Diving today (1/21) and lessons learned

[fldiver1]

That may be true I guess. And you are right, I am looking at this from a 34yr old's viewpoint. Not saying you are wrong at all. In fact I am sure you are right and we all know that being in better physical shape helps you in all aspects of diving. I just think in this case the biggest problem was inexperience. Which to me then sounds like caused a slight panic.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

My only question is why did you not think about taking your buddys low pressure hose and hooking it to your inflator and inflating your bc if he had plenty of air left. .

I would not have considered this option either. Why would you want to unhook your tired buddy's inflator, then hook it to your bc, then inflate your bc, then disconnect from your bc?

 

[DandyDon]

I'm amazed that it took until post #36 for someone to comment that if you were low on air you should have bypassed the safety stop. That's why its called a safety stop and not a deco stop.

And, I'm glad Rick pointed out the bit about bananas on a boat.

Yeah really.

Okay, I'm older than you are, but similar age. There's been lots of kind discussion here, and I am glad you survived, too - altho it looks like you just barely did. We can bring up my dumb **** stunt thread on this forum for comparison if you'd like, but I'm going to go for the blunt list of things I survived to learn, even diving as dumb as you did or worse.

1-I plan with my buddy - regular or new - to stop at 15-20 feet for a bubble check and valve check, make sure they're all the way open. This helps ensure we are together, too - as my natural feeling is to drop fast and hope he follows. This helps keep me with my buddy.

2-You're not qualified to do a search for a missing buddy. Don't do that again until you are.

3-Do you hold your console in your left hand? If you will, maybe you'll check your air more often. Worked for me.

4-500 psi at depth is not time to head for a Safety Stop. It's time to head for the surface. Too late to recover from that mistake. Do the slow ascent, stop diving for the day, stay close to the Oxygen kit in case needed.

5-"I tried to manually inflate the bc, but, NEVER having done that, I could not do it now." I thot this was a required skill of OW check out dives? At any rate, don't just practice on land. My regular buddy and I are practicing in the water, too.

6-Why did you not ditch weights...?! We lose divers every year to this dumb mistake. My regular buddy and I are now grabbing our weights on every dive surface before signaling OK to stay in practice.

7-You're a diver in all that gear, not a swimmer. Don't try that again under stress - only in good conditions. When caca happens, inflate the BC and/or drop the weights, get a good floating position, inflate your Safety Sausage and wait for the boat to pick you up. If you don't have a Sausage on or in your BC, stay off the boats until you do.

Now that I've been less than polite, here is my dumbest thread from this forum...a classic: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=74063

 

[ItsBruce]

I was quizzing my kid about this incident, just to see what he'd say. He is 15-1/2 and has been diving for a few years. He told me that the first thing one should do on surfacing is inflate one's BCD. When I asked what he'd do if the autoinflator did not work, he said he would not know because he rarely uses it ... he manually inflates just to stay in practice and save air. What a kid!

 

[DandyDon]

I was quizzing my kid about this incident, just to see what he'd say. He is 15-1/2 and has been diving for a few years. He told me that the first thing one should do on surfacing is inflate one's BCD. When I asked what he'd do if the autoinflator did not work, he said he would not know because he rarely uses it ... he manually inflates just to stay in practice and save air. What a kid!

Yeah, but - the inflator is an important safety tool, especially in rough water. Don't you think he needs to be proficient with it?

And how much air do you save orally inflating anyway...?

 

[victor]

Oral infaltion
Many seem to practise this on the surface, how many of us practise it underwater.
I have recently, it's no big deal, but then I knew I was going to do it in advance so no stress.

Dropping weights
There seems to be a reluctance to do this, sometimes with fatal consequences. I would look below me first but if I was strugling to stay on the surface that belt would be gone.
This is one of the reasons I don't like integrated weight systems, no one cares about a belt and a few lumps of lead, and everyone knows how to release it.

 

[fldiver1]

I keep a few extra belts and plenty of extra lead in my gear bag. I also just bought a new weight integrated BC and hav eordered more weight pockets. That way if the situation comes up, the thought of replacement wont even be a bother. Just dump them, knowing I have spares makes it easier.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yeah, but - the inflator is an important safety tool, especially in rough water. Don't you think he needs to be proficient with it?

And how much air do you save orally inflating anyway...?

A bc is really handy but a power inflator is little more than a convenience. You shouldn't have any trouble diving without it, even in rough water.

It's more of a pain in the butt when you're heavy because of carrying lots of gas but those are the classes that make you dive without it. LOL

 

[Desert Pirate]

I almost alway orally inflate.... in the ocean (the few times Ive been lucky enough to be there) and in the river. Ive done it hangin off a bridge abutment in swift current, and Ive done it holding onto a boulder in white water. I think its a good practice, its definatley a nescesity for a situation such as were discussing.

lol ok so I cant quote. but as for how much air do you save...

Its hard to say, I do it regularly, my buddy doesnt, i usually surface with around 800 lbs more than him.... ya, thers alot of other factors involved, more than the couple of breaths you save, so I dont want to argue this lol BUT.....

In an OOA which none of us will ever be in because we all watch our damn pressure guages <grin> It would give you a breath or two you didnt have on an emergency ascent....

thats why I do it, doesnt mean Im right....
Clay

 

[DandyDon]

In an OOA which none of us will ever be in because we all watch our damn pressure guages <grin> It would give you a breath or two you didnt have on an emergency ascent....

I don't think so. Those two breaths on the surface amount to about 1/2 a breath at 100 ft - hardly a difference.

It is an important skill to master and stay up on, sure - but I wouldn't use it on a regular basis. I feel safer keeping the reg in my mouth.