CHAPTER 



4 



MAN AND THE SEA, II— Dangers and Chumming 



DANGERS OF THE SEA 



When one thinks of dangers of the sea, sharks, barracuda, moray eels, and 

 other large, predatory animals immediately come to mind. These animals can 

 be dangerous, but they are not usually every man's greatest danger in the sea. 

 Dangers come from two sources primarily, from within the diver and from the 

 sea. By far the most potent of these dangers are those that derive from within, 

 for the diver can carry within himself the attitudes and knowledge that make 

 the sea, like an automobile, either a safe or dangerous place. 



The diver must develop an attitude of safety and respect for the sea which 

 involves thorough knowledge of equipment (Chapter 3) and a resolve never 

 to dive alone or out of sight of other divers. The diver should take every 

 precaution that his equipment gives him every bit of advantage possible. 



The diver must have a knowledge of his own physical limitations which 

 involves the general principles of diving physiology (bends, nitrogen intoxica- 

 tion, squeeze, lung collapse) and the peculiarities of his own body. This knowl- 

 edge will keep him from the overconfidence which would lead him into 

 situations beyond his ability to handle. 



The diver must equip himself with a knowledge of the sea's inhabitants, 

 their identification, habits, and adaptations to their environment. This, of course, 

 implies to a certain extent that the diver is often free from possible injury from 

 the life of the sea to the extent that he is skilled in biology. One of the diver's 

 most common errors is attaching such anthropomorphic qualities as cowardice 

 to animals of the sea. This is a fundamental and even dangerous mistake in 

 trying to understand behavior patterns and mentalities very different from our 

 own. One of the important dangers that comes from within is fear, which 

 leads to panic or even immobilization of the diver. This fear usually arises from 

 misinformation and lack of understanding of the sea and its life. Consequently, 

 the way to eliminate fear is to know and understand the sea, in which environ- 

 ment the diver is a misfit, able to exist only in a highly organized state. Even 

 with his technology, the diver moves under water with disadvantages and fears 

 similar to those which primitive man experienced in the Stone Age, being 

 subject to similar dangers from the elements and from wildlife. Man's real 



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