What would you have done?

[miketsp]

In fact the decision to cut short deco or not is an individual one and does not fall to the DM.
They could issue a recall signal and/or communicate in some way to the divers doing deco (lowered slate? safety diver?) but the ultimate decision as to whether or not to ascend is with each one.
The only decision that would fall to the crew is, having determined the longest remaining deco time, whether or not to abandon the site with divers down.

 

[nereas]

In fact the decision to cut short deco or not is an individual one and does not fall to the DM.
They could issue a recall signal and/or communicate in some way to the divers doing deco (lowered slate? safety diver?) but the ultimate decision as to whether or not to ascend is with each one.
The only decision that would fall to the crew is, having determined the longest remaining deco time, whether or not to abandon the site with divers down.

I completely agree.

 

[grazie42]

I kinda disagree...
My deco is always padded and it is an inexact science at best. If I felt ok and knew that a fellow diver was in serious trouble, I´d certainly consider and maybe would cut my deco short by a few minutes. I´d just keep breathing O2 at the surface and get in the chamber as a preventative measure...

It would be a personal decision though, made based on the circumstances, I´d never allow another diver/dm/divegod to control my deco...If you are someone who would, I don´t think you have any business doing deco...I would also respect anyones decision to stay down and would only ascend if everyone made the individual decision to cut their deco short (as anything else is pointless)...

If someone is unwilling to cut their deco short "on principle" that would be someone I´d prefer on another boat.

Having said all that, the best option would have been to leave the deco divers in the water to complete their deco. Hand them a wetnote explaining the situation and an smb then get the victim treatment...

 

[chris408]

Not having done a deco dive, I'm wondering, is the topic of cutting a deco stop short due to emergencies discussed in the dive briefing?

 

[Jeff Toorish]

A couple of points have been running through my mind about this scenario...

Several folks here have suggested leaving divers in the water to complete deco while rushing the injured diver ashore for treatment. I disagree with that on several levels, but here's a question: what if one of the divers who has been left by the boat, waiting for another boat to find them, has a problem?

It is not unheard of for more than one diver to experience DCS or some other injury.

A few people have suggested cutting deco short and then having all divers take a chamber ride to solve that issue. Out of curiosity, how many divers here are actually aware of the chamber facilities nearby when they are diving? An example; for the Oriskiny, there is only one chamber available for recreational divers in the vicinity. That chamber can hold exactly one person, not even the support medical people can be inside. So the notion that five or six divers can all go into the chamber to complete deco may not be realistic.

I ask these questions because throughout this thread I've read a lot of assumptions. My concern is that such assumptions can be fatal.

Jeff

 

[grazie42]

A couple of points have been running through my mind about this scenario...

Several folks here have suggested leaving divers in the water to complete deco while rushing the injured diver ashore for treatment. I disagree with that on several levels, but here's a question: what if one of the divers who has been left by the boat, waiting for another boat to find them, has a problem?

It is not unheard of for more than one diver to experience DCS or some other injury.

A few people have suggested cutting deco short and then having all divers take a chamber ride to solve that issue. Out of curiosity, how many divers here are actually aware of the chamber facilities nearby when they are diving? An example; for the Oriskiny, there is only one chamber available for recreational divers in the vicinity. That chamber can hold exactly one person, not even the support medical people can be inside. So the notion that five or six divers can all go into the chamber to complete deco may not be realistic.

I ask these questions because throughout this thread I've read a lot of assumptions. My concern is that such assumptions can be fatal.

Jeff

I think most answers in this thread are to be seen in the context of the OP. I´ve never dived the adriatic but I have dived the med, which is to say I have an idea of the conditions there. A dive in current in the gulf or the PNW isn´t really analog, IMO.

I don´t know about the chamber fascilities in Croatia, for the purpose of discussion I assumed they´d be adequate. If I were to do the dive, I´d make sure I knew.

In the situation described there aren´t really any good choices left. Some of the issues may have been preventable but the question was posed, we seldom dive in an ideal world. Whatever choice you make will increase the risk for one of the divers, I feel that the "healthy" divers are best equipped to handle the increased risk.

ymmv

 

[Jim Ernst]

without more details it is a hard call, but I would tend to the safety of the group rather than the individual. the OP stated that they only had a few minutes of obligation left and that the victim was on O2. Nothing mentioned on helicopter evacuation availablity.

I would never leave divers in the water on deco even with a safety diver, that is just lunacy and negligent. The boat has a duty of care to all on board, not just the victim.

I have to agree with the above statment....

I feel that the needs (safty) of the many outway the needs (safty) of the few!!

Sorry to sound course.... But again as said before, one victim is better then four or five!!

 

[ianr33]

The rest of the divers from the group were still decompressing. Right then, the crew and the DM decided to cut the groups deco stop short. They reasoned that the group had only a couple of minutes of deco left anyway

The group got out and each got his own oxygen tank to breathe from. Their condition was monitored for signs of DCS and two divers did show some symptoms.

Seems to me that missing 2 minutes of deco (even on O2) should not be the difference between being 100% O.K. and a chamber ride.

If it was really only 2 minutes of missed deco I would have questions about the schedule they were following.

 

[mislav]

Ian, I've no idea what the real situation was, I'm only here quoting the facts from the media and even more so the statements from the DM that lead the dive which he published on his dive center's website. Personally, I doubt it was only 2 minutes of deco left. More importantly, two more divers did get DCS hit after being pulled out.

I don´t know about the chamber facilities in Croatia, for the purpose of discussion I assumed they´d be adequate. If I were to do the dive, I´d make sure I knew.

They are adequate. No one had to wait their turn in the chamber. I'm really surprised to hear about the Oriskany situation. Only one chamber that fits only one person? Is this really accurate?

Whatever choice you make will increase the risk for one of the divers, I feel that the "healthy" divers are best equipped to handle the increased risk.

Well said.

 

[Dirkadiver]

It's hard to say without actually being in their situation. Doesn't sound like anyone knows exactly what deco obligations were left, but regardless, if it was 2 minutes I highly doubt that would be life & death to the victim, especially if he regained conciousness. If it were 20 minutes, you would have had to attach a 5000# lift bag to me to get me out of the water. Don't mean to sound crude, but a lengthy deco obligation x 4 more divers = potentially 5 instead of one in critical condition.