Error Diver drowned after accidentally falling in lake with gear on
- Thread starter also_anon_dc
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This Thread Prefix is for incidents caused by the diver, buddy, crew, or anyone else in the "chain".
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And this brings to mind another concern I have long had about new divers using a BP/W: The buckle end of the waist strap (usually the diver's left waist strap) is threaded through the crotch strap. So, if a diver (or his/her rescuer) opens the diver's waist strap buckle during a dive emergency, it is possible that the crotch strap will get hung up on the waist strap buckle (!) which will impede the diver's rig from dropping away cleanly, instantly!!
I have long wondered whether the old-school style of waist strap "buckle" which has the crotch strap "clipped" into the buckle in such a way that the crotch strap will automatically release when the waist strap buckle is released, is a much better approach for (new) recreational divers.
CAVEAT: I have never seen one of these old-style buckles in the flesh, but pictures suggest (to me) they might be better for this "use case."
rx7diver
johndiver999
Contributor
I ALWAYS thought the recommended method to retain the crotch strap loop behind the buckle was incredibly stupid - so I never did it. I addressed the issue with two methods. First, I put the crotch strap loop on a fastex clip, so it can fall away if/when the clip is pressed. Second, I made the buckle end of the waist strap shorter and the open strap longer, so the crotch strap loop (which sits in the middle of my waist) is always free to fall away if/when the harness waist strap is opened.
I've had to remove and replace my scuba unit underwater so many times due to solo entanglement issues, that I really want to be able to get out of my gear pretty quickly and cleanly.
Incidentally I hook my scooter up to my crotch strap and use this as a tow point on my scooter, never had a problem with the fastex clip. I'm not diving in caves, so a failure of the crotch strap would be a relatively minor inconvenience for me.
@johndiver999,
Like you, I have experimented with alternative approaches. Problem is, I depend on my waist strap buckle to keep my knife and utility pocket from slipping off of my left waist strap when the waist strap is unbuckled, but I need the knife and pocket to be free to move "forward" and "backward" along the left waist strap. (So, moving the waist strap buckle farther to the left, effectively shortening the left waist strap, doesn't work satisfactorily for me.) I've tried other approaches, too. In the end, I continue to use the "traditional" approach.
I never think about this much unless I am with a new diver. Earlier this week I gave my eldest brother and his friend an intro scuba session in my folks' backyard pool. For the first session, we used a SP Mk10 + BA and plastic backpack and harness without a crotch strap. And for the second session, we used a DH reg and a VDH double-hose reg back plate and harness with a crotch strap. Whenever I give one of these intros, I always have the "student" do regulator recoveries, and I always have him/her doff his/her rig underwater. And whenever I have him/her use a crotch strap, I always think about how likely it is that a crotch strap can get hung up on the waist strap buckle during an emergency.
rx7diver
Not a single news report that matches this story, so I'm considering this a purely hypothetical incident. My thoughts:
Panic
The incident describes a panic situation. Panic is always your own personal response and if it's necessary to blame anyone, blame yourself first.
Every diving course, from every agency, has skills that have the purpose of increasing your comfort zone with unfamiliar situations. A larger comfort zone decreases the chances of panic. Repeatedly practicing such a skill creates muscle memory and decreases the chance of a panic response.
Still, this won't work for everybody. Sometimes Mother Nature simply taps on your shoulder when your number is up. In case you panic and die, there's always the family that stays behind, eager to sue the instructor/divemaster/manufacturer/agency for enormous amounts of money if the judicial system provides the opportunity.
Octopus
Since the octopus as a backup 2nd stage was introduced at the end of the last century, an incredible number of solutions have been created for stowing/carrying that backup 2nd stage. In general, the backup 2nd stage should be
Since that backup 2nd stage is hardly ever used, the industry created stages that are colored differently, breathe heavier so they are less likely to freeflow and are smaller in size.
In real life, that backup 2nd stage is more often than not seen dangling next to a diver, who blissfully unaware drags it through mud or sand on the bottom.
In the event of losing your primary second stage from your mouth, you're taught to exhale bubbles in the water, while sweeping for your regulator, or by grabbing the hose near your 1st stage and sliding your hand over the hose till you reach the 2nd stage. Next step is putting the 2nd stage back in your mouth, clearing it of any water inside and resume breathing.
Some agencies advocate placing the backup second stage on the left side of the 1st stage, which prevents the annoying and space-restricting S-curve in the hose when providing air to an OOA diver. This configuration increases the chance of putting the backup 2nd stage up-side-down in your own mouth in case you need it yourself.
Evolution
The solution to all of these octopus 2nd stage problems can be found in the technical diving realm. It doesn't exist there.
The price of a hose is mainly determined by the connectors on each side. The length (1m vs. 2m) is only a small price factor.
Recreational diving is still evolving though this stage. The commercial industry is still eager to provide the market with a myriad of plastic clips, hose retainers, specialized BCD pockets and whatever other solution, while a piece of bungee cord and a ziptie are an easier, simpler and cheaper solution.
Technical vs Recreational
The term "top notch tech diving gear" was used in the incident description. For most novice divers, who learned about a BCD and the recreational regulator set, a BP/W and a longhose might look like technical diving gear.
This is not technical. It's simply diving gear.
What's making you a technical diver? Skillset and mindset.
Recreational courses teach you how to solve single, minor problems. The focus is on increasing your comfort zone and minimising the chances of panic.
Technical courses teach you to solve concurrent problems, where you learn how to prioritise each problem and solve them consecutively. Without panicking.
Looking again at the (hypothetical) incident, a very experienced diver in top notch tech diving gear is preparing in shallow water, unknowingly steps off a ledge, panicks, trashes around and drowns.
That's Mother Nature tapping on your shoulder. Your number is up and nobody else can be blamed for that.
Harsh? Yes it is. But Mother Nature doesn't care about empathy and never feels sorry.
If you want to beat Mother Nature, get proper training and prevent panic with muscle-memory-reponses.
Panic
The incident describes a panic situation. Panic is always your own personal response and if it's necessary to blame anyone, blame yourself first.
Every diving course, from every agency, has skills that have the purpose of increasing your comfort zone with unfamiliar situations. A larger comfort zone decreases the chances of panic. Repeatedly practicing such a skill creates muscle memory and decreases the chance of a panic response.
Still, this won't work for everybody. Sometimes Mother Nature simply taps on your shoulder when your number is up. In case you panic and die, there's always the family that stays behind, eager to sue the instructor/divemaster/manufacturer/agency for enormous amounts of money if the judicial system provides the opportunity.
Octopus
Since the octopus as a backup 2nd stage was introduced at the end of the last century, an incredible number of solutions have been created for stowing/carrying that backup 2nd stage. In general, the backup 2nd stage should be
- visible for the buddy
- located in the triangle between mouth and hips
Since that backup 2nd stage is hardly ever used, the industry created stages that are colored differently, breathe heavier so they are less likely to freeflow and are smaller in size.
In real life, that backup 2nd stage is more often than not seen dangling next to a diver, who blissfully unaware drags it through mud or sand on the bottom.
In the event of losing your primary second stage from your mouth, you're taught to exhale bubbles in the water, while sweeping for your regulator, or by grabbing the hose near your 1st stage and sliding your hand over the hose till you reach the 2nd stage. Next step is putting the 2nd stage back in your mouth, clearing it of any water inside and resume breathing.
Some agencies advocate placing the backup second stage on the left side of the 1st stage, which prevents the annoying and space-restricting S-curve in the hose when providing air to an OOA diver. This configuration increases the chance of putting the backup 2nd stage up-side-down in your own mouth in case you need it yourself.
Evolution
The solution to all of these octopus 2nd stage problems can be found in the technical diving realm. It doesn't exist there.
- The primary second stage is attached in the exact same way to the first stage, same hose length. Additionally, a piece of bungee is attached to the second stage that goes around your neck.
- The backup second stage is an ordinary stage that breathes just as easy. It's attached to a 7ft/2.1m longhose that loops around your body and you're breathing from this one during normal diving.
- In case of OOA, you donate the longhose with your right hand and switch to your bungeed 2nd stage with your left hand.
- In case you lose your reg from your mouth for whatever reason, you switch to the reg under your chin. There is no reason for not having a regulator in your mouth.
The price of a hose is mainly determined by the connectors on each side. The length (1m vs. 2m) is only a small price factor.
Recreational diving is still evolving though this stage. The commercial industry is still eager to provide the market with a myriad of plastic clips, hose retainers, specialized BCD pockets and whatever other solution, while a piece of bungee cord and a ziptie are an easier, simpler and cheaper solution.
Technical vs Recreational
The term "top notch tech diving gear" was used in the incident description. For most novice divers, who learned about a BCD and the recreational regulator set, a BP/W and a longhose might look like technical diving gear.
This is not technical. It's simply diving gear.
What's making you a technical diver? Skillset and mindset.
Recreational courses teach you how to solve single, minor problems. The focus is on increasing your comfort zone and minimising the chances of panic.
Technical courses teach you to solve concurrent problems, where you learn how to prioritise each problem and solve them consecutively. Without panicking.
Looking again at the (hypothetical) incident, a very experienced diver in top notch tech diving gear is preparing in shallow water, unknowingly steps off a ledge, panicks, trashes around and drowns.
That's Mother Nature tapping on your shoulder. Your number is up and nobody else can be blamed for that.
Harsh? Yes it is. But Mother Nature doesn't care about empathy and never feels sorry.
If you want to beat Mother Nature, get proper training and prevent panic with muscle-memory-reponses.
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