How serious a screw-up was this?

[Bubbletrubble]

If you had done a proper buddy check, this wouldn't really even count as an error, and you probably would have forgotten it happened before the end of the dive. In my opinion, the only screw up here was not doing the buddy check. My instructor who has 40 years and thousands of dives experience put his tank strap on a little bit off-level, and the tank came lose. I caught it in the buddy check. It wasn't truly an error because we did the buddy check and caught it. Imagine what would have happened if his tank had come loose at 100 ft with only me, the student, to help? It could have been disasterous, if not fatal.

Honestly, a tank coming loose while underwater shouldn't be disastrous or fatal. Considering all of the crazy things that can happen during a scuba dive, I'd consider it a minor inconvenience at best...even if it happened at a depth of 100 fsw. Tanks tend to come loose when the diver is standing/walking on land or during shore entries/exits when the diver is in the vertical position. Nevertheless, you were being a good buddy by pointing out the issue to your instructor buddy.

I'm really a believer in functional tests...not just inspections. This means operating every little doodad on the rig (particularly the important ones) during pre-dive checks. Do the OPVs work properly on the BCD? Does the power inflater add air when the button is depressed and stop adding air when the button is released? Do both second stages work? Are the weights/weight pockets properly secured? Can I pull up on the BCD handle or webbing harness and shake the rig a little to verify that the tank is properly secured? How much gas is in the tank? Does the SPG needle go down appropriately if the reg is pressurized and then the tank valve is closed off? With regard to buddy checks, I do all of the "standard" ones in addition to insisting on doing a breathing check of my buddy's donated reg (in case of OOA or LOA). Not too infrequently, I see divers walking off towards the ocean (shore diving) with trapped regs/reg hoses or trapped pull-dump cords. These really should be caught with even the most cursory of gear/buddy checks.

From what I've seen, divers fresh out of OW class do a much better job of doing pre-dive gear/buddy checks than so-called "experienced" divers.

 

[Frosty]

But this operator's policy was that they DID turn on the air, and otherwise have the gear ready to go. When they called me to the back of the boat my rig was balanced on the side of the boat and the DM was holding out the straps for me to slip into, expecting me to buckle up and roll over backwards. I'm new and paranoid enough that I made damn sure the air was on and made him do the rest of the buddy check drill (I was traveling alone, so the DM was my buddy), but I got the sense that he thought going through a check was an insult to his professionalism.

Hey look I'm far from a dive professional but there aint no way I'm going in the water without checking my own gear. 60 feet under at BEST is an inconvenient place to find out somethings wrong and at worse I'm gonna die. So IMO --you go right ahead "insulting his professionalism" when it comes to the rig you are wearing.

 

[Culcuhain]

BWCR&F buddy check
also known as Burgers With Cheese Relish And Fries.

Burgers: BCB check. Allo good, nothing hooked up wrong, etc)
With: Weights: have them? both of you know the type of release?
Cheese: Camera/CheezeWhiz (my wife and I added this one after forgetting the camera on the boat a few times)
Relish: Releases: you both know where they are and how they work
And: Air. Turned On?
Fries: Final. (have mask, fins, etc)

Works for me and the wife... stole that phrase from the LDS...

Dude didn't earn the fries. :-D

 

[Dr Wu]

Unless a James Bond villain or recent newlywed spouse sneaks up behind you and shuts off your valves the only person to blame for this sort of thing is yourself.*

And yes, there have been some vastly experienced divers that perished due to this degree of complacency.

*In some rare cases you will have a “helpful boat crewmember” forget the “righty tightly” rule when you are doing a negative descent. In that case you better be able to reach your valves once you hit the water.

Still, people screwing with your valves at the gate should not be assumed to be helpful.

 

[TSandM]

One more good point that comes up with this story-- it's good to have some idea of how many breaths it takes to empty the hoses on your reg. I know, for example, that it takes four breaths for me to empty my 7' hose. So, when I am checking things, I make sure I take those four breaths -- otherwise, I could mistakenly think the gas is on when it is not. It is also good to check your SPG while breathing off a reg -- if the pressure is falling, then the valve is not fully open.

 

[n733lk]

If you strap weights to yourself and jump into water without first checking your airsource... you are the perfect candidate for a Darwin award!

 

[rameus]

After the last dive, I learned that they had sent one of the pals over the side without turning on his air. He joked about it ("That was a tip buster!") but there was a little edge to his jokes. I'm sure he and his buddy (and the DM) had enough experience to solve the problem quickly, but I imagine that could be a serious issue with someone inexperienced and/or prone to panic. So how would that rate on a scale of one (no big deal, this sort of thing happens all the time in scuba) to ten (shocking negligence, dive shop shoud be reported)?

I would say its something like a 8.5.
That you forget to open your tank is too much of a problem as long as you still realise it on the boat. Normally this would also be part of the buddy check (BWARF) (which of course advanced divers don't do anymore because it's just nos cool to do it...). So in the end its the responsibility of the buddy but in the end every diver sets up his gear for himself and I always make sure I turn on the air before getting into the BCD. And if I forget I certainly notice it before entering the water when putting in the regulator and trying to get air from the tank. If that doesn't work someone will turn on the tank for me on the boat.

Imagine making a negative entry (start diving down after entry without resurfacing due to rough conditions)... then you're screwed... or at least you'll have to surface again ;-)

These are my thoughts about this topic.

Thomas

 

[flots am]

After the last dive, I learned that they had sent one of the pals over the side without turning on his air.

That rates somewhere around a "zero" on my screw-up-o-meter.

Right before I walk/roll/fall off the side of the boat, the very last thing I do is breathe off both my regs, check my computer, inflate my BC and make sure it actually holds air.

If I don't have air or can't float, it's 100% my fault.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Whether I'm on a boat or diving from shore, I have a habit of breathing off my backup reg while I'm putting my fins on. It does two things for me ... tells me my air's on and tells me my backup's working. The few breaths you take at 1 ATA won't amount to enough of your gas to even register on your SPG ... but it could save you or your dive buddy some stressful moments ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DevonDiver]

Right before I walk/roll/fall off the side of the boat, the very last thing I do is breathe off both my regs, check my computer, inflate my BC and make sure it actually holds air. If I don't have air or can't float, it's 100% my fault.

This is why I recommend always doing the water entry whilst breathing from the regulator. It's virtually impossible to get the point of actually descending with your air off, if you've had the regulator in your mouth since you stood up on the boat. One or two quick breaths, as part of a buddy/self check doesn't confirm anything, unless you are looking at your SPG whilst taking those breaths. However, if the SPG needle is sticking, even those couple of breaths aren't a full guarantee of air supply. As TS&M says... you need to KNOW how many breaths it takes to empty your hoses...and make sure you well exceed that prior to descent. For me, it is 4 breaths... and my buddy breaths (simultaneously) from my AAS. That ensures full functionality of the regulator AND the air supply. Concern about air consumption from breathing your regulator for a minute or two prior to the descent shouldn't take priority over adopting best practice habits that ensure your air supply. If your air consumption is that bad, then there are far better solutions to improving it, that won't put you at risk from descending without a confirmed air source.