Messed up and ascended like a missile

[boulderjohn]

2) be level (on a straight line parallel to sea bottom) - dont look back yet.
3) grab mask "manly"/firmly with both hands both upper and lower part of mask.
4) start exhaling strongly through nose before starting to look up, don't exhale through regulator as bubbles might come up to you again.

That is much how the skill is supposed to be taught in the OW class, although there are several ways to hold the mask during the process (step 3). Unfortunately, the way it is taught by most instructors creates an inherent problem in the process. The fact that you said this is not how it is taught in OW training tells me that you were a victim of this problem.

The problem is that students are usually taught while kneeling on the floor of the pool. putting them in a decidedly different position from the one you describe in step #2--the normal diving position. The problem this creates is that students are usually still taught to do step #4 in your list, even though it is wrong to do it that way in that position. The purpose of looking up is to make the bottom skirt of the mask the lowest point so that the water will run out the bottom when you exhale through the nose. When a diver is kneeling, the lower skirt of the mask is already at the lowest point, so tipping the head back is unnecessary and even counterproductive.

Divers who are taught to clear the mask while kneeling frequently struggle to clear the mask while swimming and have to find a place to kneel. As I wrote earlier in this thread, I am sure that is what happened in the incident that started this thread.

 

[brainii]

That is much how the skill is supposed to be taught in the OW class, although there are several ways to hold the mask during the process (step 3). Unfortunately, the way it is taught by most instructors creates an inherent problem in the process. The fact that you said this is not how it is taught in OW training tells me that you were a victim of this problem.

The problem is that students are usually taught while kneeling on the floor of the pool. putting them in a decidedly different position from the one you describe in step #2--the normal diving position. The problem this creates is that students are usually still taught to do step #4 in your list, even though it is wrong to do it that way in that position. The purpose of looking up is to make the bottom skirt of the mask the lowest point so that the water will run out the bottom when you exhale through the nose. When a diver is kneeling, the lower skirt of the mask is already at the lowest point, so tipping the head back is unnecessary and even counterproductive.

Divers who are taught to clear the mask while kneeling frequently struggle to clear the mask while swimming and have to find a place to kneel. As I wrote earlier in this thread, I am sure that is what happened in the incident that started this thread.

dear boulderrjohn, I think this is indeed what happened and yes, I was taught the technique kneeling. I think the bubbles kept water coming in, which affected my vision, one thing lead to another and my extra air pulled my up to the surface.

well, none of that now that I know!

 

[boulderjohn]

dear boulderrjohn, I think this is indeed what happened and yes, I was taught the technique kneeling. I think the bubbles kept water coming in, which affected my vision, one thing lead to another and my extra air pulled my up to the surface.

well, none of that now that I know!

From what you wrote here, you need some work on your technique. I don't know for sure what you mean by "the bubbles kept water coming in." Do you mean the bubbles from your regulator exhalation? If so, that should not be happening while mask clearing. There should be no air coming out of the regulator. You should be making a long, slow, but forceful exhalation (not a sneeze) out the nose while holding the top of the mask tight to the forehead. Some people will pull the bottom of the mask away with their thumbs, but that should not be necessary. If you do pull it way, it should only be a couple millimeters at most. When you do that, the water should slide down your cheeks, and the mask should fill with the air from your nose. If more water is entering your mask, then you are creating an unnecessary opening to allow that happen.

 

[InTheDrink]

Dude you need a refresher at best. Don’t be a stat. God knows I’ve done my best too a few times.

I’ve also come across mostly attractive females that never cleared their masks in OW. Instructor gave them a get out. That’s no favour.

Get the basics down and you’ll enjoy this marvelous activity a whole lot more. Your incident shouldn’t have been anything close to an incident.

Best,
John

 

[wgw04024]

So, did the mask 'fill with water' all at once uncontrollably? Or did it slowly. 1. I'd get a new mask. 2. If I didn't get a new mask, I'd clear it regularly a little at a time.

 

[JackD342]

For all those that "weighed in", so to speak, on aluminum versus steel and buoyancy, here is a reference document.
where I did the math on what changes if you move from an AL80 or an AL100 to another common aluminum or steel cylinder size. For this comparison I used current Luxfer and Faber specs. I have calculated the impact on your weighting, and on how much you carry on your back/waist out of the water. (extra 8 pounds on my back if I use my AL100s!) Of course, a cylinder from a different manufacturer will not be exactly the same, but this gives you a good general idea.

To my surprise, I found that a standard aluminum 80 requires more lead than any other cylinder in the comparison. If I am really bored some day, I may add Faber LP tanks to the table too and see what I find.

 

[M DeM]

After about 40 dives I had an uncontrolled ascent. It was this past July in Roatan. I had an air bubble in my bcd that I couldn't get out and didn't know how to deal with. Like @DandyDon said, my biggest fear was getting hit by a boat, because I didn't have an smb. And....it was very embarrassing.

Hi there- An air bubble in a BCD isn't something I've heard of before... I've had super floaty feet and think maybe there were air bubbles in my booties, but I've not experienced that in my BCD.

How do you know when you have an air bubble? And how does it turn out that you solve the problem? I usually default to my dump valve just because it's more convenient-- would that have made a difference?

 

[boulderjohn]

Hi there- An air bubble in a BCD isn't something I've heard of before... I've had super floaty feet and think maybe there were air bubbles in my booties, but I've not experienced that in my BCD.

How do you know when you have an air bubble? And how does it turn out that you solve the problem? I usually default to my dump valve just because it's more convenient-- would that have made a difference?

You may be confused by the terminology. You have an air bubble in your BCD on every dive--that's why you have a BCD. The bubble is the air in the bladder. The size of that bubble is what determines your buoyancy.

When people are diving with close to ideal weight, the bubble is very small. In order to vent air from the BCD during an ascent, that bubble has to be at the location of the dump valve being used. When the bubble is very small, it can be hard to get it to the right spot for dumping, and it can become trapped.

 

[wgw04024]

Don't take this as harshly as it could be taken. But I see it as one of two things. Either 1. The bcd has a problem, or 2. You have a problem. I've had a couple bcd's and now a wing. Sure sometimes there was a pocket that got stuck, but it should never be more than a flex of the back and a small roll one way or the other shouldn't be able to alleviate. I can't wrap my head around how the bubble grows and someone is not able to get it out to the level that it would cause a rapid ascent. However, I never say never so there's that.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Clayton122]

I had something kind of like this happen to me and my entire group recently.

We were all on a drift dive down in West Palm Beach. Me and 3 others were all at the same place at the end of the drift and all signaled we were headed up. We all dumped our air, and started to ascend. We all hit 15 foot, tried to arrest our ascent to do the safety stop, and all of us just kept on heading up. Something odd in the current simply forced all of us to the surface. This was from a depth of around 80 foot after a fairly long dive. All of us had hit the deco limit at depth.

We were all pretty concerned obviously, but thankfully no one had any adverse effects.