Hal Iotis
Guest
OK, this happened a coupla years ago, but I hope it stimulates some discussion about the importance of being prepared for emergency situations.
I had recently finished my DAN 02 provider course, and it was the weekend before the dives for my NAUI Advanced Rescue. My wife and I were in Monterey for a non-diving weekend (sometimes you just gotta go along ). Anyway, it was late afternoon and as I looked into the sun toward Lovers Point, I saw what appeared at first to be a couple of rafted-up sea lions. I then saw that it was several divers in a very unusual configuration, with one of them laid all the way out on their back. As they got closer to shore I realized that it was a rescue in progress, just as the divers had yelled to someone onshore to call 911. I ran up the sidewalk and down the stairs, reaching the beach just as they had pulled the victim onto the sand and placed her on her side. She was coughing up water and barely able to breathe, but no rescue breathing was needed at that point. Her BC and tank, etc. were floating about 150 yds. offshore, and the rescuers were also already out of their gear and helping her recover. They had been diving in the kelp at least 200 yds offshore.
There were at least three guys who had been in the water with the victim, and they all seemed to know what they were doing. One directed others on the beach to wait at the top of the stairs for the ambulance, get her gear, etc. They were winded (one guy so much that he was throwing up), but they were also calm and nobody panicked. The victim had apparently been found near the surface in the kelp, with her regulator out of her mouth. Beyond that, I do not have any more details about what caused the event.
The first responder was a police officer from the City of Pacific Grove. He was not able to render any aid to the victim whatsoever. We then waited several minutes for the FD to arrive on scene. They administered oxygen and took her to the hospital.
It was only during and after my rescue class that I realized that whoever saved the diver knew what they were doing, since their actions followed exactly what we were taught. I do wonder, though, whether it would it be feasible or even advisable for police officers in coastal/lakeside communities to carry an 02 kit, especially since they tend to be out in the field, and are quite often first responders to emergency scenes? It also pointed out the importance of continuous dive training and skills enhancement. What would have happened if none of the divers were rescue trained (I subsequently learned that several of them were firefighters), or if the incident occurred in a remote area with minimal emergency services? How common are the DAN 02 kits in the ordinary divers gearbag? At what point (frequent diver, AOW, DM, Instructor) or under what conditions should it be expected that at least one member of the team is rescue trained and carries the proper equipment? As an aside, a guy in my AOW class panicked at 85 and did a Polaris missile imitation on a boat dive. He was immediately put on 02 and we headed to shore, where he was taken to the hospital. No adverse effects, fortunately.
I had recently finished my DAN 02 provider course, and it was the weekend before the dives for my NAUI Advanced Rescue. My wife and I were in Monterey for a non-diving weekend (sometimes you just gotta go along ). Anyway, it was late afternoon and as I looked into the sun toward Lovers Point, I saw what appeared at first to be a couple of rafted-up sea lions. I then saw that it was several divers in a very unusual configuration, with one of them laid all the way out on their back. As they got closer to shore I realized that it was a rescue in progress, just as the divers had yelled to someone onshore to call 911. I ran up the sidewalk and down the stairs, reaching the beach just as they had pulled the victim onto the sand and placed her on her side. She was coughing up water and barely able to breathe, but no rescue breathing was needed at that point. Her BC and tank, etc. were floating about 150 yds. offshore, and the rescuers were also already out of their gear and helping her recover. They had been diving in the kelp at least 200 yds offshore.
There were at least three guys who had been in the water with the victim, and they all seemed to know what they were doing. One directed others on the beach to wait at the top of the stairs for the ambulance, get her gear, etc. They were winded (one guy so much that he was throwing up), but they were also calm and nobody panicked. The victim had apparently been found near the surface in the kelp, with her regulator out of her mouth. Beyond that, I do not have any more details about what caused the event.
The first responder was a police officer from the City of Pacific Grove. He was not able to render any aid to the victim whatsoever. We then waited several minutes for the FD to arrive on scene. They administered oxygen and took her to the hospital.
It was only during and after my rescue class that I realized that whoever saved the diver knew what they were doing, since their actions followed exactly what we were taught. I do wonder, though, whether it would it be feasible or even advisable for police officers in coastal/lakeside communities to carry an 02 kit, especially since they tend to be out in the field, and are quite often first responders to emergency scenes? It also pointed out the importance of continuous dive training and skills enhancement. What would have happened if none of the divers were rescue trained (I subsequently learned that several of them were firefighters), or if the incident occurred in a remote area with minimal emergency services? How common are the DAN 02 kits in the ordinary divers gearbag? At what point (frequent diver, AOW, DM, Instructor) or under what conditions should it be expected that at least one member of the team is rescue trained and carries the proper equipment? As an aside, a guy in my AOW class panicked at 85 and did a Polaris missile imitation on a boat dive. He was immediately put on 02 and we headed to shore, where he was taken to the hospital. No adverse effects, fortunately.
