Lost sight of buddies - tank came loose

[underthedeepblue]

I was diving recently (novice 60 dives AOW cert) and to cut a long story short I retreated from a situation that I felt wasn't safe for me and lost my dive companions who had gone into quite a long swim through that was covered and I lost sight of their bubbles so basically I was alone.

I stayed down too long in retrospect (five to seven minutes) - I should have 'safety stopped' immediately and ascended.

However during this situation I felt a continual bumping from behind and I kept turning round and there was nothing there - became anxious - and I realised my tank had loosened from the velcro and was hanging on its own without support.

I stayed down and completed my safety stop and ascended and everything was cool though when I was on the surface it was obvious my tank was just free of my BCD and I had to be helped.

My question is - and I have been anxious about this since the event - could my tank have disconnected from the valves due to the fact it had come away from the velcro BCD attachment?

What really scares me about this is that I hadn't realised until after the dive that I didn't know how to do a *quick release* of the BCD and weights because the BCD wasn't one I had used before and the weights were in my pockets

Please don't finger-wag about me checking my own stuff - I know that now: simple question.

The Dive Op were very determined that we *shouldn't* check: I tried on several occasions and the local guys were saying that it was their job and we should relax. I felt I was offending them if I insisted.

Long story

 

[swander]

Hey, the important thing is that you made it back to the boat ok!! Did your BC have a strap near the top that is intended to go over the valve? That strap should keep your tank from falling free. Sounds like when faced with the problem you remained calm and did what you were trained to do. Talk to your fellow divers about how you might try to alert one another if you get separated. Use this situation as a learning experience. It will make you a better and safer diver. Good Job.

Steve

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

You should not worry about what is said here. Most will be honestly trying to help you. And you definitely should debrief this dive. I have answered in the post in blue. It is just easier.

I was diving recently (novice 60 dives AOW cert) and to cut a long story short I retreated from a situation that I felt wasn't safe for me and lost my dive companions who had gone into quite a long swim through that was covered and I lost sight of their bubbles so basically I was alone.

I stayed down too long in retrospect (five to seven minutes) - I should have 'safety stopped' immediately and ascended.

However during this situation I felt a continual bumping from behind and I kept turning round and there was nothing there - became anxious - and I realised my tank had loosened from the velcro and was hanging on its own without support.

I stayed down and completed my safety stop and ascended and everything was cool though when I was on the surface it was obvious my tank was just free of my BCD and I had to be helped.You should be able to remove your bc and fix it yourself. Practice bc removal and replace in a pool. The type of gear shouldn't matter. Just practice it at the bottom and on the surface and practice adjusting your tank.

My question is - and I have been anxious about this since the event - could my tank have disconnected from the valves due to the fact it had come away from the velcro BCD attachment? No. Your tank will not lose its attachment with the regulator. It would take a tremendous force or an OOA situation and a lot of force, to cause the the valve to loosen enough to dislodge.

What really scares me about this is that I hadn't realised until after the dive that I didn't know how to do a *quick release* of the BSD and weights because the BCD wasn't one I had used before and the weights were in my pockets
So, this is where I tell people that they would love their own gear, but if you are not able to get your own, Always do a throrough gear check at time of rental and before diving.

Please don't finger-wag about me checking my own stuff - I know that now: simple question. So you won't make this mistake from now on, good.

The Dive Op were very determined that we *shouldn't* check: I tried on several occasions and the local guys were saying that it was their job and we should relax. I felt I was offending them if I insisted.
That sounds hinky to me. Either a misunderstanding, or something way off. It is Not their job, and do not trust anyone with your life. Your gear, your life, your resonsibility. If they have issues about you being a responsible diver, then don't give them your money.
Long story

 

[SoccerJeni]

You should not worry about what is said here. Most will be honestly trying to help you. And you definitely should debrief this dive. I have answered in the post in blue. It is just easier.

I just have one question about your response. You mentioned you should be able to remove your BCD and fix it yourself and to practice that. If you have your weights integrated in your BCD, doesn't removing it and putting it back on become very difficult? It is possible to do, but kind of hard, right? I'm just trying to imagine doing that with the weights inside.

 

[fisheater]

I just have one question about your response. You mentioned you should be able to remove your BCD and fix it yourself and to practice that. If you have your weights integrated in your BCD, doesn't removing it and putting it back on become very difficult? It is possible to do, but kind of hard, right? I'm just trying to imagine doing that with the weights inside.

YES! At least it is when you're wearing a 7 mm wetsuit. You have to make sure that you have a very good hold on your BC when you ditch and don underwater with integrated weights, as your body wants to float and and your air wants to sink. This is one of the reasons why the concept of integrated weights doesn't work so well in cold water diving.

It's also the reason why I first went to a weight belt with my integrated weight BC and then went to a BP/W.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I just have one question about your response. You mentioned you should be able to remove your BCD and fix it yourself and to practice that. If you have your weights integrated in your BCD, doesn't removing it and putting it back on become very difficult? It is possible to do, but kind of hard, right? I'm just trying to imagine doing that with the weights inside.

This is why I say practice practice practice in the pool...

Deflate completely if you can settle on the bottom, remove your gear and lay it over your knee in front of you, always keeping a good grip on a shoulder strap with one hand. You can also cowboy the tank(grip it with your legs like riding a horse), fix your straps and then re-don the bc. It will be very clumsy if not practiced.

If you are at the surface, this is much easier. Inflate you bc, remove it, fix your tank, and replace. Those integrated weights make it easy to remove and replace there.

I look smooth becasue I demonstrate it every week for students. If you don't practice it, you become rusty quickly.

 

[DevonDiver]

It sounds like a dive that has uncovered many valid learning points.

Try not to stress about it.

Here's what I would ask myself (my thoughts are in blue...but you should answer these for yourself):

1. What was wrong with my buddy procedures, that allowed me to get separated from my buddy/group?

An effective buddy system needs discipline and awareness. Any time that a diver/s will pass through underwater terrain or obstructions that will cause them to be 'in single file', then they should prepare to stop and communicate at either side of the obstruction. Your buddy should have exited the swim-through and remained there waiting for you. After a pre-determined wait, he should have come back to investigate.

Next time, grab your buddy's attention before they enter. Sign them something like "You swim through. Then stop. Look for me. 30 seconds. If there is problem, come back."

2. What was wrong with my pre-dive preparation that meant my buddy did not immediately return to assist me?

As with the first question... be sure to communicate clearly with your buddy before you get into the water. Have a 'contigency plan' for swim-throughs etc. ANYTHING that you are concerned about, or wish to have a specific team response for... establish that before the dive.

3. What was wrong with my equipment, that caused a malfunction?

Camband errors are relatively frequent - especially with well-used rental gear, or brand new gear. Definitely check the camband as part of your pre-dive safety check. I teach this to be checked under the 'R-Releases' part of the PADI buddy check.

4. What was wrong with my mindset and problem solving, where I could have arrived at a better solution?

There are lots of different solutions to any problem. As long as a solution gets you to the surface safely, it cannot be considered 'wrong'. However, it may not be optimum either.

Did you take the time to evaluate different solutions when faced with the incident? Did you feel panicked?

My solution would have been to remove my kit, re-fix the camband, and replace my kit. My decision to ascend..or wait.. would be dictated by a pre-agreed team response to the issue of buddy separation. I normally brief that divers should wait 1 minute and conduct a static visual search. The dive leader will retrace the route and re-unite the team. However, that arrangement can be varied depending on the site, dive plan, depth and conditions. What is important is that there is a plan.

5. What was wrong with my skills and training, that attributed to this incident?

You didn't opt to resolve the slipped tank yourself. Why not? Remove and replace scuba unit is taught on all OW courses... so this was a definite option for you. Was it a case that you didn't think to do this, or that you considered it, but decided it was beyond your capacity? If you didn't consider it...was it because you didn't associate the skill of remove/replace scuba unit with the option of re-fitting your camband? Or was it because you didn't even consider self-resolving the kit issue?

The skills taught on OW and AOW courses are like a 'toolbox'. They'll resolve virtually every problem you could face underwater. Whether you use those 'tools' correctly or not is determined by your ability to problem solve and initiate that solution. In this case, it required some initiative to 'link' two different skills that you had been taught... (1.) Fixing a camband (setting up your scuba equipment) and (2.) Remove and Replace Scuba Unit Underwater.

If your equipment has changed from the configuration that you initially qualified in (i.e. you now use intergrated weights), then it is important that you take the time to practice (and get more training, if required) so that your skills are still applicable to your diving.

Basically...at any given time in your diving development... you should be able to utilise every skill that you were taught on OW and afterwards. If you can't, then you are asking for problems...

As a trained scuba-diver, you do have the 'toolbox'. The OW course gives you those tools. Learning to use those tools effectively is a different matter

Owning a chisel, hammer and drill doesn't necessarily make you a carpenter. Learning the basic OW skills doesn't make you a diver either.

 

[underthedeepblue]

"What was wrong with my skills and training, that attributed to this incident?
You didn't opt to resolve the slipped tank yourself. Why not?"

I was hovering at 50 feet initially and i don't know about you but I am not an octopus and I can't dislocate my shoulders to put my arms behind my back and re-attach the velcro that attaches the tank to my BCD which came apart underwater.



I have never been trained to remove my own gear underwater and the only people that I know of who were trained to do that were divers doing their DMTs

I was trained in quick release of BCD in an emergency (which this could have been had the tank come away)

My point is that i was using a new BCD and i didn't realise that the quick release involved clips that were in a different place so had I panicked I may have gone down because my training was *flick off the weight belt and unclip or inflate*

Had the tank become disconnected i wouldn't have been able to inflate (no air) and the weights would have been in my poskets and I hadn't been trained to release them quickly

it really is my fault. I descended with a new type of gear and was too polite in a way to bother the dive guys who were - frankly - always telling me to chill out

"Owning a chisel, hammer and drill doesn't necessarily make you a carpenter. Learning the basic OW skills doesn't make you a diver either" <--- DevonDiver

wtf does that mean?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I couldn't agree more with DevonDiver's thoughtful response. With regard to the carpentry metaphor, I think what he was trying to say is that being a safe/competent/proficient diver requires far more than just learning basic OW skills...in much the same way that being a competent/proficient carpenter requires far more than just owning the tools of the trade (chisel, hammer, etc.).

Just curious. How long did it take for your dive buddy/buddies to recognize that there was a buddy separation issue?

I recommend that you take a rescue course when you get the chance. Working through the various emergency scenarios will help with self-rescue and accident prevention.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Okay, I'm in blue again.

"What was wrong with my skills and training, that attributed to this incident?
You didn't opt to resolve the slipped tank yourself. Why not?"

I have never been trained to remove my own gear underwater and the only people that I know of who were trained to do that were divers doing their DMTs
Every OW student should have covered the equipment removal and replace at depth and at the surface. You should have covered and mastered it in basic OW.

I was trained in quick release of BCD in an emergency (which this could have been had the tank come away)But that is only when you are at the surface and have dropped weights and are still not buoyant. If, for example, your bc bladder is punctured and flooding.

My point is that i was using a new BCD and i didn't realise that the quick release involved clips that were in a different place so had I panicked I may have gone down because my training was *flick off the weight belt and unclip or inflate*
So now you know to always fully inspect your bc and practice the releases before your dive.

Had the tank become disconnected i wouldn't have been able to inflate (no air) and the weights would have been in my poskets and I hadn't been trained to release them quickly
You can orally inflate. This is quite easy.

it really is my fault. I descended with a new type of gear and was too polite in a way to bother the dive guys who were - frankly - always telling me to chill out
So use this learning experience. You have gotten some good advice here. And I would suggest finding a local dive shop or instructor and have them review and go over skills with you. You seem to have some real gaps in your training that can be corrected easily.
"Owning a chisel, hammer and drill doesn't necessarily make you a carpenter. Learning the basic OW skills doesn't make you a diver either" <--- DevonDiver

wtf does that mean?

It means that the basic tools and skills you were taught in OW class will be forgotten and lost if you do not revisit them and practice them on a regular basis.

I couldn't agree more with DevonDiver's thoughtful response.

Just curious. How long did it take for your dive buddy/buddies to recognize that there was a buddy separation issue?

A very good question. Also, were they insta-buddies or people you regularly dive with?