Counter-Errorism in Diving: Applying Human Factors to Diving

Gareth Lock at The Human Diver
  • 5.0 (11)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Human factors is a critical topic within the world of SCUBA diving, scientific diving, military diving, and commercial diving. This podcast is a mixture of interviews and 'shorts' which are audio versions of the weekly blog from The Human Diver. Each month we will look to have at least one interview and one case study discussion where we look at an event in detail and how human factors and non-technical skills contributed (or prevented) it from happening in the manner it did.

  1. SH267: “Diver's depression” It's time to tackle stigma and taboos

    1D AGO

    SH267: “Diver's depression” It's time to tackle stigma and taboos

    This episode explores the link between diving, mental health, and trust, showing that anxiety, depression, and therapy are common parts of normal life and are also present in the diving community. Many divers hide mental health challenges or medication use because they fear judgment, exclusion, or losing opportunities, which actually makes diving less safe. The key message is that safety underwater depends more on trust between people than on equipment, and that honesty and psychological safety in a dive team allow divers to support each other properly. The episode explains that common treatments like antidepressants are not the real risk — the real danger comes from silence, stigma, and poor communication. It also highlights how diving can improve mental wellbeing, helping people feel calm, focused, and connected. Overall, the message is simple: openness about mental health is not weakness — it’s responsibility, professionalism, and an important part of keeping each other safe underwater. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/diver-s-depression-it-s-time-to-tackle-stigma-and-taboos SourcesSt Leger Dowse, M. et al. (2019) – Diving and mental health: The potential benefits and risks from a survey of recreational scuba divers.A study of 729 recreational divers in the UK shows that divers have similar levels of mental health problems to the general population, with as many as 90% reporting an improvement in their well-being thanks to diving.Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine JournalMorgan, A. et al. (2019) – Can scuba diving offer therapeutic benefit to military veterans…An analysis of the Deptherapy UK program for veterans, confirming the therapeutic effects of diving in the treatment of PTSD and psychological trauma.Disability and Rehabilitation JournalSoldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba (SUDS) – How Scuba Diving & SUDS Help War Veterans.Description of a therapeutic program in which diving helps war veterans regain their mental and physical balance.sudsdiving.orgUndersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) – Diving Medical Guidance to the Physician (2023).The latest medical guidelines on diving, psychotropic drugs, and mental health.uhms.orgWorld Health Organization (WHO) – Depression and Other Common Mental Disorders: Global Health Estimates (2022).Epidemiological data showing that approximately 25% of adults worldwide experience mental disorders.who.intGascon, M. et al. (2015) – Mental health benefits of long-term exposure to blue spaces.A review of research on the positive effects of aquatic environments (“blue spaces”) on mental health.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public HealthWhite, M. P. et al. (2010) – Blue space: The importance of water for preference, affect, and restorativeness ratings.A study confirming that being in a water environment has a strong relaxing effect and reduces stress. Journal of Environmental Psychology Tags: - english andrzej górnicki

    10 min
  2. SH266: A Review of 2025. Looking Forward to 2026.

    4D AGO

    SH266: A Review of 2025. Looking Forward to 2026.

    This episode looks back on a big year for Human Factors in Diving and shares what The Human Diver community has achieved, along with what’s coming next. It highlights how real change in diving doesn’t come from new gear or technology, but from learning, reflection, and improving how people think, communicate, and make decisions. The episode celebrates global training programmes, online courses, podcasts, blogs, and free resources that have helped thousands of divers grow their skills and awareness. It also looks ahead to new projects, including international events, new learning programmes, and wider access to training in 2026. The core message is simple: progress comes from consistent learning, honest self-reflection, and small daily improvements — being better than yesterday, not perfect today. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/a-review-of-2025-looking-forward-to-2026-2597 Links: Courses: HFiD: Essentials, HFiD: Applied Skills, Masterclass series HF in Diving Conference Learning from Emergent Outcomes (LFEO) Ambassador network (sign up here: https://www.thehumandiver.com/partner-mandated-instructor-application) YouTube channel Get in touch Tags: English| Learning, Incidents & Just Culture

    12 min
  3. SH265: Analysis from a Human Factors Perspective - Cave Double Fatality: Calimba 2004

    MAR 28

    SH265: Analysis from a Human Factors Perspective - Cave Double Fatality: Calimba 2004

    This episode looks at a real cave diving tragedy and uses it to explain how accidents often happen because of human thinking, not just broken rules or bad equipment. Instead of focusing on blame, it shows how choices made underwater can seem logical at the time, even when they lead to disaster. The episode explores key ideas like awareness, decision-making, teamwork, leadership, and psychological safety, and explains how stress, distraction, group pressure, and complex plans can affect how people think and act. It also highlights why good briefings, open communication, and honest debriefs matter, and why teams must feel safe to speak up and challenge decisions. The main message is that safer diving comes from understanding human behaviour, learning without blame, and building strong teams that plan well, communicate clearly, and adapt when things don’t go as expected. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/analysis-from-a-human-factors-perspective-cave-double-fatality-calimba-2004 Links: Blueprint for Survival: https://nsscds.org/blueprint-for-survival/ Identifying lessons and learning from them vs blame and punishment: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/blame-or-learn online resources that have a compendium of reports on cave diving fatalities: CREER https://creer-mx.com/accident-incident-analysis/ NSS-CDS https://nsscds.org/accident-analysis/ IUCRR - https://iucrr.org/more/accident-analysis/incident-reports/ Jenny’s blog “Incompetent and Unaware”: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-dunning-kruger-effect-incompetent-or-competent-and-unaware YouTube channel: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/hf-for-dummies-part-1-human-factors Tags: - english accident analysis cave diving lanny vogel

    14 min
  4. SH264: Teamwork in Diving: The Power of Clear Roles & Task Division

    MAR 25

    SH264: Teamwork in Diving: The Power of Clear Roles & Task Division

    This episode explains that real teamwork in diving is much more than just staying close to your buddy. Using a real incident where a diver tried to handle a serious problem alone, it shows how this can create new risks for the whole team. The key idea is that strong teams are built through clear roles, planning, and communication, not luck. When everyone knows who is responsible for things like navigation, monitoring the group, managing equipment, or handling problems, dives run more smoothly and safely. The episode highlights how assigning roles before a dive, confirming them in the briefing, and learning from them in the debrief helps reduce confusion, stress, and mistakes. The main message is simple: good teamwork doesn’t happen by accident — it is created through clear planning, shared responsibility, and learning together after every dive. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/teamwork-in-diving-the-power-of-clear-roles-task-division Links: Blogs about leadership: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/top-tips-for-diving-instructors-leadership-creating-the-space-for-others-to-be-heard https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-diving-professional-leadership-is-not-optional https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/top-tips-for-beginner-divers-leadership-and-followership

    12 min
  5. SH263: The desperate need for blame

    MAR 21

    SH263: The desperate need for blame

    This episode tells the story of a calm, well-planned dive that still ended with an unexpected case of decompression sickness, and uses it to explore how people react when things go wrong. Even when the dive was conservative, the team experienced, and everything seemed to be done “right,” a diver still became unwell — showing that not all risks can be controlled or explained. The episode looks at our natural need to find someone or something to blame after accidents, and how this search for causes often comes from fear, not facts. It explains how people try to protect their sense of safety by creating simple explanations, even when reality is uncertain and complex. The core message is that true safety in diving doesn’t come from believing we can control everything, but from accepting uncertainty, staying humble, learning from events without blame, and building resilience, awareness, and reflection into every dive. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/desperate-need-for-blame Resources: Dekker, S., ’t Hart, P. (2010). Judgment and decision making in complex systems.Mezulis et al. (2004). A meta-analytic review of self-serving attribution bias.Baumeister (1999). Self-concept, self-esteem, and self-deception.Reason, J. (1990). Human Error.Dekker, S. (2014). The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error'.Skinner, E. (1996). A guide to constructs of control.Rotter, J. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.Lerner, M. (1980). The Belief in a Just World: A Fundamental Delusion.Hafer & Bègue (2005). The Belief in a Just World and Reactions to Innocent Victims.Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings.Jones & Harris (1967). The attribution of attitudes. Tags: English| Sense-making, Decision-making, & Psychology

    14 min
  6. SH262: So what can we do? The Practical Steps/Tools for Bringing HF/NTS into Diving

    MAR 18

    SH262: So what can we do? The Practical Steps/Tools for Bringing HF/NTS into Diving

    This episode explains how Non-Technical Skills (NTS) and Human Factors in Diving (HFiD) only work when they become part of everyday diving culture, not just a course or a checklist. Real safety comes from how divers think, communicate, make decisions, and work as teams, not just from technical skills or equipment. It highlights the importance of shared language, reducing hierarchy, encouraging people to speak up, honest debriefs, and creating psychological safety so divers feel comfortable asking questions and raising concerns. For teams and dive centres, this means building strong technical foundations, teaching communication and decision-making skills, talking openly about risk versus reward, and making reflection and learning part of daily practice. The key message is that safer diving comes from habits, culture, and behaviour over time — not one-off training — where teams learn together, support each other, and keep working to be better than yesterday. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/the-practical-ways-of-bringing-hf-nts-into-diving Links: Last weeks blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/would-you-speak-up-to-the-commander Behavioural Marker Scheme Building psychological safety blogs: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-1 Nic Emery’s blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/what-are-we-pretending-not-to-know DEBrIEF framework: https://www.thehumandiver.com/debrief Tags: English| Operations & Procedures

    15 min
  7. SH261: “Would you speak up to the Commander?” - “No. They already know” - Making changes to your team's diving

    MAR 14

    SH261: “Would you speak up to the Commander?” - “No. They already know” - Making changes to your team's diving

    This episode explores why real learning in diving is harder than buying new gear or following checklists. It explains how divers, like firefighters and oil and gas workers, often struggle to change habits, question tradition, and speak up in teams, even when something feels wrong. The problem isn’t a lack of training or information, but culture — things like hierarchy, fear of blame, and not feeling safe to challenge more experienced people. The key message is that safer diving doesn’t come from more equipment or more rules, but from better communication, shared learning, honest debriefs, and strong non-technical skills like teamwork, awareness, and decision-making. Real change only happens when these behaviours become everyday habits, not one-off courses, and when teams create an environment where people feel safe to learn, ask questions, and improve together. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/would-you-speak-up-to-the-commander Links: If Only… documentary and workbook: https://www.thehumandiver.com/ifonly 2026 HFiD: Conference: https://www.hf-in-diving-conference.com/ Nic’s blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/what-are-we-pretending-not-to-know Scuba Adventures, TX: https://www.scubaplano.com/ TekDeep Asia: https://tekdeep.com/author/marccrane/ Part 2: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-practical-ways-of-bringing-hf-nts-into-diving Tags: English| Operations & Procedures

    13 min
  8. SH260: Top Tips for Technical/Cave Divers: Decision Making. To manage risk, we have to be exposed to uncertainty and harm

    MAR 11

    SH260: Top Tips for Technical/Cave Divers: Decision Making. To manage risk, we have to be exposed to uncertainty and harm

    This episode looks at the limits of planning and equipment in technical and cave diving, and explains why true safety comes from adaptability, not control. Using a powerful real-life cave diving story, it shows how even the best plans can fail, and how survival often depends on calm thinking, core skills, and the ability to solve problems when things go wrong. The key idea is that risk can’t be removed from diving — it can only be managed — and focusing only on gear and procedures can create a false sense of security. Real safety comes from strong fundamentals, simple systems, realistic training, and learning how to stay calm and think clearly under pressure. The message is clear: the safest divers aren’t the ones with the most equipment or the most detailed plans, but the ones with the skills, mindset, and resilience to adapt when the unexpected happens. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/top-tips-for-technical-cave-divers-decision-making-to-manage-risk-we-have-to-be-exposed-to-uncertainty-and-harm Tags: English| Education & Content Type

    14 min
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About

Human factors is a critical topic within the world of SCUBA diving, scientific diving, military diving, and commercial diving. This podcast is a mixture of interviews and 'shorts' which are audio versions of the weekly blog from The Human Diver. Each month we will look to have at least one interview and one case study discussion where we look at an event in detail and how human factors and non-technical skills contributed (or prevented) it from happening in the manner it did.

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