Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

The Level of Soft Skills in Scuba Diving: An experience in Open Water Diver Course
Samir Muhazzab Amin a, Associate Prof. Mohammad Shatar Sabran b, Noremy Md Akhir c, Prof. Azali Mohamed d Universiti Putra Malaysia Universiti Putra Malaysia c Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia d Universiti Putra Malaysia
b a

samir@putra.upm.edu.my 03-89467079 (Off) 03-89467280 (fax)

Abstract

Now days scuba diving is not merely recreation and an attractive hobby but its more than that. Apart from enjoying the magnificence and the uniqueness of the marine life, there is a lot to be learned by engaging with scuba diving activities. This paper shall describe more in detail the relation between scuba diving activity with the formation of soft skills among diver including critical thinking, communication, moral and ethic, leadership, team work and life long learning. In conclusion, from these activities we can get a lot of marvelous experience and also learn about soft skills.

Introduction

fiction

of

Jules

Verne

and

the

modern

underwater adventures in Hollywood films. Scuba diving is popular, easy and fun. Scuba diving as outdoor recreation is gaining in popularity, while participation in other pastimes is diminishing. Why is scuba diving so popular? Breath-hold diving, dangerous though it can be, has been used to collect pearls, sponges and valuable commodities from the sea floor for many generations.

Over 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water. The allure and mystery of the underwater world has inspired the human imagination since prehistory, from the mythological monsters described by seafaring people, to the science

Advances in underwater exploration began nearly three centuries ago using diving bells and large cumbersome sealed suits using pumped air from the surface. Only very recently advances in technology and mechanics have allowed people

1/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

to visit this domain safely for exploration using comfortable, self-contained air delivery systems.

industry with its popularity prompting even more innovation in the design and the engineering of better, safer, lighter, more comfortable

Though air-assisted underwater exploration has been around since the 1700's, underwater exploration was out of reach for the average person, and recreational scuba diving was an unthinkable luxury. Great advances in the engineering of valves and compressed air tanks in the 1930's produced the first systems that we would call "scuba": the Self-Contained

equipment.

Today, scuba diving is accessible to almost anyone with only a modest investment in equipment. Anywhere you want to dive you can usually find a dive shop near-at-hand to rent tanks, go on a guided dive with a master diver, take a chartered boat or just strap on the tanks and swim out from the shore.

Underwater Breathing Apparatus. These early scuba tanks were clunky, inefficient systems that spouted air constantly into the diver's face. Between 1942 and 1946, Jacques-Yves Cousteau (a French naval lieutenant) and Emile Gagnan (an engineer) developed the Aqua Lung; a device which used pressure valves to deliver properly pressurized air only when the diver breathed in. Over the next two decades experimental dives with the Aqua Lung proved its reliability and in the 1960's "sport diving" was born.

Certification It has often been said that getting a scuba certification is harder than getting a library card, but easier than getting a driver's license. This is a very fair assessment. A scuba certification is not free or easy; you are required to prove that you know how to use the equipment, handle yourself underwater and know how to react in a wide range of underwater situations.

In the 1970's, scuba equipment continued to evolve and the typical scuba system was enhanced by buoyancy compensation vests, better valves and submersible pressure gauges. Through the 1980's and 1990's, scuba as a recreational sport became a multi-billion dollar The two most popular scuba certification courses today are the PADI Scuba Diver certification and the NAUI Scuba Diver certification. Either program is sufficient to get you ready for your first "real scuba dive". The PADI program is

2/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

generally considered to be "lighter"; ideal for vacationers who just want to take a few supervised dives on a tropical vacation. The NAUI program is somewhat more involved and is ideal for a beginner taking up scuba as a recreational sport. After completing the basic beginner level of scuba training, both PADI and NAUI offer further training up to the advanced level.

segments that youll complete primarily on your own time at your convenience. For each segment, your instructor reviews and elaborates on the material, applying what youre learning to your specific needs, interests and the local dive environment. A short quiz confirms that youve picked up the information your need from that section.

The open water dives complete your training as an entry-level diver by applying and further The PADI Course The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three segments. (1) Confined water dives, (2) knowledge development and (3) open water dives. Each plays an important role in learning to Confined Water Dives dive and in meeting the performance objectives you need to qualify as a diver. Youll find the confined water dives a lot of fun. A few tips will help your get the most of your practices: The fun begins in the confined water dives, during which you apply dive principles and learn and practices dive procedures and skills. Youll do this either a swimming pool, or a body of water with pool-like conditions, under your instructors guidance and supervision. a. Think of confined water as developing your knowledge and dive skills in a dive environment under your instructors

supervision and guidance.

simulations of open water dives; use them to develop good open water habits. For instance, an ocean or quarry wont have sides you can hang onto, so dont hang to the pool sides. A dive boat rocks and

Knowledge

development

establishes

the

an unattended scuba tank will fall over, so get it the habit of laying

principles and basic information all divers need to have fun diving safely. Its divided into five

3/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

your tank down when preparing for your confined water dives. Your instructor will ask you to develop habits for quite a few things that arent necessary for confined water dives, but are for open water dives. b. Your instructors will demonstrate skills you need to learn before your practice them. During the

during your independent learning and in the confined water dives, plus youll develop some few abilities that you cant practically learn in confined water. Youll also have time to explore and get to know the underwater world with your instructor guiding you. a. Your instructor will probably make recommendation about preparing for your open water dives, such as what to wear, whether your need sunscreen, etc. pay attention to

demonstration, pat attention to the details, especially those that your instructor exaggerates or

these details-your instructor knows your local dive environment well and is trying to help you avoid problems and have an enjoyable experience. b. If youre prone to seasickness and ill be diving from a boat, consult your physician an as necessary appropriate medication.

emphasizes. The faster your pick these up, the faster youll master the skill. c. If you dont understand why youre practicing or doing something, be sure to ask your instructor. So, its important that you understand

when and why you would use a skill youre learning. d. Remember that throughout the course, there are no silly questions. If you have question, ASK IT. c. Open Water Dives During the open water dives you learn by applying the knowledge and skills your pick up

regarding seasickness

Seasickness can ruin an other wise fabulous outing-but for most people is easy to prevent. You dont have to be an athlete to dive, but it is a physical activity. Youll have a lot more fun if youre

4/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

rested and eaten adequately before your open dives

Because the diver's nose and eyes are covered by a diving mask; the diver cannot breathe in through the nose, except when wearing a full face diving mask. However, inhaling from a

Breathing underwater

regulator's mouthpiece becomes second nature very quickly.

Water normally contains dissolved oxygen from which fish and other aquatic animals extract all their required oxygen as the water flows past

Buoyancy their gills. Humans lack gills and do not otherwise have the capacity to breathe As a diver, its important to learn to control your buoyancy at the surface and underwater because it lets your control where your are in the water. For instance, youll learn to establish positive buoyancy at the surface so your can save energy and rest. Underwater, youll remain neutrally buoyant most of the time-almost weightless, like an astronaut- so you can swim effortlessly and move freely in all direction. Staying neutrally buoyant keeps you off the bottom so you avoid injuring delicate aquatic life.

underwater unaided by external devices.

Early diving experimenters quickly discovered it is not enough simply to supply air in order to breathe comfortably underwater. As one

descends, in addition to the normal atmospheric pressure, water exerts increasing pressure on the chest and lungs approximately 1 bar or 14.7 psi for every 33 feet or 10 meters of depth so the pressure of the inhaled breath must almost exactly counter the surrounding or ambient pressure in order to inflate the lungs.

Buddy By always providing the breathing gas at

System:

Communication

and

Procedures ambient pressure, modern demand valve Lets look at some of the ways you communicate with your buddy underwater, and some of the procedures for an affective buddy system.

regulators ensure the diver can inhale and exhale naturally and virtually effortlessly, regardless of depth.

5/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

a.

Communication

inflatable signal tubes that alert boats to their presence at the surface. Theyre

Sound travels well in water, but voice communication isnt an option without electronic communication system. As a result, you do most of your talking with your hands by signaling or writing on a slate.

also useful when trying to get the attention of someone on a boat or shore at a distance

Underwater recall. Most dive charter boats have a recall procedure to get your attention while underwater, which

Gaining attention. For hand signals to do any good, your buddy has to look at you. This means you tap your buddys shoulder or rap on your tank to get attention. Dont startle your buddy when you do this.

can

include

electronic

underwater

sirens, banging on something metal, starting and revving the boat engine and other methods. The crew will explain the recall during the briefing. If you get the recall, cautiously surface and look to the boat for instructions. Dont swim toward the boat until the captain signals that its okay to do so. Depending on the circumstances, the boat crew may brief your in slightly different

Signals. After gaining your buddys attention, you can communicate by writing on slate or by using hand signals.

Communication

at

the

surface.

procedures for a recall.

Sometimes your need to communicate with someone on shore or a boat while youre at the surface. You can use hand or audible signals. To get attention, youll want to carry a whistle as standard equipment. When at the b. Buddy System Procedures

During your confined water dives, youll start practicing the buddy system and always diving with a buddy who stays nearby at all times. Your buddy assists you with things like putting on

surface, be cautious regarding boats and boat traffic. Many divers carry

6/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

and checking your equipment before the dive, helps remind your to check your depth, time and air supply limits and provides emergency assistance in the unlikely event your need it. Hopefully it goes without saying that you do the same for your buddy. With a proper buddy system, you both benefit in terms of convenience, safety and fun. Diving is a social activity, so the buddy system is more than one of divings safety rules-though it is that. Diving with someone adds to the fun. Together, you and your buddy share experiences and underwater adventures, sometimes

c.

Agree upon time and dept limits

d.

Establish

and

review

communications e. Establish pressure f. Discuss the technique youll use to stay together g. Agree on what to do if separated h. i. Discuss emergency procedures Agree on your dive objective a returning air

Effects of breathing high pressure gas

a.

Decompression sickness

seeing things that no one else ever will. You may be surprised how many new friends your meet through diving and the buddy system. This system provide extra eyes and hands for your buddy, and vice versa. There are nine specific points to agree upon your buddy to coordinate your efforts and optimize both your safety and enjoyment. The diver must avoid the formation of gas bubbles in the body, called

decompression sickness or 'the bends', by releasing the water pressure on the body slowly at the end of the dive and allowing gases trapped in the

bloodstream to gradually break solution and leave the body, called "offgassing." This is done by making safety

a.

Agree on appropriate entry and exit points and techniques

stops or decompression stops and ascending slowly using dive computers or decompression tables for guidance.

b.

Choose a course to follow

7/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

Decompression sickness must be treated promptly, typically in a recompression chamber. Administering enriched-

pressure.

At

66 feet

(20 m),

Narcosis manifests itself as slight giddiness. The effects increase

oxygen breathing gas or pure oxygen to a decompression sickness stricken diver on the surface is a good form of first aid for decompression sickness, although fatality or permanent disability may still occur.

drastically with the increase in depth. Jacques Cousteau famously described it as the "rapture of the deep". Nitrogen narcosis occurs quickly and the symptoms

b.

Nitrogen narcosis

typically disappear during the ascent, so that divers often fail to realize they were ever affected. It affects individual divers at

Nitrogen

narcosis

or inert gas

narcosis is a reversible alteration in consciousness producing a state similar in to divers alcohol who

varying depths and conditions, and can even vary from dive to dive under identical conditions. However, diving with trimix or
heliox

intoxication

breathe high pressure gas at depth. The mechanism is similar to that of nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas," administered as anesthesia. Being "narced" can impair judgment and make

prevents narcosis from

occurring.

c.

Oxygen toxicity

Oxygen toxicity occurs when oxygen in

diving very dangerous. Narcosis starts to affect the diver at 66 feet (20 m), or 3 atmospheres of

the body exceeds a safe "partial pressure" (PPO2). In extreme cases it affects the central nervous system and

8/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

causes a seizure, which can result in the diver spitting out his regulator and drowning. Oxygen toxicity is

(generally past 130 feet / 39 meters) "hypoxic blends" containing a lower percentage of oxygen than atmospheric air are used.

preventable provided one never exceeds the established maximum depth of a given breathing gas. For deep dives,

Diving and Matrix Soft Skills Activity Buoyancy control Buddy system Examination Coral environment Buddy communication Navigation RDP AWARE-Fish Identification CT6 LS4 CS5 LS5 LL3 EM2 CT6 TS5 Soft Skills (Highest Matrix)

EM3 LL3 CS8 CT7 TS3 CT6 LL3 TS4 CT6 CS5 TS5 LL3

EM3 CS8 CT5

Conclusion If you love nature, youve come to the right place. No other environment approaches the abundance, diversity and vibrance of a pristine coral reef. You can see more different species in then minutes there than in ten hours in the most unspoiled wilderness above water. But with time, youll discover that even unlikely places that

seem empty and sterile to the inexperienced eye like a lake or flooded quarry, teem with intriguing organism a reminder that natures imagination exceeds ours. And most important in these activities we can learn and explore about soft skills.

9/15

Persidangan Pembangunan Pelajar Peringkat Kebangsaan 2008 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 22-23Oktober 2008

Bibliography

Dennis, K. (2003). Scuba Diving. London: Human Kinetics.

Jackson, J. (2005). Complete Diving Manual. Thomaston, ME: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press. Modul Pembangunan Kemahiran Insaniah (Soft Skills) Untuk Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia (2006). Serdang: Penerbit Universiti Putra Malaysia. Orr, D. and Douglas, E. (2007). Scuba Diving Safety. London: Human Kinetics. PADI (2005). Adventures in Diving. Santa Magarita, CA: PADI.

10/15