Talk of acronyms is probably a good time to introduce next month's
'CounterStrike' offering, that's titled, "No Fear!"  :-)

Strike
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No fear!

I've always held the word 'No' in high regard.  Apart from its structural
simplicity it's always stood by me like a good friend when I've considered
myself at risk in the face of questions like, "Was it you who put live frogs
in the lavatory bowl?" or, "Would you care for a second helping of boiled
broccoli and burned liver?"

But despite this status as the most important term that folks can ever learn
as far as their personal safety is concerned, a simple 'No!' often appears
to be the most feared and least used word in diving.

Which is rather strange considering how much easier it is to remember and
understand than many of the terms, formulas and technical definitions that
pad out the glossaries of diving manuals.

Knowing the proper terminology is, of course, a handy asset for everyone who
takes diving seriously.   However, it's even more important to understand
the practical significance of a term and its relevance to safe diving
practice; in much the same way that it's sometimes just as useful to
recognise who is saying something rather than what it is that they're
saying.

Diving purists, for example, refer to flippers as 'fins', while grizzled old
divers are still regarded as experienced veterans for insisting on calling
their fins 'flippers'.  The point being that what is said is of far less
importance than understanding what is meant!

For some divers, however, 'talking the talk' has become an obsession; one
that blinds them to the fact that diving is a practical activity made safer
and more enjoyable when it's combined with a common sense approach to the
use of language.  Especially when a misunderstanding over what was said - as
opposed to what was meant - could have disastrous consequences.

It wouldn't, for instance, be sensible for a Dive Master to introduce the
Gas Law formulas into a dive briefing and say something like, "On your
descent keep in mind that P1 over P2 times V1 equals V2", when all that was
required was a reminder about the need to monitor gauges more often at
depth.

Acronyms can be equally confusing.  Diving has lots of them.  AAS's; ABT's;
AGE's; ATM's; ATA's; BCD's; BT's; CNS'S; DCS's, and on through the entire
alphabet.  Reducing names and phrases down to their initials may be a
convenient form of verbal shorthand, but they're only practical when all
parties in a conversation know precisely what they mean in the context in
which they're used!

And further muddying the waters of intelligent and meaningful communication,
diving's also blessed with it's own fair share of slang expressions.

Despite these apparent obstacles, most divers quickly become familiar with
the commonplace terms and expressions in regular use.  A few even claim to
understand what they mean!

Sadly, however, it's a learning process in which it's easy to forget the
importance of simple language and the value of phrases like, "I don't know",
or, "I don't understand" - and even the difference between "Yes" and "No".

"So when I asked, at the end of the dive briefing, 'Does everybody feel
confident about doing this dive?' and you answered with 'Yes', what you
actually meant to say was 'No'?"

"Yes!  But only 'cause I was confused by all of those acro-thingies and I
was too embarrassed to admit that I don't know my AAS from my elbow!"

"And then when I asked - just before you and your buddy entered the water -
'Do you both understand the time, depth and air supply parameters of this
dive?',  and you said 'Yes', you really meant to say, 'No'? "

"No.  I meant 'Yes' because my buddy seemed to understand what you said.  I
didn't know that he'd said 'Yes' because I hadn't said 'No'!"

Fearing ridicule if they admit to ignorance or voice doubts and concerns
about their ability to carry out a particular dive, there's a tendency among
many divers - at every level of experience - to put pride before their
personal well-being and enjoyment.  Caving in to peer pressure they'll
ignore all of their instincts and say 'Yes', even when their gut feeling
tells them to say 'No'.

Which is just about as silly as me saying, 'Yes' when asked:  "Was it you
who put live frogs in the lavatory bowl?"

---ENDS---