Disaster narrowly avoided on deep drift dive

[jagfish]

Another good video.

During the regional training I run on Scotland’s West coast, we had a student burn through a 12Lt 232bar tank in 9 minutes at 6m. It was an eye opener for my instructors. I’ve not signed off the final qualifying dive for Ocean Diver on many occasions because the student didn’t turn the dive at the planned time or pressure point. During Sports Diver lessons I come across poor gas management in students who’ve done a lot of operator lead (normally warm water locations) diving; I won’t sign off lessons because they didn’t manage their gas, even when all the new skills are successfully completed. Gas management is an integral part of all open water lessons.

Narcosis, when I was survey diving in Belize back in the 1990s one of the scientists established the effects of N start at 15m.

Thanks for the support...
Yikes, that's a lot of air in 9 mins...

 

[jagfish]

Some people are just not cut out to be divers.

So true...

 

[NativeWannabe]

First- you are very well spoken, i.e., easy to listen to. I’m not being funny, was Diver Z hard of hearing? I remember my first handful of dives and the dumb things I did. I learned so much doing shore dives with my husband. It’s eye opening to be completely responsible and not have the safety net of a dive master. I think being a responsible diver also means saying no, as in “I’m Not comfortable with the current, I’m going to sit these dives out. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Flatline]

I did a weeks worth of diving recently where the guide literally held another divers BC strap and inflator at all times for every dive to control her and adjust her buoyancy. This diver had not one basic skill down. She would have died on the first dive without him. It also ruined everyone else’s diving because the DM could not show us much. I just don’t get it.

 

[Snoweman]

I got the impression this was a drift dive. Is this not the case?

 

[jagfish]

First- you are very well spoken, i.e., easy to listen to. I’m not being funny, was Diver Z hard of hearing? I remember my first handful of dives and the dumb things I did. I learned so much doing shore dives with my husband. It’s eye opening to be completely responsible and not have the safety net of a dive master. I think being a responsible diver also means saying no, as in “I’m Not comfortable with the current, I’m going to sit these dives out. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for the kind words. Oh, good point...I don't think so. Other dives/training with this dive went well...

 

[jagfish]

I got the impression this was a drift dive. Is this not the case?

Yup...

 

[Flatline]

Yup, lots of folks hold that opinion...I respect that.
Since I was in a position to be 1 on 1 and could choose dive plans that limited depth, I thought I'd try and make it a teaching moment.

I think what you did was awesome. The diver was already certified. It was deeply in his interest to educate him for safety reasons before he got hurt. Who knows what happened in the end, but you did your best to educate and save him.

 

[Snoweman]

Yup...

If it is a drift dive, why go up at half a tank? I have gone up at 30 meters with less than 700 psi (don't tell the DM), and not had any problems at all. I think the lowest my tank has been boarding the boat is 300 psi, after a swim and fully inflating my BCD.

I am extremely safety conscious. I have a smb, radio, whistle and mirror. I think that coming up at 700 psi is a safety factor of two.

 

[johndiver999]

If it is a drift dive, why go up at half a tank? I have gone up at 30 meters with less than 700 psi (don't tell the DM), and not had any problems at all. I think the lowest my tank has been boarding the boat is 300 psi, after a swim and fully inflating my BCD.

I am extremely safety conscious. I have a smb, radio, whistle and mirror. I think that coming up at 700 psi is a safety factor of two.

What may work to get you up when you are calm could be far, far different than what is needed to get you and a very nervous buddy up. I'm not saying anyone has to leave the bottom with half a tank, but if your buddy is sucking air like crazy on the bottom, they might continue - or increase on the way up.

If we look at your example... You leave the bottom with around 700 and get on the boat with 300, so it took 400 lbs (give or take) to get you up. What if your buddy who is on your octopus is also requiring 400 (or maybe even more) to make the ascent? Now 700 psi remaining for TWO divers to ascend is NOT extremely "conservative". It might be adequate, especially if you move things along and skip a safety stop.

These are things to consider if you really have to use that reserve on a buddy.