DiverAmy
Prism2 CCR Diver
Background info: (feel free to skip this section, if you just want to get to the meat and bones of the near misses and lessons learned)
I live in S. FL less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean. I started diving in the spring of 2008. I always wanted to be a diver but couldn't get it together until I was 45 years old, just earned another degree, and was between full-time jobs. I went online to research certification and found PADI's online OW course. Being somewhat internet savvy, educated, and anxious, I signed up that night and immediately began the course. I worked on it for about 24 straight hours and the next thing I knew I had completed it and was being directed to call a local dive shop to set up my pool and ocean dives. Within 2 weeks of that night I was PADI OW certified. My ocean dives where boat dives from two local (Pompano Beach) dive operator's boats. I started my new "career" as a recreational diver. I did about 2-4 dives per week for that summer, always off of boats, always off the Ft. Lauderdale to Boynton Beach coast. By mid-summer it was advised that I pursue my AOW cert from PADI, so I did. This time I bought the crew pack. By this time I had been paired off with an assortment of excellent divers and incompetent boobs, as well as very infrequent vacation divers. I made a few friends who I tried to dive with regularly. I made friends with a few boat captains, DMs, and dive operators. I was (and am) a very cautious/slow progressor in my diving. I repeated many dives until I felt that I knew them inside out and outside in. By last summer I had about 300 dives completed. I had done a few liveaboards and some vacation diving of my own. I had gotten my three adult sons and their partners certified. I rarely dove "alone" anymore (or needed to be buddied up with a stranger). I know, a lot of background.
Incident #1:
My middle son and I were on a 2-tank boat dive. This was about his 15th post-cert dive and about my 300th. It was dive #1 and a wreck dive (I don't recall which). He was in front of me on the anchor line descending. I was at about 20-30 foot depth. There was a minor current. Viz was about 50-60 feet. He was about 10 feet away from me. I noticed that I couldn't draw a breath from my regulator. I recalled checking that my air was on and the boat guy rechecking it before I jumped. I quickly switched to my alternate (one of those air2 integrated mabobrers) and the hose popped off before I could draw a breath. My lungs were less than half full. I spent about 5 seconds trying to signal my son that I needed to ascend (I waved, pulled on the anchor line *pulled it off the wreck, as it turned out*, waved good-bye when it was apparent I couldn't get his attention) and made for the surface. I was confused about why I couldn't draw a breath and thought it was ironic that the secondary popped, and my pulse was up, but I wasn't panicked. I signaled the boat. They came and got me. It took less than a minute to figure out that the diaphragm was stuck. I blew into the regulator a bunch. (Meanwhile my son had figured out that I was not in the water and had ascended, less than 2 minutes behind me). I tested it on the boat and in the water near the surface. We re-threw the anchor. I did the dive. That was the first dive I ever aborted. The second dive was a nice drift that went off without incident.
Mistakes that I am aware of: I did not thoroughly clean my regulator after the previous dive. I did not sufficiently test it before jumping. I did not check to see if the hose on my alternate was properly locked into place.
Lessons: Blow hard into this regulator to make sure the diaphragm is not stuck. Check connection on alternate. Get a pony bottle??!! (This is what inspired me to post. I am wondering IF I should dive with a pony bottle.)
Incident #2:
1 week later. I am somewhat weary of my regulator, but somewhat confident in it and me, too. I am on a 2-tank boat dive with three other divers. One is a guy I have seen around and dived with. He has about 50 dives, just started diving early last summer and is getting certified as a DM. One of his tasks on this dive is to hook a line to the wreck. I advise him (don't get me wrong, I know I don't know much, but I do have some experience by this point) to slow down on the certs and focus on getting dive experience. This, based on my seeing him do something that I considered dangerous on a previous dive, which I pointed out to him. The other two divers were a father and son from out of town. The dive site is a wreck (which I had never been to and was excited to be trying something new). I think it is called the "Mary St. Phillips." I did some research and it was a tug in 120 feet. All four of us relied on the dive operator for nitrox tanks. Mine analyzed at close to 33%. I set my computer for 33. My PO2 was set for 1.6. I figured I would hang near the top of the wreck. I made a note to ask specifically for a lower percentage for future deeper dives. It was clear from the boast that the current was ripping. The DM in training jumped and after a minute he hooked us up. It became even more apparent that there was a pretty strong current once we were hooked. Dad and son descended down the line. Then I went. It was a slow arduous descent because of the current. It took me about 5 minutes to reach the wreck. Viz was awesome, about 80 feet. I saw a Goliath and a Shark (reef, I think, but he was keeping just out of clear range). Well, according to my computer the top of the wreck was at 120 feet. I crawled off the line onto the top of the wreck (too much current - in my opinion - to risk a swim for it). My computer immediately started alarming on PO2. It was my first ever PO2 alarm. At first, I wasn't even sure what the hell it was alarming about. I tried to duck under the deck, but that was putting me at about 127 feet. I hung on to the top for a minute or so. Everyone's computers were alarming, I noted. I decided to just hang on the line at about 90 feet for a while, since I saw all that cool stuff from the line while descending. At this point, the DM in training, flew past me up the line and almost knocked me off. My muscles were getting tired from trying to hang on. My computer had finally calmed down, but it got my attention. I wasn't entirely non-spooked from the previous week's incident. I aborted the dive 7 minutes in. I did a nice slow ascent. I had a nice safety stop waving in the current like a flag and then back to the surface I went. The DM in training beat me back on the boat. The father and son did about a 20 minute dive. The second dive was a drift that went off without incident.
Mistakes and lessons: Hard to pinpoint exactly - 33% is obviously too high for this dive which was slightly deeper than reported/anticipated. The word "abort" began going through my head about 2 minutes before I actually aborted and perhaps I should not have hesitated. Maybe I should bring my own tanks?? Maybe a new wreck in deep water without one of my buds is not a good idea?
I posted because I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and have learned a lot. I surely have learned most everything I know (which is admittedly not much) through my experiences diving. Please feel free to comment, suggest, criticize, whatever. If nothing else, thanks for reading.
I live in S. FL less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean. I started diving in the spring of 2008. I always wanted to be a diver but couldn't get it together until I was 45 years old, just earned another degree, and was between full-time jobs. I went online to research certification and found PADI's online OW course. Being somewhat internet savvy, educated, and anxious, I signed up that night and immediately began the course. I worked on it for about 24 straight hours and the next thing I knew I had completed it and was being directed to call a local dive shop to set up my pool and ocean dives. Within 2 weeks of that night I was PADI OW certified. My ocean dives where boat dives from two local (Pompano Beach) dive operator's boats. I started my new "career" as a recreational diver. I did about 2-4 dives per week for that summer, always off of boats, always off the Ft. Lauderdale to Boynton Beach coast. By mid-summer it was advised that I pursue my AOW cert from PADI, so I did. This time I bought the crew pack. By this time I had been paired off with an assortment of excellent divers and incompetent boobs, as well as very infrequent vacation divers. I made a few friends who I tried to dive with regularly. I made friends with a few boat captains, DMs, and dive operators. I was (and am) a very cautious/slow progressor in my diving. I repeated many dives until I felt that I knew them inside out and outside in. By last summer I had about 300 dives completed. I had done a few liveaboards and some vacation diving of my own. I had gotten my three adult sons and their partners certified. I rarely dove "alone" anymore (or needed to be buddied up with a stranger). I know, a lot of background.
Incident #1:
My middle son and I were on a 2-tank boat dive. This was about his 15th post-cert dive and about my 300th. It was dive #1 and a wreck dive (I don't recall which). He was in front of me on the anchor line descending. I was at about 20-30 foot depth. There was a minor current. Viz was about 50-60 feet. He was about 10 feet away from me. I noticed that I couldn't draw a breath from my regulator. I recalled checking that my air was on and the boat guy rechecking it before I jumped. I quickly switched to my alternate (one of those air2 integrated mabobrers) and the hose popped off before I could draw a breath. My lungs were less than half full. I spent about 5 seconds trying to signal my son that I needed to ascend (I waved, pulled on the anchor line *pulled it off the wreck, as it turned out*, waved good-bye when it was apparent I couldn't get his attention) and made for the surface. I was confused about why I couldn't draw a breath and thought it was ironic that the secondary popped, and my pulse was up, but I wasn't panicked. I signaled the boat. They came and got me. It took less than a minute to figure out that the diaphragm was stuck. I blew into the regulator a bunch. (Meanwhile my son had figured out that I was not in the water and had ascended, less than 2 minutes behind me). I tested it on the boat and in the water near the surface. We re-threw the anchor. I did the dive. That was the first dive I ever aborted. The second dive was a nice drift that went off without incident.
Mistakes that I am aware of: I did not thoroughly clean my regulator after the previous dive. I did not sufficiently test it before jumping. I did not check to see if the hose on my alternate was properly locked into place.
Lessons: Blow hard into this regulator to make sure the diaphragm is not stuck. Check connection on alternate. Get a pony bottle??!! (This is what inspired me to post. I am wondering IF I should dive with a pony bottle.)
Incident #2:
1 week later. I am somewhat weary of my regulator, but somewhat confident in it and me, too. I am on a 2-tank boat dive with three other divers. One is a guy I have seen around and dived with. He has about 50 dives, just started diving early last summer and is getting certified as a DM. One of his tasks on this dive is to hook a line to the wreck. I advise him (don't get me wrong, I know I don't know much, but I do have some experience by this point) to slow down on the certs and focus on getting dive experience. This, based on my seeing him do something that I considered dangerous on a previous dive, which I pointed out to him. The other two divers were a father and son from out of town. The dive site is a wreck (which I had never been to and was excited to be trying something new). I think it is called the "Mary St. Phillips." I did some research and it was a tug in 120 feet. All four of us relied on the dive operator for nitrox tanks. Mine analyzed at close to 33%. I set my computer for 33. My PO2 was set for 1.6. I figured I would hang near the top of the wreck. I made a note to ask specifically for a lower percentage for future deeper dives. It was clear from the boast that the current was ripping. The DM in training jumped and after a minute he hooked us up. It became even more apparent that there was a pretty strong current once we were hooked. Dad and son descended down the line. Then I went. It was a slow arduous descent because of the current. It took me about 5 minutes to reach the wreck. Viz was awesome, about 80 feet. I saw a Goliath and a Shark (reef, I think, but he was keeping just out of clear range). Well, according to my computer the top of the wreck was at 120 feet. I crawled off the line onto the top of the wreck (too much current - in my opinion - to risk a swim for it). My computer immediately started alarming on PO2. It was my first ever PO2 alarm. At first, I wasn't even sure what the hell it was alarming about. I tried to duck under the deck, but that was putting me at about 127 feet. I hung on to the top for a minute or so. Everyone's computers were alarming, I noted. I decided to just hang on the line at about 90 feet for a while, since I saw all that cool stuff from the line while descending. At this point, the DM in training, flew past me up the line and almost knocked me off. My muscles were getting tired from trying to hang on. My computer had finally calmed down, but it got my attention. I wasn't entirely non-spooked from the previous week's incident. I aborted the dive 7 minutes in. I did a nice slow ascent. I had a nice safety stop waving in the current like a flag and then back to the surface I went. The DM in training beat me back on the boat. The father and son did about a 20 minute dive. The second dive was a drift that went off without incident.
Mistakes and lessons: Hard to pinpoint exactly - 33% is obviously too high for this dive which was slightly deeper than reported/anticipated. The word "abort" began going through my head about 2 minutes before I actually aborted and perhaps I should not have hesitated. Maybe I should bring my own tanks?? Maybe a new wreck in deep water without one of my buds is not a good idea?
I posted because I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and have learned a lot. I surely have learned most everything I know (which is admittedly not much) through my experiences diving. Please feel free to comment, suggest, criticize, whatever. If nothing else, thanks for reading.
