Goal Oriented Diving

[wingman]

Here's a classic discussion of goal orientation in flying...as usual flying and diving are activities that have many similarities. It is not the goal that's bad but the tendency to focus on it in an obsessive way...in a cave the survey process comes to mind.

http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/docs/cb/cb_275.pdf

[MORGAN]

The way I think about this is that I have primary, secondary, and tertiary goals. Primary goal is to be safe. Secondary goal is to dive in good style - clean, efficient, not making a mess, good reel work, good communication. Tertiary goal is to reach a certain point in the cave, complete a circuit, or whatever it may be. Only when the primary and secondary goals are being met do I think about the tertiary goal, and never at the expense of #'s 1 or 2.

A guy I used to climb with in the 1970's used to say, "If you're not willing to turn back within sight of the summit, you've got no business being up here."

[skip]

look, every time we dive we have an objective. formally stated, intended, some rule set we like to think we follow. I've been in competition for deep. I've been in competition for penetration distance. I've been in competition for first. It's not goals or objectives or desires, but competition that is the root of all evil, the root of eventual disaster. but it's also the driving force of creativity, of exploration, of propagation of humanity. Temper it with prudence and planning and you'll be fine, at least be more fine than if you left prudence and planning out!

skip

[Kelly Jessop]

It's not the antithesis of what I think of as goal-oriented diving. I pretty much always have goals. Maybe it's go-in-the-main-tunnel-until-I-hit-thirds, but oftentimes it's a loop. I might bail on the loop goal because I hit thirds or have another issue. But I still have a goal.

If you've swum Ginnie and understand your gas consumption out with the current, it might be fairly uncomplicated to calculate your gas supply in case of emergency and do a scooter dive somewhat farther than you've swum. For instance, if you've swum 1500 feet in an outgoing current, calculated your gas, and then come back and scooter the same route but go 2000 feet and have 2X the gas at your turn around (but only 1.33 % farther in), I don't think you're wildly unsafe.

All this isn't to disagree that there are people who push the envelope too much for their experience (or for the conditions). There are people who do crazy things and let ego drive them to unsafe actions. Or become distracted, etc., etc., etc.

But I find "goal-oriented" as a too wide of a brush. Goals aren't bad. Disregarding the cost of certain goals is.

I am not denying all dives have a plan/goal,but the negative connotation in this context of goal oriented diving,is people who have to see ie the pressure guage,the heinkel,the well casing,the grand traverse etc. Dives which deserve a progressive nature are skipped inorder to see these goals. I guess an analogy is someone who has the desire to do Huautla,even though they have only done simple vertical and sumps.

I don't think you're wildly unsafe.

No,not wildly,but not very conservative.

[Squirrel Girl]

I am not denying all dives have a plan/goal,but the negative connotation in this context of goal oriented diving,is people who have to see ie the pressure guage,the heinkel,the well casing,the grand traverse etc. Dives which deserve a progressive nature are skipped inorder to see these goals. I guess an analogy is someone who has the desire to do Huautla,even though they have only done simple vertical and sumps.

Who would do something so crazy? Totally insane! Unless, of course, maybe they'd trained and trained and trained over the course of a year for that one 1400' dive.

[mfascuba]

I don't see the problem with goals - as long as they are pursued in a cautious, progressive manner. I've done goal oriented solo dives where I've turned 100 ft or 300 ft or 1000 ft shy of the goal because something didn't feel right. The cave will be there another day - you get to choose if you will be there to enjoy it. Like the Dos Equis commercial, "choose wisely, my friends"....

Mark

[Sludge]

Who would do something so crazy? Totally insane! Unless, of course, maybe they'd trained and trained and trained over the course of a year for that one 1400' dive.