that can occur under water and how you can prevent them from occurring or resolve them if you do encounter them. • Learn how to assist another diver if they are having a problem. • Be introduced to the steps you need to take to rescue another diver at the surface and underwater. • Learn about first aid for aquatic injuries. • Be introduced to the importance of safe diving practices. Diving always entails some degree of risk. Even if you do everything right, there is still a slight but real possibility that you might be injured, while under water. Fortunately, diving accidents are rare, and you can avoid them by solving small problems early – before they become big problems. DIVING SITUATIONS Some situations can occur as you dive that will bother you. You can deal with most of these situations if you stop to analyze and cope with them calmly. As long as you have air to breathe, you can deal with almost anything. Keep this thought in mind, and you will soon view everyday dive problems as the minor annoyance they are. General Method of Resolving a Problem There are three steps to solving a problem under water: 1. Stop your activity. 2. Get firm control of yourself and analyze the situation. 3. Take action based on your analysis. Remembering and following these three steps will help you deal with any situation in a calm manner and can prevent a situation from getting worse. Heat Loss Water conducts heat quite efficiently and it can absorb a great deal of heat with very little change in its own temperature. When you are immersed in water without proper thermal protection, heat is rapidly drawn from your body. This process is called conduction. You also lose heat under water every time you take a breath and exhale, as your body warms the air you inhale. You can lose a significant amount of your body heat this way. This effect increases with depth, because the density of the air you are breathing increases with increased pressure. The temperature of the water can also drop as you dive deeper. The deeper you dive, the greater the pressure that works to compress your wetsuit. The more your wetsuit compresses, the less insulation you have. This is unfortunate, because as you dive deeper, the water usually gets colder. This is another good reason to limit your diving to shallower depths. Diving is more fun, and safer, when you are warm. If your body loses enough heat, you can develop a medical condition known as hypothermia. In Greek, hypo means low and therm means heat or temperature. The symptoms of heat loss include: • Loss of muscle strength. • Muscle cramps. • Numbness in your arms and legs or inability to use your fingers or hands. • Increased breathing rate with no increase in your activity. • Shivering. • Fatigue. • Loss of ability to think clearly. If you ignore the symptoms, your body continues to lose heat, and you will develop a serious medical emergency. Heart irregularities, unconsciousness, and even death can occur. If you become cold while diving, you must rewarm yourself. End your dive and get out of the water. Get into warm, dry clothing as soon as possible. Layers of clothing or blankets also help to trap warmth near your body. Warm drinks will help, but avoid any with caffeine or alcohol. A warm, not hot, bath might also help. NAUI Scuba Diver 160 Problem Solving


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