A question to an incident

[divestoclimb]

"Risk Mitigation, lite edition"
Goal: no one thing can go wrong and kill you.

Step 1: find a way to prevent the problem from ever occurring (original risk mitigated, but new risk introduced: you fail to follow step 1).
Step 2: find a way to deal with the problem if it does occur so you don't die (mitigates new risk created in step 1).
Step 3: implement 1 AND 2. All risks mitigated.

This applies to almost every aspect of dive training and equipment function.

 

[CJ Waid]

Sounds like a crap situation.

Divemasters should check gear over before divers enter, it takes all of 2 seconds with a trained eye. It's not like equipment is that different.

The inflator hose not being hooked up at depth or a spit out regulator isn't a big deal.

I think the ideal divemaster should have assisted her any way possible, and then ONCE ON THE BOAT (Where the important work begins) tell her about the divemasters past follies, and how common stuff like that is... Turn the boat for shore... Give me a break.

The person needed to hear that it's okay to have stuff happen, it does to lots of people.

If I can't think of something that happened to me more embarrassing, I'd make something up... Okay time for a white lie.

But, I could think of plenty of incidents, so I wouldn't need to

 

[rcpalmer1]

I just read this whole post. A lot of different things going on here. Let put my 2 cent in.

1. The diver needs more training. It doesn't matter if she had poor training or just forgot it. If anyone knows this person have her PM me. I will do a refresher for free.

2. A death was avoided because of the actions of the crew. Regardless of how they did it, she is alive, they did a great job.

3. If o2 was needed and the trip canceled the Coast Guard should have been notified and EMT waiting at the pier.

4. I have years of experience with inflater connectors. The scuba pro air2 is the easiest one I have used. Because it is longer that a standard inflater connector it can become hard to use if not rinsed with fresh water after using it in salt water. Also many people don't have them serviced every year as all connectors should. I have serviced some that were so corroded that I had to run them through 4 cycles in an ultrasonic cleaner before I could take them apart. I think the air2 connectors show a lack of service quicker because there is more surface area between moving part the others.

5. The way a business acts when something out of the ordinary happens tell you what kind of business they are. I would really like to know what outfit this was. That way I will know how they handle customer if I was every to be invited to dive with them.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I am not always on the side of the DM but in this case I am. It is not the DM's responsibilty to ensure the groups equipment is set up properly. Bottom line is, you were trained and are certified, you hold the right to ask for help on the boat before you get in the water if set-up is in question, you do a buddy check with your dive buddy not with the DM (unless they are your buddy). Other than my dive buddy, nobody touches my equipment unless they are out of air and it is an emergency. This is one way I mitigate some of the risk of incomplete set-up or set-up errors.

.......Divemasters should check gear over before divers enter, it takes all of 2 seconds with a trained eye. It's not like equipment is that different........

 

[Hetland]

"This will never happen to me"

Wow!

You have a lot to learn. Please do not ever go diving again until you truly understand that such things WILL happen to YOU. No matter how prepared you think you are, things can and will go wrong. This is especially true with scuba (and boating for that matter). The sea is terrible and unforgiving.

I'm not trying to avoid a more direct answer to your question. But, honestly, my only response is "This will never happen to me". I know many people reading this will think "Hey, that's sounds all good and fine but everyone makes mistakes." Skipping a predive or taking short cuts on it is not a mistake I will ever permit myself to make. And, I generally don't stop with just one check, I usually check my gear multiple times before hitting the water. It's not hard and it's not time consuming. Why not do it?

 

[I Dive]

This is the last post I will be making in this thread. Either there is a reading comprehension problem here, and members are not understanding my posts correctly, or there is an unbelievably troubling trend of divers accepting the unacceptable. I went out of my way to make it clear that I was only referring to entering the water without my gear assembled when I said "This will never happen to me". I have a serious dose of reality for everyone reading this thread. If you feel it is inevitable that you will at some point jump in the water without your gear assembled, you should not be diving. If you cannot trust yourself to handle something as basic as gear assembly and predive checks from the safety of the surface, how can you trust yourself to deal with a problem once actually in the water? There is no reason whatsoever for ANY diver to hit the water without their gear assembled. That should not be considered acceptable or inevitable by any properly trained diver. You can continue having whatever fun you want with my posts and I will continue to enter the water on each of my dives with full confidence that my gear is assembled...

 

[NudeDiver]

During my rescue diver class, my "buddy" was not too interested in doing buddy checks. We did one the first time we entered the water, but after that, he was geared up and mostly into the water while I was still putting my stuff on. On the third dive, buddy went into the water without his air turned on - had me turn it on while we were shoulder deep in the water.

During the same class, the DM assisting the instructor entered the water without his drysuit inflator hose connected. Took him a bit to figure out what the problem was.

 

[NudeDiver]

Good God skeeter, take a spelling class. It's almost impossible to understand you.

...I thought it was just me. Thanks

 

[Hetland]

This is the last post I will be making in this thread. Either there is a reading comprehension problem here, and members are not understanding my posts correctly, or there is an unbelievably troubling trend of divers accepting the unacceptable. I went out of my way to make it clear that I was only referring to entering the water without my gear assembled when I said "This will never happen to me". I have a serious dose of reality for everyone reading this thread. If you feel it is inevitable that you will at some point jump in the water without your gear assembled, you should not be diving. If you cannot trust yourself to handle something as basic as gear assembly and predive checks from the safety of the surface, how can you trust yourself to deal with a problem once actually in the water? There is no reason whatsoever for ANY diver to hit the water without their gear assembled. That should not be considered acceptable or inevitable by any properly trained diver. You can continue having whatever fun you want with my posts and I will continue to enter the water on each of my dives with full confidence that my gear is assembled...

I say this with no ill-will or malice in my heart IDive:

Your confidence in your ability to never make a mistake or omission during a gear check is probably the result of inexperience or poor training (perhaps both). Your ÅÏever happen to me" attitude will leave you ill-prepared to deal with problems when they do occur. Your knowledge of scuba diving may be encyclopedic, but it will do you little good if you do not know yourself. If you are sure you will never make an error or omission, then you do not truly know yourself.

 

[Rick Inman]

If you feel it is inevitable that you will at some point jump in the water without your gear assembled, you should not be diving.

The goal: Enter the water with gear in perfect working order and perfectly assembled with the diver in perfect condition to dive, every time on every dive without exception.

Reality: Oops.

Experience and Training: The ability to calmly handle and safely respond to the oops.