Free Flow at 56 Feet

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vtxkev

Contributor
Messages
232
Reaction score
0
Location
NJ / PA
# of dives
50 - 99
I want some opinions on my experiance this past weekend. I was diving with a buddy at a quarry who I picked up on my local single diver wants to dive this weekend forum. When we met we introduced ourselves, explained our diving skills, checked out each others gear, ect. Now this was my 9th dive and his 13th so by far both of us still brandy new divers and we were aware of this. We said we would do a surface swim out to a marker and decend down the line, swim around and check out some sunken items and stay at or above 60 feet. Seemed like a good game plan. We geared up, did our buddy check and off to the water we went. We surface swam out to save air as I suck down and AL80 in about 25 minutes (yes,yes, crazy I know, I am working on it) and we try to decend and he is not properly weighted. We swim back in and he goes to get more weight. When he comes back we decide time for a new game plan because I am not surface swimming out there again. We decide to drop down the wall and then swin xxx degrees out to the item we would look at. We do this and then as we are swimming out about 5 minutes into the dive I can hear my reg starting to free flow ever so lightly. I tried to slow my breathing and get my buddies attention. Just as I get his attention and thumb the dive my reg goes full free flow. I tried to switch to my octo and that free flows as well. I grabbed my buddies octo and with bubbles all over the place started breathing as we acend to the surface. Sounds great except that neither of us managed our BC as we accended and we were at the surface in no time. Total dive time 6 minutes with computers going berzerk for accent speed.

Now here are a few things I noticed after thinking about this issue ALL night long.
1 - It seems as we both had some panic set in and that was a huge factor in shooting to the surface.
2 - I am thinking we should have gone over a game plan for a free flow / OOA situation
3 - We should have stayed closer and been more aware of each other.

I would like you to pick apart my story and tell me what you think can help make me a better diver. If you must, call me an idiot if you think it will help.
 
1 - It seems as we both had some panic set in and that was a huge factor in shooting to the surface.

Yup

2 - I am thinking we should have gone over a game plan for a free flow / OOA situation

Yup


3 - We should have stayed closer and been more aware of each other.

Yup


Congratulations on using this experience to learn from your mistakes. (Fortunately this dive ended with your health okay so you actually COULD learn from your mistakes.) It's the "tough" dives that make me a better diver.

One critique - for what it's worth - as I read your post, it seems you were REACTING to the situation rather than taking CONTROL of the situation. While you probably would do the same things you did (try your octo, get buddies' octo, end the dive) - I think you would have been happier with how your dive ended. (For example, you may have remembered to empty some air from your bcd as you ascended so you weren't on the express elevator up.)

But like I said - you're using this experience to learn and that is huge because in the end, you're the one responsible to make you a better diver. So good job - keep learning - keep diving!
 
If both your primary and your octo were in full freeflow, it's also possible your LP inflator started flowing, filling up your BC as you ascended. This would make controlling the ascent much more difficult, especially for a new diver. How cold was the water?

Next time, (hopefully there is no next time!) try to remember to disconnect the LP inflator. Practice air sharing drills at depth until you're pretty comfortable both donating and accepting air, while maintaining constant depth. All in all, given your experience level and the stress of the freeflow, you did well. You did not bolt for the surface without accepting the air.

Sounds like you had a HP seat failure. That's pretty rare these days, you should probably have a word with whoever serviced your reg.
 
And that's really the rub. Doing drills and skills under nice easy controlled environments is one thing, but actually keeping your head together during the real deal is another. Because the fan never hits when you're kneeling in 15' with an instructor calmly signaling you, where you get to mentally prepare first. It happens suddenly in the mists of a dive when your brain is somewhere else.

And then it's easy to react rather then respond. For example, I believe in the OW class they teach you to continue to breath off the free-flowing reg, which is noisy and sounds scary, but not difficult. And yet, you went to your buddy's octo, which I'm guessing was done automatically in the moment without much thought. Now the two of you, who have never drilled together before, are connected by the hose, and if one goes up, you either go together or lose the reg. You see, the free flow was a minor issue that you should be easily able to manage. But then you compound the potential for a problem by adding another new diver into the mix by grabbing their octo. You said, "1 - It seems as we both had some panic set in and that was a huge factor in shooting to the surface. "

Hey, the bottom line is that you both got out alright and you are here to ask questions and learn from it. That's all any of us can do. And the process of analyzing these kinds of things never ends regardless of what level you are at.

But it is why I am a proponent of drilling and practicing on (almost) every dive. It's also why I think newer divers should be trying to hook up with a good mentor (not always possible). And it's also why I won't do a pick-up buddy dive on a dive I don't feel comfortable doing without help.

Just some random thoughts about your post. Good on you for putting it out there for us, and I'm sure you will get the usual buffet of replies.
 
First let me say I'm not experienced enough to comment on this situation, however I'm reading these for a reason....TO LEARN, so I'd like to ask a couple questions if you don't mind.

First, what was the water temp? I was reading about a free flow yesterday but that was in something like 42 degree water. Curious since both your regs free flowed. Second, why not breath off the free flow per training on your ascent? I realize there were probably a lot of bubbles but by buddy breathing I think that may have elevated the panick reflex.

Also you said you did your buddy checks, one of which is the location of your octo and that it works, I'd have considered this ample for an OOA situation. Personally I don't think you can cover every situation that may arise and thus staying calm and thinking clearly is the biggest thing. Given the situation and the outcome, I think this will have taught you a lesson (and me for that fact) that you'll be better for in the long run.

Take care,
Steve
 
If both your primary and your octo were in full freeflow, it's also possible your LP inflator started flowing, filling up your BC as you ascended. This would make controlling the ascent much more difficult, especially for a new diver. How cold was the water?

Next time, (hopefully there is no next time!) try to remember to disconnect the LP inflator. Practice air sharing drills at depth until you're pretty comfortable both donating and accepting air, while maintaining constant depth. All in all, given your experience level and the stress of the freeflow, you did well. You did not bolt for the surface without accepting the air.

Sounds like you had a HP seat failure. That's pretty rare these days, you should probably have a word with whoever serviced your reg.

The water was about 42 and the reg was a rental and it also wasnt sealed (if I am saying that right??) So, I will be buying my own reg before the next dive.
 
First, what was the water temp? 42
Second, why not breath off the free flow per training on your ascent? I realize there were probably a lot of bubbles but by buddy breathing I think that may have elevated the panick reflex. You hit it on the head there were tons of bubbles and although I remember from class in a nice warm pool that you can breathe from a free flowing reg I didnt think about it. I reacted and went for the reg I knew would work.

Also you said you did your buddy checks, one of which is the location of your octo and that it works, I'd have considered this ample for an OOA situation. If I read correctly you mean when we went over the octo on buddy checks this would have been the perfect time to do an OOA game plan then yes correct but that didnt happen and its one of the things i made a mental note to do next time.

Take care,
Steve

Thanks Steve
 
Thanks Steve

No, thank you!

In my situation I have a wife and son that will be diving with me, so while I'm obviously not a dive master, it's my responsibility to be prepared and keep any situation that arises as calm as possible.

Consequently my 3rd to the last option for myself would be buddy breathing (unless it's an exercise) so as not to alarm them and show them the importance of staying calm.

Failure analysis (no offense) is of a great help to me as it's the next best thing to experiencing it.

Also you said you did your buddy checks, one of which is the location of your octo and that it works, I'd have considered this ample for an OOA situation. If I read correctly you mean when we went over the octo on buddy checks this would have been the perfect time to do an OOA game plan then yes correct but that didnt happen and its one of the things i made a mental note to do next time.

No, I was saying that you had gone over your octo and functionality in your buddy check which I would consider sufficient. I don't know that I would have said "okay, here's my octo", shown that it works, and then gone through a drill on how we would surface should there be a failure. That's in the training for your cert so I would have done exactly as you did.

I personally don't really see where you did anything wrong other than your rapid ascent (panic).

However, I understand that. I am not a person that is likely to panic, however when faced with an unfamiliar situation it's sometimes difficult to slow down and consider all your options prior to reacting.

As an example....this past weekend was a dive that included MANY firsts for me.....TOO MANY and it taught me a very valuable lesson.

First lake dive
First shore dive
First dive with less than 100' of vis (it was less than 5' for the majority)
First dive in a wetsuit
First dive having to use a light
First time with computer (all of my equipment was rental as well)
First with underwater hazards (bushes)
First dive with a couple guys I didn't really know

I was WAY over tasked and as we descended I knew it immediately! I mentally had to reassure myself to stay calm but the entire dive I felt as though I was reacting as opposed to being in control, consequently I was not able to improve or work on skills. As a matter of fact I don't think I even maintained skills on that dive as there were things I normally do better than I did on that dive but it was a huge learning experience for me.

So my point being, I'm at the same level you are experience wise and I think there are many, many lessons to come but I think you're doing the right thing in your analysis and it helps others (at least me) as well.

So kudos to you and take care,

Steve
 
Your first stage might have frozen up, a sealed reg for water that chilly is a good idea. You can practice breathing in freeflow by holding the purge button if you want to get used to it and be prepared.
 
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