Dumbest Thing You Have Done...

[nyresq]

I was involved in some search and rescue classes for about a week, followed by several days in a marina looking for some lost equipment from a bost that had capsized... the whole time using a FFM (AGA).

Two days later I go out for a wreck dive in the atlantic using standard regs. so I put my regular face mask around my neck facing backwards (which is how I wear it with a FFM) get my reg inmy mouth and am waiting for another diver to clear the ladder before going down. Well I guess he got his fin caught in the ladder or something cause he was taking too long to get out of the way.

So I decided I didn't want to wait any more and jumped over the side of the boat.... with my mask around my neck....

Isn't it amazing how the water can jog your memory back in an instant????
I splashed in and realized what I had done, but there was no way on gods green earth I was going to surface and have ten people looking at me while I put my mask on... so I grabbed the granny line and followed it to the anchor line where I wrapped my leg around it for a sec and got my act together...

I got a good snort of water through my nose but it was worth not having to face the onlookers at the surface who were wondering if I knew my mask wasn't on my face...

When I came up after my dive I calmly told the mates on the boat that I always do that to "get a feel for how cold the water is..."

I don't think they bought it...

 

[Kettle]

I was diving in Guam, on the Blue Hole. I think the bottom was about 80', this is where the hole starts. Other divers had already entered the water and were entering the hole and hanging around it. I stided in, felt something slip and looked down to see my weight belt dropping to the bottom. Luckily the belt missed any divers and the hole and they had a spare belt on board so that I could get down. I always keep one hand on my belt when I jump on now.

 

[alaity47]

I managed two stupid-diver moments on one day...

My husband and I went on a boat dive to some oil rigs off California (our first oil rig dive). The first one was sitting in about 500 feet of water. I had a light with me, since it was kind of dark down there (lots of plankton up top keeping out the sub). It was hanging off my wrist, and the cord was a little loose - you see where this is going.

I got down to 1000 psi at 100 feet and we started heading up - around 60 feet I suddenly noticed my hand felt lighter. Looked down and watched my light disappearing into the depths - beam shining up the whole way down.

Too bad we couldn't stay and watch til it was out of sight, but I was still sucking down the air and in a hurry to get back up top!

(Another diver dropped his light and actually PURSUED it - got to 170 ft before giving up. Eek)

To add insult to injury, on the way back I was sunning myself in a little chair at the back of the boat, with a hat on to keep the spray off my face. Happened to turn and face the back of the boat for a moment.. and the wind whipped the hat off my head and dumped it in the water. Once again, nothing to do but watch it get farther and farther away.

Learned a few things that day.

 

[AliKat]

OK. This has NOTHING to do with diving. But, if not the dumbest thing I've ever done, its the most irresponsible. It just happened a few hours ago, and I just have to vent.

I was supposed to take someone to the airport, just saw them earlier today even, and then I just plain FORGOT!!!! That is until I checked my cell phone messages...an hour and a half AFTER I was supposed to pick him up. Anyway, I don't know how he got to the airport, but it wasn't with my help. I feel just awful.

But, back to a diving subject, I have never forgotten my dive buddy...honest NEVER:

 

[grouchyturtle]

Ok I have to ad to my list. Did 2 really dumb things yesterday.

First I drive about an hour to meet someone for a shore dive. As I'm rigging I realize I don't have my fins! No one had any spares, so I drove an hour for nothing. It wasn't even like I rushed and forgot them. My car was packed the night before, everything had been sitting in the bin for at least a week, since it hasn't been wet in 2 weeks. My fins were sitting in the closet from 2 weeks ago when I brought them in to try on with Turbo Soles I just got.

So even if my buddy hadn't blown me off last week, we probably still would have missed the dive, because of my fins.

I did have my whole pony rig, dry suit, dry gloves, etc., though. You know all the other very necessary gear for a 20' max shore dive in 70+ degree water.

So I decide to drive out to the quarry to meet another buddy, after stopping home for the fins of course. Since it's already pretty late, we plan one long dive. We decide to drop off the dock on the peninsula side at Dutch and swim SW along the wall at a max depth of 60', until we reach our turn around pressure then to gradually ascend on the way back.

Everything goes fine or most of the dive, except for a pretty nasty discovery on the far South wall.

We nearly back at our entry point when I look up to my left at the wall and see the dock. WOW, we must have been cruising faster than I thought! So we hang for our stop and slowly come up when we reach the bottom of the dock, something isn't right.

I don't remember the tops of the boards being yellow! As my buddy goes up the last few feet. I hang below and watch as it gets weirder. There's a bunch of people on the dock, but no tanks, wetsuits, etc. My buddy hits the surface and they all fly to the back of the platform. I figure they just moved to get out of his way, so I decide to come up. I hit the surface and hear, "DIVERS, DIVERS! ARE YOU OK?" I look up to see a life guard and a group of small children with life vests on.

Yup, we're sitting right in the middle of the water park they just built this season! They didn't move to get out of our way. When he came up all the kids screamed and ran away!!! So, I reply "yeah...uhm...we're just stupid." "If you're ok, you have to go back down." "Ok...Sorry."

So we go back down to about 25' swim along the wall for another few minutes and come up on the right platform.

 

[Iruka]

This isn't really something I've DONE (too many to even contemplate!) but an ....umm..."unusual" question I was asked by my OW student on the very first day. Showing her the dive gear, she asked "are these tanks refillable?" Turned out to be a good student, but obviously didn't have a lot of prior knowledge about diving to confuse her! I was tempted to say, "no, we just use them once & toss them into the ocean."

 

[CathyI8205]

Let' see. I'm just a beginner but:

Forgot to hook up my "Air 2" (alternate 2nd stage)

Didn't turn on the UW camera and flash properly (ok, I'm just learning)

Threw scuba unit in the water in the pool. (it's easier to put on there) Didn't inflate the BC and it went straight to the bottom. I'm glad it was a pool and not 30 ft. down!

 

[r37691]

I can relate Grunzster. We hit the water before dawn to do some drift diving on the backside of molokini crater, after a great dive we came up & were getting ready to get on the boat when we realized it was the wrong one.

 

[Mrs Mares]

The dumbest thing i have done happened yesterday. I was in the pool intending to practice some skills, I began to descend, got to around 5 meters, and noticed that breathing was getting increasingly difficult. By the time I took the next breath.... there was no air, I had forgotton to turn my air on! ooops :11:

Never gonna let that happen again, still at least I now know what a real out of air situation feels like.

 

[ARNGUSMCMP]

I've got a couple good ones, lets see if I can actually remember em.

Gone down without turning on my air.

Bought my first dive knife... stainless steel. After my first dive with it, I wash off all the rest of my gear, and throw the knife in my gear bag. WIthout washing it. Cause it's stainless steel. And that means it doesn't rust, right? Um... I learned stainless steel does rust. So the next time I go diving(I think like three days later) my knife is encrusted with rust. Now luckily, cause it's stainless steel, only the very surface rusted and there was no noticable pitting. However, it's very hard to scrub rust off of something with razor sharp edges without cutting oneself. At least, I didn't manage it.

First night dive, bought a real light for my primary, and this little tiny thing for my secondary. Got into the water and was waiting for my buddy when I decided to utilize my time by testing my lights. Tested the big un, it worked fine. THe little one you turn on by twisting the end. Well, unfortunately for me, I forgot which way you twisted to turn it on, and which way you twisted to open it so you can replace the batteries. I twisted the wrong way. 20 bucks down the drain.

Non-diving related- Me and a buddy were at a island off the coast of australia. I'm having fun on the beach, he decides to go surfing(I think) He manages to surf right into the coral breakwater. He finally makes it back to the beach, and has small shards of black coral all over his knees , elbows, and palms. I buy him a beer and then spend the next hour using my knife to slowly tease all the coral fragments out of his skin.

THats all I can remember fer now. SUre there's more

Nate