When Reactions Become Second Nature

When reactions/tasks become second nature this is referred to as “Recognition Prime Decision Making Skill Sets”; a long phrase for explaining how we make effective decisions when faced with complex situations.

So, how do we develop such a skill set? Many technical divers can demonstrate the required skill level during training to meet the requirements of the certification level, but are challenged when executing these skills on future dives. The key to developing “Recognition Prime Decision Making Skill Sets” is practice. Or should I say – practice, practice, practice….. and then some more practice.

Whilst technical diving is now more readily accessible to the novice diver, with this comes the challenge of potentially limited experience. Historically, technical divers had thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dives under their belt, which is not necessarily true in current times.

So how do you get your reactions to become second nature? Keep practicing your skills. You will find lots of technical divers, kitted out to the max, diving shallow shore dives. The main purpose – practice, practice, practice. Investing time in developing and mastering skills is important both as a technical and a recreational diver.