How to proceed with conflicting dive buddy?

[Angelo Farina]

This thread is not about Malta laws or that particular dive.
Question here is how would you proceed if your buddy ignores your call to end the dive? Or go up, left/right/whatever?

There was a deadly accident in my former diving club.
Two buddies were diving at Capraia Island. One of the two was feeling bad (seasick, a bit narced) and told his buddy that he wasn't well and wanted to thumb the dive. The buddy, instead of surfacing with him, told him to go up, as he was wanting to continue the dive alone.
So, the first diver went slowly up, made his mandatory deco stop and was picked up safely from the boat. A couple of minutes later, the second diver popped out after an uncontrolled ascent. He had symptoms of traumatic embolism and lung rupture due to fast ascent and lack of proper gas release from lungs.
He was transported to the recompression chamber by helicopter, but he died during the recompression.
The first diver did feel very sad for not having been together his buddy and providing assistance, but he had no other choice than surfacing alone, because the buddy refused to ascend with him, despite his request. What could he have done different?

 

[SlugLife]

When it comes to technical diving (for me CC), I would have not entered the water with someone impaired. Not just for their sake (as an impaired buddy with an emergency is going to be harder to help), but also my own. My logic is that if I have an issue where I need help, an impaired buddy is unlikely to assist.

For recreational diving (OC), the risks are significantly less, but I think I'd still say no. An impaired buddy is an accident waiting to happen. Under the surface is not the place to test how poorly they can manage themselves. Even though the level of stress always exists in diving, being impaired is recipe for disaster.

I agree. I'd like to think I would have refused the dive as well. I am a solo-diver, and I often look at dive-buddies as a "buddy-hazard." However, I also tend to not lecture other adults, who seem competent and informed enough to make their own decisions.

As a related example, I have several spare pony-bottles, regs, and rigging (19cu and 6cu), which anyone I dive with is welcome to borrow. Despite diving solo at 90ft, etc, most of the time I get a "no thanks." Am I to lecture them and be "that guy?" Probably not.

Though refusing a dive with an impaired buddy (buddy-hazard) is obviously different from lecturing another diver, because of how it places me at risk.

There was a deadly accident in my former diving club.... ....feel very sad for not having been together his buddy and providing assistance, but he had no other choice than surfacing alone, because the buddy refused to ascend with him, despite his request. What could he have done different?

IMO, not much. Underwater communication is hard. Physically forcing someone to surface is obviously extremely dangerous for both divers. Even the prospect that you could reliably rescue another diver had you been there is questionable.

 

[BlueTrin]

This thread is not about Malta laws or that particular dive.
Question here is how would you proceed if your buddy ignores your call to end the dive? Or go up, left/right/whatever?

Start with showing that you strongly want to end the dive maybe with a double thumbs up?

Then just go if your buddy does not want to follow?

If you want to end the dive you have a reason and this reason won’t get better by continuing the dive?

 

[Searcaigh]

Anyone else notice the last line of the story:

"Inspector Josef Gauci prosecuted."

Any relation to the diver?

Apparently not an uncommon name in Malta

 

[Tripp]

If I needed to end the dive, I would signal "go up." If my buddy refused, I would repeat the signal, then signal "Me" "go up" and wave bye. I would surface normally with SS, and report the same to those on the boat, and document it in my dive log.

 

[boulderjohn]

If I needed to end the dive, I would signal "go up." If my buddy refused, I would repeat the signal, then signal "Me" "go up" and wave bye. I would surface normally with SS, and report the same to those on the boat, and document it in my dive log.

I think most people would do the same. Apparently though, if you did that in Malta, and if your buddy then did something really, really stupid and died after you left, you would be guilty of murder.

 

[Tripp]

I think most people would do the same. Apparently though, if you did that in Malta, and if your buddy then did something really, really stupid and died after you left, you would be guilty of murder.

So be it. I would still do the same.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Start with showing that you strongly want to end the dive maybe with a double thumbs up?

Then just go if your buddy does not want to follow?

If you want to end the dive you have a reason and this reason won’t get better by continuing the dive?

How about: middle finger, thumbs up, wave bye-bye?

Edit: underwater is not the place to do anything macho or stupid. It isn't the place for lifted trucks, pitbulls, or molon lave bumper stickers.

 

[Wibble]

Diving buddy found guilty of AFM soldier's death in 2020 Gozo tragedy

Christine Gauci, 35, had died in the limits of Sannat

timesofmalta.com

Anyone else notice the last line of the story:

"Inspector Josef Gauci prosecuted."

Any relation to the diver?

Should that be "Inspector Josef Gauci persecuted"

 

[Wibble]

Regarding the buddy ending the dive...

It's a big jump from being a little concerned to taking over the dive and effectively forcing them to end the dive. In this case the deceased was an experienced diver and instructor (I believe). Suddenly taking over and taking command isn't something we do in diving as it tends to be building a consensus: not shouting at people.

If you've asked and the person responds with that's about it. Unless you're certain that they're impaired -- a tough call -- what else can you do; we have extremely limited communications abilities underwater.

Sure, if you're really sure the person's wrong or ill, there's always the choice of you personally thumbing the dive. That too is a big step.

It's a tough event to put it mildly. Certainly the Maltese judicial system is completely wrong on this one. No doubt it'll go to appeal; but with so few legal professionals, the chances are the legal mob and the police will all cover each other's backsides.