Forgot to hook up inflator - near miss

[CT-Rich]

Your friend should have figured out a solution on his own, since he was at the surface on his own.if he had the composure and gas to reconnect theBCD at depth, that would be choice one. Once at the surface and struggling, dumping weights would ha been his next logical choice. A struggling diver is not going to be pulling his regulator to orally inflate his BCD. I think that would be a invitation for making his panic worse. Job one is to go home after the dive.

If he was weighted properly and had a full tank (this was at the beginning of the dive), he would still have been negative. while overweighting is common, it seems to be trotted out on almost every episode. A bunch of factors can contribute to diver stress on the surface, like surface chop or perceived distance on a surface swim. I get a little uncomfortable when every situation gets written off as a weighting issue. It’s kind of the SCUBA version of man-splaining.

Oh,he was just over weighted...

 

[Khrissi]

I had a good instructor.
Did it like that, and with simulated OOA.

Practiced buddy breathing from a shared reg.
I heard it's frowned upon but Im glad we did it.

I dont know why that would be- i think its a good idea to practise emergency drills. K

 

[JohnWoods]

Mistake 3. Forgetting that you can manually inflate a BCD.[/QUOTE

Once distressed , manually inflating is no longer an option in the brain .... getting to the surface and breathing air is the goal. Reg should always be in the mouth.... sounds like more situational training is a good idea ???

 

[grf88]

I dont know why that would be- i think its a good idea to practise emergency drills. K

Some are choosy as to who they will share saliva with.

 

[Jcp2]

I think this refers to oral BC inflation at the surface. I remember being taught this as part of PADI OW. Kick up and inhale, inflate BC while not kicking. Repeat as needed. It wasn’t something I needed to use and I don’t, but my daughter remembered it and used it on a dive months after her class.

A quick google dive indicated that this is referred to as the bobbing method of oral inflation by SSI, SDI, and Jeppesen's open water sport diver manual.

 

[JohnWoods]

I also orally inflate my BC before jumping. Just to keep in practice.

I think it's a great thing to practice for safety and understanding your equipment function. I would challenge those who think they're saving air by doing this prior to a dive , unless it is done a few minutes before entry. The effort required to lift the inflators hose up to your mouth , push the button and force a few breaths into the BC would likely cause a slightly increased heart rate ( depending on your fitness level) that would require the same or more air to recover back to where you were. If you were to start your dive immediately or close to immediately after inflating , I think you would need to breath that saved air back out of the tank to feed the burned energy.....just my opinion of course , I've tried to fill my BC manually before entry and find myself slightly hyperventilated and needing a few extra breaths to recover ( maybe I'm the one not fit enough )

 

[HKGuns]

I don’t understand two things.

- why did you get complacent on pre dive checks?

- why does that situation induce panic? Simply connect the BC or get you to do it both can be done under water while breathing the regulator. Worst case manually inflate as mentioned above.

I think I’d seriously consider finding another buddy.

 

[Edward3c]

I don’t understand two things.

- why did you get complacent on pre dive checks?
...

From your profile you’ve not done enough diving yet to believe you know it all; where these pesky checks are for beginners. Later with more experience you’ll realise they have a real purpose.

 

[CT-Rich]

I don’t understand two things.

- why did you get complacent on pre dive checks?

- why does that situation induce panic? Simply connect the BC or get you to do it both can be done under water while breathing the regulator. Worst case manually inflate as mentioned above.

I think I’d seriously consider finding another buddy.

Do you do a walk around on your car every time you go for a drive? Do you adjust all the mirrors before starting the engine? Everyone gets complacent eventually.

Why didn’t he fix it underwater? Don’t rightly know, but when things go sideways, people get tunnel vision and focus on a single thing. In this case he focused on staying at the surface.

For whatever reason, this guy got his ass kicked by the situation. I seriously doubt he will make some of those mistakes again. I wouldn’t ditch a dive buddy for this. If he was claiming he was an expert caver and had 1500 dives logged, I might look at him as BS and trouble. This was a learning experience. When fate hands you a lesson you, I hope you take it to heart.

 

[HKGuns]

Do you do a walk around on your car every time you go for a drive? Do you adjust all the mirrors before starting the engine? Everyone gets complacent eventually.

Why didn’t he fix it underwater? Don’t rightly know, but when things go sideways, people get tunnel vision and focus on a single thing. In this case he focused on staying at the surface.

For whatever reason, this guy got his ass kicked by the situation. I seriously doubt he will make some of those mistakes again. I wouldn’t ditch a dive buddy for this. If he was claiming he was an expert caver and had 1500 dives logged, I might look at him as BS and trouble. This was a learning experience. When fate hands you a lesson you, I hope you take it to heart.

With all due respect, given your experience and my inexperience.

I check the mirror adjustment before moving the vehicle and my truck has TPS, so walking around would be pointless.

I've been diving since June and would not have let this situation kick my ass. You don't have to be a 1500 dive cave diver to maintain your composure.

If you can't remain composed in a minor scenario like this one, you probably shouldn't be diving. You need to recognize the situation, think clearly and deal with the situation in a controlled manner.