A real rescue course - very close near miss

[AbyssalPlains]

Just seen this in the newsletter, makes remarkable reading and great job.

just one point to remind us all....

NEVER GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT YOUR BUDDY

as we have seen here one can quickly become disorientated two can calm each other down in the situation.

I usually don't take a buddy on solo dives.

 

[The Wolf]

Had a situation several year's back whereby a diver got to the surface and had a malfunction in his BC and started sinking. First reaction on his part was to panic and he started bobbing up and down and I realized he was in trouble. I didn't have my gear on as I had gotten on the dive boat first and taken everything off including my wet suit and only had shorts and booties and ended up diving in...he was 4-5 meters away from the boat and as much as I tried to get the weight belt off him, I couldn't as he grabbed on to me and started pulling me down. As much as I wouldn't recommend this, I had to hit him across the cheeks to get him to let go of me at least twice.

I managed to get around back of him and to grab hold of his hair from the back and started pulling him towards the boat ladder...was very lucky. Could have ended up being dragged under with him and anyone who is in a state of panic is a danger to the person/s attempting a rescue.

He was fine afterwards but wasn't too happy I had socked him.

I am a SSI Rescue diver (since 2001) and I think if there was any other way I could have done this in the same circumstances, it would have been to maybe pass an oar or to throw a wet t-shirt to him to grab on to and then to pull him in.

He was a novice diver with under 20 dives under his belt.