Dead woman discovered - White Star Quarry, Ohio

[uncfnp]

Personally I am not a big fan of the idea that any stranger should aproach another diver in some random situation with the idea that they may not be fit to dive.

However, I do believe in common curtesy. If I see someone struggling or stressed then yes, I may offer assistance. And it is possible that this may open the door to a conversation about diving and specific concerns.

 

[Bob DBF]

Some of tend to not be on the shy side when it comes to putting our two cents in. I'd say something. I don't care who they are. Just yesterday at the quarry, there was someone in my group, who I'd met once before (was not diving with him), who left his tanks standing up when he went to get other gear. I told him in no uncertain terms to lay them down, which he did.

Depends on whether you want to help someone. It took me a while to learn that during a confrontation the confrontee rarely learns anything, other than the confrontor is a nit picking a-hole. In the case of a tank standing up, I would mention that it was not a good idea and say that I could tell him how I found out but since we are both busy, may be later, and have a nice dive. He just forgot, I forget, probably no big deal, but worth a nudge.

On a boat I would tell him "No gear adrift" and point to the tank. The conversation would be about what the term "gear adrift" meant and why everything on a boat needs to be in it's place and secured. The whole conversation would not actually tell him that he f'd up and what to do, but a piece of how people act responsibly on a boat. Most people want to do whats right, either no one told them or they couldn't remember everything from last time.

Back on the boats, submarines, after seeing a tank standing by itself in the sand, someone read me the riot act, I would make sure a tank was standing every time the enforcer went by. I'd tell my friends so they can get in on the fun, and it would expand and go on until someone could see the end game. Lucky for society there are few submariners and their sense of humor is not widely appreciated.


Bob
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Trying to be an old beloved character not an ahole.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I've taken Rescue. Although I consider it the most useful cert I've taken, I won't assume that it'll enable me to diagnose anything. At all.

Ditto and then some. One has to be careful when using the word "diagnosis". A first aid or rescue diver certification does not qualify one to diagnose any disease or condition. What it should do is make the student aware of signs and symptoms that raise the index of suspicion for an acute illness that needs advanced medical care.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[The Chairman]

hi, my name is xyz and I'm a first responder

That's too direct for me... I would introduce myself and ask them where they're from. Make chit chat and you'll hear any stress in their voice or you won't. Make it more formal if you have to as you progress, but being approached by a "rescuer" often increases anxiety and even denial. I fondly remember when I got a rather bad cut as a Boy Scout, my good friend Joe told me I had better be careful because if I went into shock, I would die. Yeah, that was comforting! How about something along the lines of: "Hey, I'm Pete, do you dive here often? Nope, I've never been here before. chitchatchitchatchitchatchitchatchitchatchitchat You know, you sound a bit stressed, are you OK???... " This way you've established some friendliness and just sidle into finding out how they're really doing.

 

[flyboy08]

That's too direct for me... I would introduce myself and ask them where they're from. Make chit chat and you'll hear any stress in their voice or you won't. Make it more formal if you have to as you progress, but being approached by a "rescuer" often increases anxiety and even denial. I fondly remember when I got a rather bad cut as a Boy Scout, my good friend Joe told me I had better be careful because if I went into shock, I would die. Yeah, that was comforting! How about something along the lines of: "Hey, I'm Pete, do you dive here often? Nope, I've never been here before. chitchatchitchatchitchatchitchatchitchatchitchat You know, you sound a bit stressed, are you OK???... " This way you've established some friendliness and just sidle into finding out how they're really doing.

There is no right or wrong way as long as you assume the "good Samaritan " approach.

Just tonight I came upon a horrendous bicycle accident in Central Park...at least 5 bodies spread across the road...many many people on their knees tending to injuries along with EMS....I just continued on my ride as there were already enough helpers and spectators there.....it would have been a totally different story had I been 20 minutes earlier perhaps....one never knows when they'll be faced with that decision.

 

[The Chairman]

There is no right or wrong way as long

We'll have to agree to agree on this!

That, of course, is why I used the caveat "for me". Everyone has a different approach, and hashing them out will give others a feel for how they want to do it. Many, many moons ago, we had two "Wreckmanias" and each one had its own t-shirt. I'm on Maitland Blvd heading West when the car in front of me plows into the rear of the one in front of it. I hit my flashers, throw it into Park and jump out. The dear old lady who caused the accident looked at me in a horrified manner and asked if I patrolled the Orlando area streets looking for "Wrecks" as they happen. That's when I realized I was wearing a Wreckmania T-Shirt. At that point I realized that anything I did for her would be seen through jaundiced eyes, so once I figured out that there were no injuries, I mosied on. It's like walking onto the gun range with a target painted on your back.

 

[joe10540]

It's like walking onto the gun range with a target painted on your back

Well damn that's my favorite range day shirt

As far as intervening in someone else's train wreck I am a big fan of first just introducing myself and making small talk asking about past dive experiences and opening the door to expressing whatever concern I had. Sometimes it's not really appreciated but it is nice when you can prevent an incident instead of responding to an incident

 

[OldPhotog]

When getting involved in another's train wreck, I have had success at playing dumb (my so-called "friends" will argue I am not playing). Quick introduction followed by asking questions of the potential wreck victim, as if I know nothing about the site, situation or whatever. Gives me a chance to observe their demeanor, learn what they know or don't know, level of nervousness, etc. Often, without me saying a word (just asking questions), the potential victim re-thinks their game plan.

 

[tech_diver]

I've also seen the opposite effect. We were doing a dive at a local lake where divemaster classes were going on. After the dive, we were breaking down gear and one of my buddies coughed loudly. Divemaster trainees up and down the beach all perked up at once like meerkats, some already reaching for the oxygen. After that, the concern was that we would get 'rescued to death' by a zealous mob of newbie divemasters.

 

[crabbyfiddler]

This sounds like a difficult situation for an onlooker, and it reminds me of something that happened in our area a couple of decades ago.

A somewhat elderly disk jockey on an oldies station mentioned over the air that he was not feeling so good that day, and he described how he was feeling. Not long after, there was a pounding at the studio door as EMS arrived. A listener had decided that the disk jockey was in the middle of a heart attack and had called for an ambulance. It turned out he was right--the disk jockey was indeed having a heart attack, and the listener's decision to intervene likely saved his life.

So maybe if someone watching her had stepped in and told her she looked too ill to be diving.....well, we will never know, will we? Stepping in to do something like that with a complete stranger is very much out of the norm for us in our society, and it would take a lot of courage to do it. We would all like to think we would have that kind of courage, but I think only a very small percentage of people would take that step. There is a good chance that even if we did, the person would wave us off and claim to be OK.

You are so right, John. Frequently, women's symptoms are different than the typical symptoms for men.