Bad dive on the USS Spiegel Grove

[Missdirected]

Can you not blow air into your BC yourself? I can with mine. If I am going to hang out at the top, waiting on someone, I am certainly not going to hang out negative. Your are only going to exert yourself, like you did with your lil swim before going hand-over-hand. You can use that snorkel all day long but if you are finning to stay at the top - you are working - that is basic common knowledge. Go for a run and you are going to raise your heart rate - it takes time to come down.

I'm with GratefulDiver, I am not saying anything about the buddy, as I haven't heard his side.

Pilot, seriously if I were you, I would think about some advanced training. You have way too many near disasters, IMHO, it is like you are flirting with... At least from my perspective. One needs to be prepared. Hope for the best but plan for the worst.

So think about it. Skip one trip and get a little more training, as Red suggested. You will save on air with a little more training - as you will know what to do when a situation arises and won't be as anxious.

Good luck to ya.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Sounds to me like the dive plan went south when you guys could not get back to the line? Why not do a free acend and shoot your bag as visual reference for the boat captain? Never dove this site, so I'm not sure about standing prcedures......

 

[HowardE]

Regardless of any current - the Spiegel Grove has 6 (i think - maybe more) ascent/decent lines attached. Unless you actually get blown completely off of the wreck, if you're in a precarious situation... pick a line and go up. Signal your boat to come and get you with your safety sausage that you SHOULD have on your person.

An AL80 should be plenty of gas for a recreational NON-Deco dive on the SG. If you dive it on air (which I don't - I use 32% Nitrox), you only get about 20 minutes of BT anyway...

It doesn't sound like a horrible trip, just something that can happen on any given day on the SG. My last dive on the grove, the viz was about 15 feet, and the current was the strongest I've ever seen on it.

PiFi - it sounds like you made the best of it, and came out ok...

 

[Web Monkey]

Sounds like a plan.

As long as the captain wouldn't be too pi**** at having to do the pickup, I'd be much happier drifting along waiting for pickup than fining like mad to get back to a line in heavy current.

Never been on the Grove, but would like to see it this year.

Terry

Sounds to me like the dive plan went south when you guys could not get back to the line? Why not do a free acend and shoot your bag as visual reference for the boat captain? Never dove this site, so I'm not sure about standing prcedures......

 

[pilot fish]

Can you not blow air into your BC yourself? I can with mine. If I am going to hang out at the top, waiting on someone, I am certainly not going to hang out negative. Your are only going to exert yourself, like you did with your lil swim before going hand-over-hand. You can use that snorkel all day long but if you are finning to stay at the top - you are working - that is basic common knowledge. Go for a run and you are going to raise your heart rate - it takes time to come down.

I'm with GratefulDiver, I am not saying anything about the buddy, as I haven't heard his side.

Pilot, seriously if I were you, I would think about some advanced training. You have way too many near disasters, IMHO, it is like you are flirting with... At least from my perspective. One needs to be prepared. Hope for the best but plan for the worst.

So think about it. Skip one trip and get a little more training, as Red suggested.

I did have air in my BC but it was partially inflated -I never fully inflate my bc before I splash but enough to keep me positive. After I hit the water and was waiting I should have then inflated more. My mistake. I also was finning while pulling hand over hand too quickly. I should have just used my upper body and slowed down. My mistake, but another lesson learned.

As for extra training, I'm sure we all could benefit from that.

 

[CBulla]

Ah yes, we spoke on the phone about this after your dive. Overall a great learning experience and you upbeat attitude on the phone about gaining some new knowlege and making the best of the dive was great to hear!

 

[TheRedHead]

An AL80 should be plenty of gas for a recreational NON-Deco dive on the SG. If you dive it on air (which I don't - I use 32% Nitrox), you only get about 20 minutes of BT anyway.

People go OOA or very low on that wreck every week. I don't understand why NOT a safer configuration like a steel 100 or 120 with an H-vavle? Why not be safer when there are scores of patently unsafe divers with newly minted AOW cards diving from multiple dive boats who might need to share your air?

 

[HowardE]

People go OOA or very low on that wreck every week. I don't understand why NOT a safer configuration like a steel 100 or 120 with an H-vavle? Why not be safer when there are scores of patently unsafe divers with newly minted AOW cards diving from multiple dive boats who might need to share your air?

I dive it with a steel 100. I don't usually even see other divers, since they go up so early. But most of them rent tanks from the dive ops (AL 80's) - Most ops probably WANT people to go down there and suck their tanks down in about 20 minutes.

The bottom line is - instead of bringing extra gas to extend your BT... just look at your gauges.

Also 1000 psi is really too late a time to make the turn on the SG... If you're doing a deep stop, then a 3 min safety stop. you're not leaving a lot of margin.

 

[TheRedHead]

The bottom line is - instead of bringing extra gas to extend your BT... just look at your gauges.

Jeez, you don't take extra gas to extend your bottom time and conduct a deco dive, you take more gas to be safer, to have plenty of gas to get both you and your buddy to the surface in case of a catastrophic loss of gas. It's not simply a matter of looking at your guages, but have a gas plan which includes not only a turn pressure, but a rock bottom.

People dive recreational wrecks in other areas in the 100-130 range and they don't dive them with a single AL 80. Pony bottles and bigger tanks are common and often required to dive wrecks in areas in the NE and North Carolina.

It seems to me that you are saying that Florida operators don't trust divers with more gas and assume they are going to get themselves into more trouble rather than conduct a more reasonable, safer dive.

 

[HowardE]

Jeez, you don't take extra gas to extend your bottom time and conduct a deco dive, you take more gas to be safer, to have plenty of gas to get both you and your buddy to the surface in case of a catastrophic loss of gas. It's not simply a matter of looking at your guages, but have a gas plan which includes not only a turn pressure, but a rock bottom.

People dive recreational wrecks in other areas in the 100-130 range and they don't dive them with a single AL 80. Pony bottles and bigger tanks are common and often required to dive wrecks in areas in the NE and North Carolina.

It seems to me that you are saying that Florida operators don't trust divers with more gas and assume they are going to get themselves into more trouble rather than conduct a more reasonable, safer dive.

I'm saying that ops that run to the SG have so many tanks in reserve, that they probably can't afford the expense of Steel tanks vs alum. Also, they already charge an arm and a leg for a trip, how much would that go up if they had to buy steel tanks for everyone?

If you can't dive the dive then don't. If you are diving the SG, and an AL 80 isn't enough gas for you, bring your own tanks... It's that simple.

Obviously, there was no gas management plan. 1000 psi simply isn't enough gas to make all of those stops and a safe ascent rate. I'm sure you'd agree on that one.