Bent in Belize--Blue Hole Incident

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

...my LoonDiver SB handle is because I think it would be so cool to dive with Loons.

I just finished a week on a lake in Vermont that had a decent loon population. I did a lot of lake Kayaking and rowing. They pop up near you out of nowhere, not seeming to care that you are there. They are quite fascinating.

Diving with them would probably not be nearly as fascinating. Perhaps one might zip past you in search for fish, but I imagine you would be more startled than thrilled.
 
I just finished a week on a lake in Vermont that had a decent loon population. I did a lot of lake Kayaking and rowing. They pop up near you out of nowhere, not seeming to care that you are there. They are quite fascinating.

Diving with them would probably not be nearly as fascinating. Perhaps one might zip past you in search for fish, but I imagine you would be more startled than thrilled.

You're probably right about the startled part. Plus, the water is probably COLD wherever the loons are. But they are definitely fascinating creatures.

---------- Post Merged at 02:04 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:58 PM ----------

OP, thanks for starting this thread and being brave enough to share your story. I have found the thread to be very educational.
 
That's okay, I don't mind the break from the abuse.

Actually, I think the responses have been remarkably restrained as far as what one would call abuse. I think that's because many here appreciate your willingness to post this story, and your candor. There's not much point in flaming anyway, and I would say much has been learned from this. I have too many other places higher on my bucket list so I'll probably never make it to Belize or the BH. But if I do, many questions will be asked, and preparations made ahead of time. But that's the way I tend to roll anyway.
 
I would bet you would be charged for both tanks. If you are fine with that, I bet they would be, too.

An extra ~$12 to save me from the possibility of a horrible death? Sounds like a plan to me.

If someone needs an air-share, do I get to charge back the cost of the tank? :cool:

The only reason I mentioned it up is because of how close the gas requirements are to the amount of available gas. An AL80 is perfectly fine if everything else is perfectly fine, however if leaves little room for error. My deco instructor would cut my c-card up and staple it to my forehead if he saw me with that dive plan and a single 80.

flots.
 
I read your whole account, but I did not read all of the responses so I apologize if I am reiterating someone else's sentiments.

When I read that you were an engineer and consider your self pretty smart, that to me was your first mistake. I say that kind of tongue and cheek, but I am an engineer also, and I've found that thinking you are smart, usually gets you in trouble.

Other than that, you went with the moment and you made some mistakes. I'm sure you knew at the time that you were potentially risking your life ,as we all do when we dive, but to a greater extant than usual because of the lack of equipment. I can't imagine doing a dive without the proper gear, but I'm not here to judge you. Some people (myself included), sometimes have to learn things the hard way.

I am genuinely glad that you made it. Based on what little information I can gather from your post, you seem like a good person, and I think the world would be a little emptier without you in it. Thanks for telling your story so candidly. Others will learn from this and hopefully it will save someone else from having the same experience or worse.
 
I heartily agreed with post #2.

I usually don't drink either. I think I'll stay that way.

Borrowing a computer.

And so on.
 


Yeah, I did it anyway. All the fool I. A bunch of seemingly small choices, all looking like good ideas at the time, all pointed to the chamber. It'll be a while before I get back into my drysuit, but it's still there in the basement waiting.

I've made it home, I went to see a couple of doctors in Canada. My GP retired last year after a heart attack, so I don't have... I think Americans call it a primary care physician? Last night on a recommendation from my counsellor (hey, it's been a rough month) I went to the hospital to get checked out. I waited for a couple of hours to see a doctor; they did bloodwork, which was normal; they checked my vitals, which were normal; and I got sent home. They figure I'm fine, the tingly bits will get better with time. I can still feel a little out of the fingertips so it's likely not serious nerve damage. The machines to test for nerve damage don't actually go all the way to the fingertips, so there's actually not much they could even look for.

I've been in the Belize, American, and Canadian health care systems in the last two weeks. The differences are their own novels.

All in all, I didn't get the vacation I planned, but I got the vacation I needed. It may sound dumb and maybe borderline insane, but even knowing what I know now, I wouldn't change a thing.

---------- Post Merged at 09:20 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 09:14 AM ----------

When I read that you were an engineer and consider your self pretty smart, that to me was your first mistake. I say that kind of tongue and cheek, but I am an engineer also, and I've found that thinking you are smart, usually gets you in trouble.

Other than that, you went with the moment and you made some mistakes. I'm sure you knew at the time that you were potentially risking your life ,as we all do when we dive, but to a greater extant than usual because of the lack of equipment. I can't imagine doing a dive without the proper gear, but I'm not here to judge you. Some people (myself included), sometimes have to learn things the hard way.

I am genuinely glad that you made it. Based on what little information I can gather from your post, you seem like a good person, and I think the world would be a little emptier without you in it. Thanks for telling your story so candidly. Others will learn from this and hopefully it will save someone else from having the same experience or worse.

Nah, I assume I'm wrong at least 35% of the time. Saves a lot of emotional investment in solutions I come up with.

But I think what you were saying was the important part of why I got hurt. I went with the moment. I figured I was the least likely to get hurt, and that I'd be able to skimp on the rules. I was wrong. Other people have told me, "You know, I was reading this, and thinking, 'Oh, you idiot!... You know, I would do the same thing...'."

And hopefully, like you're saying, the next guy like me who thinks "eh, what's the worst that can happen?" will remember the time he was reading about some fit, smart, all-too-clever guy on vacation in Belize and get the answer without finding it out the hard way.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom