Incident - Spiegel Grove

[chairmanTARAC]

howard, your skiing analogy is a good one..Just like skiers who ski once a year and get in trouble because of skill level or physical ability. The same happens in diving.

 

[GulfCoastdiver]

I'd love to dive the Grove, but I'm never sure how seriously to take the warnings. I'm not sure if they're trying scare off recently minted AOWs with 20 dives, or if it's a real problem where the current is going to rip me off the wreck at a moment's notice.

Is the current any worse than Cozumel, for example?

Terry

I was in the keys from 4/8 to 4/12 and was to do the spiegel on 4/10 for the first dive of the day then go to the reef, at the spiegel the seas where 2' to 3' and the current was not too bad I think, I got in and headed down the line,10' 20' 50' 70' then I cleared my (new) mask and at 73' it hit me, a panic attack or an anxiety attack, ,what ever it was I could'nt control my breathing AT ALL, I could'nt get enough air, my buddy was standing on the stern with the line in his hand waiting for me I think its at 90' or so.
I signaled to him "I'm ok, I'm going up" their were 4 of us in our buddy group so he had 2 more buddies to think about, he was the dive master aswell, as I started making my way up the line, fighting for air with every breath, and one gasp from a total panic the hole time,I felt something grab my fin at about 60', it was my buddy the DM he cought up to me and slowed me down even more (I thought I was doing good at the time) I tried to signal to him, I was in a panic but,I think knew, my respirations where around 35 or 40 I think. Thinking back it was probaly a good thing he did (thanks Jason), it was all I could do to keep my reg in and breath and not rip it out and shout to the top like a fool.

I've been OW certifed since 1985 and Nitrox since 2004,Anyway my point is a good dive can go bad damn quickly for any of us...and anyone can make the wrong decision just as quick...
For the 2nd dive I dove the benwood with no troubles...

 

[DandyDon]

I've been OW certifed since 1985 and Nitrox...

Glad you made it out okay. With less than 50 dives in 20 years, I think a lot more diving would be a good idea before doing the Grove. My fav Op in Key Largo wouldn't have taken you without a personal Inst.

Get out and dive more.

 

[GulfCoastdiver]

I know your right Dandydon I need to dive more and will but, thats the first time I've ever had a panic attack like that, very scary indeed.

 

[DandyDon]

I know your right Dandydon I need to dive more and will but, thats the first time I've ever had a panic attack like that, very scary indeed.

Yeah - I bet it is. It can happen.

I did a 100 ft deep dive before I was even certified, on a Caribbean Resort dive. Didn't know any better and the DM took me there.

But you're trained. I'd suggest that you need is to hit the practice holes every month for a while.

 

[dherbman]

I know your right Dandydon

Please, don't say that.

Glad you made it up OK. Apprehension can really ruin a dive.

 

[scubadobadoo]

from the article:

Capt. Bob Bates, who was at the helm of Horizon Divers' Cheeca View dive boat that morning, said currents were almost non-existent when 26 divers went under on the wreck site. But soon thereafter, currents intensified dramatically.

"On top of the current, these were not the most meticulous divers," Bates said. "... There was bad navigating, bad air management and a generally low level of respect for what they had committed to."

currents are ALWAYS an issue on the Grove, even when there is none. they can
pick up amazingly quick.

always be aware for increasing current, and always have your exit plan in place (how am i going to get to the line quickly?) if you need it.

also, i believe it is better to be on the surface breathing than under water
struggling to make it to a line. you can't fight a current for long. don't.

if you can't make the line, just ascend slowly, and, once on the surface, make
yourself bouyant and deploy your safety sausage.

thus, before diving the Grove, ask yourself: do i have the skills to make
a safe ascent in open water? do i have the safety equipment necessary
to be found on the surface? can i handle current picking up dramatically
without panicking?

i know it looks like an easy dive, but it can bite you in the butt real fast

I agree. The first several times we tried to dive this wreck ended in cancellation, a move to a dif. site due to poor conditions or aborted attemps due to RIPPING current. The last time we did it, it was calm as can be. No current and flat seas.

 

[Charlie99]

.....I got in and headed down the line,10' 20' 50' 70' then I cleared my (new) mask and at 73' it hit me, a panic attack or an anxiety attack, ,what ever it was I could'nt control my breathing AT ALL, I could'nt get enough air, my buddy was standing on the stern with the line in his hand waiting for me I think its at 90' or so.
I signaled to him "I'm ok, I'm going up" their were 4 of us in our buddy group so he had 2 more buddies to think about, he was the dive master as well,

The DM was leading a group of 4. You did NOT have a buddy. This misconception has resulted in several other incidents reported on SB. You should also think about what the plan was that day if divers got separated, or if one diver reach ascent/turn pressure much earlier than the others. "Group diving" is common, and can be done safely, but there are some differences between 1) diving in a group with a real buddy, 2) diving in a group without a buddy, 3) diving as 2 or 3 divers in a true buddy team.

Many divers are way too ready to give the "OK" sign when things really aren't OK. I know it is an automatic reflex action with me, and I consciously drill myself NOT to give an OK if there is any problem.

It sounds like the DM recognized your panic and responded appropriately. Things might not have gone so well if he took your "OK" sign at face value, and continued the descent with the other 2 divers.

/soapbox mode off

 

[GulfCoastdiver]

The DM was leading a group of 4. You did NOT have a buddy. This misconception has resulted in several other incidents reported on SB. You should also think about what the plan was that day if divers got separated, or if one diver reach ascent/turn pressure much earlier than the others. "Group diving" is common, and can be done safely, but there are some differences between 1) diving in a group with a real buddy, 2) diving in a group without a buddy, 3) diving as 2 or 3 divers in a true buddy team.

I see your point there were 4 of us total with the DM in a group but, the other 2 where a husband and wife team, and the DM was my buddy. We went over a dive plan on the boat as to where we would start the dive, where we would go, what we would see and with what psi we would head to the ascent line (the diver with the least air ended the dive) and how long at what depth we would do our safty stop.