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

[DandyDon]

Interesting that you mention that. When I was looking into BC's for my daughter, we checked out one that had this locking system with a pair of big orange handles for the weight pockets. (it might have been the Mares) While it was on it's hanger, I could not remove the weight pouches. While wearing it, the diver's natural tug released the weights. I figured it was much like my wife's service holster. Anybody other than the wearer would have a hard time removing the firearm the way the holster and it's retaining mechanism was designed. It was intended to prevent a bad guy from pulling it. Good for a holster, bad for a BC.

Shouldn't be that hard. You want weight pockets or belt that will stay secure unless dumped, but you want them easy to dump. My Oceanic BC has a double lock to prevent slippage, but comes out with anyone's jerk. Did you jerk?

AND drill on dumping! My bud & I practice that on the first dive of every trip so it stays familiar.

 

[Jax]

U R Right Imwright (I crack me up sometimes) about over weighting for bug hunting. But I'm stuck on the 400 dives. At that Mr. Moss should have had a better handle on everything. It was a shallow dive, at least by our standards as you well know. Although as I type, maybe after the first dive he threw logic, common sense and training to the wind and loaded up with lead because he had gotten blown off a hole.
Bug fever makes people do stupid things. But still...400 dives...

But what if those 400 dives were 20 years ago?

 

[boulderjohn]

Maybe I missed some details. But I don't think that is all accurate that a fairly overweighted diver with an empty cylinder can stay on the surface with minimal effort. Was he muscular build or fat? If he was slightly chubby, maybe, but if he was a muscle man it could mean overweighting would make him sink like a rock.

None of that matters. If you are muscular, you need less weight. If you are chubby, you need more. You figure that out in 400 dives. I properly weighted diver, regardless of his build, should float at eye level with no air whatsoever in the BCD. That is taught in your second confined water dive as a beginner. That is usually taught with a full tank. I am not sure I could submerge with a completely empty tank when I am properly weighted.

I think before a lot of credence is given to the number of dives, it would be important to know that there actually WERE 400 dives, and how recent they are.

But what if those 400 dives were 20 years ago?

The article quotes Pavan as knowing the diver well and saying he was skilled and experienced. I know Pavan. He is the owner of Dixie Divers in Hillsboro. If he knows the guy now and knows his level of proficiency, then I will take his word for it.

 

[Splitlip]

But what if those 400 dives were 20 years ago?

I know. I was thinking..as they are local, many of the 400 dives may not have been done in our 60 to 100+ ft drift sites, but maybe BHB. As you know BHB is a local sheltered shore dive with a mean depth of about 12 ft.

I have been at BHB and seen instructors with students descend and surface 4 times then congratulate the class on getting their open water certs.

but still 400 dives.. I fine tune my skills in 15 ft.

 

[boulderjohn]

I know. I was thinking..as they are local, many of the 400 dives were not done in our 60 to 100+ ft drift sites, but maybe BHB. As you know BHB is a local sheltered shore dive with a mean depth of about 12 ft.

I have been at BHB and seen instructors with students descend and surface 4 times then congratulate the class on getting their open water certs.

The article quotes Pavan of Dixie Divers, and said that he dived regularly in that area. I have a lot of experience there. Dives there are generally in the 60-100 foot depth range or even more. there are a lot of artificial reef wrecks, and there is a lot of drift diving.

 

[Splitlip]

Shouldn't be that hard. You want weight pockets or belt that will stay secure unless dumped, but you want them easy to dump. My Oceanic BC has a double lock to prevent slippage, but comes out with anyone's jerk. Did you jerk?

AND drill on dumping! My bud & I practice that on the first dive of every trip so it stays familiar.

One of my main buddies 10 years ago dived an Oceanic Chute. I liked the weight system, although at the time, you had to lace block weights in the pocket. No soft weights.

I ended up buying my daughter a scubapro Bella BC with the pinch buckles I definitely have to remind her how they work, but we don't need much weight and the Scubapro BC's are very popular locally. My main buddies use Scubapro.

 

[Splitlip]

The article quotes Pavan of Dixie Divers, and said that he dived regularly in that area. I have a lot of experience there. Dives there are generally in the 60-100 foot depth range or even more. there are a lot of artificial reef wrecks, and there is a lot of drift diving.

Yeah, I recall that now. I'm at a loss again. 50 dives drifting in our area makes for a savy diver in the relativlely benign conditions of the upper Keys.

I think I'll kick back and wait to hear what happened. When we lost Nikki Cuomo in Jupiter a couple years ago, it took a while for the facts to surface.

 

[ScubaScottNYC]

I've worked in a dive shop for the last few years. WHy is it that when I tell people that accidents happen when you're not familiar with your equipment (ie rentals), they always assume I just want to sell them something? 400+ dives. Well you can be sure of one thing (and I don't consider this speculation) if this diver had set-up his own BC for at least some of those dives, he would have known how the damn weight system works. Relying on "safe" rentals is like saying I don't need to wear a seatbelt, the car has airbags!

 

[Bob DBF]

Wonder if that new BCD had quick-releases on the shoulder harness.

Wonder if it occurred to the owner to use them.

Wonder if the fact that he had just bought it the previous day inhibited him from making that decision.

Food for thought ... he was OOA, so keeping the rig on bought him nothing. Taking it off would've got him to the surface ... probably rather quickly.

It's just gear ... and most times, it's recoverable.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Some say my gear is old and crap, but I don't have anything I would'nt dump in a heartbeat and swim away.

One thing that has not been brought up is how some people focus on a solution to an emergency ( dropping weights ) and do not move on to another solution when the first does not work and therefore runs out of time. Panic is not the only enemy.

The solution to any dive problem is to be floating on the surface. As shown in this thread there are many ways to get there, the trick might be getting past the ones that are not working.



Bob
--------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[DandyDon]

I've worked in a dive shop for the last few years. WHy is it that when I tell people that accidents happen when you're not familiar with your equipment (ie rentals), they always assume I just want to sell them something? 400+ dives. Well you can be sure of one thing (and I don't consider this speculation) if this diver had set-up his own BC for at least some of those dives, he would have known how the damn weight system works. Relying on "safe" rentals is like saying I don't need to wear a seatbelt, the car has airbags!

I think he bought the BD the day before.