Diving Accident, Self-Responsibility and Balance

[gianaameri]

Interesting Thea says only the feet were blue.

 

[doctormike]

Interesting Thea says only the feet were blue.

There is central cyanosis and peripheral cyanosis. Central cyanosis (for example, around the lips) can be from hypoxia, lung disease or heart disease. Isolated peripheral cyanosis (e.g. extremities only) can be from poor blood flow related to vascular disease (as might be seen in smokers) or vasoconstriction (which might be seen after diving due to hypothermia, or in conditions like Raynaud's phenomenon), or tightly fitting booties/fins, or other conditions...

Don't know if this is relevant to the OP, wasn't there...

 

[flots am]

He said (you have to read this with a chilled West Indian accent), "Hey, don' fight the ocean, man...." <pause & wide smile> "she bigger dan u!"

That's why boats have motors. If getting back to the boat is a lot more effort than walking a few flights of stairs, I'll just hang out on the surface and they can come pick me up when they get a chance.

Whenever I see someone who died from drowning or a heart attack, the first thing I think of is "They were working too hard."

flots.

 

[pasley]

Thea,
Again Thanks for posting. You are a wonderful sport to have endured both the event and the gang piling on here.
IMHO we are now at the point of

My final recommendation is to get a full dive physical including lung function test and evaluation from a dive certified physician to rule out any physical issues. A good idea to do annually for us all. Then get back on the horse and dive more. Take the stairs more, avoid the elevator when ever you can, swim, ride a bike, go for long walks with hubby, smell the flowers, love your husband and get out there and live every moment of your life to the fullest.

 

[Mike]

But but I am learning from each of them. I am thinking that if "Dive Masters are just a marketing tool", then the recreational scuba business is disheartening to say the least.

Are DM's really only present to create the illusion of safety to the general public? Is that true?

This illusion is of your own creation. You've created a false reality in your mind of the relationships between dive master and diver.

He is a guide working for tips, not a life guard or an extension of your Open Water instructor. The sooner you understand this the safer you will be. You got a certification that was based on you demonstrating the skills and knowledge to plan your entire dive yourself from start to finish, and dive without a diver master present on the dive.

 

[flots am]

This illusion is of your own creation. You've created a false reality in your mind of the relationships between dive master and diver.

It's not entirely the OP's creation and this is a very well worn topic here.

The title "Dive Master" implies authority and responsibility, and DM-lead dives often require that the diver do what the DM says.

In fact, ignoring the DMs instructions will often result in not doing the next dive or being banned from the boat or dive site.

While I'll happily ignore the DM if doing so makes my dive easier or better or safer, I understand that this sometimes comes at a cost. It also requires significant confidence and experience to do so and it's unlikely a relatively new diver would do it.

flots.

 

[Mike]

It's not entirely the OP's creation and this is a very well worn topic here.

The title "Dive Master" implies authority and responsibility, and DM-lead dives often require that the diver do what the DM says.

In fact, ignoring the DMs instructions will often result in not doing the next dive or being banned from the boat or dive site.

While I'll happily ignore the DM if doing so makes my dive easier or better or safer, I understand that this sometimes comes at a cost. It also requires significant confidence and experience to do so and it's unlikely a relatively new diver would do it.

flots.

You're talking apples and oranges to the specific point i'm addressing. Thinking a dive master is your buddy on a dive because he happens to be in the water with you is totally different than talking about ignoring instructions

 

[Greenjuice]

But the situation is really not as it appears to be to our diver. She said that she dropped the weight belt. No she did not! It is still on her until someone else tries to drop it but hangs on for a while and departs around 1:40 in the video. Then things get rather calm on the surface.

Much credit was given in the early replies for Thea having the presence of mind to drop her weight belt. The fact this did not happen sheds a very different light on the perception of events.

I think it does swing the balance towards panic being a significant factor here, not least because you can see the finning, movement and frantic sounds on that video until the relative calm after 1:40.

Difficulty in breathing could well have been the trigger. I have had two very different types of experience with this. As posted earlier, I used to suffer from EIB. In such an attack, I am breathing off the tops of overinflated lungs. I am propped upright on my arms and have my chin slightly down. I wheeze as I breathe out and find it easier if I blow through pursed lips.

In an earlier life, I was also a sprinter in our University Athletics Club. Here we would train our muscles to exhaustion with lactic acid overload. The air hunger you get with this is very different. My chin is up, mouth wide open and I am gasping to get air in. Legs feel weak, almost dead.

My inclination is to wonder if the extra exertion when not in condition and lactic acid buildup may be a better explanation for what happened than a first episode of EIB, but perhaps in the end only Thea will know.



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[gianaameri]

In an air deprivation situation, everybody will panic.

It is the normal response.

The issue here is what was the root cause of the problem and everything points to a medical issue.

I think she did manage to drop the belt in the end, did not she?

 

[Greenjuice]

The issue here is what was the root cause of the problem and everything points to a medical issue.

Possibly only one thing. The finger pulse oximeter reading of 85 with the observation of blue extremities.


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