A little inattention goes a long way

[pt40fathoms]

Great job saving this person from a possible trip in a chamber.

Thanks for posting the story.

 

[Clutchcargo]

I'd be inclined to test that student again. He might have had some help on those exams.

 

[TCDiver1]

However better instruction brings up the mean making for less "bad" ones and a better average.

I couldn't agree more Mike. I think thats true of all instruction/education, diving or otherwise.

An individual diver is absolutely responsible for making "good" decisions within the bounds of what he believes "good" to be. If we as instructors or as an industry provide an inadequate or faulty definition of "good" don't we have some responsibility or is the diver responsible for what we didn't tell him?

Sure, we have responsibility for what was taught in its correctness and what wasn't taught, if it should have been. Rick pointed out a former student who was blowing off lessons he was taught. I've had that happen to me via former students before and it is frustrating.

I feel Ricks pain as it were.

 

[TCDiver1]

I'd be inclined to test that student again. He might have had some help on those exams.

Clutch,
Book learnin sometimes has little to do with physical skill level.

 

[aviddiver(him)]

Rick Murchison,

Good story. Great assist. Lends credence to trying to see the issues from both sides of the fence;

You definitely were not and had not accepted buddy responsibility but still it adds a twist the old flamming cliche, "... same ocean buddy". You were in the same ocean, and those two oblivious divers definitely needed some assistance: RM to the rescue.

Though they had an insidiously bad dive, apparently they are open to learning (relearning) and improvement. And IMHO this makes them GOOD errant divers, not BAD AH'es who'd never let something like THAT! happen to them - until it does.

Rick, are you willing to admit to and post any of your HOWLERS for the benefit of others (instructors included).

 

[Rick Murchison]

Did he say why he was so distracted/oblivious of his gas/deco status?

Yes. This was his first summertime Gulf dive, and he was awed by the show. Though the water was clear, visibility was restricted by fish. (Don't you just hate it when that happens? )
Rick

 

[Rick Murchison]

Rick, are you willing to admit to and post any of your HOWLERS for the benefit of others (instructors included).

Nobody saw me.
No pictures?
Didn't happen!
You first.
Rick

 

[Rick Murchison]

I should mention another little lesson from this incident... this diver's buddy's computer was not in deco, and the buddy had plenty of air as mentioned in the original post. On debrief the buddy said he had stayed a few feet shallower than the incident diver the entire dive - so they learned what a few feet could do to both gas consumption and decompression status, and why each diver must have his own gauges/computer and track his own dive profile.
Rick

 

[michaelp68]

I should mention another little lesson from this incident... this diver's buddy's computer was not in deco, and the buddy had plenty of air as mentioned in the original post. On debrief the buddy said he had stayed a few feet shallower than the incident diver the entire dive - so they learned what a few feet could do to both gas consumption and decompression status, and why each diver must have his own gauges/computer and track his own dive profile.
Rick

Rick, did you notice if the 2 divers were using the same make/model computer?

Could some of that difference be from different computers or is it more likely because 1 of them remained a few feet shallower, or both? I suppose I'm just wondering if it shows how slight depth variations could have significant differences and if it ALSO shows a difference in the computers as well....

I'm just curious and wondering.

Michael

 

[Rick Murchison]

Rick, did you notice if the 2 divers were using the same make/model computer?

Both using SUUNTO Cobra. Both with factory default settings.
Rick