How should a Dive Supervisor handle a near-miss incident during the dive?

• A. Ignore it to avoid delays
• B. Investigate, document, update risk controls, but still maintain safety.
• C. Blame management
• D. Cancel all future dives

Answer: (B)

Near-misses reveal latent hazards that could lead to harm, so the strongest response is to treat them as safety signals and act systematically. The Dive Supervisor should ensure immediate safety during the dive, then review what happened after the dive to understand the factors involved. Investigating helps identify root causes—whether they’re equipment issues, procedural gaps, training deficits, or environmental conditions. Documenting the incident creates a traceable record for trend analysis and accountability. Updating risk controls based on the findings reduces the chance of recurrence, which may involve revising procedures, adjusting checklists, improving maintenance, or providing targeted training. Sharing the lessons with the team reinforces safe practices and supports a culture that learns from near-misses rather than hiding them. Ignoring the event, blaming others, or canceling all future dives fails to address the risk and undermines safety and readiness. The aim is to keep the dive safe while using the incident to strengthen habits and protections.