Les
Contributor
This is my first time posting in this part of the site. I have been involved in small situations while diving but this one I feel is worth posting. FYI. I am OW, AOW,Nitrox,Rescue trained.
Sunday, a dive with 2 others, one of which is a new DM and his friend. Get a dive plan organized while gearing up. We get into the water @ Whytecliff to check out the anenome gardens. descend at the point and meet at the bottom(20') group check. I am lead, buddy #1, then the DM. everyone signals OK. 30' recheck group, OK signalled back. Same for 50'. Get to 70' and I turn to recheck buddies. Buddies are there, but as I signal OK, buddy #1 is signalling out of air. (I have practiced many times U/W but as drills. You never want to have it actually happen). Now my bad but for a split second, my first thought was "we did not talk about doing drills", especially @ 70'. Then realizing that whether or not a drill buddy needs air! I pull my long hosed primary and hand to buddy and plug my face with backup. Buddy is more than glad to have my reg in his mouth. BUT not first fighting to get the reg. I have had this happen in drills where I grab the reg hose too close to the reg and buddy cannot accept it because my hand was in the way. but I am worried that the reg will swivel and freeflow. Anyhow, I was getting stressed and breathing heavy due to this being my first situation like this.
We all ascended. Everyone OK at the surface. I asked what happened when everything WAS ok. Buddy says his air was on and he had read his guage pressure to me at the parking lot predive. I get thinking and sure enough his tank valve was BARELY turned open. He thanked me so much.
My other concern was for the DM following. At this point I also find valuable info, as the buddy was a week out of his open water training!!!! Had I known that before we should not have gone to 70' in the first place and a more rigorous safety check in the lot. Why did the DM not see any distress in the diver ahead of him. ie. bubbles or lack of, stressed movements. I am just darn glad I turned around when I did to see the signal for OOA!!!!! That is something I am always doing is checking buddies for OK and psi on any dive.
Lessons learned:
- always find out as much info about who you are diving with predive!
- practice drills of all kinds OFTEN so that handling emergencies will come second nature
- take training ie: courses to better oneself. It may save a life oneday!
- recheck with buddies often.
- in my mind, while ascending, I thought about what I had just been thru. I thought about the steps I had followed and what could I have changed if given a second chance (under simulation of course ).
1) passing the reg
2) slow breathing down. I admit I was stressed and that can be a bad thing for the rescuer.
3) I thought of my OW training and the instructors training.
- regain control..... of yourself
- respond..... to the situation
- react..... in a safe manner
I hope this can be read by all and I am open to critique and feedback. End result, making better divers out of all of us and learn from others mistakes...small or big.
safe diving,
Les
Sunday, a dive with 2 others, one of which is a new DM and his friend. Get a dive plan organized while gearing up. We get into the water @ Whytecliff to check out the anenome gardens. descend at the point and meet at the bottom(20') group check. I am lead, buddy #1, then the DM. everyone signals OK. 30' recheck group, OK signalled back. Same for 50'. Get to 70' and I turn to recheck buddies. Buddies are there, but as I signal OK, buddy #1 is signalling out of air. (I have practiced many times U/W but as drills. You never want to have it actually happen). Now my bad but for a split second, my first thought was "we did not talk about doing drills", especially @ 70'. Then realizing that whether or not a drill buddy needs air! I pull my long hosed primary and hand to buddy and plug my face with backup. Buddy is more than glad to have my reg in his mouth. BUT not first fighting to get the reg. I have had this happen in drills where I grab the reg hose too close to the reg and buddy cannot accept it because my hand was in the way. but I am worried that the reg will swivel and freeflow. Anyhow, I was getting stressed and breathing heavy due to this being my first situation like this.
We all ascended. Everyone OK at the surface. I asked what happened when everything WAS ok. Buddy says his air was on and he had read his guage pressure to me at the parking lot predive. I get thinking and sure enough his tank valve was BARELY turned open. He thanked me so much.
My other concern was for the DM following. At this point I also find valuable info, as the buddy was a week out of his open water training!!!! Had I known that before we should not have gone to 70' in the first place and a more rigorous safety check in the lot. Why did the DM not see any distress in the diver ahead of him. ie. bubbles or lack of, stressed movements. I am just darn glad I turned around when I did to see the signal for OOA!!!!! That is something I am always doing is checking buddies for OK and psi on any dive.
Lessons learned:
- always find out as much info about who you are diving with predive!
- practice drills of all kinds OFTEN so that handling emergencies will come second nature
- take training ie: courses to better oneself. It may save a life oneday!
- recheck with buddies often.
- in my mind, while ascending, I thought about what I had just been thru. I thought about the steps I had followed and what could I have changed if given a second chance (under simulation of course ).
1) passing the reg
2) slow breathing down. I admit I was stressed and that can be a bad thing for the rescuer.
3) I thought of my OW training and the instructors training.
- regain control..... of yourself
- respond..... to the situation
- react..... in a safe manner
I hope this can be read by all and I am open to critique and feedback. End result, making better divers out of all of us and learn from others mistakes...small or big.
safe diving,
Les
