It costs us time and money on every dive.
It drove me nuts that I kept surfacing late and annoying the crew. I was always losing track of minutes underwater. So I started setting a hard alarm on my dive computer. Now I'm never late, and the team doesn't have to wait. How do you keep track of time underwater?
We were doing a pipeline check and suddenly heard music through the headsets. It turned out the surface boat's radio was interfering with our gear. What's the best way to shield comms from outside noise?
Got totally turned around in zero visibility on a wreck survey... tied a line to my entry point and used it to navigate. It sounds basic, but it made all the difference.
Lots of divers focus on gear or conditions, but I think overconfidence is worse. I skipped a buddy check once and got tangled in lines, which was a wake-up call.
During a deep inspection dive, my dive computer suddenly died on me. Most guys in the trade push for all the latest gear, but I've found that keeping up with manual dive plans is a real lifesaver. How many of you still make time to practice with tables instead of just trusting the gadgets?
The long flights and weeks away from home drain the fun out of it faster than most divers admit.