Long-hose in contact rescue

[watermonkey]

Hi:
I dive a halcyon pioneer and I usually breath the long hose wrapped in the Hogarthian style. I have my secondary regulator on a necklace and a very short hose. The problem is that when I am practicing contact rescues it is very easy for the panicy diver to get ahold of the long hose as it crosses my chest. During the practice rescues, once they have me by the hose I usually need assistance from my two flankers to become seperated.
I like wrapping the long host and would rather not bungie it just for rescue work but I can't think of another alternative. Since this would remove the last easy handle that a diver could grab it would be very beneficial to get rid of it. My instructor has some good suggestions but I wanted to see if anyone else had some good ideas.
Ideas?

Disclaimer: Don't even think of getting near a panicking diver unless you have plenty of support and training. One victim is far better than two.

 

[Cave Diver]

In a rescue, if you must get close to a panicked diver, it's best to approach from behind them and grab a hold of their valve and cradle the tank between your knees.

This gives you good control of them, yet keeps them from getting a hold of you.

I'm surprised this technique wasnt part of your class.

 

[watermonkey]

Cave Diver once bubbled...
In a rescue, if you must get close to a panicked diver, it's best to approach from behind them and grab a hold of their valve and cradle the tank between your knees.

This gives you good control of them, yet keeps them from getting a hold of you.

I'm surprised this technique wasnt part of your class.

It was, along with many other assistive and control positions. However, the one of concern for the hose routing is the 5-person front contact scenario. This is an advanced/SAR maneuver and is not usually taught in general rescue courses because of the teamwork requirement and risks. You have one talker, two flankers as backup and a designated contact diver. As the contact diver you are negative and approach the diver from front and below to make them bouyant (BC, weights). Hopefully they never see you and you remain very hard to grab and climb onto. Any actual sustained contact with a panicked diver is considered a failure of the exercise and is dangerous regardless of position.

Because of the approach angle in this one style it makes anything in the front of your upper torso very grabbable if things do go wrong.

 

[salty]

I find it hard to belive that you will have 5 qualified indivuals who are proficent enough to try this ever. the only excyption would be a profesional team and even than 5 rescuers seams over kill in any scenario wher profesionals would be needed.

 

[WJL]

watermonkey once bubbled...


...However, the one of concern for the hose routing is the 5-person front contact scenario. This is an advanced/SAR maneuver and is not usually taught in general rescue courses because of the teamwork requirement and risks. You have one talker, two flankers as backup and a designated contact diver. As the contact diver you are negative and approach the diver from front and below to make them bouyant (BC, weights). Hopefully they never see you and you remain very hard to grab and climb onto. Any actual sustained contact with a panicked diver is considered a failure of the exercise and is dangerous regardless of position.

Because of the approach angle in this one style it makes anything in the front of your upper torso very grabbable if things do go wrong.

One way to keep the panicked diver from grabbing your long hose where it crosses your chest is to keep the hose out of reach. Stay horizontal in the water, not vertical. If you swim in a horizontal attitude, you can keep the panicked diver at arm's length, and the panicked diver would not be able to reach your hose, or anything else of yours except your arms. Your upper torso will be beyond the panicked diver's reach, especially if you approach from front and below as the scenario seems to require. If the panicked diver lunges at you, you can back away easily. Of course you could not do this if you were "negative" in the water as you mentioned. You need to be neutral. I don't see any reason to be negative in the water to go through the rescue scenario you described, if I understand it correctly.

 

[watermonkey]

salty once bubbled...
I find it hard to belive that you will have 5 qualified indivuals who are proficent enough to try this ever. the only excyption would be a profesional team and even than 5 rescuers seams over kill in any scenario wher profesionals would be needed.

Actually, on our larger club dives it is not uncommon to have 12 or more current advanced rescue divers on hand. Although not all are officially in the "rescue" role.
It was just one technique to be used if you happened to have enough people and the right situation. Just another tool in the toolbox.

 

[JeffAustin]

why anyone would put themselves in a position to be grabbed on purpose. Panicing swimmers(and divers) should be approached from behind, or turned around underwater, so they can't grab you(something all panicing swimmers do!) If I was approaching from the front, in view of the victim, I would have a float that I would keep between me and the victim, with the firm understanding that if the victim starts climbing the float to get on top of my head, I'm leaving him behind. In real life, a scared, paniced swimmer or diver can and does have incredible strength, something not to be taken lightly.
Rule # 1 has got to be: Don't let a victim grab you or take control of the situation, you have to do everything you can to keep from being grabbed, or you're screwed.