What actions do you take when you can't see and need help?

[Quero]

Quero,
I am engaged! Not married as yet. Hope my lady doesn't see your post, she may hurry me down the aisle to make sure my scuba is complete with a ring on my hand! j/k. I will use your suggested technique in an emergency, it makes sense. I see what you mean on the sleeves. Thank you.

My pleasure, but I didn't mean to suggest it be a wedding ring! Actually anything metal will work. I've used a bolt snap a number of times to tap the tank when that was what was handy! (I've seen people carry a little spoon in their pocket, too. The point is merely to reach around and tap the tank with something to make noise. There are those elastic tank bangers that you strap onto the tank, too, but people forget to get them off the tank and end up not having them for the subsequent dive....

 

[D_B]

I think you, and your buddy did wonderfully.

you had the light in your hand? ... both it being on and/or using it to bang on your tank, are ways to signal "look at me" .. no need for dedicated tank banger/rattle

(over)tightening the mask strap sometimes can make the seal worse, not better

staying calm and working the problem are good traits , I think you will do well .. thanks for posting

 

[RonFrank]

A bolt snap is a great tank banger. I am not sure what you got in your eyes but you should determine what it was and stop using it. It has to be your defog unless you used something else on your mask? I assume your not having issues with salt water. It can sting but you can open your eyes in salt water with minor discomfort if any.

 

[decompression]

Glad everything worked just fine, you all made calm, smart decisions. As a lesson learned, it's a good case for carrying a back up mask. Never a bad idea.

 

[Gunpowderboy]

I think you handled the situation perfectly. You used what you had available to signal. The most important thing you can bring to a dive is a good buddy who understands what the word buddy means.

For the burning and anti fog. I've always used my self produced anti fog I.e. saliva, it hasn't failed me yet. Sometimes when the water is exceptionally cold (think glacier water running into a lake) my mask will fogg up. Easy to fix by just breaking the seal for a sec and then clearing the mask.

 

[cascas]

My question:
A. Was reaching for my dive light to get my buddies attention the best thing to do? During a night dive I would have already have my light in my hand. It would then just be a matter of signaling for help.
B. What could I have done besides using my light? We do not carry tank bangers or noise makers.

A : Yes it was... I even keep my light on during day dives.
B: bang your light against your tank...or if your knife has a steel handle end, use that.

replace your anti fog for spit... it's cheaper, hard to forget, usually always available. And it won't sting your eyes.

 

[Hawkwood]

WoodnDive,

Is it a small light you carry? If so, attach a bolt snap to the light. Clip it off to your BCD and it is right there where you can find it easily and you can use the bolt snap to bang on the tank.

Further to the sweep TSandM mentioned, "check your time, check your air, check your buddy, check your depth. "TAB'D". Do it frequently, the more frequently the deeper you go.

Bill

 

[DivemasterDennis]

First off, I want the OP's buddy to my dive buddy! I love a story where dive buddies are in fact buddies, not only in close proximity but AWARE of their buddy and their circumstances. A great positive example there. As to tank banging, I have used a knife, my knuckles ( marginally effective ) a rock, and a caribbeaner. I like the 'beaner" best My wife carries her "pinger," a foot long 1/4 inch diameter aluminum rod with a lanyard.
DivemasterDennis

 

[BKSZEA]

I had to get my buddies attention once due to a shark in the water. All I had was my camera in one hand and my dive light in the other.... so I banged them together. Guess I did it too hard, (a little excited due to the shark).... broke my camera. ...got his attention though.

 

[Griffo]

Stories like this inspire me that not all new divers are badly trained factory divers. While there may have be suggestions on things that you could have done better, for a new diver, you kept your head and did well. Seriously, good on you, you did the most important things which were to remain calm, and survive. As they say - stop, breathe, think, act. You've learnt some lessons (that commercial anti-fog has some side effects, that good buddies are priceless, and equipment familiarity is a life saver)

As you become more experienced, you will also find that things like badly leaking masks will not stress you as much, and you will just deal with it as a matter of fact rather than a real "problem" . But that comes only with experience.

The only thing i'll mention, and only since nobody else has, is do you ahve any idea why your mask was leaking? Was it maybe catching on your hood? Or hair? or strap? Or was one of the edges bent over? I ask only as you need to learn to deal with normal issues such as these, fix them, and move on without removing the mask as your fix. With more dives, you should be able to remove your mask completely, remove any sealing obstacles (hair, hood etc) then put it back in with a proper seal.