Lost sight of buddies - tank came loose

[knowone]

It is this issue, in particular, that makes me question the sense of pull-dump style LPI hoses. Tanks slips... pulls on LPI hose....empties BCD. It's quite a lot to deal with at one time. A consecutive incident chain.

It is not possible to come up with this garbage.
You have proven me wrong.

 

[Rythmmaker]

Blue;

Thanks for sharing your story. Your experience shines a bright light on the very real dangers of becoming complacent with valet-style dive operations where well-intentioned dive operators try hard to make sure everyone is relaxed and comfortable. I understand why they do it, but it can have the effect of making people complacent about taking full responsibility for their own safety.

I can't tell you how many times I've been assigned a buddy, who looks at me like I have three heads when I start going through my checklist of safety stuff with them before getting in the water. I want to know how THEIR gear works, review separation procedures, hand signals, etc. I am amazed how many people seem surprised or even irritated (not diving with THEM) when I want to take the time to go through all of this with them.

I really hope you don't get discouraged, this event is one that will certainly make you a better and safer diver in the future. Again, thanks for sharing - reading about these kinds of things makes us all consider how we would handle things if in the same situation. You never know whose life you might have saved just by being a catalyst for thoughtful dialog about safety procedures and "what if's."

Keep diving and keep learning...

 

[tracydr]

Even though my husband and I dive with our own gear we go through a full run-down of each other's set-up each dive. It's pretty quick but always done. We also assemble our own gear on boats. Sometimes that involves taking apart and reassembling what the DM has already done.
He's a pilot, I'm a doctor, also used to be a nuclear launch officer. Pre- op check lists are a life saver. No room for complacency where life support is concerned.

 

[flots am]

It is not possible to come up with this garbage.
You have proven me wrong.

Not really, but it's just too much work to go into detail about the likelyhood of a loose tank jamming the shoulder dump open.

The chances are somewhere between "slim" and "none"

flots

 

[bj139]

I thought aluminum tanks were about 4 lbs negative when full. Your regulator hose can support 4 lbs. Tank would not have sunk. You could have put the tank under your arm and had a side mount.

I just completed my OW checkout and had to remove and replace the BC on the surface. I was wearing a 7mm wetsuit with a weight integrated BC with 22lbs lead. I was breathing through my snorkel. When I removed the BC it wanted to sink and I wanted to float. I was face down so the snorkel helped. I held onto the BC and fumbled to find the inflator to add more air to the BC and then was able to replace the BC.

If you are stable don't release weights or your BC. As long as you have air and are neutrally buoyant you are OK.

 

[Zodiacdiverdave]

Training up to AOW had no removal of gear training aside from emergency release of BCD and waist weights for an immediate ascent. I was wearing an integrated BCD

this thread was about whether the tank could have become unattached from the valves and it wasn't asking about the complications regarding losing the buddies.

To get to the point of the regulator becoming detached from the tank I think by now you know that this wouldn't likely ever happen. What would likely happen is the regulator becoming detached from your face. It could be pulled out of your mouth or the mouth piece become seperated from the second stage. In either case it would put you at an increased level of risk.
But, dude you handled the situation like a pro, YOU DIDN'T PANIC , there are a lot of divers that are not only not diving now but not breathing because they paniced in a situation, some as minor as losing sight of their dive buddie.[/B] Ok, you didn't do the text book manouvers, who gives a rats as s, you did get yourself out of the water alive.
I will take a calm, non-panicy diver over one that can turn himself inside out in a pool but has had no experiences himself in real ocean.
Now, to any readers out there that this does happen to, your tank pops out and you can't sort yourself out, as mentioned by someone earlier hold on to your regulator hose with one hand and slowly and calmly come back to the surface. no need to dump your weights or freak out, it is really nothing at all. This has likely happened to most divers. I know it has happened to me.
Also don't ever think that your buddie will automaticlly appear anytime you have a problem, you should be able to get your oun butt out of any situation you put it into.
ZDD

 

[mbwilliamn]

Ah!

I have never been scared before and I realized on that dive that you probably have 60 seconds to act in a true emergency and I won't be diving again until I can wrap my head around it and stop being too easily lead by others re safety.

Two comments that will hopefully help you get back into diving.

1. With a little training (very little) everyone can easily go at least 60 seconds without a breath. That is a LOT of time to handle situations you could encounter.

2. "If the first time you think about it is when it happens, you are all ready hosed" is a phrase I use in classes at all levels (Diving, flying and driving!). That's really just another way of saying experience is that thing you gain just AFTER you need it. So, how to gain it before you need it? SCUBA BOARD is a great place to start. The more you are aware of WHAT can happen, the more you can prepare for what to do IF it does. This can vary from mental walkthroughs (visualization) to discussions with other divers and dive professionals to practice, practice, practice. (R&R BC, Wts, Mask etc.)

Best of luck and hope to see you out there again!

 

[HamataBound]

How come no one asked if the cam band was wet or dry before going into the water? We should all know that you have to wet the cam band first to prevent stretching of the strap right?

 

[boulderjohn]

Please note that the OP has not participated in this or any other thread in about 10 days. In this thread he indicated a serious need to reconsider his future in scuba due to his difficulty in handling this situation.

In the thread in which he participated before this one, he was considering becoming a divemaster.

I hope he is giving serious consideration to all options. If diving is something he does not feel he is ready for, if he feels he has not been properly prepared to handle issues like the one in this thread, then by all means he needs to sit back and evaluate his readiness for it. If he really wants to get back into diving, he needs to find someone who will help him get through these basic issues with confidence.

If he wants to be a divemaster, he needs to be able to handle situations like this without a second thought while solving someone else's problems simultaneously.

He does have a lot to think about, and I don't think adding any more advice to this thread is going to help.

 

[biscuit]

I just have one question about your response. You mentioned you should be able to remove your BCD and fix it yourself and to practice that. If you have your weights integrated in your BCD, doesn't removing it and putting it back on become very difficult? It is possible to do, but kind of hard, right? I'm just trying to imagine doing that with the weights inside.

No, it isn't hard to do... or at least it shouldn't be. My favorite BCD is still my 1988 Zeagle with its weight pockets. It's an ornery cuss requiring careful placement on a tank or else I'll be making multiple adjustments on the dive, sometimes even having to remove it to reposition the tank. During the first year that I had it, what would happen was that as I'd inflate/deflate to maintain neutral buoyancy the bladder would ride up, allowing the unyielding tank valve to smack me in the back of my head. When I had a new buddy I'd let him or her know during our pre-dive planning and equip check that I wanted to stop after our descent to practice removing my gear. I was always amazed at how many people looked relieved and said they could use some practice with it too.

No matter what your depth is when you need to remove integrated weight gear, it can be kept simple. Start by removing your dominant arm from the BCD. Then as you take it off your other shoulder, don't completely withdraw your arm; either trap the BCD in the crook of your bent elbow or let it hang loosely on your wrist while you evaluate what adjustments are necessary. Once you decide what to do to correct the problem you can take your other arm all the way out, or you may be able to keep the BCD hanging on your arm while making adjustments.

The very best thing is to practice removing and redoning a weight-integrated BCD several times in shallow water, say around 20' if possible. And the more surf and wave action the better.