LIfe Threatening Dive Experience - Fiji

[Lorenzoid]

The Dive Alerts are pretty big and try orally inflating with one attached.

I had a DiveAlert and stopped using it for reasons along these lines. It's definitely not for the minimalist. Are there any standalone alternatives? In other words--an air horn with built-in gas cylinder? I recall seeing such a thing for topside use, but can they be carried underwater on a dive (say, in a pocket) and still remain functional?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I think the "Aquatec Scub Alert Signaling Device" may be a reasonable alternative in terms of size. It isn't as small as what my fellow instructor has, but smaller than the dive alert.

 

[AZNetEng]

I always carry a DSMB attached to a reel. If this had been me, I would have had two additional opportunities to attract the attention of the boat captain ... throw the double ender at him and throw the reel at him. If I got his attention with the double ender, I still might have thrown the reel ... but maybe after I had gotten on the boat.

Very glad to hear this story ended in "lessons learned"!!

And I think the DM would have been required to submit an Incident Report to his agency. I'd recommend the OP send a complaint to the DM's or resort's agency.

Pretty much the same way I carry my DSMB. Reel, rolled DSMB and double ender. Pretty sure I'd have been throwing things too.

Nice work OP, staying calm, solving the problem, and getting you and your buddy back in one piece.

 

[BoltSnap]

Here's what I bring on ALL dives (including POOL dives) relating to 'safety':

3 computers ( 2 AI, 1 non-AI)
1 SPG

Assuming you have 2 HP ports on your regulator first stage, where does the 3rd HP connection go to?

 

[cephalopod2]

The 'deliberately heading into a current' tactic is probably the most common offense, it cycles divers in and out of the water ASAP so the dive op can pick up the next batch of paying divers, and they think they have pulled one over on their unsuspecting guests, like nobody notices what they are up to!

@scubafanatic your report shocked me as well. I would love to know any locations prone to this behavior so I can avoid them - could you post or PM?

OP thank you for posting and I'm sorry about your atrocious experience. Great job getting out it safely.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Congratulations on being the strongest link in the disaster chain. If the captain can't hear...unless you were blowing the whistle/dive alert in his ear...it's not going to do much good. I carry a small signaling mirror, but it is in a utility pocket with shears, a small dive knife, save a dive kit, along with a whistle and would take a few seconds to get it out. Maybe it would have gotten his attention. Maybe they would have been looking for it when they were almost a mile away. If this is a regular occurrence for the dive op, they definately need to make some changes in staff, procedures, or both.

I don't know if it does any good to report them to their agency, but it sure wouldn't hurt. I got caught in a "confused" current, separated from the group, (absolutely and completely my fault....it's hard to dive with your head up your a!&) and my 20 minute lesson had me thinking some thoughts I wasn't expecting on vacation.

Thinking through the problem and taking the opportunities available, along with a healthy dose of luck, kept this from becoming a tragedy.

Safe travels,
Jay

 

[Joneill]

Assuming you have 2 HP ports on your regulator first stage, where does the 3rd HP connection go to?

I'd guess the 2 AI computers are working off a single transmitter?

Seems a little much to carry these 3 computers (with 2 being AI) as, if the transmitter fails, you have the SPG for backup. Also, given the SPG, carrying the 2 AI computers is no benefit over just carrying the AI and non AI to cover computer failure. But... to each his own.

 

[EricTheDood]

Dammit you are one cool and collected dude, with my fuse either myself or the DM and captain would be taking meals through a straw in liquid form.

...

I do not think a SMB would have helped you in this regard.

Indeed.

I think the proper tool in this case would've been the dive knife, on the next day's "special dive".

 

[Nianne]

Wow, that's bad. You must have been so scared after seeing the boat leave further and further away !!
It's super unpleasant to start holidays like that and luckily for you, you end up safe and sound.


We had a bad experience too in Fiji.
We were diving a "shark dive" as they call it, where you can see a lot of grey sharks at the point of the reef.
The divemaster (or instructor, I don't recall, a girl who was new in the resort and just passed her classes) missjudged the current and we went in the other direction as planned.
The boat never followed our bubbles and when we surfaced, we were in rough waves, with surface buoys, and the boat was at the other end of the reef, not seeing us.
The waves were pushing us to the reef, so we had to swimm not to get caugh in shallow waters where it would have been impossible for the boat to get us.
It took the guy almost an hour to wonder where we were and look around. At the time, we were not experienced divers and that was our first time with so many sharks under us, so it was really scary.

Now that I'm a divemaster too, I really don't understand why they didn't just put a boot to check the current before the dive and WHY in Fiji and small islands like that, the captains never follow the bubbles. It's kidda dangerous.

 

[Nianne]

I think the "Aquatec Scub Alert Signaling Device" may be a reasonable alternative in terms of size. It isn't as small as what my fellow instructor has, but smaller than the dive alert.

It's a good device, it make a terrible noise when you use it on the surface, you really have to be deaf not to hear it !
(Yeah, I tried it in the dive shop the first time I mounted it on my bcd )
You can have a double one, with an alert for underwater, it makes kind of a "mump mump" noise, it's nicer than the shaker (imho) !