Unknown Diver airlifted to hospital - Venice, Florida

[Blackcrusader]

It seems worth mentioning here that a DM I know fairly well jumped into the water with the valve closed on a single tank. On the way down, the DM reached back and turned on the valve. As no training I know of taught this for DM at the time I was impressed by the calm, correct action under pressure.

Other actions were possible, too--how long does it take to release and shrug off a BC if you can't reach the valve, for instance? Or ditch weight?

I think the message to take away from that experience is that keeping calm and *thinking* when things go pear-shaped is something that can save your life, or someone else's.

Maybe 10 seconds to release my BCD clips at top front, my waist and one shoulder and I can swing the BCD around where my hands can reach it. Or I can simply go head down verticle so the BCD slides down so I can reach my tank valve. I prefer to unclip my BCD.

 

[TostitoBandito]

It seems worth mentioning here that a DM I know fairly well jumped into the water with the valve closed on a single tank. On the way down, the DM reached back and turned on the valve. As no training I know of taught this for DM at the time I was impressed by the calm, correct action under pressure.

Other actions were possible, too--how long does it take to release and shrug off a BC if you can't reach the valve, for instance? Or ditch weight?

I think the message to take away from that experience is that keeping calm and *thinking* when things go pear-shaped is something that can save your life, or someone else's.

Any diver with enough dives has done this at least once. I know I have. In my case I just calmly kicked to the surface, blew some air in my BC (though I was barely negative since I'm not overweighted), and had someone on the boat help me with the valve. Since then I've been working on tank positioning such that I can possibly get to the valve myself if needed. It's difficult but not impossible with a single tank rig.

In any case the checklist for me if this happens is:
1. start kicking to the surface
2. while doing that, try to reach the valve yourself (can loosen belt and shimmy BCD at an angle to assist)
3. in the extremely unlikely event it's necessary, dump weights or get out of your BCD (I agree with blackcrusader that ditching your harness may be more straightforward in some cases)

 

[johndiver999]

Any diver with enough dives has done this at least once. I know I have. In my case I just calmly kicked to the surface, blew some air in my BC (though I was barely negative since I'm not overweighted), and had someone on the boat help me with the valve. Since then I've been working on tank positioning such that I can possibly get to the valve myself if needed. It's difficult but not impossible with a single tank rig.

In any case the checklist for me if this happens is:
1. start kicking to the surface
2. while doing that, try to reach the valve yourself (can loosen belt and shimmy BCD at an angle to assist)
3. in the extremely unlikely event it's necessary, dump weights or get out of your BC

Sounds like a great plan. Wonder how many people actually practice removal of their entire scuba unit while they are alone and sinking and have their lungs empty? Have you ever tried this portion of your plan?

Also, does your plan involve dumping weights before removal of the scuba unit?

Or is it just a decision made on the spur of the moment as you are sinking? It seems strange that your plan does not prioritize or sequence the dropping of weights versus scuba removal? Have you practiced those different scenarios in your emergency plan?

Also, I'm curious why you plan doesn't include asking a buddy for help? Is that a consideration for you?

 

[boulderjohn]

Since this has turned into a "what if...?" thread, I figured I would point out that the key factor is what I have often called the second rule of scuba--don't panic!

A primary example of this is seen in a video that has appeared often on scuba media, including SB, with the viewers usually getting what happened wrong. In it you see a group of divers, either a class or a DM-led group, all swimming while neutrally buoyant at about the same depth, wearing what appear to be 7mm wetsuits and hoods. The camera swings to someone, likely the instructor or DM, giving the thumb. The camera then swings back to the group, where we see a drastic change. One of the divers is significantly deeper than the others, kicking furiously and pawing at the water while trying to ascend. She eventually makes it to the surface, where she spits out her regulator and gasps for breath.

What obviously happened is that when the thumb was given, she did what too many students are told to do in an OW class--she dumped all the air in the BCD. That works in a 3mm suit commonly used for pool sessions, but it doesn't work in a 7mm suit. Given that she was (over)weighted for a 7mm suit, she sank rapidly. That is when she panicked. If she had not panicked, she would have calmly replaced the air she had just dumped from her BCD. Because she panicked, she was unable to perform any logical act, so she could only try to fight her way to the surface.

If you can take a few seconds to think in any situation in diving, a simple solution is almost always available. If you panic, you will not take those few seconds to think. That is why the commonly taught mantra in a situation is "Stop! Breathe! Think! Act!"

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Since then I've been working on tank positioning such that I can possibly get to the valve myself if needed. It's difficult but not impossible with a single tank rig.

Unless you have right shoulder range of motion issues, everyone should make sure they can reach their valve. I practice this regularly. Reach back, grab the valve, give it a half turn, then back fully open. It just might save your life.

860+ dives and never splashed with my gas off. But if I did, I have high certainty I can reach the valve and turn it on. I also almost always have a slung pony which is another source of air in an emergency.

 

[TostitoBandito]

Sounds like a great plan. Wonder how many people actually practice removal of their entire scuba unit while they are alone and sinking and have their lungs empty? Have you ever tried this portion of your plan?

Also, does your plan involve dumping weights before removal of the scuba unit?

Or is it just a decision made on the spur of the moment as you are sinking? It seems strange that your plan does not prioritize or sequence the dropping of weights versus scuba removal? Have you practiced those different scenarios in your emergency plan?

Also, I'm curious why you plan doesn't include asking a buddy for help? Is that a consideration for you?

Yes I've removed my rig in the water many times. Everyone should have learned this in their OW class, right? Unclip crotch & chest straps, release belt, swim out of rig.

Whether to ditch weights totally depends on the situation. Many divers for example my not be diving with much ditchable weight. What makes more sense, fiddling for multiple seconds to try and ditch like 4 lb, or doing something more productive? If you're in cold water and can ditch a ton of lead, by all means. It also may not be necessary. If I can easily swim to the surface for example, I'm not going to send all my weights to the bottom. This is why it's important to stay calm and rational and do what makes the most sense in your specific situation.

And likewise, I wouldn't waste time trying to get to a buddy when the surface is far more accessible. If an emergency happens at depth, sure that's what buddies are for.

 

[CT-Rich]

You don't really need to dismount the tank entirely. Pop open the left shoulder release and you probably can bring the valve far enough over to the right to reach it. Worst case, you keep undoing buckles until you can.

Ditching weight is probably sensible for a newbie, because the they may not have the skills or calm to do some other solution. Lead is cheap.

An experienced diver is going to think "oh f***", know exactly what they did wrong and fix the problem. A newbie doesn't have that skill set and a problem like this is more likely and they are less prepared to deal with it. I have seen plenty of people gearing up while engrossed in a conversation and forgetting to close the cam-band on their tank or unhook the bungee to the bench. I don't think I once remembered to set the bezel on my watch at the start of a dive back in the days of dive watches.

 

[NaCl H2O]

Lead is cheap - not any more....

Check your gear, and then check it again.

 

[wgw04024]

Any diver with enough dives has done this at least once. I know I have. In my case I just calmly kicked to the surface, blew some air in my BC (though I was barely negative since I'm not overweighted), and had someone on the boat help me with the valve. Since then I've been working on tank positioning such that I can possibly get to the valve myself if needed. It's difficult but not impossible with a single tank rig.

In any case the checklist for me if this happens is:
1. start kicking to the surface
2. while doing that, try to reach the valve yourself (can loosen belt and shimmy BCD at an angle to assist)
3. in the extremely unlikely event it's necessary, dump weights or get out of your BCD (I agree with blackcrusader that ditching your harness may be more straightforward in some cases)

Yup, this is always my first fear/though when I jump in from any boat. I check my valve, inflate my bcd, and take multipe breaths from primary and secondary regs in case I forgot step 1 and 2.

 

[johndiver999]

Yes I've removed my rig in the water many times. Everyone should have learned this in their OW class, right? Unclip crotch & chest straps, release belt, swim out of rig.

Whether to ditch weights totally depends on the situation. Many divers for example my not be diving with much ditchable weight. What makes more sense, fiddling for multiple seconds to try and ditch like 4 lb, or doing something more productive? If you're in cold water and can ditch a ton of lead, by all means. It also may not be necessary. If I can easily swim to the surface for example, I'm not going to send all my weights to the bottom. This is why it's important to stay calm and rational and do what makes the most sense in your specific situation.

And likewise, I wouldn't waste time trying to get to a buddy when the surface is far more accessible. If an emergency happens at depth, sure that's what buddies are for.

That makes sense. I think a lot of this stuff is more challenging in a real emergency than many people envision. I was asking if you practice tank removal while you are sinking with empty lungs, rather than tank removal during an open water training/skills demo.

I personally end up taking my tank off at depth, more times than I like, but I have never really tried to do while sinking and with empty lungs.

My response would be to try to switch to my pony while I kick up (or press a button on the scooter), and if there was no air in the pony then I would be reaching for my weight belt if I were not making good progress toward the surface.