I f*** up and I am ashamed

[Scared Silly]

My suggestion:
1. Extra weight of no more than 1kg.
2. Small torch for both of you on any dive. Dirt cheap but very practical in various ways.
Handheld Dive Lights
3. Better understanding between both of you. There are things that should be agreed before.

The above is really good advise.

You and your spouse did a trust me dive. One problem is what you do not know, is what you do not know. For instance you entered a cavern not a cave. A cavern because you could still see the exit, if you entered a cave you would not see the exit. However, you have no formal cavern training. Or at least had some previous exposure in a more controlled setting.

Some additional thoughts on #3. You and your wife should debrief each other on what happened. From what you describe, she is willing to defer to you. You should discuss that in more detail.

Also I think there should be some discussion with the DM and the shop. The DM should not have taken you into the cavern without first briefing you on it.

Sidebar: people think swim throughs are fun. They can be, but they can also be a cluster @#$%. Most people do not think about them as being an overhead environment or do they think about them silting up. Both of which require thinking and skills. So again, what you do not know, is what you do not know.

 

[Dan]

Do you know whether your BCD has not been vented completely at 2 m depth?

I used to have a BCD that trapped some residual air, which I won’t be able to vent it off completely at shallow depth, unless I was completely in vertical position or if I wasn’t in vertical position, I had to tilt my left shoulder up.

With that BCD, 3mm wetsuit, AL80 tank at 500 psi (34 bar) I had to have 6 kg weight. This problem was fixed with my new BCD. I just need 5 kg weight at the same condition. My guess is that I have been compensating the trapped air in the old BCD with 1 kg weight.

 

[Ayisha]

I may be a heretic on the subject of being perfectly weighted at the safety stop with 500psi, but I have always thought that was a bit of an impractical goal...

Determining weighting isn't intended to be at the safety stop or with 500 psi. If someone is determining their weighting requirements at 15 or 20 feet or with 500 psi, they may well be underweighted.

That's why it's at the last stop at 10' and with a "nearly empty" tank.

For example, after doing a dive, I've almost finished off a tank (to about 100 psi) in very shallow water doing skills, which is a great way to test out if you're correctly weighted.

If the OP didn't get pinned to the ceiling toward the end of the dive, he would have had a runaway ascent, and likely did ascend rapidly after exiting the cavern. That's assuming the BCD was actually empty in the cavern and was vented properly.

I guess that ended up being a very convincing weighting test.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have always thought that I would sacrifice myself for my dear ones. In this case, I realized that I instead of looking for my wife whereabouts, I tried to save my life. And I am ashamed.

This is an incorrect thought. Please discard it immediately.

 

[chillyinCanada]

As I wade through this chaos, I would like to ask a couple of questions.

1. Was this a cave? Briefly and incompletely stated....

a. A cavern is an overhead environment with natural light still usable usable and the entrance is clearly visible at all times. The diver will return exit through the entry point.
b. A cave is roughly the same thing, but there is no available natural light, and the entrance is not visible during the dive.
c. A swim-through is a formation in which the diver enters at one point and exits at another. There is usually natural light available throughout. Usually (not always) the exit point is visible from the point of entry. These are commonly done on recreational dives throughout the world.
​

2. How did the wife do? It seems to me that she did just fine on the dive. She never felt she was in danger. Did she return to the entry point or exit at another point?

My guess is 1C, a swim through

 

[chillyinCanada]

Do you know whether your BCD has not been vented completely at 2 m depth?

I used to have a BCD that trapped some residual air, which I won’t be able to vent it off completely at shallow depth, unless I was completely in vertical position or if I wasn’t in vertical position, I had to tilt my left shoulder up.

With that BCD, 3mm wetsuit, AL80 tank at 500 psi (34 bar) I had to have 6 kg weight. This problem was fixed with my new BCD. I just need 5 kg weight at the same condition. My guess is that I have been compensating the trapped air in the old BCD with 1 kg weight.

Dan beat me to it!

Plus one for BCD trapping air.

Dody, you said that you found yourself stuck to the ceiling and that you were venting your bcd. 1) Your bcd venting may not have been happening as designed due to your position on the ceiling. 2) bcd's can indeed still be trapping air despite being vented. I have on occasion reached back to squeeze my bcd as I use the bum vent.

Next, you were very anxious. As you explain it, everything that you were doing was overly exaggerated but not effective. Here's one thing that I want for you to learn from this experience.

Recognize when you are starting to feel anxious. Your breathing is going to change. Your thinking may become irratic. You are "this close" to panic, which can be a killer.

What is one of the very first things that you learned in your dive course?

STOP THINK then ACT

 

[chillyinCanada]

You had lots of air Dody. Had you remained calm and thought to yourself, "I have air, I have time to figure this out". Then, you can do nothing for a few seconds, make sure that you've got your breathing under control, calm and cool, as if looking at a pretty reef. Close your eyes, calm and cool and in control of your breathing.

Now, think, what should you do next to get yourself off of the ceiling.

 

[lowwall]

1kg underweight will not pin you to the surface. Get yourself under control, make sure your BC is empty and exhale.

Also, this is your second thread where a problem was caused by your failure to stay in contact with your dive buddy/group. You need to reconsider how you conduct your dives and how you communicate with your partners before and during the dive.

The larger issue is whether you are finally understanding that certifications and knowledge of theory are not a substitute for experience and watermanship.

 

[OTF]

If you choose to carry a backup light all the time, this (which I guess is the GUE method) works great. Totally out of the way until needed, not even taking up pocket space. I add a wrist lanyard that gets wrapped around the light when not in use.

 

[Raphus]

I dive with 4kg of lead. I struggle a bit to go down but once I reach 2m with a full tank, it is fine. I hold my 5 m safety stop at the end of the dive with no issue however if I reach 2 meters at the end of the dive, I will surface and will not be able to go down after. Some tell me that I should dive with 5 kg but I refuse.

Sorry I do not understand:
You know you are under weighted and you still refuse to carry more weigth?
Makes no sense.
What do you do, when you go into deco, because of some kind of accident?
How do you hold you 3m stop?
Or if you get stucked at a cave ceiling at 2m?

If I had asked you that some days before, You would probably say, that will Never happen. But Murphys is always there.


Regarding the accident there is not much to say. I think you know that you effd up big times and there is not reason to tell you that again.
Thanks for sharing the story!
There are hundreds of storys just like yours, but still people are doing the same mistakes over and over again, until they experienced them theirself.
Your experience might save someone's life.

Caves and wrecks are dangerous. Don't go in their if not trained. The safety of a diver is always in their own hands.

Thanks you for sharing