Best rescue is no rescue

[electrix]

My wife did not want to dive the Blue Hole in Belize so I decided I would keep a close eye on a diver that had just got certified 4 days before. We got down to about 120' when he started messing with his camera, he was vertical and steadily finning but still sinking, I swam over in front of him got his attention and gave him the signal to add air to his BC. Instead of adding air to his BC he thought I wanted him to take my picture, gave him the signal again and he took my picture again as we are slowly sinking, so I swam over grabbed his inflator held on to him and added air, he was a little offended that I had done that but was totally unaware that we had ended up at 141' till we were back on the boat. Our guide thanked me several times and again as we were heading home a few days later. This could have had a lot different outcome if I had not had so much practice herding students during OW classes.

 

[JamesK]

Good job on the save, but I have to ask, why the hell was a diver certified 4 days earlier doing a dive to 120'?

 

[flots am]

Good job on the save, but I have to ask, why the hell was a diver certified 4 days earlier doing a dive to 120'?

It's a tourist attraction.

"Everything will be fine." Supposedly.

flots.

 

[DandyDon]

Good job on the save, but I have to ask, why the hell was a diver certified 4 days earlier doing a dive to 120'?

Many Ops there do that. I only hope that they don't take Discover divers there.

Newbies & cameras are a dangerous mix. Hello, me & cameras can me.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Good job on the save, but I have to ask, why the hell was a diver certified 4 days earlier doing a dive to 120'?

... or in this case, 140 feet ... ... fortunately he didn't just run himself out of air, or have a significant CO2 hit at depth. And I'll just bet he was using a cheap rental reg that probably hadn't been serviced in way too long.

Belize was the first dive vacation my wife and I took after we got certified. I had about 35 dives ... she had about 12. We opted out of the Blue Hole dive because we didn't think we were experienced enough. The dive op tried hard to talk us into it, but we stuck with our decision. One of the women on our boat ... who had completed her OW certification just two days prior ... went. When she came back she was all enthusiastic about the fact that she went to 150 feet. But she also ran out of air, and the divemaster took her up to the hang tank on his air, left her there, and went back down ... leaving her unattended with no air in her back tank while he brought another diver up to join her. She called it the "coolest" thing she'd ever done.

I can think of several other adjectives that are more appropriate ...

In scuba diving, what you don't know can, in fact, hurt you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[JamesK]

It's a tourist attraction.

"Everything will be fine." Supposedly.

flots.

Many Ops there do that. I only hope that they don't take Discover divers there.

Newbies & cameras are a dangerous mix. Hello, me & cameras can me.

That is scary as hell IMO. And you are correct, newbs and cameras do not mix. Just like all the newbs here that think it is their duty as newly certified divers to eradicate all Lion fish in this hemisphere. They go out on their first dive with slings and spear guns. Scary.

... or in this case, 140 feet ... ... fortunately he didn't just run himself out of air, or have a significant CO2 hit at depth. And I'll just bet he was using a cheap rental reg that probably hadn't been serviced in way too long.

Belize was the first dive vacation my wife and I took after we got certified. I had about 35 dives ... she had about 12. We opted out of the Blue Hole dive because we didn't think we were experienced enough. The dive op tried hard to talk us into it, but we stuck with our decision. One of the women on our boat ... who had completed her OW certification just two days prior ... went. When she came back she was all enthusiastic about the fact that she went to 150 feet. But she also ran out of air, and the divemaster took her up to the hang tank on his air, left her there, and went back down ... leaving her unattended with no air in her back tank while he brought another diver up to join her. She called it the "coolest" thing she'd ever done.

I can think of several other adjectives that are more appropriate ...

In scuba diving, what you don't know can, in fact, hurt you ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

What the hell??!?!!?!!!?!??!??!??!?!??!??!!!??!! This is just down right freaking amazing. What the hell do dive shops have in their drinking water that make not only their customers, but themselves, complete freggin morons?

---------- Post added May 9th, 2012 at 01:54 PM ----------

You know, sometimes I am glad I am in my own little world when it comes to diving.

 

[Hawkwood]

Bob,

Same thing with us. Four of us on the boat did not do the dive. I was a newly minted DM. The four of us understood the risk, the other 8 did the dive. None of which had more than about a dozen dives.

When I hear my Class and Pool students are going to Belize for their OW dives, they are give a stern lecture by me regarding the Blue Hole.

I could harp on all day about the Blue Hole the propensity of operators for taking new, inexperienced divers down there - and for what?

Bill

 

[electrix]

Actually he had already done his deep and nitrox, he stayed up late studying, he was determined to get his advanced quickly.

Good job on the save, but I have to ask, why the hell was a diver certified 4 days earlier doing a dive to 120'?

 

[JamesK]

Actually he had already done his deep and nitrox, he stayed up late studying, he was determined to get his advanced quickly.

SMH. And here we have the problem with "Advanced".

 

[SandPhantom]

Amazing...smh.