More fun at Little Farnsworth

[bradshsi]

Wow. That was an eventful trip. I'm glad you survived unhurt.

Since this is the Accidents and Incidents forum, I thought I'd have a go at listing all the problems with the dive. Hopefully this will help me learn from your experience. So here they are:

1) Rough seas & high current which might have been good reason not to dive
2) Buddy Ron had different gas MOD (so he can't go as deep as you, causing potential buddy separation)
3) Ron's MOD (and dive plan) exceeded during the dive
4) Solo dive by Curtis (maybe he had a buddy but it wasn't mentioned)
5) Defective equipment (O2 regulator mouthpiece had no bite tabs)
6) Incorrect gas management (or no gas plan) by Curtis
7) Curtis's MOD (and dive plan) exceeded during the dive

2nd dive
1) 2nd dive deeper than the first
2) MOD (and dive plan) exceeded for all three divers
3) Divers did not stay together to assist in case of OOA emergency or other problem
4) Computer set incorrectly or computer malfunction resulting in large uncertainty over NDL remaining

and of course your fun with the suspected DCI hit...


That's my best shot as a novice, did I miss anything out ?

 

[SDdiver1]

Daniel, I'm beginning to think you're some sort of troll!

Truer words have never been spoken.

Dave and Bill, gald your are both back safe to dive another day.

 

[drbill]

...I've never been to California, and have zero interest in ever doing so. I think that I've pretty much read enough about you guys...

Perhaps the best words I've read from you.

Yes, there were significant issues on this particular trip. There were at least four different groups involved here, and I can't speak for anyone but myself since I was diving solo (as I do 80% of the time, and have since the mid 60's).

Zero interest in coming to California? You obviously have no clue as to what you are missing. The kelp forests are pretty spectacular.

 

[drbill]

Wow. That was an eventful trip. I'm glad you survived unhurt.

Since this is the Accidents and Incidents forum, I thought I'd have a go at listing all the problems with the dive. Hopefully this will help me learn from your experience. So here they are:

1) Rough seas & high current which might have been good reason not to dive

Brad... I can only comment on this part of your analysis since my issues were not as part of Dave's group, and your reference is to them.

The description might have led you to this conclusion, and there was indeed a strong current, but the seas were by no means rough. Even at Farnsworth Bank where I mentioned there was a NW swell, but it was rolling and not an issue. The sea surface was calm other than the swell and it was a gorgeous day. Little Farnsworth, the second site, is on the leeward side of the island and did not have the swell.

I think you did mention a reverse profile. Jon Hardy, a friend of mine since the early 70's but now deceased, did a lot of work on reverse profile diving. His investigations and more recent reports suggest that reverse profiles are not unsafe although they lead to reduced total NDL bottom times.

One issue that surprised me was the fact that many on the boat were diving Nitrox. Farnsworth Bank, the first site, is a deep dive. Although the upper plateaus are in the 100-120 ft range, it is not a site where I'd elect to use Nitrox. I commented on that to the LDS individual who was testing the cylinders the day before. He was surprised to. However, since I do not know the goal of those dives, it would be impossible for me to say Nitrox was inappropriate.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I used the Scopolamine patch on my last dive in Florida. I kept it on during the dive, and (sorry for littering) lost it during the dive. It produced some "interesting" symptoms: I felt nauseous, had a minor headache, and felt a sort of all-over malaise. My theory, since I am not a medical professional or a dive professional, is that at depth, the patch responds to pressure by releasing more, thereby producing something of an overdose. From now on, if I use the patch, I'm going to keep it on while on the boat, but remove it prior to the dive. Again... Just anecdotal, and I'm a new diver. I might have just got a bad tank of air. I really don't know for sure.

 

[bradshsi]

The description might have led you to this conclusion, and there was indeed a strong current, but the seas were by no means rough.

I read your incident thread as well, which was informative and interesting.

I based my comment on sea state based on this thread poster's comments about roughness and a number of people being sea sick. My own personal experience may have skewed my conclusion, as I have been a regular sailor for 25 years (including offshore racing). For me it would normally have to be very rough for me to stand any chance of feeling sick.

Also I have never been to the dive site and so have no personal knowledge it.

Thanks for your comments clarifying the sea condition that day.

 

[David P]

I may have used the wrong term, as Dr. Bill said, the seas were rolling.
I use a Dive Rite Duo computer and still have no idea how I switched it over to gauge mode.
Yes Ron did do deeper than his dive plan but (107/33)+1X.34(his mix)=PPO2 1.44. So yes we didnt stick exactly to our plan but I felt this was the least of our worries.
Bill, I still don't know why we were on 32!
I did do a reverse dive profile, but with a run time of the first dive @ 14 minutes including the blow off gas, I wasnt too worried about.
Second dive was on air so MOD was not exceded
But yeah basically that second dive was a cluster...

I don't remember if I said so in my first post, but even though the training did not go as planned, I'd say this day of diving was some the best training Ive had!

The good news (besides everybody made it home safe) was that I didn't have any leaks in my drysuit!

 

[drbill]

Out here on the Pacific, a rolling sea can cause a fair degree of seasickness in people depending on the size of the boat (LOA 65' for the King Neptune) relative to the length of the swell. There is also the factor of diesel exhaust which most likely would not enter into the equation often when sailing.

Conditions at Farnsworth Bank Friday were calmer than the previous weekend and there were still a few queasy ones on board. The worst thing was that the forecasted high of 78 degrees never came close to materializing. It was overcast with a thick fog and "cold" enough (relative to the dewpoint) to see one's breath most of the day. However some nice diving!

 

[jeckyll]

...
I use a Dive Rite Duo computer and still have no idea how I switched it over to gauge mode.
Y...

I thought I'd comment on this piece (having no experience with the local conditions), as I dive the same computer, though labled as an Apex Quantum.

If you are flicking through the computer sceens at the surface you only have to hit one button while on the default 'Dive' Screen and it will switch to gauge. Happened to me in a parking lot before a night dive, though we were diving profile that made the NDL calculation of the computer irrelevant.

Maybe that helps