Lessons to be learned-Death in Palau

[SassyScubaGal]

As my wife/buddy (a very wise woman) would say I would rather have it and not need to use it rather than need it and not have it.

The only draw back I have found with it is, when it is on the tank band it some times makes it difficult holding the tank on SOME boat tank holders. Other than that it gives us great peace of mind. I also carry a short length of line with a loop on each end so that if it doe's hit the fan we can use the line to stay together. In some remote places it could still take some time to get assistance to you.

The price Kev gave a link to is a VERY GOOD price

Ya, my dive buddy boyfriend & I also use a line to join us together, if needed-- just in case. Sorta like a jon line but with clips on both ends... We picked it up at REI & modified it...It's red but they also have them in black & you can get different lengths (6 ft, 9ft, etc.). And since we dive a lot of currents, he used AguaSeal to glue pockets onto our wetsuit... I keep dye marker in there as well as some other "emergency goodies" that I hope I never have to touch.... Heaven forbid we should ever have to use the stuff, but if we ever get caught in a ripper & end up far from the boat, we are prepped & together.

Btw Pakman, you get the Scary Story of the Day Award! I have been to Singapore & know those shipping lanes.... All I can say is, Yikes!!!!!

 

[Code Monkey]

As my wife/buddy (a very wise woman) would say I would rather have it and not need to use it rather than need it and not have it.

In the ballooning world, they say "it's much better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here."

I also carry a short length of line with a loop on each end so that if it doe's hit the fan we can use the line to stay together. In some remote places it could still take some time to get assistance to you.

I've been meaning to add a length of cave line with bolt snaps on either end to my family's emergency kits. Currently, each kit only has a sausage/SMB, dye pack, whistle, and signal mirror in addition to the dive alert horn on our LP inflators and a PLB (only one for our buddy group). Yikes -- I'm starting to sound paranoid!

 

[cdiver2]

In the ballooning world, they say "it's much better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here."



I've been meaning to add a length of cave line with bolt snaps on either end to my family's emergency kits. Currently, each kit only has a sausage/SMB, dye pack, whistle, and signal mirror in addition to the dive alert horn on our LP inflators and a PLB (only one for our buddy group). Yikes -- I'm starting to sound paranoid!

We carry the same stuff but in the BC weight pockets. In the pockets I found a loop so everything is tied to the loop in the BC pocket, that way it can not get lost.

 

[SassyScubaGal]

In the ballooning world, they say "it's much better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here."



I've been meaning to add a length of cave line with bolt snaps on either end to my family's emergency kits. Currently, each kit only has a sausage/SMB, dye pack, whistle, and signal mirror in addition to the dive alert horn on our LP inflators and a PLB (only one for our buddy group). Yikes -- I'm starting to sound paranoid!

You think you are paranoid? I insisted on putting those little white reflective stickers everywhere on my BC (the ones that radio waves are supposed to be able to pick up)... And I have been on what seems like the never-ending quest to find the "perfect" signaling strobe... Ha ha ha. Anyone have any ideas? (On the strobe, not on my paranoia!) Maybe I should change my name to "Obsessive Compulsive Diver"... You can all call me "OCD" for short!

 

[Code Monkey]

Oh yeah! I forgot about that -- I also put my night-diving tank light in the emergency pack.

Since we're on a let's-be-paranoid-about-our-safety kick, I've been struggling with this one: is it smart to put all the emergency gear in a single bag that is clipped to a D-ring on your BC (it's also stuffed in a pocket so that I don't look like a Christmas tree, or Chaunukah bush or whatever ) so things won't drop out, etc. or is stupid because you can drop the whole bag and be without _any_ emergency gear all at once. Maybe I should clip something to the bag to make it positively buoyant when it's full. Hmm....

 

[SassyScubaGal]

I actually put a pocket on my wetsuit & I have all my "safety equipment" in there...(The inside of the pocket has loops & sections so I can keep it all organized.) I, personally, don't like things dangling from my BC-- especially since the "emergency kit" was getting rather large & I am sans pockets with my harness. A little AguaSeal on the back of a pocket & I was able to glue it on the right thigh of my wetsuit-- just out of my slip stream-- works great.

 

[Code Monkey]

My BC is a ProQD and it has *massive* pockets. I currently have my kit in a bag, clipped to a D-ring, and stuffed in a pocket. I plan to add D-rings to the inside of my pockets so I can clip stuff off without having bolt snaps and such sneaking out of the my pocket corners.

That said, my wife and daughter have tiny pockets so their sausages have to be separated from the rest of their kit in order to fit in their pockets. I've seen people clip their sausages under their inflator hose and I'm thinking ('cause I'm responsible for the family gear configuration) of moving their sausages there in order to free-up one of their pockets.

 

[rottielover]

Hey Code Monkey, if you do make that gear config change, snap a pic and post in your photo gall. would ya? I'd like to see how you do it, cause I was thinking about the same thing...

On a side note, after getting my new Dive Portal DVD mag, and watching it... Stan and Richie do a "reef hook" dive in Palau, and I've changed my view on them. I had assumed (based on the incident description) that reef hooks were always clipped to the BC, thus "attaching" yourself to the reef. However, I can see on the video that this is not the case, that you hold onto the line (and can thus drop it in case of emergancy).

Exception would be photographers, who may want to clip off to use both hands on camera equipment, however in this case I belive the dive plan should be that the photographers buddy will be watching over them at all times while "clipped in". That way in case of emergancy the buddy would be able to cut the line with dive knife quickly... Anyway, I still think that anyone about to do a "reef hook" dive should tell the DM or captain if it's your first time doing that type of dive, I'm sure they would be more than happy to give you a breif instruction on them, which it looks like that would be all it should take.

Hope that clarifies it...

 

[Scubafrnds]

Hi,
I was reading through the story, and we had a very interesting experience as well with Pelileu Corner but luckily all came out alive...
The current is notrocious at times and this is not a dive for beginners or intermediates..it is for very experienced divers only that are comfortable with current that can blow your bcd wide open and just the slightest turn of your face will remove your reg and your mask...and I kind of describe the experience as a tumble weed in a desert after your release...;-) then it gets nice and slow, breathing and heart rate starts to be normal again...and it was just another great ride..We had many inexperienced divers ...we were very very lucky.... Pam

 

[Cacia]

Sometimes the current will make your reg freeflow there, so it is nice if you have one you can dial down. I thought there were quite a few people diving over their heads in Palau.