How deep would you go to save someone..

[Afraid_of_Fish]

How deep would you go to save someone who was close to you?

and How deep would you go to save someone you didn't know?

ps. you're diving air.

To save someone that was close to me it's full speed ahead straight to the bottom. Maybe it's just me, but my friends and family mean a lot to me, so I wouldn't let them die because I was afraid of decompression sickness or something.

To save someone that I didn't know I might swim down thirty feet. It depends how deep I was and what the circumstances were (I'm not that experienced). I wouldn't swim into a cave after them or something, but I'd try to help them without endangering myself. Afterall the first rule of diving is "Your life comes first".

As for the loved ones rescuing me, I wouldn't want them to get hurt, but you'd like to think that they would come after you anyway.

<33 Jess

 

[mccabejc]

Geez, this thread is giving me the creeps.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Geez, this thread is giving me the creeps.

With you on that one.............I think I will go 5000ft on air and a can of oven cleaner for the deco stop.

 

[JDostal]

Talk about narced out of your gourd. Those oven cleaner fumes mess me up on the surface

 

[vel525]

For someone I do not like, and have no responsibility for? How much is their gear worth on Ebay?

:idea:
That was my thought exactly...hehe. I'm not really qualified to save anyone since I only have my AOW, but if it was my gf or family I would try my best and go as deep as it took. For stranger I would try to get help as fast as I can.

 

[lairdb]

Funny enough, the UK magazine DIVER did a story on this exact topic a few years ago, available here: How Deep Is Your Love?

 

[MB104]

Family...as deep as it takes.
Friend...as deep as I can before reaching that "point of no return"
Other....same as answer #2

 

[JDostal]

Cool article on Diver magazine. I really like reading their site a lot, they have some actual interesting articles.

 

[scubagirl15]

The decision is a lot harder when it comes to someone you care for, but for some yahoo without a clue, I would not bother, and I wouldn't want anyone I know and care for to risk their lives to bother.

On this one wall dive, we had this diver who showed up hung over for the morning's dives, descended rapidly past 130' and kept going. At the time, I was thinking: my boyfriend better not be going after this statistic-wannabe. To my relief, he didn't. Instead, one of the DM's went after her. After he finally caught her at who knows what depth, they ascended and continued diving. When they finally decided to surface, she decided she was too tired to complete her deco obligation.

Afterwards, the whole boat talked about it...without her of course because immediately after we got back to shore, she went after her cerveza and that was that. None of us thought the DM was obliged to chase down this ignoramus who not only endangered herself but also someone else. The dive shop manager told me afterwards that she's never diving with them again.

 

[padiscubapro]

How deep would you go to save someone who was close to you?

and How deep would you go to save someone you didn't know?

ps. you're diving air.

I'd probably go much deeper than most.. I'm almost always on a CCR so gas concerns for myself aren't an issue(at worst case I have to hang A LONG time).. I always dive a hypoxic mix and can breathe it down if necessary.. I don't mind spiking the PO2 to 2.0 or greater, since I can breathe it down.. With my usual mix 16% oxygen (unless I am diving deeper than 80m) that means 120m (approx 400fsw). which is stilll well within my confort depth.

AT worst case I could send an unconscious diver to the surface and let the surface crew take care of it. If it the diver dies atleast the family has closure.

I have chased divers to over 60m (200 fsw) and stayed with them with their gas limits (havent had to do it since I started diving a CCR, where I would have a reasonable amount of bailout gas to donate). If I have gas available I will donate, I wont risk my own life, I dont believe a rescuer should put him/herself at risk, let the surface people deal with it.. its much easier to deal with ONE problem rather than Two.