Learned Some Lessons Yesterday

[cwhite6]

I thought I would post this here so hopefully newer divers like myself can take something from it. I will post what happened and follow it with lessons/observations I took from it. Yesterday morning I did a dive at La Jolla Cove in San Diego, CA. I hired a dive guide from San Diego Divers (who are awesome by the way) to take me out. My guide, Brent, is a NAUI instructor in rec and tec courses I believe. The water entry at the cove has a decently narrow area you have to exit from to avoid rocks and a sheer wall. Brent gave me a very thorough briefing and we went in. The swells were nice and manageable. We swam out a few hundred yards to the buoy and went down. This was my first time using my BP/W and a long hose setup. I loved it. After approx. 45 minutes we surfaced and began swimming to shore on our backs nice and slow. When we were about 200 feet from the shore, a huge swell came at us and before I could react it slammed us hard under water and threw us at the shore. After I surfaced I had time to take a big breath and got slammed again. I remember looking up and only seeing water above me. Not a good filling. We were being tossed about so hard I couldn't even get my reg in. When I surfaced Brent hollered at me to put my backup reg that was on a bungee in and to hold on. Then we got slammed again. This time when I surfaced I was feet from the rock wall and in a very bad spot. Brent had a hold of me by my tank and was swimming for all he had to get us to safety. I was doing the best I could, but I was honestly scared to death and breathing my tank dry very quickly. Now, I weigh something like 220 lbs and Brent might weigh 150 lbs, so he had a handful. Thankfully the lifeguards had jumped in and one grabbed me and one grabbed Brent and a snorkeler that was getting creamed also. They towed us to the shore as we got smacked again. There was a bunch of folks that got caught unaware and were getting tossed about. I cannot say enough about the lifeguards. They were awesome. When we got to shore Brent helped me up and I went to my truck shaking like a leaf. I was supposed to do two more dives, but I called my buddy and canceled. I was not going again. In the end, everyone was ok and that is what is important. So, I guess I learned the following:

1. At my stage of diving, having a dive buddy who is way more experienced than me and that I can trust pays off. Brent saved my bacon and made my dive really enjoyable, even with the crappy finish.
2. I really like my BP/W and long hose.
3. I need to tighten my straps. When the 7mm suit compressed, my wing was too loose and moving around.
4. When you see large swells coming at you, put your reg in and swim into the waves and wait until they subside before trying to get to shore.
5. The bungeed second made putting my reg in after getting tossed much easier than searching for a octo hanging off of me.
6. Conditions can change dramatically on the surface while you are below it. Be aware and have a plan to deal with them.
7. Never be scared to cancel dives. I get to dive maybe once every two months if I am lucky. I was really looking forward to doing three dives and had been excited for days about it. I think I grew as a diver to stop and realize it wasn't worth it and my mind would not have been in the other dives. Someone could get hurt if you don't pay attention.
8. Whatever they pay the life guards at La Jolla Cove is not enough. I used to think I was a strong swimmer. Those guys are light years better than me. I sent the lifeguard service an email last night telling them how wonderful they are.

 

[TSandM]

Wow -- glad you came out of that okay!

I have developed a very profound respect for the power of moving water. I had the experience of going in to do a dive at Monastery where it was utterly, glassy flat when we went in, and an hour later, the water was not nearly as calm (although the waves still LOOKED completely harmless, it turned out they weren't).

Had the weather changed on you, or was that just a big set you ran into?

 

[cwhite6]

I see this got moved. I didn't know this was a section of the board. Sorry for putting it in the wrong spot. Hopefully the newer divers still see it and get something from it. TSandM, according to the lifeguard the swells really changed and built while we were diving. But, I watched for a minute or so and did not see any more swells that size. From the bottom looking up they looked 10 stories high. I will dive the cove again, but I will be more aware. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[yodelhawk]

So glad you came out of there in one piece!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You know.. if you practiced more in quarries, this stuff wouldn't happen...

 

[cwhite6]

Thanks yodelhawk. Dumpsterdiver, we don't have any quarries in Louisiana. I will definitely be going to dive again around here in San Diego, so now I am more prepared I guess.

 

[billmas]

Hi Cwhite6,

I think you've already taken away some valuable lessons there, I couldn't disagree with any of the ones you've listed. Well done.

One more thought to add though, for me personally, once I get within a few feet or more of the water I have my regulator either in my hand or in my mouth. Never does it leave one or the other, it is always exactly where I expect it. For me the dive starts when I approach the water, whether shore or boat, and ends when I've walked away from the water - again shore or boat. During that entire time yep, you guessed it and I'm going to say it again, the regulator is in hand or mouth, nowhere else

Your bungeed alternate came in useful, no question - probably saved your bacon. But anway, just my 2p.

Hth
Bill

 

[cwhite6]

Hi Cwhite6,

I think you've already taken away some valuable lessons there, I couldn't disagree with any of the ones you've listed. Well done.

One more thought to add though, for me personally, once I get within a few feet or more of the water I have my regulator either in my hand or in my mouth. Never does it leave one or the other, it is always exactly where I expect it. For me the dive starts when I approach the water, whether shore or boat, and ends when I've walked away from the water - again shore or boat. During that entire time yep, you guessed it and I'm going to say it again, the regulator is in hand or mouth, nowhere else

Your bungeed alternate came in useful, no question - probably saved your bacon. But anway, just my 2p.

Hth
Bill

Thanks Bill for that. Seeing as we had a few hundred yard swim on our backs, I had clipped off the long hose reg to my d ring. I felt comfortable doing this because the bungeed second was right below my chin. What I failed to take into account was the effect my mask would have. It was hanging from my neck and above my second. I will not allow that to happen again.

 

[Jax]

Thanks Bill for that. Seeing as we had a few hundred yard swim on our backs, I had clipped off the long hose reg to my d ring. I felt comfortable doing this because the bungeed second was right below my chin. What I failed to take into account was the effect my mask would have. It was hanging from my neck and above my second. I will not allow that to happen again.

No mask? Wow, good for you!!! Sounds like you had everything lined up right, except the waves. Not much you can do in that case.

 

[Darnold9999]

A couple of things I have learned. If you are going to clip your reg to your DRing practice finding it and clipping it on and off so you can do it quickly without looking. Practice finding the bungied reg as well. It never seems to be right where I think it will be.

However, I completely agree with bill - reg stays in my hand or my mouth when I am anywhere near water - even on a couple of hundred yard swim. On a boat way to easy to slip and fall off, on a shore entry or exit you can slip and fall on rocks, in water waves, boats etc, getting back on the boat slipping off the ladder into the water. DRing is for storage when breathing from some other reg or on shore. Others may disagree, but that is my habit now.

Glad it worked out.