today as i was doing a short penetration dive i dam near panicked.....first time in this particular part of ship and even know i could see light and knew where to go i still almost panicked......i thought my buddy kept tugging on me but thought guess im just narcd(about 95ft down) as i felt the same tug on the descent and i couldnt figure it out so didnt hink much about it.....come to find out when i went to turn around inside the ship my octo had slipped loose and was getting caught on things....needless to say we were only penetrating one room deep and by the time i freed myself and turned around to exit my buddy was dam near the exit already.....ive kept telling myself to get a new octo holder, well here i go for sure now.....but that mere panick i had for a second wasnt a great feeling....and being a little narcd and panicking i didnt think to reattach my octo so the way out im holding it my hand while holding a flashlight and reeling in the line...wow the confusion going thru my mind.......anyway lesson learned, i didnt really stop think breath act, i just freakin had a little panick more so than ever though, wow that was crazy......at least im here to laugh about it now, have a great day everyone
Lesson learned
- Thread starter luckikmc
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Well, I hate to say it, but there is a reason why people who dive in wrecks and caves use the gear configurations that they do. Streamlining isn't just for easier swimming -- It is also to reduce the number of places where the environment can get hold of you. Getting caught in wreckage and being unable to extricate yourself is a lethal problem and has killed experienced wreck divers.
It's good to hear you were using a line, but with your description of a little flashlight and a dangling octo, and a review of your profile, which doesn't indicate any technical training, I think you are really pushing the limits of what you can safely do, and you were very lucky to get out this time. I would strongly recommend that you consider some technical training, if you intend to continue doing penetrations.
It's good to hear you were using a line, but with your description of a little flashlight and a dangling octo, and a review of your profile, which doesn't indicate any technical training, I think you are really pushing the limits of what you can safely do, and you were very lucky to get out this time. I would strongly recommend that you consider some technical training, if you intend to continue doing penetrations.
wb5plj
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yep, it happens. and more to the point it will happen. I am not going to say much about the tech diving part, TSandM already commented. but two things for all SCUBA diving practices that I have learned are..
This is an equipment intensive sport. Likely the most equipment intensive sport or activity that most of us are involved in. And in addition to this it is a sport (hobby, activity, what ever) where a huge amount of risk can be mitigated in advance. So no matter what kind of Dive you are embarking on you should be very very familiar with your equipment and how it is set up. and then check to see that it is done so.
Panic, it seams that what you described was a situation where you started to panic and then reigned it back in. That ability is the difference. Maybe in your case the panic got under control beacouse of the situation resolving it's self (you discovering the errant octo, or catching up with your buddy, I was not clear on what was the direct source of your panic there, the hanging octo or turning to see your buddy way ahead of you. Either way what is important is that you know.) or maybe you took control of that panic and then the situation resolved it's self. Either way remember that feeling, remember how it felt when this problem was nagging at you and as it crept up to take control. Of course this sometimes happens real fast but the memory is there none the less. use it and learn from it. Obviously we strive to avoid any panic by controlling the situation as tightly as possible. The more extreme the Dive the more anal we get about every nit-picking little detail, and rightfully so. But in the end you would be hard pressed to find a very experienced diver whom hasn't felt that anxiety and panic rising and had to stomp it back down and take back control. Extreme diving is just one of those places that fight or flight responses do not help us, it is not like running from bears where that panicky run can get you out of trouble fast, quite the oppisite.
I do actually want to support the idea of getting some training and setting up your gear for technical dives, I think this is smart but at the same time I realize that we all push in a bit more than we should in the beginning, I know I did. Either way TSandM has a good point and it should be considered. (Incidentally I haven't updated my profile on here since I first set the account up so I am not sure what it says
Now I am not picking on you luckikmc just trying to add some details for those less experienced divers that may be lurking out there. I would say you did good. you panicked but you got it back you got out of there and you know what you did wrong to avoid it next time.
This is an equipment intensive sport. Likely the most equipment intensive sport or activity that most of us are involved in. And in addition to this it is a sport (hobby, activity, what ever) where a huge amount of risk can be mitigated in advance. So no matter what kind of Dive you are embarking on you should be very very familiar with your equipment and how it is set up. and then check to see that it is done so.
Panic, it seams that what you described was a situation where you started to panic and then reigned it back in. That ability is the difference. Maybe in your case the panic got under control beacouse of the situation resolving it's self (you discovering the errant octo, or catching up with your buddy, I was not clear on what was the direct source of your panic there, the hanging octo or turning to see your buddy way ahead of you. Either way what is important is that you know.) or maybe you took control of that panic and then the situation resolved it's self. Either way remember that feeling, remember how it felt when this problem was nagging at you and as it crept up to take control. Of course this sometimes happens real fast but the memory is there none the less. use it and learn from it. Obviously we strive to avoid any panic by controlling the situation as tightly as possible. The more extreme the Dive the more anal we get about every nit-picking little detail, and rightfully so. But in the end you would be hard pressed to find a very experienced diver whom hasn't felt that anxiety and panic rising and had to stomp it back down and take back control. Extreme diving is just one of those places that fight or flight responses do not help us, it is not like running from bears where that panicky run can get you out of trouble fast, quite the oppisite.
I do actually want to support the idea of getting some training and setting up your gear for technical dives, I think this is smart but at the same time I realize that we all push in a bit more than we should in the beginning, I know I did. Either way TSandM has a good point and it should be considered. (Incidentally I haven't updated my profile on here since I first set the account up so I am not sure what it says
Now I am not picking on you luckikmc just trying to add some details for those less experienced divers that may be lurking out there. I would say you did good. you panicked but you got it back you got out of there and you know what you did wrong to avoid it next time.
Sorry but I don't see anything to laugh about. What I did see was the potential for another tragic ending. You knew something wasn't right on descent but did nothing about it. To make a penetration when all is not well is not wise. If you had gotten your buddy's attention before entering the wreck to check you out you would have found the problem. What would have happened if your octo had been damaged causing a free flow inside the wreck? (loss of visability due to silting caused by escaping air)(depleted air supply at depth, now you're in real trouble) Was your buddy aware you were having problems? Have you had any formal wreck training?
OP
it was wreck training......****e happens.....luckily im here to talk about it........as far as feeling something on descent i figured it was a fish messing with me.....like i said lesson learned
The only question is, Did YOU learn the correct lesson from this dive?
If this was formal wreck training, it is appalling. Anyone who is teaching someone to enter an overhead environment in a wreck in a recreational gear configuration with an insecure octopus regulator and a flashlight is, in my opinion, completely out of line. Anyone teaching a class who doesn't NOTICE that a student is getting hung up in the wreck repeatedly is not exercising an appropriate level of vigilance for this kind of activity.
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