Discussion of Roderic Gorney's Article, Of Divers Things: Preliminary Note on the Dynamics of Scuba Diving

I must preface my remarks by stating that I am not a psychiatrist nor a psychologist, but a physiologist. As such, I believe it would be impertinent and presumptuous of me to comment on the psychoanalytic accuracy of Dr. Gorney's statements. I do feel, however, that as a professional Diving Officer, Master Diving Instructor, and an individual who has spent the greater portion of his professional career in, on, or under the waters, I can comment on the accuracy of some of the conclusions drawn by Dr. Gorney in his paper.

Over a period of the last eight or nine years I have worked with, trained, and supervised hundreds of divers. These divers have covered the entire spectrum of skill, ranging from the young would-be sports diver-in-training, to the older experienced professional diver with a background of 15 to 20 years under water.

I cannot recall one individual who, entering the water for the first time (with diving equipment), appeared relaxed, euphoric, or even reasonably comfortable in his or her new environment. As a matter of fact, every novice I have talked to recalled feeling “scared stiff” during the first few exposures to the underwater area. It is common to note a condition of extreme body rigidity, altered breathing pattern, and low-grade coordination loss during the first few exposures to the aquatic environment. It is most certainly the exception rather than the norm to find a diver who is comfortable or even partially acclimatized to being under water in less than 20 or 30 hours of diving time.

When the diver had gained enough experience in his new environment and with his

equipment to allow him to relax, only then could he begin to appreciate and emotionalize within the scope mentioned by Dr. Gorney. In the fields of commercial diving or military diving, any diver who exhibited the type of almost manic elation ascribed to all divers in the article would never even be allowed to complete his initial qualification training. The best military and commerc