2 more upper keys dive fatalities, 8/6/2011

[Bob DBF]

If this was actually a buddy-breathing air share, it may have been a double drowning related to one or both divers panicing.

I began diving in the era when octo's were rare, and buddy breathing was a required skill to pass basic OW. While buddy breathing is not hard in a controlled setting, if both divers were not proficient in buddy breathing it is a recipe for a drowning in a real OOA, possibly both victim and rescuer drowning.

Very sad.

Buddy breathing was a required skill, and part of the skill was learning how to control the regulator, so that you continued to get air on a regular basis, and control the situation so that it would not deteriorate further. In the worse case, you needed to know how to disengage from the other diver and rescue them against their will if it came to that.

Back when octos were decoming prevelent, a case was made against the octo because it would, over time, deteriorate divers skills.

Very sad indeed.


Bob
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That's my point, people, by and large, are not taught that diving can be deadly, they are taught how safe it is, and they are not equipped with the skills, taught and trained to the level required to be useful in an emergency.

 

[Peter69_56]

I can't help but chime in on this one;

1 - Tech Divers are human and subject to bad decisions, conditions, moods, stupidity, etc., just like ANY diver of ANY level of certification or education.

2 - On a recent dive I had 2 separate incidents with 2 different tech divers. I caught one rinsing his mask in the camera bucket, ignoring ALL instructions in not to do so. I politely told him you should not be doing that. His response. "it's ok, it's just a little rinse". So I guess my $4000 camera rig, and others' cameras meant nothing to him. Wow, there's that "experience & training" in full swing. Same dive trip/day, we were experiencing strong current and all divers were re-called to the boat/step/ladder. My female buddy (5'3") had her hand on the ladder ready to come up and a male "tech diver" pushed her right out of the way with full force so HE could get up the ladder first. Absolutely no regard. I WAS BLOWN AWAY ! So much so, that I literally had to keep myself from putting my foot on top of his head and pushing him right under.

So with that said, I know I'm way off topic here, BUT, my experience with tech diver, (not all), has been tremendous ego's and constant "equipment issues". Not trying to offend anyone, and I'm certainly not perfect, but I am respectful and competent.

Just because you get tech training it doesn't mean you become a nice person. Pigs are pigs no matter the wrapping (or certification or ethnic background, sex or religion etc etc). Rude people come in all sorts of packages, tech and rec included.

I am a little bemused that you expected all tech divers to be respectful. That would be similar to me assuming all rec divers are clearly not competent and thus I must be more competent due to tech training and experience. I would say NOT TRUE! I know a number of rec divers who could run rings around me, and some tech divers who suck.

I guess you may have had some bad experiences with people more certified than you perhaps in some areas and I feel sad that this has happened. Please don't let this colour your perception of all tech divers and see it in perspective. Perhaps its where you dive or something that is exposing you to people in this category (rude pigs) who are less than ideal human beings over those of us who care. I too dislike rude, ego driven obnoxious people, divers or not.

---------- Post added August 4th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ----------

Don't you hate it when you post in haste and then read on and find the OP has already replied to your rant. Yep see that you haven't put us all in the same EGO basket, sorry.