First night dive.. error, task overload, abort

[Lorenzoid]

I don't want to derail this thread as the snorkel debate really doesn't apply here, but I'm talking in a situation with rough surface conditions, you can hardly see the boat, the boat can't see you and you better start swimming or it's going to get worse. A snorkel is the right tool for the job. A good snorkel, properly positioned on your mask strap is hardly noticeable during a dive. It gives you a clear airway for a long hard swim. The big clunky snorkels with giant restricting flapper valves at the top and huge water collectors and purge valves at the bottom are a nuisance.

Also, as far as the pocket snorkels go, I've found I like the items I may need to be readily available when I need them.

I have a barely used pocket snorkel for sale if anyone wants it. $10.

Sure--snorkels are useful for long surface swims, which is fortunately something I have never needed to do. Dive ops I have used often specifically instruct us NOT to swim toward the boat; just shoot an SMB and wait. I don't think I'd go out in conditions so rough that a boat couldn't see my 6-ft SMB. But I suppose others may. If one might get caught in such conditions, then by all means bring a snorkel. For those of us who believe we're unlikely to get caught in such conditions, a folding pocket snorkel is fine.

 

[Carl_F]

I had two lights, a 1000 lumen LED spotlight strapped to my left hand, and a dimmer 450 lumen LED flood strapped to my right hand, and a rented Zoop Suunto which I am not hugely familiar with yet.

The Zoop does not have a backlight as far as I can tell, but the face glows if the light is pointed at it. (Weirdly the Zoop manual says it has a backlight but doesn't say how to activate it, and the three buttons don't light it when pressed, so either my rental unit is broken, or it really doesn't have a backlight and this is a documentation error.)

I don't know what other people do there, with the "point light to make it glow but also don't night-blind myself doing this" process.

Others have covered it but I'll reinforce:

1. Move the backup light to a pocket or have it clipped off somewhere on your BC where you can get to it if your primary fails. I leave mine off during the dive after checking it when I first get into the water to make sure it didn't flood.

2. Learn how to shine the light on your computer and/or console to activate the "glow in the dark" feature. And don't look at them directly when you do this. This will become second nature.

3. Discuss with your buddy why he didn't acknowledge your signals or ascend when you ascended. It's important to understand what went wrong. As others have said, it could be he couldn't see your hand signals because either you had lights on both hands so he couldn't see the signals with the lights in his eyes or because your hands weren't illuminated. You need to learn to shine the light on the hand that is providing the signal.

(And you really don't need to point at your ear (awkward shining the light on your hand near your ear) ... this is just a "nice to do" signal for a buddy IMO. If you signal you need to ascend, you'll ascend. You can always signal "ascend" "a little bit". And then signal "maintain depth" when the pain in your ear subsides.)

 

[EricTheDood]

Were you familiar with the dive site? Was your buddy? What was your dive plan? Even if you had successfully taken a moment to get your hood on, would you and your buddy have been able to continue the dive safely if you were separated from the group?

Okay, I need to take the mask off, and somehow not let go of it in the murk, and also pull my hood up, and then put the mask back on. But I want to ascend to warmer water to do this.

IMHO, you should have either sucked it up when you got cold or ended the dive. An underwater mask replacement should have been the last option. Even if you absolutely had to replace the mask for some better reason, like the strap was tangled in something, making a partial ascent for warmer water is just adding potential problems for minimal gain.

 

[Javik]

1. Move the backup light to a pocket or have it clipped off somewhere on your BC where you can get to it if your primary fails. I leave mine off during the dive after checking it when I first get into the water to make sure it didn't flood.

This was my first time doing this, so I don't know about backup lights. Is there a preferred hand the light should be in/on? Is back-of-hand light okay, or actually not a good idea? I need to do more research.

Nobody commented on me having two lights, one on the back of each hand. The left hand 1000 lumen has a sharp bright pointed beam in the center. The right hand is a big diffuse 450 lumen flood with no center beam.

Also the 450 lumen was a twist-the-threads-down on/off type, and I see twisting isn't exactly reliable. It's hard to turn on with one hand, as the whole barrel rotates in the elastic sleeve. And it managed to unscrew and turn itself off through all the moving around under water, and I was too busy with all the rest to start fiddling with it trying to turn the top of it, and get it back on, just used the brighter one with a pushbutton on the back.

Were you familiar with the dive site? Was your buddy? What was your dive plan?

The buddy and about six other people in front of me were familiar with the dive site, and had been there many many times. I was not, and this was the 6th dive for me in there. The dive plan for me was "follow the experienced group, which is not planning to go below about 40-45ft or so".

"I have no plans to go much deeper than 12 feet until I can get the inner ear equalization methods figured out and working reliably.."

Knowing your limits and diving within your limits are two different things.

The equalization seems to be working okay, so far. I equalize early and often. It sounds like a squeaking balloon when I blow air in. I find I can direct the air to left or right by turning my head to have one side higher than the other. When I go up, I hear a farting sound as the air comes out of my ears. Apparently this is not exactly typical, but it works and doesn't hurt.

I came to the surface from all this with no ear pain, and went to about 49 ft at noon on Sunday with them the next day for an hour, and had no equalization problems.

But I was too busy with the freezing head, depth gauge, light, and staying level (determined on Sunday to be bad trim in rental gear, about 45 degrees face down when floating freely), to deal with equalization on top of all else.

So while trying to get buddy's attention to go up, instead drifted down too far past the point where the tissues compress, and forcing in air becomes very difficult.

 

[CuzzA]

@Javik keep one light on your right hand soft grip and clip your backup to your right shoulder d ring. Put a loop of bungee around the harness to hold the head of the light to the strap. Another option is to use a light holster on your right side waist harness. I actually have an extra new dive rite one I could ship you if the aforementioned setup won't work. Pm me if you're interested.

 

[CuzzA]

To stay on topic the comment to ditch the snorkel was meant for a dive in benign waters like the quarry in question. Minus the un-needed snorkel the OP could have simply pulled the hood up and over the mask strap, problem solved.

Exactly what I said earlier in this thread.

Sure--snorkels are useful for long surface swims, which is fortunately something I have never needed to do. Dive ops I have used often specifically instruct us NOT to swim toward the boat; just shoot an SMB and wait. I don't think I'd go out in conditions so rough that a boat couldn't see my 6-ft SMB. But I suppose others may. If one might get caught in such conditions, then by all means bring a snorkel. For those of us who believe we're unlikely to get caught in such conditions, a folding pocket snorkel is fine.

And I always say on here... lots of divers, doing different dives, in different environments. I've never charted a dive boat.

Today for example we were diving privately 25 miles offshore and you could see the unpredictable thunderstorms popping up all around. Fortunately, they stayed clear from us. Point is, conditions can change in a matter of minutes.

There was also a story from my area yesterday where 2 divers became separated from their boat when their float detached. The boat followed the float and lost the divers. I don't know how long they were drifting, but once you're out of gas, you'll be wishing you had a snorkel.

 

[Lorenzoid]

And I always say on here... lots of divers, doing different dives, in different environments. I've never charted a dive boat. . . .

Absolutely. If the environment calls for it, then by all means bring a snorkel. But with all due respect, I believe divers who have never dived from a commercial boat are the minority among recreational divers in the world. Most of us don't primarily shore dive, and most of us don't have our own private boats. As we see from countless threads on SB, a mainstay of the recreational diving world is the dive operator that takes divers out on boats. Now, if one is doing that in, say, North Carolina or the Pacific Northwest, then sure, bring a snorkel. However, if one is doing that in the Keys, or at tropical resort sites, it is unlikely a snorkel will prove useful on many dives. I have always heard that a folding snorkel stashed in a pocket is more than enough insurance for the unlikely event that the boat and I get separated AND (contrary to most boats' instructions to stay put and wait) I find I need to do a lengthy surface swim.

But again, if you're "25 miles offshore," spearfishing from a private boat or otherwise without a guide, then hell yeah you ought to bring a snorkel ... and a PLB and more! I most certainly do not disagree with that.

 

[CuzzA]

We agree.

I'm just cautioning blanket statements. Many people read these threads. That's all.

 

[barth]

This was my first time doing this, so I don't know about backup lights. Is there a preferred hand the light should be in/on? Is back-of-hand light okay, or actually not a good idea? I need to do more research.

Nobody commented on me having two lights, one on the back of each hand. The left hand 1000 lumen has a sharp bright pointed beam in the center. The right hand is a big diffuse 450 lumen flood with no center beam.

Also the 450 lumen was a twist-the-threads-down on/off type, and I see twisting isn't exactly reliable. It's hard to turn on with one hand, as the whole barrel rotates in the elastic sleeve. And it managed to unscrew and turn itself off through all the moving around under water, and I was too busy with all the rest to start fiddling with it trying to turn the top of it, and get it back on, just used the brighter one with a pushbutton on the back.





The buddy and about six other people in front of me were familiar with the dive site, and had been there many many times. I was not, and this was the 6th dive for me in there. The dive plan for me was "follow the experienced group, which is not planning to go below about 40-45ft or so".





The equalization seems to be working okay, so far. I equalize early and often. It sounds like a squeaking balloon when I blow air in. I find I can direct the air to left or right by turning my head to have one side higher than the other. When I go up, I hear a farting sound as the air comes out of my ears. Apparently this is not exactly typical, but it works and doesn't hurt.

I came to the surface from all this with no ear pain, and went to about 49 ft at noon on Sunday with them the next day for an hour, and had no equalization problems.

But I was too busy with the freezing head, depth gauge, light, and staying level (determined on Sunday to be bad trim in rental gear, about 45 degrees face down when floating freely), to deal with equalization on top of all else.

So while trying to get buddy's attention to go up, instead drifted down too far past the point where the tissues compress, and forcing in air becomes very difficult.

Which hand do use use to pass a regulator to your buddy when he/she is ooa? I will use my right hand to donate my regulator. So I will put the light on my left hand. I think you don't like when you are ooa and somebody want to give heus regultor and is shining with his light on the same hand into your face. ;-)

Plan your dive and dive your plan. Just follow the divers in front of you is ok. But you should have a dive plan. Max depth, minimum gas, check direction etc. Everybody is responsabele to check this. And if you like to end the dive it should be possible at Amy moment during the dive.

I think it is not a good idea when diving in a groep of 6 people with experienced divers to have a beginner as last diver. I think it should be better to have this diver in front or in the middel of the group.

 

[2airishuman]

I am a relatively new diver, that went on a night dive with a group of people who are much more experienced, which I screwed up and had to bail out, inland diving up north in a quarry with very cold thermocline.

I've done night dives in cold water so I think I'll post a few things.

I had two lights, a 1000 lumen LED spotlight strapped to my left hand, and a dimmer 450 lumen LED flood strapped to my right hand, and a rented Zoop Suunto which I am not hugely familiar with yet.

A night dive isn't a good place to experiment with unfamiliar gear. Were you familiar with the lights? Had you used them on day dives? Lights are useful on many dives, to look under ledges, to overcome loss of light and changes in color cast due to depth, as signalling devices, etc.

As other posters have indicated it would be a more common practice to have one light in your hand (I just hold mine but straps or Goodman handles would probably be an improvement), and the other clipped off to a D ring.

Oh crap, while preparing to enter the water, I did not pull the wetsuit hood up from around my neck, before putting on my mask, and didn't notice in the warmer water at the surface. And since it is dark, no one else noticed it either. My head is now freezing in this very cold water, and it is intense black, aside from the lights.

Okay, I need to take the mask off, and somehow not let go of it in the murk, and also pull my hood up, and then put the mask back on. But I want to ascend to warmer water to do this.

There is a temperature at which cold water on your face is such a distraction that it is all but impossible to think clearly let alone do anything coordinated. The ideal response would have been to remove the snorkel temporarily and pull the hood up over your mask. Or call the dive. I wouldn't remove my mask at depth in that situation.

...
All right, now I have to ascend up to warmer water, in the dark in open water with no reference but the depth gauge / computer. I have to hold the BC hose up to vent it to control the ascent. I am in pitch black open water so I have to look at the computer to determine ascent rate, but my left hand is busy with the BC, and so now I need to hold the computer/SPG with my right hand, on its short hose?

There are many reasons I dislike air integrated computers. I have a brass and glass SPG, which is luminous and easy to read at night, and a wrist-mounted computer, which is on my right wrist. It is equipped with a backlight however the backlight tends to go out several times during a typical ascent. So a night ascent for me is the same as a day ascent, except that I have to push the button a few times for the backlight, which I can do without letting go of the inflator hose.

And furthermore pointing one of the lights at the computer face to make it glow doesn't help much because when I point the light I have to watch what I am doing, so I am blinding myself / removing my ability to see in darkness so I can't see the faint glow of the dial, and the glow fades really quickly to the point that I can't read it.

Most luminious materials will give off illumination longer if they are exposed to light longer. It might help to put the computer in the flashlight beam for several minutes before the dive, for example, or at least hold it against the flashlight for a count of 30 or something before starting the ascent.

So.... apparently if I'm going to be doing diving in the dark, aside from making sure I'm wearing my hood properly, I need gauges and/or a computer that lights up, AND can stay illuminated continuously for the entire dive so I don't have to keep pushing buttons on it all the time and fiddling with it.

Based on my limited experience, having to point a light at it to make it glow seems to be an ineffective method for seeing the device in pitch black water, since I blind myself trying to point the light at the dial to make it glow and now I can't see it anyway, even if it is dimly glowing.

A generic analog depth gauge / SPG console is going to have the exact same problem in the dark, if it doesn't have some sort of battery and illumination rings around the gauge faces.

I don't know what other people do there, with the "point light to make it glow but also don't night-blind myself doing this" process.

Right, so luminous materials are an important element of dive gear at night, compass as well as computer and spg. It is a proven technology, generally reliable, but it takes some practice.

The first thing to consider is that luminous materials don't last forever and may have to be replaced after a number of years, especially if exposed to bright light much of the time.

The second thing is that it takes time for these things to "charge up" under a bright light. Sunlight, or equivalent, for 30 minutes is ideal. Not realistic for a night dive but the idea is more that you can hold a light against the instrument for maybe half a minute during a dive. One of the things I like about handheld lights is that it makes this easy. I can hold my SPG and light in the same hand, and sort of position my fingers so that some light spills ahead of me but not into my eyes. Compass is on my left wrist so I have to hold the light there with my right hand but it still is workable. Again these are skills that you can work on during the day, and if you're in an inland region with lakes, dives are free or nearly so, get out and dive and work on those skills.

This was my first time doing this, so I don't know about backup lights. Is there a preferred hand the light should be in/on? Is back-of-hand light okay, or actually not a good idea? I need to do more research....Nobody commented on me having two lights, one on the back of each hand. The left hand 1000 lumen has a sharp bright pointed beam in the center. The right hand is a big diffuse 450 lumen flood with no center beam....Also the 450 lumen was a twist-the-threads-down on/off type, and I see twisting isn't exactly reliable. It's hard to turn on with one hand, as the whole barrel rotates in the elastic sleeve. And it managed to unscrew and turn itself off through all the moving around under water, and I was too busy with all the rest to start fiddling with it trying to turn the top of it, and get it back on, just used the brighter one with a pushbutton on the back.

Well, the DIR guys have one right way of doing it, which I believe is to use a Goodman handle in the right hand. For a night dive within recreational limits, I don't think there's much of a standard. Typically people use one handheld light at a time, and possibly also have a beacon on their back somewhere. There's nothing wrong with using a handle or strap. I don't. I use the twisty lights and they work OK for me. At night I turn on the light at the beginning of the dive and leave it on, and yes, that takes two hands.

As with other gear, I'm a big fan of buying your own rather than depending on rental gear. It helps make you familiar with everything. I own my gear and my rig is the same on every dive except for changes I've made specifically to meet the needs of the dive.

The buddy and about six other people in front of me were familiar with the dive site, and had been there many many times. I was not, and this was the 6th dive for me in there. The dive plan for me was "follow the experienced group, which is not planning to go below about 40-45ft or so".

These sorts of dives are IME often very frustrating for the less experienced diver. Better to be with one or two experienced people you trust, but not always possible to work out.

The equalization seems to be working okay, so far. I equalize early and often. It sounds like a squeaking balloon when I blow air in. I find I can direct the air to left or right by turning my head to have one side higher than the other. When I go up, I hear a farting sound as the air comes out of my ears. Apparently this is not exactly typical, but it works and doesn't hurt.

You want to try to figure out a way to position your neck, chin, and ears so that it isn't so hard. For most people, moving your chin down then out and away from your neck will work. For some poeple, head tilted back a little also. You have to figure out what works for your particular physiology. Freedivers figure out how to equalize without a nose pinch, you can too. It takes practice to do it with a reg, which you then have to hold with your lips or a hand.

[[ ... snorkel ... ]]

It depends on conditions. I would bring one on a night dive in freshwater in most cases so that I can get away from the mosquitoes at the beginning and end of the dive while waiting for buddies.