Sidemount, upside down in a foot of water, nearly drowned

[infieldg]

Ridiculous isn't it but it actually happened last night while putting fins on with lots of waves rolling in. One knocked me over backwards, I stuck a reg in my gob but every wave that washed over me flooded it.

Not a great feeling being pinned down by 9kg/20lbs of lead on your back with a 19kg/42lb tank at each side stopping you rolling over while being water-boarded. I was so focussed on each breath I didn't even try to undo my harness, or inflate my wing, or use the purge valve to get a decent breath.

Luckily my yells were heard by a friend who'd dived earlier and was still getting out of his gear across the road - this was only meant to be a 3m buoyancy check in my new drysuit before a trip away next weekend, so I didn't see the need for a buddy cos I wasn't actually diving (lesson learnt!)

I was removing my gloves to try and unclip tanks when they got to me, I can only assume because clipping tanks on and off is second nature, splitting my harness (the only way I'd have gotten out) not so much.

It's worth keeping in mind that when you turn turtle in surf you can't rely on your reg for air and have to get out of the whole harness.

I'm gonna practice that so it's the first thing I think of in future. Might get a friend to watch

The big take-away for me is LOSE WEIGHT and GET FIT, and to remember that it only takes an inch of water to drown.

Talk about embarrassing.

 

[infieldg]

Oops can't edit it. Regarding the fitness and fatness, even with the harness undone I could barely roll over. I was utterly knackered, and at 128kg/282lbs (1.75m/5ft9 so kinda tubby) and I found it incredibly hard to reach anything. My harness feels like it weighs a ton with 9kg/20lbs of lead in it, yet I just gained 33% more than that in fat in the last 5 months, so I can see why sitting up is harder now! Diet and exercise time (

 

[Jack Hammer]

Thanks for having the courage to share.

 

[Caveeagle]

Interesting point on potential hazard of SM diving. Not trying to be critical, but it just seems like SM diving is being over implemented lately.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Interesting point on potential hazard of SM diving. Not trying to be critical, but it just seems like SM diving is being over implemented lately.

I've seen people in doubles fall on their back in shallow water and need help to get up/roll over.

 

[northernone]

Glad you got your reg in your mouth. I've done that with a CCR (it's undignified) and I'd straw polled buddies who have had it happen in doubles. There's a few fatalities even.

In my case I never thought of removing my harness... or even cutting myself out of it.

Funny how sometimes we don't think of the easiest way out when the unexpected happens.

As far as lessons learned, maybe I'll suggest the idea of being willing to cut yourself out of your gear if needed. If you're not metal to metal connections on your SM tanks it's really easy to slice one free to roll over.

Thanks for sharing.
Cameron

 

[Marie13]

I've seen people in doubles fall on their back in shallow water and need help to get up/roll over.

I've gotten turtled on a rock at the quarry - twice, one after the other! - and couldn't get myself off. Had to have someone pull me off the rock both times. Single tank BM! I laughed myself silly after the second time. I'm now much more aware of where the rocks are on the way into the beach.

 

[Caveeagle]

I've seen people in doubles fall on their back in shallow water and need help to get up/roll over.

I don't doubt that at all. But I would probably not recommend BM doubles for most high surf shore dives either

OP did not share his dive plan. So maybe I should not have jumped to a conclusion.

 

[KevinNM]

My instructor always yelled at us that we needed to "look like a diver" when close to or in the water. Tanks on, reg clipped off, secondary around neck. Drowning in scuba gear with tanks full of gas because you got sloppy would suck. Glad you got out ok.

 

[claymore]

I have been turned turtle in 1-2 ft of water when i stumbled on a rock and ended up on my back in a drysuit, steel back plate, 18# of lead and a big steel tank. The only way i could get turned over was slide into deeper water where i could get turned over. It was in an inland lake with no wave action so it wasn’t really dangerous but it is definitely disconcerting to to be so helpless.