Immediate CESA Vs. looking for your buddy...

[Bob DBF]

Being serious though, there is risk involved in practicing.

As in diving as a whole.

People don’t run out of gas for no reason. I think it is better to address the reasons than risk injury practicing for a contingency that can be prevented.

Not any more, but it does happen. SCUBA is safe until it isn't, as the original post describes. Unfortunately, IMHO, divers are not properly prepared for the dives they are making. Anyone can make a dive if nothing goes wrong. If something does go wrong, knowledge, training, and practice is an alternative to panic.


And for the record, I have not gone unintentionally OOA since I bought my first SPG. My gear problems have been restricted to testing vintage gear after a cursory check, but I'm expecting those. Although I prefer solo diving, when buddy diving, I have a serious discussion and check with my buddy to avoid supprises.

Dive and let dive.


Bob

 

[MrBigfins]

I have felt for awhile, and my opinion seems to be enforced when diving with instabuddies and in these forums, ALOT of divers dont take buddy responsibilities very seriously. As your buddy I am your redundancy for air in an environment that is inhospitable to sustaining life. I take that responsibility VERY seriously, and I expect the same from my buddy. Our lives may depend on it. My normal dive buddy about 60% of the time is my soon to be 16yo son. So I probably take it slightly even more serious, but not by much. Now I've learned to not trust people in good circumstances, let alone in emergencies, so I now carry a 19 cf pony so that I have another redundancy.

I also dive very low to moderate visibility conditions at home, so proximity and discipline are extremely important. We do group dives of around 6 people in 6-30' visibility, and at 6' visibility you had better stay close. I've taught my son to dive mostly parallel and just to my right. If I'm leading then he is about a head length behind and if he is leading then he is slightly ahead. We dont change this procedure or distance when we warm water dive. Although most of our warm water diving is in current and I think that is the most imperative time for close proximity buddy diving. If something goes wrong, you may physically not be able to reach your buddy even if you can see them. So remaining close with a diver of equal or greater skill than my meager offering is not a hindrance and keeps us both safe.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I have felt for awhile, and my opinion seems to be enforced when diving with instabuddies and in these forums, ALOT of divers dont take buddy responsibilities very seriously. As your buddy I am your redundancy for air in an environment that is inhospitable to sustaining life. I take that responsibility VERY seriously, and I expect the same from my buddy. Our lives may depend on it. My normal dive buddy about 60% of the time is my soon to be 16yo son. So I probably take it slightly even more serious, but not by much. Now I've learned to not trust people in good circumstances, let alone in emergencies, so I now carry a 19 cf pony so that I have another redundancy.

I also dive very low to moderate visibility conditions at home, so proximity and discipline are extremely important. We do group dives of around 6 people in 6-30' visibility, and at 6' visibility you had better stay close. I've taught my son to dive mostly parallel and just to my right. If I'm leading then he is about a head length behind and if he is leading then he is slightly ahead. We dont change this procedure or distance when we warm water dive. Although most of our warm water diving is in current and I think that is the most imperative time for close proximity buddy diving. If something goes wrong, you may physically not be able to reach your buddy even if you can see them. So remaining close with a diver of equal or greater skill than my meager offering is not a hindrance and keeps us both safe.

My buddy an I do similar. If we are swimming along, it's side by side (when possible) just in case something happens, we can just reach out and poke the other person to get their attention. If we are stopped/hovering and looking at something, we make sure we are face to face and aware of everything going on.

 

[KenGordon]

As in diving as a whole.

Hardly. A CESA is a high risk thing, especially from a realistic depth, with extra risk of embolism and DCS due to the rapid ascent, it is a thing we try hard to avoid. Diving in general is much lower risk than that.

 

[Bob DBF]

Hardly. A CESA is a high risk thing, especially from a realistic depth, with extra risk of embolism and DCS due to the rapid ascent, it is a thing we try hard to avoid. Diving in general is much lower risk than that.

But a lot less risky than the panicked buoyant ascent described.

I am not advocating against equipment, procedures, and training to avoid a CESA. These all work untill they don't.


Bob

 

[dmaziuk]

But a lot less risky than the panicked buoyant ascent described.

I wonder where the line between "just swam up as fast as they could" (if that's how they actually did it) and "panicky buoyant ascent" is.

I'd definitely be calmly swimming up as fast as I could venting what little air I have in my wing at the start of a dive.

 

[johndiver999]

I wonder where the line between "just swam up as fast as they could" (if that's how they actually did it) and "panicky buoyant ascent" is.

I'd definitely be calmly swimming up as fast as I could venting what little air I have in my wing at the start of a dive.

Of course this is probably more theoretical than practical but, you would be better served to try to maintain your buoyancy at neutral and kick gently, rather than trying to dump all the air from your BC. There is no need to fight excess negative buoyancy which could arise if diving a thick wetsuit at any considerable depth.

A CESA is supposed to be basically swimming up, not super fast and definitely not super heavy.

 

[dmaziuk]

Of course this is probably more theoretical than practical but, you would be better served to try to maintain your buoyancy at neutral and kick gently, rather than trying to dump all the air from your BC. There is no need to fight excess negative buoyancy which could arise if diving a thick wetsuit at any considerable depth.

A CESA is supposed to be basically swimming up, not super fast and definitely not super heavy.

I'm a vacation diver, my thick wetsuit is a 3 mm shorty and my air bubble is to offset a full Al80. Also, I swim: not that fast anymore, but I still can do 400 breaststroke in under 8 minutes. YMMV.

 

[tursiops]

I'd definitely be calmly swimming up as fast as I could venting what little air I have in my wing at the start of a dive.

Also, I swim: not that fast anymore, but I still can do 400 breaststroke in under 8 minutes. YMMV.

So you can swim pretty fast, and you are going to go as fast as you can on a CESA, instead of at the recommended 60 ft/min maximum rate? Good luck with that. What could possibly go wrong.

 

[Steve_C]

I forgot to mention the non-OOA diver's octo was attached by a deck hand to a different part of their BC

Saw a similar issue with an instabuddy.