Drowning at Lake Rawlings

[Bubble Chaser]

This was truly a very sad event. I was at Rawlings for the weekend and arrived shortly after the incident as I was preparing for a night dive on friday. It really hits home when you head out into the water that someone else just drown in. It was weighing on everyone's minds through the weekend, especially mine as I was completing my rescue diver course. We have to remember the dangers involved in our sport and take them seriously while we are having fun. Safety above all else. My condolences to her family and fiancee.

 

[SEMO Scuba]

Being a dive "newbie" myself I would not have wanted to be diving with only one other new and inexperienced diver for my first several dives after the OW check out dives. Two newbie divers + a problem can certainly lead to a panic situation for both, which may be what led to this accident.

If I were to have a problem I really wanted a dive buddy with enough experience to have the ability and skill level help me. I have had the good fortune now to have 15 dives with experienced divers. It has really helped my confidence and diving skills. Although I still have much to learn and skills to improve, I think I am now at least competent to be in the water with another inexperienced diver as a dive buddy.

 

[InTheDrink]

SEMO Scuba says: "I have had the good fortune now to have 15 dives with experienced divers. It has really helped my confidence and diving skills. Although I still have much to learn and skills to improve, I think I am now at least competent to be in the water with another inexperienced diver as a dive buddy"

Hate to break the news to you but you're probably wrong. I've got just under a hundred dives, dive with a very diligent, intelligent and anal DM and mostly with a guide and I'm only just starting to feel vaguely like I could deal with things going wrong. Main reason I feel more confident:
1. motor skills sinking in - takes time, lots more time than 15 dives. I'm a slow learner so probably less than me but don't count on it
2. Diving with people clearly more competent than I (altho that's probably not hard!). I learn from their movements, actions and behaviour above and below water.

Recently I started thinking 'Hey, I'm not too bad a this diving malarkey'.

It's only since starting reading this board that I have realised that I was missing some big tricks, mainly not drilling in safe environments and just hoping I'd remember under stress. My next big project is to work out what drills to embed in most or all dives so I can be confident that when the time comes I'm fairly sure I'll react the way I want to.

I think this is something that is not emphasised at all but should be - learning a skill once, for training, is next to pointless, unless it's practised.

 

[Pirate7979]

I was there when the drowning happened. I don't scuba dive, but I was there with a friend snorkling. It was a very sad event. The Henrico dive rescue police team was at the lake, I think they were recertifing. The drowning happened right where the submerged boat that they call the "replacements boat" is. Only about 20yards from the dock. I was just getting in the water from the dock when I heard the man yelling for help. I got to him at the same time as an army medic that was there diving with his son. The man was panicing and pulling off his gear. It took almost 10 minutes to find the downed female diver, as she was under the side of the submerged boat in about 28feet of water, a good 10yards from where the male diver was on the surface. She was brought to the surface and dragged to the dock, but she had just been underwater for too long.

 

[wopsushi]

I can tell you this, there were some very unprepared proffessionals there and it was very upsetting for me to be there and to witness the whole thing taking place after I and two other divers pulled her from the bottom, a rescue dive team of all. I really dont know what happened down there, and we may never know, but I do know it should of never happened the way it did. And as for the proffesionals, I dont think there was much they or anyone else could have done to save here, but there skills sure could of use a lot of help. Deal with it and go on

 

[wopsushi]

Pirate7979 where you the one who swam out with me to the diver who was yellin for help

 

[cdreamer]

Hello Pirate,
Thanks for sharing your information and sorry you had to be a witness to such a tragic event.
Hopefully more info will come to light on what led up to the accident. Being present for a fatality
can be very traumatizing, even if you don't know the person. Thank you for your proactive response and sorry things did not turn out favorably for the diver.
My condolences go out to all of those affected.
Wishing you peace,

 

[wopsushi]

Pirate7979, from reading your response, it sounds like you were the one who was there. Hey I just wanted to thank you for your assistance in helping me with all the gear and all, I did not get a chance to say thank you and shake your hand, but I do remember you quite well. Very unfortunate day, hope all is well as can be for her family and for Mr. Jones as well. Take care and hope to see you soon, we have some more classes we will be conducting in the very near future... again thank you and god bless.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I can tell you this, there were some very unprepared proffessionals there and it was very upsetting for me to be there and to witness the whole thing taking place after I and two other divers pulled her from the bottom, a rescue dive team of all. I really dont know what happened down there, and we may never know, but I do know it should of never happened the way it did. And as for the proffesionals, I dont think there was much they or anyone else could have done to save here, but there skills sure could of use a lot of help. Deal with it and go on

Don't judge all PSD's by what you saw. I have personally seen similar circumstances where less than professional and incompetent PSD teams screw things up, but they are in my experience teams where the "divers" seldom dive and usually dive just enough to qualify for and then stay current on the team (maybe 12 dives per year) in order to keep what amounts to a merit badge. They are lucky not to get themselves hurt if the conditions get demanding.

On the other hand teams like that do not compare to the majority of much more thoughtful, skillful and dedicated PSD teams that are out there.

 

[SEMO Scuba]

SEMO Scuba says: "I have had the good fortune now to have 15 dives with experienced divers. It has really helped my confidence and diving skills. Although I still have much to learn and skills to improve, I think I am now at least competent to be in the water with another inexperienced diver as a dive buddy"

Hate to break the news to you but you're probably wrong. I've got just under a hundred dives, dive with a very diligent, intelligent and anal DM and mostly with a guide and I'm only just starting to feel vaguely like I could deal with things going wrong. Main reason I feel more confident:
1. motor skills sinking in - takes time, lots more time than 15 dives. I'm a slow learner so probably less than me but don't count on it
2. Diving with people clearly more competent than I (altho that's probably not hard!). I learn from their movements, actions and behaviour above and below water.

Recently I started thinking 'Hey, I'm not too bad a this diving malarkey'.

It's only since starting reading this board that I have realised that I was missing some big tricks, mainly not drilling in safe environments and just hoping I'd remember under stress. My next big project is to work out what drills to embed in most or all dives so I can be confident that when the time comes I'm fairly sure I'll react the way I want to.

I think this is something that is not emphasised at all but should be - learning a skill once, for training, is next to pointless, unless it's practised.

Well actually I have not done any dives yet with a buddy of your experience level. Nine of my dives have been with 2 different instructors who have over 1300 dives between them and the other 6 with a buddy with just under 200. We dive in a quarry that is cold and the viz can be quite bad, less than 5 feet at times. With those factors yes we do practice skills.

My point was that it would be somewhat easy for two newbies to get in a bad situation quicker than they might realize.

Sorry to sidetrack the thread.