Accidents...

[InGearX]

I was hoping that we could list the ways people got into accidents so we could all learn from the mistakes and know when/where/how/... to be more particularly cautious...

 

[InGearX]

One of the first fatal accidents that I've heard and it got my particular attention and I realized the magnitude of what we are dealing with:

A diver at 50 meters had lost his weights belt (not sure of the details and unless I had seen it - I could of have been told anything) - so naturally he went straight up - when he reached the top he was dead...

I guess the virtue is to be VERY careful with your wights...

 

[battles2a5]

That sounds like a sympton to a much more common cause of accidents- Diving beyond the limits of your training.

A diver with the equipment, experience and training to complete a dive to 50m should not be in a position where the loss of weights (which probably would not be worn anyway- and if they were they would not be worn in a fashion where this could happen) would result in an uncontrolled, rapid ascent to the surface with what sounds like an AEG to boot.

So if you want to avoid an accident like this, do not dive beyond your training or your personal limits. Dive with a good buddy, know and take care of your equipment, and use your head.

 

[timle]

Thats kinda the point of this whole forum. Read on and learn.

 

[idivetrain]

I feel that one of the biggest reasons for most accidents is the "flight to the surface" response that most people have. I understand that panic can cause you to make rushed decisions, but taking a few moments to think about your response could save your life. In example, I am from the Midwest where diving can be very cold. I was diving at a quarry in Ohio in approx 110 feet of water in a dry-suit. Water temps were around 38 degrees. My regulator began to free-flow on me. I simply swam to my buddy and grabbed his redundant air. He turned off my air for a few moments. When he turned my air back on my regulator was no longer free-flowing. I took my reg back and continued to do a 60 minute dive. What happens in the cold water is regulators can freeze up causing a free-flow. Also the added air flowing over the first stage to not only give you air to breath, but also air to inflate your dry-suit and your bcd can cause a regulator to free-flow. Turning off the air for a few moments can in some situations help to un-freeze the first stage. Taking a moment to think about your situations will help you to make better decisions in most cases. From looking at prior accidents at this quarry from the same situation you will see that most people will bolt to the surface and get bent. Some spit out their reg in panic (something that I have never understood why people do). But almost nobody swam to their buddy and turned off their air to stop the flow of air out of their regulator. So, next time you are diving in cold water or diving a drysuit, or both just remember if you do happen to start freeflowing to not panic. Grab your redundant air supply, grab your buddies octo, and please, please, please, dont bolt to the surface!!! I have been told by others diving with us that day that they learned so much from watching us handle a situation calmly that would have caused panic in alot of people.

 

[Mike Edmonston]

Not Paying Attention!

Whether it's the SPG, depth, training limits, buddy awareness, time at depth, buoyancy etc...

Not paying attention to one or more of these items leads to accidents.

YMMV

Cheers

 

[z3r0c00l]

Losing my weights is one of my personal greatest fears - but that is not at 50M.

 

[Pearldiver07]

Not Paying Attention!

Whether it's the SPG, depth, training limits, buddy awareness, time at depth, buoyancy etc...

Not paying attention to one or more of these items leads to accidents.

YMMV

Cheers

Which is closely related to losing situational awareness...

 

[diver 85]

One of the first fatal accidents that I've heard and it got my particular attention and I realized the magnitude of what we are dealing with:

A diver at 50 meters had lost his weights belt (not sure of the details and unless I had seen it - I could of have been told anything) - so naturally he went straight up - when he reached the top he was dead...

I guess the virtue is to be VERY careful with your wights...

Terrible story--......now we going to hear that DIR suggests carrying a redundant set of weights???......

 

[24940]

Terrible story--......now we going to hear that DIR suggests carrying a redundant set of weights???......

DIR config would have the belt trapped by the crotch strap if there was an accidental release. Of course, there isn't a need for much weight on the belt in a DIR rig and the chance of an accidental release is pretty slim for DIR trained diver.