Incident at pool today

[Jim Lapenta]

Lessons learned. Do not wear mask on forehead, snorkel, or octo in texas. You may be rescued. Thank God I don't wear a weight belt that can be dumped by Rescue Rick-Scuba Ranger! Mine is under the crotch strap of my BPW. If I go to a pool in texas I'll zip tie the buckle though just to be sure. My question is what bonehead instructor taught or even implied it's ok to remove a conscious diver's weight belt whose bc has not failed at depth? That to me is dang near criminal!

 

[MikeFerrara]

I just saw this and didn't read all the replies but don't ever ever ever, drop another divers weights at depth unless they are so heavy that they can't get to the surface and you can not lift them.

At the surface go ahead and drop them if you think you need to but NOT at depth!

 

[khacken]

I just saw this and didn't read all the replies

Then you really have no right to bash me.

I have said it before. This guys rapid ascent was absolutely NOT caused by dropping his weights. He bolted to the surface on his own accord and admitted to it. He thought that because we were in shallow water, rapid ascent was not a problem. With or without the weight, e would have ascended just as fast. And no, the extra weight would not have slowed him down that much.

 

[khacken]

Lessons learned. Do not wear mask on forehead, snorkel, or octo in texas. You may be rescued. Thank God I don't wear a weight belt that can be dumped by Rescue Rick-Scuba Ranger! Mine is under the crotch strap of my BPW. If I go to a pool in texas I'll zip tie the buckle though just to be sure. My question is what bonehead instructor taught or even implied it's ok to remove a conscious diver's weight belt whose bc has not failed at depth? That to me is dang near criminal!

Why the need for the bashing. Were you there? Did I try to remove your weights?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

If you had you'd not be posting with both eyes. One would be swollen shut. You really don't see how dangerous this is do you? scary.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Then you really have no right to bash me.

I have said it before. This guys rapid ascent was absolutely NOT caused by dropping his weights. He bolted to the surface on his own accord and admitted to it. He thought that because we were in shallow water, rapid ascent was not a problem. With or without the weight, e would have ascended just as fast. And no, the extra weight would not have slowed him down that much.

Well, I have since read all the posts in the thread. I've also had to deal with divers who were losing tanks, in full panic over a number of different things and had all manor of other problems and I've never seen a reason to drop any one's weights at depth. In recreational diving, I can't even imagine a situation where it would be appropriate.

How can you say that dropping his weights didn't cause the rapid ascent? If he had any air in his BC to counteract the weight at all it could have left hin very buoyant.

Whether or not you caused his rapid ascent, you've got to get this idea of dropping weights at depth out of your head or you're going to kill some one.

You can take it as a bash, if you want, or as a life saving piece of advice. You've gotten the same advice from quit a few people now and you still aren't getting it. Compare your experience and credentials with those of some of the people telling you that you were wrong. Honest, if it were a different subject I'd be a lot more gentle but this ditching a divers weights at depth is on par with attempted murder. At this stage of your diving career you should probably argue less and listen more.

 

[MikeFerrara]

BTW khacken, concerning your signiture

NAUI Rescue Diver
NAUI Teaching Assistant
NAUI Nitrox

Certified: 4/2/06
Dives: 77
Scuba Experience: Cold, Carribean, low vis, drift, current, deep, dpv, compass nav, natural nav, boat, lake, ocean, quarry

What is a "NAUI Teaching Assistant"? Most agency standards that I'm aware of require you to be at least a divemaster to assist in training.

Maybe NAUI is diffeent but I'd hate to see some other new diver give too much weight to your opinions because you advertise yourself as a teaching assistant.

 

[Web Monkey]

I have said it before. This guys rapid ascent was absolutely NOT caused by dropping his weights.

Yeah, it was.

You can't have it both ways. If without the weight he was positively buoyant, and with the weight he was negative, and you dropped his weight, you caused his ascent.

With or without the weight, e would have ascended just as fast.

Not unless Archimedes was wrong.

Terry

 

[MB]

What is a "NAUI Teaching Assistant"? Most agency standards that I'm aware of require you to be at least a divemaster to assist in training.

NAUI has a designation called Training Assistant that is not a professional standing, but is designed to prepare interested divers to assist with classes. Some programs use the TA as "eyes and ears" while giving the person a taste of what teaching is about. Often a TA will decide to pursue a DM or AI rating as a result of some experience as a Training Assistant. There is a core set of skills and knowledge that go with the designation. HTH

 

[khacken]

Honest, if it were a different subject I'd be a lot more gentle but this ditching a divers weights at depth is on par with attempted murder.

So now you are accusing me of attempted murder?? I am only arguing this specific case and not in general. You guys are accusing me of murder, then wonder why I am being defensive.

I agree that in most cases you would not drop weights. This was a very specific case. I knew he would still be negative after dropping the weights and I knew he had no air in the bc. If he is negative with no weights, how do you possibly conclude that I attempted to murder him?

I do not take kindly to any one accusing me of murder, nor will I take advice from people that do so.

Anyways, I can see that I am not welcome here anymore, so I'll bow out.