(5/01/05) Diver missing in Florida

[pt40fathoms]

Not putting air into the BCD, and not dropping weights, is far more common a reaction of paniced divers than we like to see.

Drill, drill and when you get it right, drill some more. This sounds like it is the solution to a vast number of tragic outcomes in the water, that would have aided it the outcome being very different and positive. The problem still exists however, that less than 0.5 percent of "active" divers do this. Vacationing divers don't drill at all. And lets face it, for the vast majority of divers, this is a vacationing activity. Who wants to drill boring safety procedures all the time? We as instructors can only work with our students for so long. When they have mastered a skill, that's about as far as we can go. Some instructors may claim that they excede standards, that their students know everything they will need to know, and they are the best and so on... But are they there one year later in person making sure that what they taught is being adhered to, and that that former student has keep in practice? Obviously not, nore could they. Most of us stress the need to dive often, practice safety skills, and continue your education. It's up to the individual to take our advice to heart, and not blow it off as some attempt at a money grab, as I have often seen refered to by some people. The advice by most instructors is dive often and practice safety skills, it's sage advice that can save your life.

Have you (all members and non-members of this board) been practicing your safety drills?

If not, what's the hold up? Waiting for more evidence of it's value?

 

[pt40fathoms]

Am I still so suprised by this because I'm a new diver, or maybe because I had a really great Instructor? Do you believe the caliber of diver should be a direct reflection of their Instructor?

Only for a short while. The most amazing and frustrating things I see, are divers who nailed every skill, got nearly every question right the first time, and by all appearances was a DM in the making. Only to see them one year later and wonder what happened, why are they doing this (insert silly or dangerous activity). Or as is more often the case, we see the in water skills get worst one year later rather than better, only to find out they have only logged 6 dives while on vacation in the entire year. So a great instructor will give the student an advantage, but that advantage can and does wear off depending on the commitment level of the student once certified.

 

[baitedstorm]

you both make great points. I guess I just thought it was the norm to practice basic skills on a regular basis. We (fellow Conchs) often due this on the safety stop, it makes the 3 minutes go by faster, and keeps us sharp on our skills.


I challenge the board members is to complete all your under water skilled you had to do in your OW water class. See how you do.

 

[H2Andy]

So a great instructor will give the student an advantage, but that advantage can and does wear off depending on the commitment level of the student once certified.

true... i used to teach college, and i would tell my students: I can't learn for you. I can only save you time.

some students showed up and expected me to do all the work for them. after
all, they were paying (or their parents were paying) for the experience, so they
expected to be treated like a consumer, which is what they knew all their lives:
i paid for this, now i don't have to do anything but be entertained and have fun.

divers are not consumers. going into a dive class with a consumer mentality is passive
and dangerous. leaving that class with a consumer mentality is passive and even
more dangerous.

when the brown stuff hits the fan, the first thought of the passive/consumer
diver is "someone help me!"

that's pretty dangerous

 

[pt40fathoms]

true... i used to teach college, and i would tell my students: I can't learn for you. I can only save you time.

some students showed up and expected me to do all the work for them. after
all, they were paying (or their parents were paying) for the experience, so they
expected to be treated like a consumer, which is what they knew all their lives:
i paid for this, now i don't have to do anything but be entertained and have fun.

divers are not consumers. going into a dive class with a consumer mentality is passive
and dangerous. leaving that class with a consumer mentality is passive and even
more dangerous.

when the brown stuff hits the fan, the first thought of the passive/consumer
diver is "someone help me!"

that's pretty dangerous

OOOhhhhh, I like this analogy. I'm going to steal it and use it in my OW classes. Of course I'll make sure to not give you credit for it and claim I made it up all by myself....thanks...

 

[MoonWrasse]

you both make great points. I guess I just thought it was the norm to practice basic skills on a regular basis. We (fellow Conchs) often due this on the safety stop, it makes the 3 mintues go by faster, and keeps us sharp on our skills.


I challenge the board members is to complete all your under water skilled you had to do in your OW water class. See how you do.

One of my skills I had to perform in my AOW class was spelling

Seriously though, how you respond in a true crisis situation may come down not just to your training, practice, but your physiology.

 

[H2Andy]

Of course I'll make sure to not give you credit for it and claim I made it up all by myself....thanks...

hehehe... i'm pretty sure i stole the image from someone as well :11:

 

[baitedstorm]

One of my skills I had to perform in my AOW class was spelling

I do apologize, if you research all my threads, I'm certain you will find this to not be a common practice of mine. Perhaps I'm far to sleepy to convey my message correctly, thank you for pointing this out to me.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

First of all, I'd like to commend John for his comments here. John, I hope that you realize that nobody's placing blame on you or your crew, just trying to understand the events that took place and learn from them. Likewise, nobody's being critical of Vickie for reporting on the incident.

Secondly, Jager, the piece of rigging that you're looking for is called a Jonline, and can be made from a 6' piece of braided nylon rope and two sliding bolt clips. You can also purchase them pre-made. (I think DiveRite sells one in a little pouch.) One note about climbing carabiners - they're sometimes called "suicide clips" due to their tendency to attach to cables and rigging underwater in an unpredictable fashion. The sliding bolt clip is much more reliable. You can use them to attach to the bouy/anchor line to take some of the strain off of your arms when doing a safety/deco stop in heavy current.

-Grier

 

[KrisB]

I can't stop playing the events out in my mind. I just can not understand why he didn't drop his weights? Why wouldn't he have inflated his BCD? I've only ever dealt with a semi-panic diver and it was ugly. I was able to slip down behind her and grab the back of her tank. She had air in her BCD but not enough. I wonder what makes people pull out their regs. Human nature is a very strange thing.

The other thing that I think might make a difference here:

1. with a reg in your mouth, it's very hard to communicate in a panic... yelling doesn't work and your words don't come out too clearly

2. the thought of suffocation is perhaps worse than that of drowning in some people. Faced with the option of either pulling nothing off a regulator (as the tank is empty) and pulling water in, perhaps the water option wins out?