Best Gareth Lock at The Human Diver Podcasts (2025)

1
SH189: ‘Pilot error’. Don't 'fix' the Pilot. ‘Diver error’. 'Fix' the diver. 13:05

Play Pause

3d ago13:05

13:05

In this episode, we explore how systems, not just individuals, shape safety outcomes in aviation, diving, and daily life. We discuss historical lessons, such as redesigning cockpit controls in WWII B-17 bombers to prevent pilot errors, and modern examples like changes to ATM processes to reduce card loss. Diving safety is also examined, highlightin…

1
SH188: The Status Quo Bias. We don’t like to change 5:16

7d ago5:16

5:16

Status Quo Bias is the tendency to stick with familiar choices, even when better options exist, and it impacts decisions in many areas, including diving. From Coca-Cola's "New Coke" failure to nitrox's initial resistance in the diving world, this bias highlights our preference for the familiar and reluctance to embrace change. It shows up in dive s…

1
SH187: The risks we take. The decisions we make. The lessons we MIGHT learn. 15:47

10d ago15:47

15:47

This episode dives into the complexities of risk, decision-making, and resilience, blending personal experience with critical lessons for divers and beyond. Host Gareth Lock recounts his journey from peak physical fitness to surviving a near-fatal cardiac event, emphasizing the importance of recognizing weak signals, confronting cognitive biases, a…

1
SH186: Being Efficient? Being Thorough? Which One Did You Choose? 6:34

14d ago6:34

6:34

This episode explores the Efficiency Thoroughness Trade-Off (ETTO), a concept by Erik Hollnagel that explains how we balance being thorough and efficient in everyday tasks, including diving. Using relatable examples like incomplete checks and forgotten tasks, we discuss how time pressures and biases often lead us to prioritize productivity over saf…

1
SH185: “Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.” 9:34

17d ago9:34

9:34

This episode dives into a powerful, real-life story of a cave diving incident that highlights the importance of psychological safety, trust, and clear communication in high-stakes environments. The narrative explores how a seemingly small misunderstanding about gas pressure spiraled into a stressful situation, showcasing the impact of doubt and uns…

1
SH184: Why change is hard in diving 4:19

21d ago4:19

4:19

Why do we do things the way we do? This question is at the heart of a story about a family’s tradition of cutting the ends off meat before cooking—a habit traced back to a Great Grandmother’s small tray. The tale highlights how unexamined habits can persist long after their original purpose is gone. In diving, the same applies to the debate over te…

1
SH182: Joining Dots is Easy, Especially If You Know the Outcome 10:38

24d ago10:38

10:38

In this episode, we discuss the complexities of learning from mistakes and adverse events in diving and beyond. Using real-world examples, including a technical diving error and a high-profile medical case, we explore how systemic pressures, biases like hindsight and confirmation bias, and the gap between "work as imagined" and "work as done" influ…

1
SH182: My Biggest Mistake: Context Driving Behaviour 6:22

28d ago6:22

6:22

In this episode, we explore how context drives behavior and how mistakes can happen even to experienced professionals. Sharing a personal story about a diving oversight, we examine how time pressures, language barriers, and assumptions led to a dangerous error—and the lessons learned from it. Highlighting the importance of psychological safety and …

1
SH181: “Blame is the enemy of safety” - moving from blaming to learning 11:40

1M ago11:40

11:40

Mistakes, slips, and lapses are a natural part of human performance, influenced by factors like training, time pressures, and equipment design. While rule-breaking may seem deliberate, it's often shaped by context, social pressures, and the perceived benefits of deviation. Biases like hindsight, outcome, and severity distort how we interpret incide…

1
SH180: Challenger Safety: As an Instructor, don't I lose control? 16:37

1M ago16:37

16:37

In this episode, we explore how instructors can balance leadership with fostering psychological safety in diving education. Psychological safety, defined as a "rewarded vulnerability," is crucial for creating environments where mistakes, questions, and challenges to the status quo are welcomed without fear of ridicule or blame. By understanding and…

1
SH179: How and Why Checklists Work 7:48

1M ago7:48

7:48

In this episode, we explore the importance of checklists in diving, inspired by lessons from aviation and medicine. After a tragic 1935 plane crash, pilots introduced simple checklists to reduce human error—an approach now standard in high-risk industries. Checklists help compensate for our natural forgetfulness and distractions by providing quick …

1
SH178: The Importance of Experience: Expertise is different to Experience 8:24

1M ago8:24

8:24

Experience and practice are crucial for making better decisions, especially in uncertain situations, but they aren’t the same. Perfect practice builds expertise, while varied experiences across different environments enhance decision-making by expanding mental patterns. Decision-making relies on situational awareness, which involves sensing, unders…

1
SH177: We see what we think we’re looking for 14:35

1M ago14:35

14:35

In this episode, we explore how human perception and assumptions can lead to critical errors, using real-world examples like the tragic 1994 friendly fire incident where two US helicopters were mistaken for enemy aircraft. These events highlight the dangers of "believing is seeing" and how expectations can shape our decisions under pressure. We con…

1
SH176: How to Integrate Human Factors Education into a New Diving Class: A Real World Example 5:16

2M ago5:16

5:16

In this episode, we discuss integrating Human Factors training into technical diving courses, inspired by a new program blending eLearning, hands-on skills, and real-world exploration. The program emphasized teamwork, leadership, and psychological safety, with the DEBRIEF model becoming a standout tool for improving feedback and team efficiency. St…

1
SH175: You can't pay MORE attention: the myth of 'loss of situation awareness' 4:41

2M ago4:41

4:41

In this episode, we explore the complexities of situational awareness (SA) in diving and why it's often only recognized as missing after an event has occurred. SA involves interpreting sensory data and predicting future outcomes based on experience. Experienced divers may notice subtle signs of danger, like coral movements indicating currents or ru…

1
SH174: When The Rescuer Nearly Needs Rescuing! - Task Fixation 7:58

2M ago7:58

7:58

In this blog, a diver reflects on a simulated rescue scenario during a PADI Rescue Course, highlighting critical lessons about human factors in diving. The incident underscores the impact of high task focus, reduced situational awareness, and psychological stress, which led a student to run critically low on gas without asking for help. The writer …

1
SH173: How to conduct effective pre-dive checks on a busy dive boat 6:00

2M ago6:00

6:00

Pre-dive checks are essential for diving safety, but they’re often rushed or overlooked, especially on busy dive boats. Factors like time pressure, peer pressure, distractions, and overconfidence can lead divers to skip thorough checks, relying instead on past outcomes. However, regardless of experience, using a familiar checklist with your buddy i…

1
SH172: Making sense now to see what the future might bring 5:05

2M ago5:05

5:05

In this episode, Gareth Lock explores the critical role of situation awareness and risk management in diving, emphasizing the importance of building accurate mental models to anticipate and manage potential hazards. He discusses how assumptions, experience, and training shape decision-making, and highlights the distinction between managing risks lo…

1
SH171: If A=B and B=C, then why A≠C? 7:44

2M ago7:44

7:44

In this blog, Bart Den Ouden shares a personal experience highlighting the importance of psychological safety, vulnerability, and human factors in diving. While teaching a rebreather instructor course, Bart forgot a critical piece of equipment, turning the oversight into a teachable moment. He emphasizes that instructors, as humans, can make mistak…

1
SH170: From an acorn to a two-day global virtual conference in four months! 19:53

2M ago19:53

19:53

The first-ever Human Factors in Diving Conference, held on September 24-25, 2021, brought together 27 speakers from around the world to explore the application of human factors, non-technical skills, Just Culture, and psychological safety in diving. Spanning nearly 25 hours of content over two days, the event showcased a global virtual conference m…

1
SH169: “The root cause of an accident is our imagination” 11:04

2M ago11:04

11:04

Accidents in diving, and life, rarely stem from a single "root cause" but rather from a complex interplay of factors—technical skills, context, randomness, and non-technical skills like communication and decision-making. This episode explores how cognitive biases, such as the fundamental attribution error, often lead us to blame individuals rather …

1
SH168: What is a mistake? What is an error? Words have meanings. 11:04

3M ago11:04

11:04

In this episode, Gareth Lock delves into the nature of human error, exploring concepts like slips, lapses, mistakes, and violations through the lens of safety research and diving experiences. Drawing on James Reason’s work, Gareth explains how understanding errors and violations—whether unintended or situational—can foster learning, reduce outcome …

1
SH167: Only 20% of surgeons would like to use a checklist in their operations… 7:56

3M ago7:56

7:56

In this episode, Gareth Lock explores the critical role of checklists in enhancing safety and reducing errors in high-risk environments like diving, surgery, and aviation. Drawing insights from Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto, Gareth highlights how properly designed checklists can prevent lapses, improve communication, and establish a cultur…

1
SH166: You can’t run before you can walk... 4:56

3M ago4:56

4:56

In this episode, Bart Den Ouden reflects on the importance of mastering the basics before taking on advanced challenges, using ice diving as a vivid example. During a rare opportunity for ice diving in the Netherlands, Bart observed several instructors rushing into instructor-level ice diving certifications without adequate experience. Drawing para…

1
SH165: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Or can you..? 7:45

3M ago7:45

7:45

In this episode, we explore the critical role of leadership and decision-making in diving safety, using a real-life story about a young instructor, “Jack,” who made a risky dive on a rebreather he wasn’t certified to use. Despite his confidence, Jack’s actions reflect dangerous cognitive biases like overconfidence, outcome bias, and normalization o…

1
SH164: Plan to fail safely – Part 2: Passing the test doesn’t say it all 10:33

3M ago10:33

10:33

In this episode, we explore how listening to your inner voice can be a lifesaver, both in diving and everyday life. Bart Den Ouden shares his personal journey of uncovering severe heart issues despite passing regular diving medicals, emphasizing the importance of recognizing warning signs and overcoming cognitive biases like denial and confirmation…

1
SH163: Who owns the risk in diving when something goes wrong? 11:47

3M ago11:47

11:47

In this episode, we delve into risk management and decision-making in diving, exploring the difference between personal and professional responsibilities. Using a case of a divemaster tasked with guiding divers on a challenging wreck dive, we examine the complexities of managing hazards, understanding acceptable risks, and the impact of assumptions…

1
SH162: Plan to fail safely - teaching students/candidates for the real world 5:43

3M ago5:43

5:43

In this episode, we explore the importance of preparing for failure in diving education, inspired by Hal Watts' quote: “The most dangerous thing about diving is divers themselves.” Using a real-life example from a scuba Instructor Examination, we highlight how training focused solely on passing exams can lead to complacency and poor decision-making…

1
SH161: ‘One mistake and you are dead’ – isn’t how accidents normally happen 7:56

3M ago7:56

7:56

In this episode, we explore the dangers of "normalisation of deviance"—the gradual erosion of safety standards through repeated shortcuts—and its impact on rebreather diving and other high-risk activities. Drawing on lessons from aviation and diving, we discuss how human factors, cognitive biases, and systemic drift contribute to accidents, emphasi…

1
SH160: Outcomes are so sexy and attractive… 5:14

3M ago5:14

5:14

This episode dives into the critical role of human factors in safety, using a tragic aviation incident and its parallels in diving to illustrate how distractions, pressures, and systemic issues contribute to accidents. We explore how a Royal Air Force training film, "Distractions," highlighted the cumulative factors behind a hypothetical crash, emp…

1
SH159: The best is the enemy of the good 3:28

4M ago3:28

3:28

In this episode, a newly qualified Human Factors in Diving Instructor shares their journey of grappling with impostor syndrome and the challenges of teaching human factors to divers. Despite over a decade of diving instruction experience, they recount feeling inadequate compared to peers and doubting their knowledge, especially when students might …

1
SH158: Predictive Profiling & diving: “what deviates, deserves attention!” 8:38

4M ago8:38

8:38

This episode dives into the critical importance of recognizing deviations from the norm in diving, a concept rooted in situational awareness. Inspired by the 1972 attack at Lod Airport, Bart den Ouden draws parallels between how assumptions can blind us and the role of training and experience in diving. By understanding what “normal” looks like, di…

1
SH157: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! 8:12

4M ago8:12

8:12

In this episode, we explore the pitfalls of blindly trusting technology through two cautionary tales—one about a GPS mishap in snowy Quebec and another about divers relying solely on their computers. Automation offers precision and convenience, but over-reliance can dull our awareness and problem-solving skills. We discuss how this applies to divin…

1
SH156: CCR pre-dive checks and checklists are not always enough to prevent an equipment-based accident! 10:49

4M ago10:49

10:49

In this episode, we explore how safety in diving is not just about avoiding accidents but about building systems that can fail safely. Drawing on a real-life incident shared by Phil Short, we examine how a small technical issue—debris in a rebreather valve—could have escalated into a life-threatening situation during a cave dive. We highlight the c…

1
SH155: How safe is your diving? 11:12

4M ago11:12

11:12

In this episode, we dive into the concept of psychological safety and its critical role in diving and team performance. Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief that it's safe to take interpersonal risks, enables people to ask questions, make mistakes, contribute ideas, and challenge the status quo without fear of judgment or reprisal. Draw…

1
SH154: The Importance of Decision Making in Setting Goals: Ensuring “The Juice is worth the Squeeze” 9:17

4M ago9:17

9:17

In this episode, we explore the double-edged nature of goal setting—how it drives achievement but can also lead to risky decisions when pressure and commitment override safety and judgment. Using examples from mountaineering and advanced diving, including a personal story about a challenging CCR trimix course, we delve into the concept of "destruct…

1
SH153: Why ‘They should have’, ‘...could have’ or ‘I would have..’ do not improve diving safety 5:54

4M ago5:54

5:54

In this episode, we explore the concept of counterfactual reasoning—our tendency to imagine how incidents could have been avoided by different actions—and why it falls short in improving safety. While this type of hindsight helps us feel better by creating a sense of order, it doesn’t address the real-world conditions or decisions that led to the i…

1
SH152: The Bend is Uninteresting...The Related Decisions Are Much More So 15:36

4M ago15:36

15:36

In this episode, we explore a personal account of a Gareth’s experience with decompression sickness (DCS) and the critical decision-making process that followed. The story dives into the internal monologue, biases, and stigmas surrounding DCS, highlighting how emotions and uncertainties influence risk-based decisions. We also examine industry pract…

1
SH151: When the holes line up... 8:45

5M ago8:45

8:45

In this episode, we explore Professor James Reason's Swiss Cheese Model, which helps explain how incidents occur when multiple safety barriers fail at different levels within a system. We discuss how organizational, supervisory, and individual errors can combine to create accidents, and how the holes in these barriers move and shift over time. Usin…

1
SH150: Are you a good enough diver? 12:32

5M ago12:32

12:32

In this episode, we dive into the concept of "good enough" in diving and how it relates to decision-making, risk, and safety. We explore why terms like "safe" and "good" are subjective and often influenced by context, experience, and social pressures, rather than absolutes. Using real-life examples, we discuss how divers weigh trade-offs between ef…

1
SH149: 'Choices': Guaranteed small loss or a probable larger loss, injury or fatality? 9:55

5M ago9:55

9:55

In this episode, we explore how decision-making under uncertainty plays a crucial role in scuba diving, drawing insights from Prospect Theory and real-life scenarios. We discuss how psychological factors, like loss aversion, influence divers to take risks they might otherwise avoid—whether it's diving with faulty gear after weeks of being unable to…

1
SH148: Risk of diving fatality is 1:200 000. However, you cannot be a fraction of dead…! 15:59

5M ago15:59

15:59

In this episode, we explore how risk is perceived and managed in diving, where emotions, biases, and mental shortcuts often outweigh logic and statistics. Diving fatalities are statistically rare, but those numbers don’t resonate emotionally—our decisions are more influenced by stories and personal experiences. Through real-life examples, we unpack…

1
SH147: Dive safety leads to nothingness...and nothingness is unemotive! 8:52

5M ago8:52

8:52

How do you measure safety in diving? This episode dives into a real story of a dive team that adapted to an emerging safety risk when two divers, certified but inexperienced in drysuits and challenging conditions, showed signs of stress. Through situational awareness, communication, and teamwork, the team adjusted their plan, choosing a safer dive …

1
SH146: Why ‘everyone is responsible for their own risk-based decisions’ isn’t the right approach to take to improve diving safety. 7:53

5M ago7:53

7:53

In this episode, we explore the decision-making challenges in diving, sharing a personal story of risky dives and lessons learned. A diver reflects on their early diving experiences, from breaking training depth limits to encountering equipment failures at 30m, and how a lack of knowledge and overconfidence contributed to risky choices. We discuss …

1
SH145: Cognitive Dissonance - Why you are right and I am wrong...Or are you? 7:16

5M ago7:16

7:16

In this episode, we dive into cognitive dissonance—the psychological discomfort of confronting facts that challenge our beliefs—and how it impacts decision-making and safety in diving. Drawing on insights from Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed and examples from aviation, justice, and diving, we explore why even highly educated individuals can resi…

1
SH144: Just another brick in (under) the wall...taking action 8:16

5M ago8:16

8:16

In this episode, we explore the gap between knowledge and action, focusing on how even small, intentional changes can lead to significant improvements in safety and performance. Drawing from examples like the WHO Safe Surgical Checklist and lessons from diving, we highlight the importance of applying what we know—whether through simple tools like c…

1
SH143: 'Entirely Predictable' vs 'Managing Uncertainty': How many rolls on the dice? 13:05

5M ago13:05

13:05

In this episode, we delve into the complexities of managing risk and uncertainty in diving, challenging the notion that accidents are "entirely predictable." Unlike measurable risks, diving involves countless variables that create uncertainty, often managed through mental shortcuts and biases. We discuss how hindsight bias, overconfidence, and peer…

1
SH142: The standard you walk past is the standard you accept 6:57

6M ago6:57

6:57

The diving industry faces challenges in maintaining high safety standards due to a lack of effective feedback mechanisms and a fear of reprisal for reporting substandard practices. Feedback is essential for improving performance and preventing dangerous "normalization of deviance," but it’s often viewed as blame rather than an opportunity for learn…

1
SH141: We cannot improve if we don't learn. We can't learn if we don't understand. 11:18

6M ago11:18

11:18

When discussing diving incidents, it’s vital to shift away from blame and hindsight bias and instead foster a culture of open dialogue to understand why decisions made sense at the time. Often, divers are doing their best with the resources, training, and information available, but situational awareness and decision-making are shaped by incomplete …

1
SH140: Safety is not _the_ priority... 11:12

6M ago11:12

11:12

Safety in diving is not a standalone priority but one of many factors, including time, money, resources, and productivity, that individuals and organizations must balance in a dynamic environment. Safety is best understood as reducing risk to an "acceptable level," but defining what is acceptable can be complex and context-dependent. Using principl…

Gareth Lock At The Human Diver Podcasts