I tied myself up underwater!!

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Well, it wasn't planned, but that is exactly what I did, tie myself up under water. My last trip to the lake, I was practicing my bouncy skills near a wooden training platform. Someone has attached floating rope all around it for some reason. I guess to make it easier for students to hold onto while they are waiting for their turn on the platform.

Any way, I had been hovering for a while above the wooden platform in various positions. I guess I had sunk and was a much closer to the rope than I realized to the rope. I rolled over and it caught my tank and wrapped the rope around my tank valve and first stage. They way I rolled and tied myself, I was strapped right on top of the platform and didn't have a lot of mobility. I tired to pull the rope lose to no avail. I tried to wiggle and flip. I am sure that would have been funny. I tried to get my buddies attention. No luck at all.

I had plenty of air, but I still was a bit on the upset side about my predicament. After a couple of minutes of struggling, I decided to pull out my knife and cut myself free. After sawing back and forth a few times, the rope cut and I was free.

My buddy never did know that I was trapped until after we got out of the water. That is a whole additional thread about why it is important to have a good buddy.

I bring this up, because as a new diver (just over 30 dives) we never really talked to much in OW certification about getting yourself free when you get tangled up or the need to carry multiple cutting devices in various locations so that if you can't reach one due to the problem you can reach another.

I am almost of the opinion that to pass open water, every student should be tangled up and then have to get themselves free before they are certified. I really think that they should be more thought and training given to newbies on how to deal with Murphy underwater.

So what do the more seasoned folks around here think? What additional safety training and words to the wise do you have to share?

 

[TSandM]

Congratulations on keeping your head in what must have been a pretty stressful situation!

When I took Fundies, our instructor emphasized that line is sneaky stuff, and I've since had opportunities to discover with what delight it wraps around first stages and fins. His advice was, when you are in the vicinity of line, always remain aware of precisely where it is -- if you have to be close to it, okay it or push it away, but know where it is.

If your buddy was a regular buddy, I hope you had a thorough debrief of the dive, with special attention to WHY you were unable to get his attention and get some assistance. Entanglement is one of the big problems where a buddy's help may be desperately needed, especially if you are caught behind you where you cannot see or reach the line to cut it.

I can't recall precisely what we were told about cutting devices in OW. I believe it was recommended that we have one, but to my knowledge, nobody did. After OW, I carried a pair of EMT shears in my BC pocket, and now I have those in a drysuit pocket and a knife on my belt. Further, my buddy knows what cutting implements I have and where they are stowed, in case he needs to access them. That's part of the pre-dive discussion.

 

[BiggDawg]

I bring this up, because as a new diver (just over 30 dives) we never really talked to much in OW certification about getting yourself free when you get tangled up or the need to carry multiple cutting devices in various locations so that if you can't reach one due to the problem you can reach another.

I am almost of the opinion that to pass open water, every student should be tangled up and then have to get themselves free before they are certified. I really think that they should be more thought and training given to newbies on how to deal with Murphy underwater.

I was originally certified in NY, and did many of my early dives on wrecks off of NY and NJ. Wrecks were all covered with fishing lines and nets. It was just expected that you carry cutting devices, almost as natural an expectation as having a mask.

leah makes an excellent point. In open water, you have to do all sorts of other self-rescue skills. I think that adding a tangle/freeing section would be well-worth the time.

That would run afoul of a couple of dive charter boats that I ran into in the FL Keys. When I strapped on a knife, they tried to tell me "no," that knives would encourage damaging the reef. (I suggested that they would need to: pry it out of my cold, dead hand... :evil: )

BTW, DIVE TRAINING MAGAZINE had a good, short, pictorial article on how to escape entanglement in their July, 2006 issue:

Laymon, Lynn; "Scuba Skills: Underwater Entanglement: Prevention, Avoidance and Resolution. How to stay out of trouble" in Dive Training, July 2006: pp63-66.​

I would recommend it for all new divers, and found it informational myself (obviously!)

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Thanks for the kudo's TSandM.

Oh I forgot to add that my knife was dull. I had to use the serrated edge to saw through the rope. I also carry EMT shears as a back up in case I drop the knife.

After the above incident, I am going to add another knife to my gear. Then I will have one on my leg, shears at my waist line and another up high on the bc.

I will also be breaking out the stone and sharpening my knife. Up to this point I have only used my knife to cut bait fishing or to poke around at stuff under water.

I think I also need to get some sort of underwater sound device. Being new I haven't found a regular buddy to dive with. It is someone new almost every time. That has been a big learning experience. I have learned a lot of what not to do as buddy from folks. I have had a couple of goods one too that have taught me what to do too. The good buddies have also been great to point out skills that I need to improve and ways to accomplish and implement their suggestions. I really appreciate the good buddies.

I learn something new on every dive and it shows me just how much I don't know. I would like to get to the point where I am a great diver, but a I think I am at least 150,000 to maybe 200,000 dives away from that point. Until then, I will keep inching along learning a little at a time. I don't think I will every arrive, but hope to have a great journey trying to!

 

[Mark Vlahos]

I have never been hopelessly entangled while underwater. I have become entangled in kelp, sometimes I have been able to untie myself, other times an alert buddy has freed me, but in those instances I feel that I was well on the way to getting out myself, but the assistance was quite welcome.

One of the big lessons, particularly with kelp, is to immediately stop moving. Often with kelp it will untangle itself since it is bouyant and will gently lift itself toward the surface, you just need to give it a chance. Monofilament fishing line is the worst since it is virtually invisible underwater. But with any entanglement the first thing to do is just STOP MOVING.

A valuable lesson for us all. An alert buddy can be the difference between life and death. Just imagine what the consequences might have been if you were at the end of the dive and had dropped your knife.

Mark Vlahos

 

[Mark Vlahos]

That would run afoul of a couple of dive charter boats that I ran into in the FL Keys. When I strapped on a knife, they tried to tell me "no," that knives would encourage damaging the reef. (I suggested that they would need to: pry it out of my cold, dead hand... :evil: )

One way to combat this issue is not to carry a knife, but rather to use other cutting devices. Specifically I carry both EMT style shears and a Z-knife. I have never had an issue with boats or quarries where "knives" are prohibited.

Mark Vlahos

 

[Doc]

I tied myself up underwater!!

Well, it wasn't planned, but that is exactly what I did, tie myself up under water.

Wow, you sound like an interesting gal. I think you might like my nephew.

 

[BiggDawg]

One way to combat this issue is not to carry a knife, but rather to use other cutting devices. Specifically I carry both EMT style shears and a Z-knife. I have never had an issue with boats or quarries where "knifes" are prohibited.

You are, of course, absolutely correct.
Correct about that those who reject "knives" rarely argue against other cutting devices.
Myself, now I prefer shears, too. They are lighter, and easier to attach in ways that are easy to release on purpose without falling off when you don't want them to. I have lost a couple typical knives. And, as a tool, knives are really not as effective as other cutters.

But, as far as policy, this is really pretty stupid. Any damage that could be done with a knife could pretty much be done with other cutting equipment, as well. A case of urban myth devised by some one with good intentions, but little data.

 

[mikerault]

I don't think urban legend is a good label...maybe a scuba legend...

I guess they think we will use a knife to cut off a section of the reef as a souvenir or stab into it to hold in place.

I carry a line cutter and a knife in the BC pocket, am looking to get some em shears.

Mike

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Wow, you sound like an interesting gal. I think you might like my nephew.

RoatanMan,
I don't know, I might be too much for said nephew to handle. You did read where I already carry multiple cutting devices and that I plan to buy more didn't you. And also that I know how to deploy said cutting devices! I am single and have never been married--there is good reason for that!!!

Speaking of knives, then next time I go out to Jocassee, I am going to continue working on an underwater wood carving of an old man's face in a log. I am trying to improve my air consumption and I thought sitting on the bottom and doing a wood carving in a log might not only be fun but help me relax a bit.