How deep would you go to save someone..

[Charlie99]

I would go as far as necessary, for someone I didn't know I would go as deep as gas would permit, 1.6ATA or a best guess of what deco I might have to do.

The 1.6ata limit isn't a hard limit where you immediatly tox. Indeed, NOAA limit is 45 minutes at 1.6. I have no qualms about going to the 2.2ata range for 5 minutes to assist someone in trouble.

2.2ata ppO2 on 32% is 194', and on a practical basis, it's remaining gas available that is the limit with a single 80 cubic foot tank of EAN32, not the ppO2.

Even with EAN36, ppO2 of 2.2 is about 170', and unless it's near the beginning of the dive, the remaining gas is the true limit, not ppO2.

 

[Rick Inman]

I don't know, but you might want to link this thread with the one on Reef Hooks. From what I've read, most deep saves are are really just recoveries.

 

[TwoTanks]

The 1.6ata limit isn't a hard limit where you immediatly tox. Indeed, NOAA limit is 45 minutes at 1.6. I have no qualms about going to the 2.2ata range for 5 minutes to assist someone in trouble.

2.2ata ppO2 on 32% is 194', and on a practical basis, it's remaining gas available that is the limit with a single 80 cubic foot tank of EAN32, not the ppO2.

Even with EAN36, ppO2 of 2.2 is about 170', and unless it's near the beginning of the dive, the remaining gas is the true limit, not ppO2.

I'm aware of the way oxygen toxicity works, but some people have convulsions even below 1.6ata. Since I haven't tried to see what my tolerance is, I would not go that far into a recognized danger zone for someone I don't know.

By the way the question says, diving air. With air 1.6ata is 220' and 2.2ata is 312' in either case unless the accident happened at the beginning of a dive I think air remaining would be the limiting factor anyway.

1 minute at 312' requires 20 min of ascent and deco. With a sac rate of 0.6 on air that is 87 cf of gas. (according to GUEs Deco Planner). So that is not really an option anyhow.

Even going to 220' for 1 min requires 10 min of ascent and deco. With a sac rate of 0.6 on air that is 41 cf of gas.

The real question is how far would you push the limits. I don't think that most divers would go to 300' for someone they don't know. I don't think I would. Many divers being blissfully unaware of the deco required to just plunge quickly to a depth may choose to risk it, others may not want to take any risk.

I was simply stating what I would be willing to do without the benifit of any planning.

TT

 

[Wendy]

Having discussed this with my boyfriend/dive buddy in relation to cave diving, we decided that one of us must come out alive and if the rescuer is in any danger then to abort the rescue and save themselves. It would be hard to do, but what's the point in both of us dying? For open water diving, same thing, try to help until you are at risk of also being a fatality, and give up.

Who is it going to help if a parent of spouse gets themselves killed while attempting a rescue that will end in a bad outcome? Then the family has a double tragidy and the parent/spouse that died would have probably been the bread winner of the fmaily, so now the surviving family members are left with 2 family members dead, and no means of support.

Although its natural to want to save someone so close to you, you have to really think about this. I have close friends that have been looking at the pros and cons to cave rescue, which is often if not always a recovery, and its pretty much impossible for both divers to survive at times. Some folks just stop diving for this reason that its easier to just not dive at all than have to leave a close buddy/family member to die.

 

[JDostal]

Nice comment about the eBay SeaBear. My friends have always said...if they are having a problem on a dive and they know they are going to bite it, they are going for the deepest spot possible so we can't get their gear

All in fun of course.

 

[TwoTanks]

I had envisioned this question as something like a 60' wall dive where someone went down the side. I don't know what I might do if it was in a cave, or deep in a wreck, or something like that.

TT :11:

 

[Scubaguy62]

If it was my wife, as deep as it took or die trying. If it was someone I didn't know, as deep as I could go and still safely return.

This is me also. Only that I would also go as deep as necessary for my kids.

 

[diverbrian]

So, I can't add that one. There are two dive buddies that I might "risk everything" for and everybody else would be until I thought that I was in extremely serious risk. (And that would be substantial, as I normally dive larger tanks 150 to 200 ft. would likely not be out of the question, especially if I could send somebody up to have air waiting for the deco when I pulled them up.)

But, I don't see the need to make two body recoveries out of one incident. That really doesn't help anybody and causes twice as much misery. While not a cave diver (and not wanting to be), I agree with Wendy. Especially for the people with families, while protecting the family is admirable, coming back to help the family that is left is priceless and oftentimes the best gift that can be given.

PS, the two dive buddies that I mention are not divers that would get themselves into a position where that kind of risk would be necessary, so that is sort of a moot point.

 

[jbd]

Having discussed this with my boyfriend/dive buddy in relation to cave diving, we decided that one of us must come out alive and if the rescuer is in any danger then to abort the rescue and save themselves. It would be hard to do, but what's the point in both of us dying? For open water diving, same thing, try to help until you are at risk of also being a fatality, and give up.

Who is it going to help if a parent of spouse gets themselves killed while attempting a rescue that will end in a bad outcome? Then the family has a double tragidy and the parent/spouse that died would have probably been the bread winner of the fmaily, so now the surviving family members are left with 2 family members dead, and no means of support.

Although its natural to want to save someone so close to you, you have to really think about this. I have close friends that have been looking at the pros and cons to cave rescue, which is often if not always a recovery, and its pretty much impossible for both divers to survive at times. Some folks just stop diving for this reason that its easier to just not dive at all than have to leave a close buddy/family member to die.

I was going to post a similar resonse but you have stated my position quite well in regards to a spouse although my wife sky dives but doesn't scuba dive.

If it were my daughter who does scuba dive then it would be whatever it took or die trying. Rational there is that I have lived enough of life that if I died this minute I've had a good life. My daughter is young and needs the chance to enjoy life as much as I have if I could save her.

With others, its would be triage in my mind i.e. whats the risk versus whats the benefit of that risk.

 

[Xanthro]

If I were the one doing the rescue, then I have to agree with Tobagoman, if I were being rescued, I'd have to agree with Wendy.

I wouldn't want my wife (not that she dives) to die trying to rescue me, but there would be no limit to the depths I'd go to rescue her.

Xanthro