Chocoholic
Contributor
Maybe try going out with other sets of dive buddies and take turns leading. Then no one person is responsible for all the navigation and you can share the task load. And have fun!
First unguided dive goes badly
- Thread starter alicatfish
- Start date
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underwasser bolt
Contributor
it happens. decrease your task loading, maybe just go own your own and practice skills in a known location first. use a line to descend/ascend with. practice details like navigation once you are comfortable and have mastered the basics.
Mr. Bubble
Contributor
Going out to a bouy in the ocean is rarely a straight shot. There are currents to contend with, and even a slight current will set you off over a 100ft. That could easily make you miss your mark and have an "angle"ed coarse. Your husband paniced because of depth (reading the wrong one and thinking of mechanical failure), missing the mark (being lost), being the one in charge (responsible for you), and too much information running around in his brain (relitively new divers with LOTS of things to be worried about...all at once).
Take it easy....
and keep diving!
Take it easy....
and keep diving!
It sounds to me like your husband had what can turn out to be an excellent learning experience at very little cost.
I think a lot of people would agree that one of the primary factors in diving accidents is panic. Panic generally doesn't come out of nowhere -- It's the result of anxiety that spirals out of control. One of the key parts of stopping that from happening is to recognize stress early on, and manage it before it manages you. Your husband now knows what it feels like to start thinking, "I want out of here." The next time he begins to feel that way, he needs to slow down and think. Diver0001 wrote a superb essay about this -- First, evaluate your air supply. If it's adequate, you have TIME to solve problems. Then, manage your buoyancy. This is what your husband didn't do on your ascent. Next, communicate within the team about the plan. He did do that -- He gave you the thumb, rather than bolting. That's good; that's impulse control. Since anyone can thumb a dive at any time, for any reason, there's nothing to criticize here, except to look at the sequence of events to see if you guys could have a longer, less stressed dive next time. Anyway, the final piece of the sequence is dive -- carry out the plan your communication came up with. You guys did that, although not without some technique issues.
Sounds like this was an unfamiliar site. You hadn't navigated it before (or navigated at all, maybe). You were on your own for the first time. You got lost. That's enough stress to make somebody uncomfortable, and being uncomfortable can lead to inefficient breathing and CO2 retention, which heightens anxiety as well. Trying to reduce the number of new things you take on at once might help -- For your next independent outing, choose a site you've dived with a guide. Or take a guide with you, but tell him you want to try to do the navigation yourselves, with him as a safety net.
My first "unmentored" dive was a site I knew from a dozen dives there or more. I went with somebody for whom navigation was a snap, and we kept the dive quite shallow. Stress was thus minimized, and we had a great dive. But I've also done dives where I was trying to manage too much at once, and I wasn't at all happy and didn't enjoy the time underwater, so I think I can empathize with your husband.
It will go better next time.
I think a lot of people would agree that one of the primary factors in diving accidents is panic. Panic generally doesn't come out of nowhere -- It's the result of anxiety that spirals out of control. One of the key parts of stopping that from happening is to recognize stress early on, and manage it before it manages you. Your husband now knows what it feels like to start thinking, "I want out of here." The next time he begins to feel that way, he needs to slow down and think. Diver0001 wrote a superb essay about this -- First, evaluate your air supply. If it's adequate, you have TIME to solve problems. Then, manage your buoyancy. This is what your husband didn't do on your ascent. Next, communicate within the team about the plan. He did do that -- He gave you the thumb, rather than bolting. That's good; that's impulse control. Since anyone can thumb a dive at any time, for any reason, there's nothing to criticize here, except to look at the sequence of events to see if you guys could have a longer, less stressed dive next time. Anyway, the final piece of the sequence is dive -- carry out the plan your communication came up with. You guys did that, although not without some technique issues.
Sounds like this was an unfamiliar site. You hadn't navigated it before (or navigated at all, maybe). You were on your own for the first time. You got lost. That's enough stress to make somebody uncomfortable, and being uncomfortable can lead to inefficient breathing and CO2 retention, which heightens anxiety as well. Trying to reduce the number of new things you take on at once might help -- For your next independent outing, choose a site you've dived with a guide. Or take a guide with you, but tell him you want to try to do the navigation yourselves, with him as a safety net.
My first "unmentored" dive was a site I knew from a dozen dives there or more. I went with somebody for whom navigation was a snap, and we kept the dive quite shallow. Stress was thus minimized, and we had a great dive. But I've also done dives where I was trying to manage too much at once, and I wasn't at all happy and didn't enjoy the time underwater, so I think I can empathize with your husband.
It will go better next time.
Lehmann108
Guest
Wow! We seem to be at the same number of dives, but your husband definately has to aquire more experience before he continues diving otherwise he is an accident or a death waiting to happen. You seem to be be much calmer and have aquired skills along with your experience. Anyone who says they don't know why they did what they did (here not following the dive plan) should not be diving without guidance in some shape or form. I'm really worried for your husband. He needs to follow you.
Lehmann108
Guest
h2odragon1:
!!!!!!!!!!:11:
if you dont remember the signs of O2 toxicity, here is a way to help remember them
V- vision
E- ears
N- nausea
T-tingeling
T- twitching
I- irrabefroe you agreed to desand that you were not on the buoy and go over to ittibility
D- dizziness
C- convulsions
it dosent seem like he had any of these symptoms, it does sound like a task loading issue. it is easy to get excited and not stick to you dive plan. you could have told him to swim over to it. i know you wanted to try to get him to stop before surfacing but if he felt that he needed to keep asscending to just look him in the eyes for that fight or flight look. also you need to remember to vent air as you are going up and keep looking at you guage on the way. bypassing the safety stop is not a good idea but is less risky with a slow controled asscent if possible. i hope it was a good learning experience for you and that you keep all this in mind the next time you go out on your own. have fun and dive safe.
V- vision
E- ears
N- nausea
T-tingeling
T- twitching
I- irrabefroe you agreed to desand that you were not on the buoy and go over to ittibility
D- dizziness
C- convulsions
it dosent seem like he had any of these symptoms, it does sound like a task loading issue. it is easy to get excited and not stick to you dive plan. you could have told him to swim over to it. i know you wanted to try to get him to stop before surfacing but if he felt that he needed to keep asscending to just look him in the eyes for that fight or flight look. also you need to remember to vent air as you are going up and keep looking at you guage on the way. bypassing the safety stop is not a good idea but is less risky with a slow controled asscent if possible. i hope it was a good learning experience for you and that you keep all this in mind the next time you go out on your own. have fun and dive safe.
the I posted above should be Irritibility and the rest of it should be before you agreed to descend that you were not on the buoy and go over it. that line should of been after the second sentance about being excited and not sticking to the dive plan. sorry about that i didnt realize it got written that way untill after i posted it
A dive slate might help for communication. Not only can you have much clearer communication at depth, but you can also use it to your advantage by writing slowly. That forces your buddy to just wait, breathe and calm down while you write.alicatfish:
Popping up to the surface for a conversation isn't always practicable. Glad you are OK and learning from the experience.
Richesb
Contributor
This is why certifications mean nothing. Only experience does.
Rule #1 - when in a situation like that - safety 1st. - Abort the dive.
Make sure you get back to shore or boat immediately and discuss the problem.
You made a serious error and continued to compound the errors.
Your 1st few unguided dives should be basically bulletproof in plan & location.
Try diving shallow enough that depth, safety stops are not critical. You have alot to think about suddenly without a guide.
Rule #1 - when in a situation like that - safety 1st. - Abort the dive.
Make sure you get back to shore or boat immediately and discuss the problem.
You made a serious error and continued to compound the errors.
Your 1st few unguided dives should be basically bulletproof in plan & location.
Try diving shallow enough that depth, safety stops are not critical. You have alot to think about suddenly without a guide.
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