Close call - flooded reg and DM at Blue Angel, Cozumel

[openmindOW]

Thanks to the OP for the post. I am glad that everything turned-out okay for you. By posting here you are helping other divers to learn; thank you.

You faced a tough situation.

You are doing the right thing in taking an AOW course, because we all become more skilled as divers when we undertake training. Enjoy the class and keep diving.

 

[Pearldiver07]

A few thoughts on the lingering uneasiness that you say you're experiencing.

It may well be that you felt you'd lost control of the situation. The first time that this happens it can be quite unnerving. You mentioned that you were worried about "what if the alternate fails?"

Well, play that one out. If you were alone, both regs were flooded, what are your options? I can think of one right off the bat - force a free flow and breath from it like you were trained. If you're not comfortable with that skill it is probably time to review and practice it (and others?).

The point is, if you know you've got options, and you're comfortable with the possiblity of having to employ them, I believe that you'll get back the comfort again.

Many bad situations come up because the diver stops thinking about options, and reacts instinctively. In diving, you know that instincts very often aren't the best path to follow. Training, experience, and PRACTICE. That's the key to comfort.

Can't dive for a bit? Visualize different scenarios, read them here, think of how YOU can handle them. You'd be amazed how much that running "what if's" will do to help you when you actually dive.

Have fun and get back in.

 

[DandyDon]

I'm arriving late on this thread, and I may not have read all of the responses completely, but I do want to offer some comments...

...a boat with Jose, nine or eleven divers. Jose was in a hurry, throwing regs onto tanks, forgetting to turn the air on in a couple of cases.

I'm fairly sure that there were 8 divers maximum as that's the max load for a BA boat as well as the max a DM is allowed to escort in the park, but escorting is about all the DM is responsible for. I don't remember my OW course well, but I do remember that we were taught to turn our own air on and have our buddy check it - not to count on a DM to do it. Personally I wish the DMs would leave my valve alone, allow me to do it right or wrong, but they do work for tips so they try harder - and that's part of their routine scuba tourism industry wide I suppose. Nonetheless, it's the diver and buddy who are responsible for tank valves; I only wish the boat crew wouldn't mess with them when you're not looking.

Jose is not my favorite of the BA DMs, but he's a good one. His job is not to baby sit, but he does do his job well and more so - with his specialty being finding tiny creatures, and some divers prefer him exactly because of that.

Did you do right,heck the DM being the A**hole,yes you did fine.
Why did your reg. fail,most likely a sucked in exhaust valve,what to do about it,well you did,switch to your second.

Go get your own reg.use it,treasure it and keep it in perfect working order.

Hey you just did fine.

How is the DM an *******? His job is not to babysit divers or there would be a 4 diver/DM max like in the Cenotes - but even then, the diver better be able to dive as trained. On Coz reefs as elsewhere, the DM is there to guide and oversee the group - not micromanage each diver.

Thanks ... I did the best I could and just wish I didn't still feel so spooked.

What I'm wondering is, if the DM didn't think there was a problem, and the other divers didn't think there was a problem, maybe we should've just enjoyed our dive (well, until my reg flooded) and carried on. But we'd met the old guy's wife the night before and it clearly appeared (to us) that he was in way over his head. He seemed oblivious on the boat after, but came up to thank us that night for "looking out" for him.

Matching divers to a group at a resort can be a major challenge as the manager doesn't want to tell the newbie he can't dive today because there is not a newbie boat full going out, nor does the DM want to tell the rest of you that you're doing a newbie reef because of the newbie. That newbie probly should have hired his own DM as a buddy, but Jose did what he could - and I still don't see a failure in the DM. When the newbie blew his SS, normally Jose would go get him and bring him back down, but then he had a group to oversee and - well, I wasn't there. I don't know what all his challenges were. I presume that the newbie had a C-card so had been taught to do a SS. That he didn't was his action. I blew a SS when I was with Jose last week, and I'll post on that in a moment so you all can blast me if you'd like - but that was my call.

I've conveyed to my BF that I don't care if the baby Jesus and a basket of puppies are drowning ... when we're diving, I don't want him more than a breath away.

Good plan! I missed it if you said you were diving your own reg? If so, when was it last serviced? Did you find out why it failed?

It sounds like you did handle things well. Good or bad DM, a diver is primarily reliant on him/herself. Good buddy teams are key. Also, redundant air sources can be beneficial in these situations. This is the exact reason that I haven't used a rental reg since dive #5, 12 years ago. Get your own reg and treat it like what it is, life support equipment.

Well said. Was it a rental reg? I do like dive my own, tested reg, always.

It certainly appears that you handled things well. Failures happen and that is why you took a scuba class.....to learn how to handle them.

As to what you were expected as you "trusted" the Dive Master, I don't know. Even on dives that are guided by a Dive Master, you are still responsible. The Dive Master is responsible for oversight of the entire group and can't be expected to be there to respond to everyone's "trouble".

I don't see where some here think that Jose failed...?

This is a tough call. Certainly sounds like the DM screwed up, but I think that if you have stick with your 'wingman'. If you both spotted someone with a problem, IMO you both go after them to get them out of trouble as otherwise you've just turned your 'buddy' into a solo diver.

Tell me, how did the DM screw up? I saw that the BF/buddy did by leaving her, but that was his job to stay with her - not the DM's...?

Well, I'll go post about my screwups now... :silly:

 

[Captain Brian]

I've been mulling this for a month, and am finally able to write about it.

My BF (~40ish dives) and I (~120ish) dove last month at Blue Angel in Coz. Most of our dives were great, Edgar was our DM and was very thorough. One afternoon we were rushed onto a boat with Jose, nine or eleven divers. Jose was in a hurry, throwing regs onto tanks, forgetting to turn the air on in a couple of cases.

My "bad feeling" radar turned on, especially when he asked "How deep have you been?" One solo diver had been with us the day before and I knew he was brand-new. I made sure Jose knew this. He chose Deep Columbia, and told the newb "You'll be my buddy."

The newb (late sixties, weighted too heavily, I found out later, and diving with no computer) jumped in and descended to the bottom almost immediately. I have a hard time equalizing and was going down slowly. Jose was nowhere near the newb, and my BF (M) and I went after him. At 80 feet, my reg started leaking heavily, and I stopped. M kept going. Three or four other pairs of divers and Jose just started their dive. Jose was a good fifty feet away, and watching, but seemed to think we were "handling" it, or that there was nothing to handle. I don't know.

As M was bringing the newb back toward the group (putting a little air in his BC), I took in a breath that was pure ocean. Way too far away from my buddy. I fumbled for what seemed like ages (but was only seconds) before freeing my second, clearing it and gasping. I've never had a reg flood before. I still don't know exactly what happened. I just fought the worst sensation of my life and every nerve screaming to bolt for the surface.

M got back to me. I was panicked about the second failing, and we continued our dive above the others, at about thirty feet. The newb stayed with the group for a bit, then bottomed again. Jose was NEVER close to him. At the end of the dive, near the others, the newb completely blew his safety stop and surfaced. M, knowing what his profile must be, left me again and brought him back to 15 feet.

When we all got back on the boat, Jose said, "What happened?" and when I told him my reg flooded he said, "Use your second." Um, thanks. What amazed me was that the other couples disembarked saying, "Great dive, Jose!" Really? REALLY? (The newb later cheerfully admitted that he couldn't see his gauges, and mentioned he might get a prescription mask.)

I made myself dive again the next day (with another reg, and another DM, who was competent) just because I felt if I didn't, I'd never get in the water again.

Next month I plan to get my AOW, because I'm still thinking about that feeling, that being unable to breathe and that awful panic. And I'm going to buy my own reg. My BF feels terrible, but thinks he did the right thing, going after the old guy. (We'll be talking to our AOW instructor about this.)

I guess my questions are: did we do the right thing? Why did my reg fill with water? And, if it ever happens again, is there anything I can do better or differently?

Thanks for listening.

Our group was on this dive with you. When the gentleman descended to the bottom, you and your friend went after him. Jose watched to make sure you had it handled. We continued our dive and you made no signals that anything was wrong. (if you had we would of been there in a flash) You continued your dive above us with your buddy. In my opinon you should have aborted the dive as you struggled for the remainder of it. As for the gentleman blowing his safety stop, it was within the no decommpression limits and was his choice. When we got back on the boat and Jose asked what happened, he was referring to your problem not the older gentlemans. When you said that your reg flooded Jose offered his own to you with you refused because you are mad at him and everyone else on the boat. It was a "Great dive" and Jose did nothing wrong. He is a divemaster, not the PADI police. If you chose to do a dive that excedes your training and ability that is your choice. You should have told Jose you were not quilified to do this dive. So to answer your question, No you did not do the right thing by going after him. Had you and your buddy not gone, Jose would of taken care of it. That's what divemasters do. Maybe you should look at your own actions before trashing a divemaster.
Our log book states: Depth-77 feet. Time-48 min. Dive notes-new woman diver had reg problems and sulked. Did our own dive and it was great!
Captain Brian L. Anderson
PADI MSDT 169890
TDI Advanced Trimix

 

[halocline]

Ouch...this last post just goes to show how different perceptions can be. It is true that being a DM in Cozumel has got to be a fairly tough job, because the place is a magnet for new, marginally competent (and some outright incompetent) divers, while many of the dive profiles are somewhat on the advanced side, at least as far as depth and current go. Considering this, it's fairly impressive how few diving injuries there are.

Certainly the OP tried to do her best to help out someone she perceived as in need, but I also suspect that the DM had it more under control than she perceived. After all, this is Cozumel and the guy probably sees bad divers every day and has developed a good ability to know when someone will be able to get through a dive and when they really need help.

 

[DandyDon]

 

[all4scuba05]

Never leave your wingman.
One of 2 regs inop? End the dive.
For some dives, plan it as if only YOU can save you.

nuf said