DumpsterDiver emergency ascent from 180'

[Marie13]

@Diver0001 that video is definitely an example of what not to do.

I carry an AL30 as a pony on every dive except very shallow quarry ones. I like an air "cushion." I've learned from incidents posted here, such as the one Diving Dubai had. The people I encounter IRL who find carrying a pony (at all, regardless of size) weird are the vacation only divers who may never have seen another diver with one. I err on the more conservative side. That extra might save my arse (or my buddy's) some day.

 

[oldschoolto]

I like DD started at a very young age and learned the oldschool way of diving... If you can take one thing from this video is that working the problem and keeping your $hit together will keep you alive... I had a HP seat blow out on a dive at 85' and it was no big deal to me.. All you need to do is look at "ALL" the people dead and or lucky to be alive for things a silly as losing the mouth piece on their regulator... He did everything right with a cool head and walked away... And remember, There is not one set of standards for "ANY THING" in diving... Hell, They can't even come up with one set of DECO TABLES...

I would dive with DD in a minute without a second thought...

Jim...

 

[CuzzA]

Getting bent for encroaching close to, or over, NDLs isn't a certainty. And even if bent, you can often be unbent.

Not being able to breathe underwater once you have run out of gas is a certainty. And once drowned, you can't be undrowned.

I'd say there's a significant difference.

I agree. To clarify my point... Being at your NDL or being over your NDL without redundancy and suffering a complete scuba failure is going to increase the probability that the diver drowns and/or is bent. In the same scenario the diver with redundancy, though razor thin with little margin for error, has likely only increased the probability of being bent, which is not good and in most instances can be fixed. Though, sometimes it can't. Best to avoid both scenarios.

 

[Diver0001]

I like DD started at a very young age and learned the oldschool way of diving... If you can take one thing from this video is that working the problem and keeping your $hit together will keep you alive... I had a HP seat blow out on a dive at 85' and it was no big deal to me.. All you need to do is look at "ALL" the people dead and or lucky to be alive for things a silly as losing the mouth piece on their regulator... He did everything right with a cool head and walked away... And remember, There is not one set of standards for "ANY THING" in diving... Hell, They can't even come up with one set of DECO TABLES...

I would dive with DD in a minute without a second thought...

Jim...

You know, I don't think his skill as a diver is being questioned. His judgment, however, is.

For the first reason you would dive with him. For the second reason, I would not.

R..

 

[CuzzA]

I like DD started at a very young age and learned the oldschool way of diving... If you can take one thing from this video is that working the problem and keeping your $hit together will keep you alive... I had a HP seat blow out on a dive at 85' and it was no big deal to me.. All you need to do is look at "ALL" the people dead and or lucky to be alive for things a silly as losing the mouth piece on their regulator... He did everything right with a cool head and walked away... And remember, There is not one set of standards for "ANY THING" in diving... Hell, They can't even come up with one set of DECO TABLES...

I would dive with DD in a minute without a second thought...

Jim...

Jim, I'd certainly rather buddy with someone who can perform like that than someone who has never experienced any issues underwater. Panic kills. You can carry all the bailout gas you want, but the moment you panic, that's it.

It reminds me of the story of the diver on ScubaDiver magazine who bought a pony for redundancy and went diving. He inadvertently put the pony reg in his mouth when he splashed and of course quickly consumed the gas. When he sucked his pony dry, instead of switching to what he thought would be his pony, which of course was a full tank of back gas, he panicked, drowned and was later found with all the gas he needed to survive.

Lessons For Life: Pride Can Be Deadly

You old school divers who were trained back in the day were hammered on dropping weights, diving without a BC, and of course CESAs. Fortunately, the equipment improvements have great reduced accidents, but when something does fail there's probably a higher probability of death or injury. We just haven't been trained for it. I did two CESAs in basic. One simulated, one for real. Both from 20 ft. Unless I practice, I hope I do a good job if and when the time comes... though I have a pony tank so maybe I will never have to.

 

[scubadada]

Where did you get that information? I thought the video was posted here without his knowledge.

Stuart appears to be correct, see post number 97

 

[tbone1004]

on a regulator failure like this, there would likely have been signs of IP creep upon pressurizing the regulator initially at the surface. Creep would have been identified and the regulator removed from service

 

[CuzzA]

on a regulator failure like this, there would likely have been signs of IP creep upon pressurizing the regulator initially at the surface. Creep would have been identified and the regulator removed from service

A video from a recent solo dive. Supposedly the regulator had been serviced within about 2 years. No leaks, intermediate pressure was perfect, seemed to perform perfectly and used the regulator for 3 dives last weekend in 75-90 ft.

I believe he bought the reg from a friend. After he posted the video, I saw another video from a month ago where the same thing happened to the same brand. A service tech posted that the reg should be serviced once a year and if you open it up to inspect, you have to replace the diaphragm. You cannot reuse the diaphragm as it will cause air volume to push up under the diaphragm. It's possible who ever he bought it from did just that. DD did not open the reg.

I'm not an expert on servicing regs just relaying info for anyone who uses Zeagle regs. Don't reuse the diaphragm even if it looks ok.

 

[tbone1004]

@CuzzA all diaphragm regs are like that with not reusing the diaphragm. that's why they are included in the parts kits but there is no reason to open it that far up to inspect the regulator.
Either way, an IP check would have seen that before the dive because if it creeped hard enough to unseat the diaphragm then it was guaranteed to be creeping before he got wet

 

[stuartv]

That wasn't the impression I have. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. It's an assumption/educated guess based on more than just this thread. Now let's move along.

R..

Just for the record:

To be clear, I do not have "access" to DD and have not corresponded with him, at all, regarding this incident, or the video, beyond posting a comment on YouTube stating that I was glad he was safe. I did not ask for, or receive, permission, or encouragement, to post his video. It is a public video on YouTube.