How to ascend with an unresponsive diver??

[jonnythan]

Escept that you can't accurately gauge what your condition will be upon hitting the surface. Will you need only a mild chamber visit? Or worse?

Does it matter? I wouldn't send my buddy up on his own to fend for himself, that's for sure.

It's pretty unlikely I'd be unconscious when I hit the surface, so I'd go up. I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

 

[Hank49]

Does it matter? I wouldn't send my buddy up on his own to fend for himself, that's for sure.

It's pretty unlikely I'd be unconscious when I hit the surface, so I'd go up. I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

There are many, many different scenarios that could be played out, depending on the dive, how deep, how long etc etc. To say you would surface as a blanket statement for all would be unwise and perhaps unnecessarily risky to your own life.

 

[jonnythan]

There are many, many different scenarios that could be played out, depending on the dive, how deep, how long etc etc. To say you would surface as a blanket statement for all would be unwise and perhaps unnecessarily risky to your own life.

Perhaps. But I can't think of any.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Based on input from several people, I have changed the way I do this to giving the victim my long hose regulator.

The gas in his tank may be part of the problem.

Granted ... every event is situational.

However, in the context of how the question was asked I'm assuming the person doing the asking is (a) wearing a conventional, recreational rig, and (b) breathing air.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[ScubaFreak]

Does it matter? I wouldn't send my buddy up on his own to fend for himself, that's for sure.

It's pretty unlikely I'd be unconscious when I hit the surface, so I'd go up. I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Yeah I see where your coming from, but you wouldn't be letting him fend for himself, If the ascent did end up uncontrolled and you let them go, you'd be following him up anyway, might just be a few seconds later...Now I know the saying one casualty is better than two, but when you're in the situation, whether you think that way or not is a different story...

Dave

 

[Doc Intrepid]

I don't think I could leave my injured buddy for dead just because I don't want to take a chamber ride.

If I had to choose, I'm hitting the surface *with* my unresponsive buddy, and then they can take me to the chamber afterward.

Keep in mind that its all situational, and this is a discussion where its easy to make statements divorced from specific details.

That said, I don't generally make serious dives with anyone except guys I would take to the surface, and I expect that they would get me to the surface as well (unless I was already gone). (Same goes for diving with your kids, girlfriend, wife, etc. You do what needs to be done.)

And, while I've never been bent (yet), I suspect that (1) you generally have some period of time on the surface before you're dealing with effects; and (2) you can gauge your gas exposure (within a range) based on your depth/time exposure and your dive plan.

Most "omitted decompression" protocols involve returning to depth to attempt to pick up on missed stops/offgassing (quoting from PADI Trimix slates), to include "from 20' no symptoms (yet) returning to depth < 1 min.; same but > 1 min.; and deeper than 20', no symptoms (yet)".

It's going to be situationally dependent, however, as Jonnythan's quote implies, being able to depend on members of your team is a foundational part of the entire trimix game.

IMHO. YMMV.

 

[Hank49]

Perhaps. But I can't think of any.

45 minutes deco and the boat is nowhere in site.

 

[Randy43068]

I'm reading "nonresponsive" as either semi/un-conscious or in the throes of some convulsions, such that they do not respond to your efforts but neither do they fight you - as a panicked diver might.

Best technique I've seen is to approach the diver from the rear. Get them to a vertical position and ascend vertically. Run your right arm under their right arm and use right hand to hold their regulator in their mouth. Run your left arm beneath their left arm and use left hand to operate their wing inflator (and drysuit valve). You have too much going on to deal with two sets of wing inflators and drysuit valves simultaneously - yours AND theirs. So, ensure your own wing is empty (so to minimize the expansion/increased positive bouyancy during ascent) and that you're negatively bouyant, and operate their inflator to execute the rescue.

[Do not drop their weights. You seek to control the ascent all the way to the surface. Drop their weights on the surface as required, to facilitate post-ascent movement, treatment, etc.]

Swim the victim up at a normal rate of ascent keeping both of you together neutrally bouyant during ascent. If they go into active convulsions, stop the ascent because their throat may lock shut, continuing the ascent may result in lung overexpansion injuries. After convulsions subside, continue the ascent. Focus on controlling the last 20-30 feet to avoid an uncontrolled runaway final ascent to the surface.

If you run into trouble on the ascent, however, the guiding criteria is: "we can fix bent; we can't work with dead." Get them up and to medical response. If you omitted decompression to get them to the surface, remember that you also may need medical attention. If you're only on the surface briefly you may be able to hand off the diver and descend to do your deco. Otherwise, stand by for a chamber ride.

I'm doing rescue tomorrow and Sunday. I'll use this! Thanks!!

Randy

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Does it matter? I wouldn't send my buddy up on his own to fend for himself, that's for sure.

It's pretty unlikely I'd be unconscious when I hit the surface, so I'd go up. I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

This really does get to the point of teaching Rescue techniques ... which is that they are tools only. The individual diver has to decide how to apply them to a given situation. There are few "hard and fast" rules that apply to the decision-making that goes on during a rescue.

However, one of the important concepts to get across to the Rescue student is that you should avoid situations where there is a high potential for turning yourself into another victim.

Consider this ... if there is a high probability that help is readily available to you (the rescuer) once you reach the surface ... and EMS/hyperbaric facilities are within easy reach, then it may be a reasonable decision to risk DCS in order to provide a higher degree of care to the diver you are trying to rescue. If there is not, then you are weighing the potential benefit to the victim (by ignoring your own safety) against the potential harm (by turning the rescue into a two-victim scenario, which may put you in a position where you are unable to provide care once you reach the surface).

We ALL have to make those choices once we decide to intervene in a rescue ... often with a short time period in which to consider all the options.

How you respond will depend on a number of factors ... your level of training, the degree of risk involved, and your conscience being among the major ones.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jonnythan]

Who would be doing a dive that requires 45 minutes of deco with no surface support whatsoever??