My first "incident" as a diver

[cindycycle]

Many years after becoming certified, I started diving again last year, and my dive experience is less than 40 dives. I dive in a shallow spring-fed lake near my home. The maximum depth is 23 feet and we are usually at 8 to 10 feet, so the surface is nearby and it is not too scary. Last time I dived, I made what I'm told is a common mistake of inexperienced divers. When we suited up, I started opening the valve to turn on my air, but I got distracted and didn't continue opening the valve all the way. A few minutes after we entered the water, I noticed I was really having to work to pull air into my lungs. I checked my gauge and it was at zero. My mind was racing and I suspected something must be wrong with my regulator. I still had some air coming, but I didn't know which breath was my last. I was just about to ascend. The only problem with ascending is that there are sometimes boats overhead (with propellors). Just then my dive buddy approached and asked if I was OK. I shook my head then showed her the gauge. It was swinging between zero and then back up to 2000 psi or where it "should" be. After a split second pause, she grabbed her secondary 2nd stage and offered it to me. I felt a great sense of relief at having air. Then she signaled to me to take her arm and follow her, and we went to notify our other buddy (we were working in a group of three). I would have followed her anywhere since she had the air! We all returned to the entry point, and when I explained the problem one of my buddies knew immediately what I had done. He opened the valve all the way. He told me that was why the gauge was swinging down to zero every time I took a breath.

Anyway, that is why I am checking out this board today, so I can figure out what other problems I am likely to have, and hopefully avoid another incident or accident!

 

[Bob DBF]

If you were out of air was your buddy close enough to render assistance immediately? Was your "second" buddy?

When diving s**t happens, and it will at inopportune times, good buddy skills are more important than listing problems and solutions.


Bob
-------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Jax]

How very brave of you to share this with us, Cindy!

Don't forget to concentrate on what you did well -- you didn't panic, you thought about the surface danger without losing your head.

Have you considered taking a refresher course? Most instructors will give you a day or two, drilling you through mask clearing, OOA (out of air), and other important tasks. S/he will also go over the necessary knowledge as part of the refresher.

It's good that you learn from your mistakes, and are willing to learn more.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I agree with Bob to a degree. Having a buddy in proper position does not however absolve you of any responsibility for yourself. A buddy is really a last resort for when you cannot get yourself out of a situation. This thread will explain my philosophy on that : http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...ering-diving/283566-who-responsible-what.html

As for your concerns about what could happen the answer is literally anything. At any time. What makes the difference is how prepared are you for it? Where are your skills at now? Have you done a refresher with a competent instructor who will look at your situation and tailor a course to address your deficiencies? I have found that a by the book refresher may be ok but is seldom of real use to anyone who has been out of the game for awhile.

I interview divers asking for a refresher, take them in the pool, do an assessment, and then set up a course of skills and exercises just for them. If you were to come to me and relay what just happened we might spend a few minutes on mask skills, etc but what we would really focus on is task loading exercises, buddy procedures, OOA drills, and buddy breathing. We'd then do some skills in combination with those. Like remove and replace the mask while swimming and sharing air, a ditch and don, simulate gear failures and the correct response to them. I'd also go over why you missed the air not all the way on and how to prevent it again. I;d say a proper predive check would have caught that pretty quick.

 

[redacted]

Cindy - One thing you left out is what are you going to do to avoid a repeat of that mistake?

 

[DevonDiver]

Hi Cindy,

Thanks for sharing. It's easy to get distracted when we are preparing on the dive boat. That is why a full pre-dive/buddy safety check is absolutely critical.

There aren't many potential problems that won't get uncovered if you perform a full, comprehensive and attentive equipment functionality check with your buddy before you get in the water.

Try to establish a mindset where you 'get serious and concentrate' 5 minutes before your water entry. Eliminate distractions. Check your equipment. Confirm your emergency/contingency plans. Double-check your dive plan. Focus on your breathing. Relax. Enter the water with a calm mind, no stress and the feeling of confidence that you and your equipment are ready...

 

[DandyDon]

Spring Lake? I remember it as an amusement park with the mermaid show and boat rides in 1965 and 1988. Wonderful conversation area now. I did the class once but am too far to volunteer.

Experiences similar to this are why I like my tank all the way open. The "back 1/4 turn" suggestion can do the same thing to a diver. Seen some, did one myself. My home bud & I try to do good predive bud checks but once he turn it all the way off as I was approaching the gate. Better place for the mistake anyway.

 

[TSandM]

Cindy, I'm glad everything came out okay! One thing you might consider doing in the future, is breathing your regulator while watching the gauge, BEFORE you get in the water. If the gauge isn't all the way open, you may see a fluctuation in the pressure with each breath (which you shouldn't if it is all the way open). It's always better to catch something before you dive -- or, as my husband puts it, nothing gets BETTER underwater Glad your buddy was nearby and prepared to share gas with you. That turned an emergency into an inconvenience.

 

[Davemohio]

Cindy,

I agree with Jax. Thanks for sharing. This happens more than you might think.

That is why on many chartered dive boats the DM will check the divers air after he/she is suited up and ready to do the giant stride into the water. Sometimes I am so neurotic, I will ask them to check mine anyway.

You handled the sitiuation well and learned from the experience. I was not familiar with the sporadic readings on the gauge issue/situation. I am now.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

They will, unless like me, you tell them to keep their hands off of your gear.