Unknown Friend got hit with DCS

[Divin'Papaw]

One of the things about having two computers is sometimes people who forgot their computer on the dive or have their computer malfunction on a dive want to use your second computer. You have decide whether or not to do that.

There's a story about what happened in that situation at the Blue Hole of Belize. The guy borrowing the computer ended up getting bent.

That has never happened to me thankfully, but if it ever does, they'd get a blank stare and a flat "NO". Frequently I have a 3rd computer in my bag. If it were the first dive of the day, I may loan them that one. Absolutely not if they've already done a dive or if it is several days into a trip.

But no one is borrowing my backup, not even a buddy. I consider them both primaries and would only dive with one in the event one craps out mid-trip (which has never happened).

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

OC sidemount I have 2 Shearwater computers. One on each arm. One reads tank pressures from both bottles.

On my Choptima CCR I have a Shearwater Nerd2 in my face acting as a controller and another on my arm running in constant PO2 mode.

Both the Nerd2 and the arm mounted can display bottle pressure from both sidemount bailout bottles and O2 pressure from the CCR.

 

[FishWatcher747]

This thread has morphed into a computer thread. As Captain Jim Wyatt correctly pointed out it is actually about a lack of awareness. Not a good thing underwater.

This couple should be restricted to 30 feet permanently.

 

[Dan G]

I disagree. I think the OP, who is a friend of the couple, should suggest some training. Yes, of course, they "should have learn that in OW," but they didn't or they didn't retain it or they were influenced by other divers who have normalized deviance. Help them become safe divers, not former divers.

 

[telemonster]

Help your friends learn, if you think they will listen.

 

[Nick_Radov]

I don't think they had DCS from the dive - if anything it was from the flight.

Doubt it. Flying after diving is highly unlikely to cause DCS, especially not in a pressurized commercial flight some hours after diving. When you hear about DCS cases involving flying after diving, usually the patient was already a little bit bent before they boarded the airplane and then the pressure drop exacerbated the symptoms. The recommendation to wait 12 - 24 hours isn't really about preventing DCS but rather more about allowing time for minor DCS cases to resolve on their own, or for patients to get over their denial and admit they're bent. And in the particular case we don't even have proof that the patient actually had DCS: as others have pointed out, it could have been some other form of decompression injury (DCI), or even something else unrelated to diving.

 

[bhend16]

I have spoken to her a bit since I posted this and gave her some of your pointers, a bit kinder than some of you have correctly pointed out.

I suggested that she should find an instructor that could help them learn/relearn some of the basics and maybe continue learning, gave her some info on computers, I gave her the DAN website and what level of coverage I have. I also stressed that she and her husband are the only folks that are responsible for their safety and dive skills and not to trust anyone else to keep them safe.

She seemed receptive to the ideas that I gave her. They dive maybe once a year for a couple of days so I guess we will see if they follow up with any of my/your ideas.

Thanks everyone for reinforcing my initial thought that it was an absolute cluster of a situation.

 

[clownfishsydney]

I have spoken to her a bit since I posted this and gave her some of your pointers, a bit kinder than some of you have correctly pointed out.

I suggested that she should find an instructor that could help them learn/relearn some of the basics and maybe continue learning, gave her some info on computers, I gave her the DAN website and what level of coverage I have. I also stressed that she and her husband are the only folks that are responsible for their safety and dive skills and not to trust anyone else to keep them safe.

She seemed receptive to the ideas that I gave her. They dive maybe once a year for a couple of days so I guess we will see if they follow up with any of my/your ideas.

Thanks everyone for reinforcing my initial thought that it was an absolute cluster of a situation.

I think the main one is to monitor cylinder pressure! If she had done this, none of the other problems would have occurred.

 

[Allen-1]

I think the main one is to monitor cylinder pressure! If she had done this, none of the other problems would have occurred.

Depth too.

Which goes back to unfortunate lack of situational awareness.