Cozumel incident but lesson learned

[boulderjohn]

I wonder if people have thought about what the inexperienced and unconfident OP should have done after standing up to their malfunctioning DM? Should the two of them have gone to the surface alone immediately, almost certainly with no SMB?

If you think that was the best option, do a search in Cozumel and see how often people surfacing on their own there apart from a group has not had a happy ending.

 

[peeweediver]

boulder john:
Agree that armchair quarterbacking is always easy and ascending in Coz without SMB, alone and not very experienced can have a bad outcome. We all now have to have our students inflate an SMB during OW dives (PADI requirement). We should also be stating very clearly that this piece of equipment is like a seat belt and absolutely necessary as safety equipment. If you travel and rent all equipment, you must rent an SMB as well. About 8 years ago, my spouse deployed her first SMB on a trip and realized she now feels 1000% move confident when diving and does not believe she needs to be stapled to the DM. Guess I was not sufficient comfort . Anyway, I plan to use this incident to re-emphasize the critical nature of the SMB and how it can give you the confidence to not follow a bad DM when you should be surfacing due to low PSI or any other reason.

Rob

 

[boulderjohn]

boulder john:
Agree that armchair quarterbacking is always easy and ascending in Coz without SMB, alone and not very experienced can have a bad outcome. We all now have to have our students inflate an SMB during OW dives (PADI requirement). We should also be stating very clearly that this piece of equipment is like a seat belt and absolutely necessary as safety equipment. If you travel and rent all equipment, you must rent an SMB as well. About 8 years ago, my spouse deployed her first SMB on a trip and realized she now feels 1000% move confident when diving and does not believe she needs to be stapled to the DM. Guess I was not sufficient comfort . Anyway, I plan to use this incident to re-emphasize the critical nature of the SMB and how it can give you the confidence to not follow a bad DM when you should be surfacing due to low PSI or any other reason.

Rob

I have been saying for years that every diver in Cozumel should be required to carry an SMB. It is too easy to get separated from your group, surface, and drift out to sea in those rapid currents while your boat is frantically searching for your little head bobbing in the waves.

 

[uncfnp]

I wonder if people have thought about what the inexperienced and unconfident OP should have done after standing up to their malfunctioning DM? Should the two of them have gone to the surface alone immediately, almost certainly with no SMB?

If you think that was the best option, do a search in Cozumel and see how often people surfacing on their own there apart from a group has not had a happy ending.

As you can tell from my other posts I pretty much agree with this but one can only hope that if the pair had elected to ascended to the safety stop the DM would have taken notice and followed their lead.

 

[Coztick]

Unless you know your dive buddy and his/her abilities, you may be on your own.
Please think and dress accordingly.

Happy diving, Kevin

 

[Dogbowl]

I have been saying for years that every diver in Cozumel should be required to carry an SMB. It is too easy to get separated from your group, surface, and drift out to sea in those rapid currents while your boat is frantically searching for your little head bobbing in the waves.

That is exactly why I was adamant that my DM teach me how to use one this past trip to Coz over X'mas. I wish we could've done it on every dive, but we only got to do it once. Next time, we'll be more prepared and will request that we each deploy our own SMB for the practice, if not for anything else.

 

[MargaritaMike]

As you can tell from my other posts I pretty much agree with this but one can only hope that if the pair had elected to ascended to the safety stop the DM would have taken notice and followed their lead.

You're right: One can only hope. However, my gut feeling is that since the DM didn't do much when first alerted by the OP then in this case they would pretty much have been on their own. IMO the OP and his wife were EXTREMELY lucky. It was a valuable lesson for more people than just the OP albeit on the edge of disaster. As @RayfromTX alluded to but never really stated is that while the Dive Guides may also be a Divemaster (I know a couple who have their instructor ticket), they are still just Dive Guides.

Cheers and Happy New Year - M²

and

 

[boulderjohn]

Ascending divers can essentially disappear instantly. I am trying to recall the details of a fairly recent Cozumel fatality and might not be totally accurate, but as I recall, a man and woman were having trouble and wanted to ascend. The man tried to get the DMs attention, then turned to look back and the wife was gone. She was never seen again.

If you look away from someone and then look back on land, unless that person ducks behind an obstacle, you will see him or her because there is only one viewing level you have to search. It is different in the water, where the diver could be below you or (especially) above you. Your mask limits your vision. I have looked frantically for people who were just there a second ago and found them just a few feet above me.

If you have a DM who is not paying attention to you, it can be even worse. I was once instructing a DM candidate who was leading a dive of a couple of people, with me bringing up the rear. He was dutifully looking back regularly to make sure everyone was OK. I checked my pressure gauge for a second, looked back, and the diver in front of me was gone. I looked around quickly, then looked up and saw him descending. He got back into the group just as the DM looked back to make sure everyone was OK. He had lost buoyancy control temporarily, gone up just enough to be out of my sight, and then come back to us. The DM candidate never knew he was gone. It would have been just as easy for him to have gone all the way to the surface without the DM candidate--or a real DM, even an experienced one--knowing about it. With a DM who isn't even trying, it can be much worse.

 

[Dogbowl]

Ascending divers can essentially disappear instantly. I am trying to recall the details of a fairly recent Cozumel fatality and might not be totally accurate, but as I recall, a man and woman were having trouble and wanted to ascend. The man tried to get the DMs attention, then turned to look back and the wife was gone. She was never seen again.

If you look away from someone and then look back on land, unless that person ducks behind an obstacle, you will see him or her because there is only one viewing level you have to search. It is different in the water, where the diver could be below you or (especially) above you. Your mask limits your vision. I have looked frantically for people who were just there a second ago and found them just a few feet above me.

If you have a DM who is not paying attention to you, it can be even worse. I was once instructing a DM candidate who was leading a dive of a couple of people, with me bringing up the rear. He was dutifully looking back regularly to make sure everyone was OK. I checked my pressure gauge for a second, looked back, and the diver in front of me was gone. I looked around quickly, then looked up and saw him descending. He got back into the group just as the DM looked back to make sure everyone was OK. He had lost buoyancy control temporarily, gone up just enough to be out of my sight, and then come back to us. The DM candidate never knew he was gone. It would have been just as easy for him to have gone all the way to the surface without the DM candidate--or a real DM, even an experienced one--knowing about it. With a DM who isn't even trying, it can be much worse.

Yes, I can attest to that. Newer divers do this a lot. We sometimes lose control of our buoyancy for whatever reason (mask troubles, can't find my inflator hose, etc.), get a little excited and fill our lungs or kick up accidentally. Then, when we've resolved our troubles, we return to the group. And oftentimes, the DM would not have seen it happen.

 

[ShrimpDaddy]

Yes, I can attest to that. Newer divers do this a lot. We sometimes lose control of our buoyancy for whatever reason (mask troubles, can't find my inflator hose, etc.), get a little excited and fill our lungs or kick up accidentally. Then, when we've resolved our troubles, we return to the group. And oftentimes, the DM would not have seen it happen.

My wife and I have dove Cozumel and if your not prepared for it you can loose each other. Doing some research with the local dive shop can go a long way. One of the facts you would find out is there is at least a 3 knot current and if you get separated it can prove disasters. To blame the DM is not the write way to look at this. I have been an instructor for 30 years and I teach ALL of my students "plan your dive, dive your plan". You as the diver are sourly responsible for your safety so you should always be aware of you Depth, Air pressure and Time. Once you breached you planned depth you should make your way back to your planned depth and once you reach your predetermined accent pressure you should start your accent. The DM would have been fine because he knows those waters better than you. I'm thankful you guys made it but remember "plan your dive, dive your plan".
ShrimpDaddy