DCS due to reading computer wrong (I think)

[flots am]

Quero, I have already accepted that it was my fault and I must have been narked. That, plus the excitement of the moment contributed to the error. While I am happy to accept constructive criticism - like the other posts in this thread, you are simply using the opportunity to settle old scores (from other forums) by being deliberately insulting. I was not being complacent or fostering any "dangerous attitude". It was just a human error and will not happen again.

I've never met you before and have nothing to settle, but would like to say that what you had was human error, but not the kind you're thinking of.

The error was in not planning this as a solo staged-decompression dive and having a defined, written (printed) plan as well as sufficient gas and redundant gas, a redundant bottom timer and depth gauge among others, and evaluating whether the dive was worth the risk of death or permanent paralysis or permanent (sensory) nerve damage.

The printed plan is necessary because the dive computer won't tell you how much gas you need (at least I've never seen one that will) and you need to know how long you'll be in the water and how much deco you'll have before you dive.

Just a little "head's up"

Also, while I'm not a doctor and you apparently are, I'll still give you some free medical advice. If you ever think you might be bent, call DAN and see what they think. You're paying for the insurance (I assume you're insured) so you might as well use their services.

flots.

 

[Hintermann]

Guys, I am sorry if I have stiired up a real hornet's nest with this post. Quite a few questions seem to have arisen and not all of them directly under my control. Let me please clarify a few things as I saw them.

As you can all see on their website, Twin tanks are offered only on request on board Truk Odyssey and they have only 3 sets on board. They have 16 divers on board and are usually full. On my trip, there were 16 divers and all but 2 dived the SFM. Only one person was on twins - from the start.

I booked this holiday directly with them because Scuba Safaris' Jim closed shop last year. During the e-mail exchanges, they gave me to understand that a few dives would be "considerably deeper" than 40 metres. Those were the words.

Guests arriving early and doing land based dives through Blue Lagoon Shop before boarding the Odyssey apparently regularly request to dive Amagisan Maru, a dive nearly as deep as the SFM and not covered by the Odyssey. Some of us (not the liveaboard guests) were offered this dive by BLR but for various reasons it did not happen.

From what was said on and off throughout the week and certainly on Saturday, I got the impression that the SFM dive on the last morning was normal and most divers would be on single tanks (since there were max 3 sets of twins on board)

JJ did say "you guys will have some narcosis" and that "we have had quite a few cases of DCS" at various times. But he did NOT trivialise it. Like someone said in this thread, they treated us like responsible adults, I guess.

One of the divers, a 66-year old retired American fireman, was on his second week on board and he did most of his dives (but NOT the SFM) solo. No one else did AFAIK, ceratnly not me. As everyone else had buddies, one of the guides buddied me from the start. For the SFM dive, we were divided into 2 groups, diving 15 minutes apart. Each group was accompanied by 2 divemasters (including Kim) and went as a group.

Coming back to myself, one of you has alleged that I was complacent, had a 'dangerous attitude' and am even now in denial. While I fully accept that it was my error and that I was lucky that the outcome was not more serious, those impressions of a person the poster has never met are presumptuous in the extreme. I am happy to accept and thankful for constructive criticism but do not have to accept insults.

To tell you the truth, I hate the fact that this happened. I have done 327 dives to date and all have been relatively uneventful (at least, no diver error) except this one. I hated myself for allowing it to happen and have told myself off repeatedly. I did not start off wanting to take a risk or to prove anything and just got caught up in the general enthusiam for the dives, which was very prevalent on everyone on the boat. For me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I accept that during the SFU dive I was not as vigilant as I should have been. This is only an explanation and not an excuse and I know that I was very lucky that the outcome was not more serious.

With hindsight, I must have been narked and somehow made an error in reading my computer. I paid for it with the DCS and it is definitely not an experience that I want to risk again. I posted my experience here to get your constructive criticism and I thank you for it. I am sure that I'll be more careful in the future.

 

[fisheater]

"Presumptuous in the extreme"?

I think not.

I have nearly as many recreational dives as you and, yet I would never contemplate doing a deco dive without the necessary equipment and training. I know enough that I don't know enough to execute such a dive safely.

I would be very leery that such a "once in a lifetime" dive would, in fact, live up to such billing.

Yet, you posted this under the theory that your largely untreated DCS was caused by misreading your dive computer during the dive.

That, alone, shows that your attitude towards the very real risks of diving needs reorientation. Your dive was an "accident waiting to happen" before you even hit the water.

I don't need to meet you to understand that.

 

[themagni]

Well let's put it this way if I knew it was going to happened and it wasn't going to have lasting effects then I wouldn't let spoil what for me would be a once in a lifetime vacation. Contrast: after 2 years we've saved enough to drive to NC so I can dive 3-4 days and my wife can enjoy the beach.

Trust me, you don't want DCS. I still can't feel all of my right hand or left foot. :/ I think the worst part is every time I mis-speak, trip, or wobble. "Is that normal? Is that CNS damage? Am I just drunk again?"

Any dive can be once-in-a-lifetime if you dive it wrong.

 

[DandyDon]

Also, while I'm not a doctor and you apparently are, I'll still give you some free medical advice. If you ever think you might be bent, call DAN and see what they think. You're paying for the insurance (I assume you're insured) so you might as well use their services.

flots.

You don't have to have DAN insurance to call. It's a damned good idea to have it, but they'll take the call either way - try to help even if they are not paying for treatment, etc.

 

[halocline]

With hindsight, I must have been narked and somehow made an error in reading my computer. I paid for it with the DCS and it is definitely not an experience that I want to risk again. I posted my experience here to get your constructive criticism and I thank you for it. I am sure that I'll be more careful in the future.

With all due respect, the error you made was doing a deep decompression dive without technical dive training and equipment. You do understand that, right? It doesn't matter how well you can read your recreational computer if you're at 170ft with a single tank and no deco training, it's still dangerous dive behavior.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Hinterman, I for one appreciate you for telling your story and subjecting yourself to the responses you must surely have known were going to follow. Keep your skin thick but also hope you will try to take a step back. See if you can become a dispassionate observer or perhaps stay away from the thread for awhile until you've naturally achieved more passage of time from your event and your current postings. Come back and read bit again later. I believe your perspective/perception will have changed and the whole thread may be of more value to you.

 

[vladimir]

Guys, I am sorry if I have stiired up a real hornet's nest with this post. Quite a few questions seem to have arisen and not all of them directly under my control. Let me please clarify a few things as I saw them.

As you can all see on their website, Twin tanks are offered only on request on board Truk Odyssey and they have only 3 sets on board. They have 16 divers on board and are usually full. On my trip, there were 16 divers and all but 2 dived the SFM. Only one person was on twins - from the start.

I booked this holiday directly with them because Scuba Safaris' Jim closed shop last year. During the e-mail exchanges, they gave me to understand that a few dives would be "considerably deeper" than 40 metres. Those were the words.

Guests arriving early and doing land based dives through Blue Lagoon Shop before boarding the Odyssey apparently regularly request to dive Amagisan Maru, a dive nearly as deep as the SFM and not covered by the Odyssey. Some of us (not the liveaboard guests) were offered this dive by BLR but for various reasons it did not happen.

From what was said on and off throughout the week and certainly on Saturday, I got the impression that the SFM dive on the last morning was normal and most divers would be on single tanks (since there were max 3 sets of twins on board)

JJ did say "you guys will have some narcosis" and that "we have had quite a few cases of DCS" at various times. But he did NOT trivialise it. Like someone said in this thread, they treated us like responsible adults, I guess.

One of the divers, a 66-year old retired American fireman, was on his second week on board and he did most of his dives (but NOT the SFM) solo. No one else did AFAIK, ceratnly not me. As everyone else had buddies, one of the guides buddied me from the start. For the SFM dive, we were divided into 2 groups, diving 15 minutes apart. Each group was accompanied by 2 divemasters (including Kim) and went as a group.

Coming back to myself, one of you has alleged that I was complacent, had a 'dangerous attitude' and am even now in denial. While I fully accept that it was my error and that I was lucky that the outcome was not more serious, those impressions of a person the poster has never met are presumptuous in the extreme. I am happy to accept and thankful for constructive criticism but do not have to accept insults.

To tell you the truth, I hate the fact that this happened. I have done 327 dives to date and all have been relatively uneventful (at least, no diver error) except this one. I hated myself for allowing it to happen and have told myself off repeatedly. I did not start off wanting to take a risk or to prove anything and just got caught up in the general enthusiam for the dives, which was very prevalent on everyone on the boat. For me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I accept that during the SFU dive I was not as vigilant as I should have been. This is only an explanation and not an excuse and I know that I was very lucky that the outcome was not more serious.

With hindsight, I must have been narked and somehow made an error in reading my computer. I paid for it with the DCS and it is definitely not an experience that I want to risk again. I posted my experience here to get your constructive criticism and I thank you for it. I am sure that I'll be more careful in the future.

Most of us would have predicted your narcosis, so hindsight wasn't necessary. I believe, for example, that GUE prescribes tri-mix for dives deeper than 30 meters, because the narcosis is an unacceptable risk for them. I have never heard (or read) anybody claim that you could dive to 50 meters without narcosis (and without helium); it is usually a discussion of whether or not you can learn to manage its consequences.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

With all due respect, the error you made was doing a deep decompression dive without technical dive training and equipment. You do understand that, right? It doesn't matter how well you can read your recreational computer if you're at 170ft with a single tank and no deco training, it's still dangerous dive behavior.

I pretty much agree. The dive plan was way too aggressive for me. Having zero redundancy other than some other person (fool) who is also diving with too small of a tank....I would have absolutely NO PROBLEM doing that dive, following my dive computer and have no technical training, but I would have simply clipped off an extra 80 c-ft bottle under my arm as a sling bottle. Probably wouldn't use it, but i would not plan on goiing that deep (or that far into deco) without some viable Plan B.

Also, to look at the computer once and then assume that is the deco info and not check back is kinda crazy. i watch my computer a lot on the ascent from a deco dive. Since I have no redundant computer, it is important for me to know what it is saying for the entire time and if it ever were to fail, I would still have a decent idea of what it "was thinking" before it died.

 

[RJP]

Doubles can be arranged no problem on the Odyssey for all on-board. Have been on the boat where every passenger was diving doubles. Since OP did so much research ahead of time... He surely could have determined how deep the SFM is, and arranged doubles ahead of time. Apparently that was not a rate-limiting step, however.