Diver surfaced down current, out of reach, in serious trouble

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Sorry-I'm not getting email updates on these for some reason.

CBulla:
What was her condition after that ascent? From a buddies perspective that had to be scarey to see. One can only speculate as to what might have happened had you had a problem.. seems as if she was awefully unfamiliar with her gear.

She wasn't very experienced...something I've noticed a lot lately is that shops aren't requiring "Advanced" experience before doing advanced dives; neither are they requiring a DM escort for inexperienced divers on advanced dives.

It was pretty scary to see her rocket up--she said she felt fine, though. In fact, she came back to the safety stop, and we hung there until our tanks were almost empty.

Just last Saturday, I went out with 3 separate groups of trainees and instructors on a deep night wreck dive. Lots of people in the water-two of one group rocketed up (said they couldn't find the line) and two of another group skipped the safety stop. While me and my two students were hanging on the line, I noticed one of the other divers had blood in his mask. All that really helped solidify that safety is paramount to my two students on their first night, deep, wreck experience.
 
CBulla:
LOT of retrieval! It's easier to have USCG zip a chopper out and get the person than to try and get all those people out of the water and their gear to make it safe for expedient travel to the nearest dock. Thats the only contingecy

Be carefull about the assumption that a hilo can get there in time to save you. Particullarly that it will zip right out and get you. There are not many helos, fewer available and they all have other jobst to do, that may take them far from you

The coast guard has more helos in florida than anywhere else in the usa. They have 7 or 8 in jacksonville and another group of 12 or 14 near miami. Less than half are operational on any day (the others in services). They are located in a few locations Miami and Jacksonville seem to have almost all. About half of the florida helos are assigned to interdict smugglers.

The avrage response time is 45 minutes to 1 hr. In first aid and rescue training i was taught that helocopters take about 2 hrs to reach the scene normally. This is all from public sources including congressional record.

In the SF bay area, where i live, things are much worse. CG has 7 helos for northern ca. A fishing boat sank, about 1 mile off the coast recently -- about 20 mi from SFO where the coasties base their aircraft. The helo did not reach the boat in 40 min. The passangers were rescued by another fishing boat (one died).

Better plan on handeling ALL emergencies yourself.
 
padiscubapro:
You can't assume divers can be immediately recalled.. I have done dives with some of the operators (in florida)that didn't mind a diver going into deco even if others were reacreational divers as long as the run times were kept reasonable.

If the boat is on a mooring I see no problem in the boat moving, If not the boat should have a way to disconnect the anchor line and connect it to some type of surface float so that any divers that are still below can still use the anchor line as an ascent platform.

The duane can have ripping currents so only experienced divers should be brought to that wreck.. They should be able to complete their dive without the boat being stuck in place..

Padiscubapro your right in alot of way's, before i bought my boat, we would dive with double's on our back on many recreational boat's here in Fl, they never had a problem with us going into deco, and diving doubles, as long as the run times didnt affect the rec diver's on the boat waiting to long for us.

I have dove the Duane and most of the deeper wrecks over 30-40 times withen the past year, most on doubles, and most of the time they have ripping current's, no biggie considering it's not usalley anything more then what we experiance in high flow caves here in Fl, but when your used to and trained for that type of diving, makes all the diffence in the world.

I have seen to many times in the past year, even just 3 weeks ago when we were down there with my boat diving the wreck's, many divers getting blown off the wreck's.

When we dive it we have 2 diver's down, and 2 up, there is backplane's to back up the dive plan's, if we get blown off, the crew on top all ready know's that we will deply a lift bag, and drift our saftey/deco stop , what ever dive plan we are diving.

Problem i seen alot in the Key's, is you get alot of people from all around the world, not used to the current's, don't know what to expect, most past their limition's,and end up coming up a moring line completley on the opposite side of the wreck, im sure this happen's alot, i know we even picked up a few diver's from rec boat from around the area.

Glad to hear he is ok, i agree they should have had a back up plan as to leaving the moaring line, but there are many danger's to that, there might be diver's RIGHT below them, then they have to pick up divers ALL over the ocean, and hopfully find them all, most dont even carry a signaling device, and im sure theres alot of this that will be investgated as well, but thats a hard decsion, unless i was there and saw all the curcumstances, i wouldnt be able to make a descion here on the little info that was givien, how many boats were in the area, how many divers were left down, and so on, but main thing is at least he's ok.
 
The operator we were with is certainly a good one all the way around, but goes with the approach "You'd better be qualified for this, pay attention to breifings and stay safe." There were a number of divers onboard who not part of the SB Singles Group, including the injured diver - who was reportebly quite experienced.

For the Singles Trips I sponsor, I strongly encourage all to carry Safety Sausages or better, Storm Whistels, and CDs glued back to back. I've dived the Grove the same week in a ripping current and again in none, but I know that currents are common. I even encouraged the newer reef divers in the group to carry the signaling devices. Many tell me I worry too much, but I want to be able to find all of my friends, at least.
 
DandyDon:
The operator we were with is certainly a good one all the way around, but goes with the approach "You'd better be qualified for this, pay attention to breifings and stay safe." There were a number of divers onboard who not part of the SB Singles Group, including the injured diver - who was reportebly quite experienced.

For the Singles Trips I sponsor, I strongly encourage all to carry Safety Sausages or better, Storm Whistels, and CDs glued back to back. I've dived the Grove the same week in a ripping current and again in none, but I know that currents are common. I even encouraged the newer reef divers in the group to carry the signaling devices. Many tell me I worry too much, but I want to be able to find all of my friends, at least.


That's good advice Don, and yes the current's are commen around wrecks in the gulf of FL, most people from out of the area arnt aware of the current's and the flow of the gulf , many say there ripping, but most who do are used to "drift" diving along the pretty reef's, and don;t have to deal with the current's that the wrecks impose, or dive lake's, and so on.

When we cave dive in Little River, or Manatee, or any of the high flow caves, your used to diving in that enviorment, and trained for it, but you don;t let the water flow pop you out like a cork, well if you did, better reconsider that type of diving ;)

I think alot contribute's to most people diving those wrecks go down once a year, or are not used to diving that type of current. I looked back on my log, and would say over 65% of the time i have noted that the wrecks down in the key's had strong current's on them, but like you said, one week it could be bad, another week no current.

The Key's does have good operation's with their boat's, and im sure they deal with situation's like this , they deal with people all over, all differnt level's, and some don't even probley dive but on there vaction's once a year, and are definatley not used to that type of enviroment.

Like you said, a good pre-dive talk, go over all the situation's that could happen, have plan's and back up plan's, plan the dive,,,,, dive the plan, and be safe.

Did you post your trip anywhere on SB with your experiances and the dive's you guys did for the weekend? If so id like to read them, thanks
 
whitedragon13:
I also don't recommend reading "Shadow Divers" before doing a deep, night, wreck dive. It messes with your head.
this book makes me want to dive darker, deeper and longer.
sorta like listening to ride of the valkyries while going into battle.
 
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