es601:
As long as we are on the subject can anyone tell me why weight belts aren't being outlawed or why there isn't more of a campaign to make them a thing of the past? I realize that a weight integrated bc (or any bc) is a large investment but it seems to me that a lot of problems could be avoided by pushing weight integrated bc's. I mean this is not exactly a inexpensive sport that we are talking about and safety should take priority over thrift.
The same reason that diving without a cert. card is not outlawed. The dive community and industry prefers to regulate itself with standards instead of laws. When you consider the potentially high risks, it has done a pretty good job with the self policing and emphasis on research and safety.
dkktsunami:
Most of us, I think, would be unhappy with someone attempting to regulate how we dive or pressure us to outfit ourselves in any specific manner.
I Agree. And what about those of us who prefer Wing style BC so we dont have any type of jacket wrapping around our mid-sections (other than some of our middle aged natural built in wrap around over enlarged stomach muscles) .
I personally use steel HP 130s (single with pony or twin 130s) due to long deep dives, and extended wreck penetrations. This with a 6 lb. steel back-plate makes me very top heavy. I use a weight and trim harness set up to lower my weights more than a standard belt would allow, to offset the top heaviness. I also dive dry most of the time which requires more weight. I couldnt remove the belt before the BC if I tried (unless I was a woman who could remove bra from under shirt without taking off shirt. Still amazed at that one).
If I remove gear in water, I have to be mentally prepared to release pockets if I start an uncontrolled decent..
Scuba_Steve:
That's my point. Lets throw more $$ and silly ideas at problems, when all you really need is better trained divers.
O2BBubbleFree:
Like in so many other situations, panic is the killer. If you keep your head, you can drop the weight belt on the way down and stop the elevator.
That is the bottom line. The person was (apparently) not well trained (if at all), had only been diving for a few months and had only a few dives in, and probably did not even have decent supervision from advanced divers. I personally couldnt imagine watching a brand new diver getting out of gear at surface, and not guiding him on the proper procedures. The report says the person did remove gear and immediately sank. He either forgot (due to panic) or did not know how to release weights. Why the mother is suspicious about blood in ears and nose Im not sure. That would be consistent with some sort of barotraumas caused by a fast decent. Gear wasnt the problem here.
Panic and inexperience was the killer (assuming it was unintentional in which case there was probably still some panic).
The big question on my mind is
.he obviously would have dropped straight down to bottom. Other divers would likely have been able to gear up fairly quickly and drop down to find him easily (unless there was a hell of a surface current-in which case they would have likely been on anchors anyway). Assuming there were better trained divers with him, someone should have even been in the water waiting for him. I have been in similar situations requiring in water gear removals, and always wait for the less experienced people to get out first. It was a straight shot down. Why did it take 26 hrs to find the body? Hmmmm! Sinister? There always seems to be a logical explanation once the facts come in, but Id sure like to see these ones.
