Fiction Writer needs Scuba Realism

[Majickyl]

I for one commend her for trying to make the story realistic.

As a diver, if I was to read the story and thought the scene she wrote was totally unrealistic, she'd lose credibility in my eyes. It would annoy me.

A lot of people were annoyed by tiny lights lighting the entire cave and safety reels as primaries in Sanctum. Did it absolutely ruin the movie? No. Did non-divers even notice? Maybe the lights, but not the reels. Did divers find it comical? Yeah, and it wasn't meant to be funny.

Good luck with your novel!

 

[Majickyl]

Also, in her rush to avoid being killed--and to escape, she could easily find herself jumping into the water again with the long hose hanging behind her, so she would go to her necklace reg ( which is bungeed around her neck and right by her chin--instant access) and then if she is hit and knocked unconscious, there is a strong chance the necklace reg would stay in place in her mouth, held in by the bungee...

See the following page for pictures of the set up..
SFDJ

If you go with this option, you'd better not pick and choose on the gear set up, not if you want to get it "right".

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Whatever you write, it will probably be more accurate than the typical news coverage of a diving accident.

Just don't have her breathing "oxygen" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Dragon Down]

Call your local scuba shop and ask to watch the pool session for a rescue diver training. You will see that floating face down is just as likely as face up and watch realistic rescue scenarios.

 

[Cave Diver]

Whatever you write, it will probably be more accurate than the typical news coverage of a diving accident.

Just don't have her breathing "oxygen" ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Or diving wearing flippers and goggles.

 

[robertarak]

Fact checking before writing? I would like to offer you a job in our local newsroom.

 

[2 Big 2 Fail]

It's true that relatively few readers will know the difference, but I think there's a writing mindset that's beneficial, even if some particular things won't matter to a lot of readers. If you don't mind being factually wrong about some things you could do something about, isn't it a bad habit when it comes to other things that many people will recognize?

You already got responses on the face up/down thing. And note that divers normally move about face down, and the equipment doesn't normally work against that desire. So far as the mouthpiece, it's not so much it being held at the mouth by the bungee. But one of the nice things about writing is that you you don't need the likely, just the plausible. I would find it contrived and unlikely seeming to have someone unconscious maintain enough of a seal around a mouthpiece to effectively breath through it. It would appear unlikely, even if someone with special knowledge knew something like that was possible. I would, however, not find it so very unbelievable that someone in that situation would perhaps float generally face downish with their mouth at least partly out of the water some of the time, because people need not be knocked unconscious and totally disabled. People can be consciously unaware and still maintain survival functions. Washed up on the beach with no awareness of how they got there is so common in fact and fiction to be almost trite. So she can be gradually deteriorating, fighting an unconscious losing battle against the choppy water, when she's rescued, with the appropriate retching, coughing, etc. Not bad scenes, either, from the victim's point of view, helpless, barely aware of imminent death, etc., and the rescuer's arrival seeming like imaginary fantasy at first.

 

[EastTNDiver]

Put her in a BP/W. Those things pitch you right on your face.
...

I was wondering when that one would come out...and, am amazed it hasn't started the usual war...............yet!

 

[Rhone Man]

One more quick tip: ...if you don't want to alienate scuba diving readers, then for goodness sake don't refer to it as an "oxygen tank".

 

[gypsyjim]

Fact checking before writing? I would like to offer you a job in our local newsroom.

I do not think that they would consider that such a career enhancing skill.