FFM failure

[Bob DBF]

I clock 23 seconds for the 60'. That's almost 3 times the proper ascent rate for a CSEA. He may have forgot to dump air on the way up, as well as kicking to the surface.

Early into the first dive of the day is the best time to head for the surface, one has the best chance of screwing up without repercussions. However, it is better to practice and get it right, in case you aren't that lucky.

 

[SlugLife]

The diver in the video is Sam Sam the Adventure Man, who used to work with Jared as part of Adventures With Purpose.

I don't know how related it might be, but Adventures with a Purpose had another full-face-mask incident. Jared encouraged the bearded guy (I forget his name) to dive full-face-mask, air-2, pony bottle, and 100ft deep for the first time without any formal training ... and I think no informal training either.

The TLDR is the guy ran out of air, went to switch but had some sort of difficulty, and then did an emergency ascent despite having a full pony bottle.

Purely from a diving perspective, I've noticed them engaging in dangerous diving behavior on multiple occasions. The latest incident I saw, they had someone with zero scuba-training or experience, diving with a pony-bottle, despite the fact the guy was uncomfortable with it.

 

[Boarderguy]

I don't know how related it might be, but Adventures with a Purpose had another full-face-mask incident. Jared encouraged the bearded guy (I forget his name) to dive full-face-mask, air-2, pony bottle, and 100ft deep for the first time without any formal training ... and I think no informal training either.

The TLDR is the guy ran out of air, went to switch but had some sort of difficulty, and then did an emergency ascent despite having a full pony bottle.

Purely from a diving perspective, I've noticed them engaging in dangerous diving behavior on multiple occasions. The latest incident I saw, they had someone with zero scuba-training or experience, diving with a pony-bottle, despite the fact the guy was uncomfortable with it.

They'll have a death at some point and the lawyers will argue the deceased is worth 10s of millions...

 

[Akimbo]

I found it interesting that the Cousteau filming team never embraced FFMs as a visual prop or for communications. They did use a mouth-mask for their surface radio communications.

Even the US Navy was very slow to adopt FFMs with demand regulators. They did use the Jack Browne freeflow mask starting in World War II.

Desco, the manufacturer of the Jack Browne, added a demand regulator but it was never approved for Navy divers.

The Kirby Morgan "Clam Shell" was developed for Sealab III experiment but was never used because the program was cancelled after the death of Berry Cannon.

The Kirby Morgan Band Masks were used for saturation diving on the Mark I & II Deep Dive Systems.

The MH 11 was a special version that supported CCRs for covert submarine lockout sat operations.

None of these masks were approved for fleet use and the issue was made moot when the Superlite hats were approved.

 

[johndiver999]

I clock 23 seconds for the 60'. That's almost 3 times the proper ascent rate for a CSEA. He may have forgot to dump air on the way up, as well as kicking to the surface.

Early into the first dive of the day is the best time to head for the surface, one has the best chance of screwing up without repercussions. However, it is better to practice and get it right, in case you aren't that lucky.

I didn’t time it, but look at the video of the final portion of the ascent. The part where the visibility is not great, but you can see the surface and the diver for reference. Does that portion of the ascent look to be 150 feet per second??? Also what diver would film this perfectly smoothly and perform an ascent themselves at 150 fpm? Plus as mentioned, the final portion of the ascent would almost invariably be the fastest.
The video looks fake or at least re-created for distribution.

 

[Bob DBF]

Also what diver would film this perfectly smoothly and perform an ascent themselves at 150 fpm? Plus as mentioned, the final portion of the ascent would almost invariably be the fastest.

Unless it got away from them. A proper CSEA takes up a lot of bandwidth, and is hard enough to do if you practice, never mind trying to film one. I've seen camera men nearly get killed because they focus on a good shot, not what else is going on around them.

The 30 fpm ascent is relatively new, the 60 fpm ascent rate the Navy came up with, was a compromise to have scuba and surface supplied use the same rate. Scuba was advocating for 120 fpm,or more. Understand that the Navy diver rarely does more than one dive a day, so it's much different than recreational.

The video looks fake or at least re-created for distribution.

That is also plausible.

 

[waterone]

Thank you for sharing this experience. FFM's have major safety downsides, especially with poor or no training.

Major safety downsides? What safety down sides do you feel a FFM has?

I would say only without proper training, but you need training on regular gear too. It is very easy to ditch my FFM and move my reg on my necklace to a breathable position and then grab my extra mask out of my pocket.

What upsides do a FFM have for this sort of diving? I didn't hear the divers in the video speaking to each other, but maybe that's an artifact of the recording.

In colder water it will keep your face warmer, never have to consider fogging, easier breathing, better FOV, no jaw fatigue and probably a few others. Some would say comms but that could easily be a downside...

Once that issue occurred, the diver removed the FFM and performed a CESA ascent (the ascent was pretty fast, but you can see them continue to exhale as they go up). Was this the best solution to the problem?

Hell no

No way that was 60 feet deep. Video looked fake to me, the video of the ascent was too smooth. Also he did not even try to find an octo as best I could tell.

To me on that day it does appear shallower than 60 due to tide. Panic makes us all act differently and probably why he probably tried to incorrectly breath on the freeflow once the mask fell away.

To me it looks like he went to adjust the mask with the reg (mask was leaking at the top and sides) and inadvertently pulled the 2nd off.

Personally, I wouldn't toss my $800 mask and rely on my buddy to catch it before hitting the Sounds rocky bottom. Another thing to consider is to physically unsnap that particular 2nd at depth from the outside of the mask is not possible.

I clock 23 seconds for the 60'. That's almost 3 times the proper ascent rate for a CSEA. He may have forgot to dump air on the way up, as well as kicking to the surface.

Early into the first dive of the day is the best time to head for the surface, one has the best chance of screwing up without repercussions. However, it is better to practice and get it right, in case you aren't that lucky.

After viewing the video, it seems to be a 12 to 15 second accent. 1:39 mask off but staying at depth until an accent at what would seem earliest at 1:45 but to me and the dome being visible until1:43 with no distance created and watching the flow of bubbles, the accent looks like it was actually from 1:48 to 2:00. I would also guess that he was at about 45 feet or less being above mid dome before starting his accent.

 

[johndiver999]

That ascent was not 3 feet per second at the end. And even if it were, who would film and perform a 180 feet per minute ascent? Nothing wrong with filming a "re-enactment" of an actual event, but the video itself doesn't hold up to my giggle test, if it is being presented as the actual event.

 

[waterone]

And even if it were, who would film and perform a 180 feet per minute ascent?

Maybe he was panicking as well due to the issue with a friend. Or maybe he tried to stay close in case something else happened. It's always hard to speculate out someone's mindset.

To me it looks like the guy who was filming slowed up as a bit as his friend was close to the surface. However, to me the other one never slowed. But I use the term filming extremely lightly as that is a head mounted camera that usually gets what you are looking at in view (except for things like chest level down).

Nothing wrong with filming a "re-enactment" of an actual event, but the video itself doesn't hold up to my giggle test, if it is being presented as the actual event.

A reenactment from depth with a buddy just to film it, IMO is stupidity.

I can't say for certain either way. However, I do know how that particular mask functions and you cannot remove the 2nd from the outside unless it was never locked into place. IMO you would have to be an idiot to intentionally dive like that. I also know if you haven't practiced a FFM flood that it would be unimaginably stressful at depth, and you could have a response like the vid.

There is also him trying to get air from the free flow (which isn't hard to do) but he seems in a real panic and tries to get air from a part of the reg that doesn't put air out. Then it also seems he lets go of the bag because it appears as if his buddy is holding him by it, maybe trying to slow him down and render aid..


Or maybe they are both idiots and do lots of stupid stuff for views, which is also totally possible on today's world. After all he is wearing split fins.

 

[poseident]

Glad the OP survived to dive another day....

After all he is wearing split fins.

There are split fins, and there are Split Fins......those were the former. (I hate Twin Jets! YMMV)