My first underwater emergency

[Diver0001]

Well, I think of an emergency as something that goes wrong that needs urgent, appropriate action, and if mishandled, can have serious negative consequences. (I make my living handling them.) This was a minor emergency by virtue of where we were and who was there, but the same malfunction could have been a bigger emergency in other circumstances.

I see.... Maybe that's another way we're not that different. Of course you have people's lives in your hands so "emergency" might be the right word. I also deal with a lot of urgent problems that need appropriate action and could have serious negative consequences if not handled correctly but usually the action involves me standing on the table swinging a magic lasso made from other people millions around my head screaming "BRING IT ON YOU YELLOW BELLIED *******S....JUST TRY TO GET IN MY WAY AND YOU'LL KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO STICK YOUR HEAD IN A WARP CORE BREACH...." LLOOOOL.. It's a great job and fortunately I'm in a position to keep a professional sense of humor when all the meters are flat-lining...... At my work we generally use the word "issue" when you would say "emergency".

In any event, perhaps it's something to consider. Your choice of words can often have a strong influence in how you experience an event. Just reading back through your first post, I probably would have used the word "moment".

Just a thought.

At any rate, it was the first significant "bad thing" that's happened to me while diving.

As far as the valve thing goes, earlier in the dive, I had spent several minutes attempting to accomplish a valve drill. That included eventually unbuckling the harness and trying to shove the tank up so I could reach it, as well as adding air to my drysuit to increase my mobility, and having my buddy guide my hand to the valve in case I just had the wrong idea about where it was. I got my fingertips on the valve, but no grip. We spent some time afterward talking about what I can change to try to make it go better. Steve says I've got plenty of range of motion in the shoulder itself.

Look, Lynne. When the **** is hitting the fan you need your hand on the valve.....


period.


Do what ever it takes you get your hand on that valve. Shove the tank up, pitch forward, throw open the waist buckle, pull on the wing, tuck your elbow in and push it back with the other hand but get your hand on that valve. You can do it. You might not know it yet becasue you're stuck in a tunnel vision that says you should look look good shutting down your left post while giving the hang-loose sign with your right hand and lighting a cigar for the celebration of your MTV moment when you hit the surface to the sound of hysterical fans..... The real risk in this isn't looking bad. The real risk is refusing to do it becasue you want to look good before you start to believe in yourself. In other words, don't be someone who would rather drown than look sloppy...... just think about that.

R..

 

[Tollie]

Hey Lynne,

Glad to know it came out well. I think you showed great presence to think thru possible fixes. Team really is what it is all about.

I recall in my “F” class a big discussion between one of the other students and the instructor about the utility of doing a valve drill in singles.

If you had been able to manipulate your valve (absent your team), you may have had another option… that is to feather your valve, as you needed a breath. Clearly this is an inferior solution to the one you had available but in an imperfect world where team does not always hang together its good to have another tool in the kit.

You really do need to be able to access your valve and manipulate it, even in singles.

 

[TSandM]

Rob . . . some serious food for thought there. Am I so worried about going out of trim or losing buoyancy that I'm not getting the job done?

I guess, prior to this, there was also a voice in the back of my mind saying, "This really ISN'T all that critical a skill, but I need it to pass the class. I can just keep playing with it until I get it managed." That's changed.

I'm diving this afternoon (using a borrowed regulator!) and maybe I'll just make a point of just getting it done.

 

[jeckyll]

Hmmm what's next actually diving with a buddy and doing S-drills? Maybe fundies?

Ring, ring, ring... "Hey OE2X it's the Devil. It just got glacial down here. What's going up there? Did Catherine go over to the dark side?"

LOL

Catherine: See, the murky water up here is just safer. There is no way with < 10' of viz that I'd let my buddy get out of my sight! You start feeling rather alone very quickly.

TSandM: Glad you had people around that were able to help. After watching a freeflow at the surface for about 15 - 30 seconds (not mine ), I couldn't believe how violent it looks. I can imagine that it would be plenty distracting underwater and right in front of your face.

 

[Darnold9999]

It IS different up here, in the tropics with 80 100 foot vis I was quite comfortable with having my buddy be 30 40 feet away. I knew where he was, was comfortable that he was paying sufficient attention that he would not start swimming any further away without knowing I was coming too, and was close enough to get to if something went seriously wrong. Up here, when vis is down around 15 to 20 feet if you are nearing that limit, if you both, in a moment of inattention swim in different directions for even a few feet you are out of sight and alone. You might get back, but I wouldn't bet on it. Shouldn't happen, but it can and does. Or if one person has a problem, stops and the other does not notice and keeps swimming for even just a few seconds - you are alone and on your own. Fortunatly vis is not usually that bad, but it is pretty regularly enough to create really good buddy skills.

The rule that gets repeated repeated before every dive, when you get lost - one minute search then go to the surface. Just way too easy to lose touch. Was mentioned once in the tropics never discussed again as it is really tough to get that separated from your buddy when you can see 100 feet in every direction.

 

[Diver0001]

Fortunatly vis is not usually that bad, but it is pretty regularly enough to create really good buddy skills.

You have no idea how absurd this sounds. Where I dive if my buddy were 12 ft away they would be invisible. At 40ft they might as well be on Mars.

Good buddy skills? That's what you get when you can't change depth or direction without stopping the whole team to communicate the "deviation".

R..

 

[Cacia]

Rob, I recently read something about how powerful our choice of words are on our deep psychology of perception. I am trying to stop saying things "oh it was a disaster", etc. I remember right after the Tsunami, there were some Americans whose luggage had been lost in unrelated travel woes saying "this has been devastating for our family, and the two news stories were juxtaposed against each other... I know I am very guilty of it and am trying to consciously downgrade my language and I do think I notice an effect.

Back on topic, we commonly dive here in 150+viz where we think we are together but the reality is, the distance lateral would be...not an effective option probably.

Sorry, leesa, but you know I like to illustrate: .....of course, we are thinking we are together at 120. No matter what your stand on solo diving, maybe a reality check is in order.

Also, I wonder if spinning the necklace to the rear would be a good move?

 

[Rick Inman]

Rob . . . some serious food for thought there. Am I so worried about going out of trim or losing buoyancy that I'm not getting the job done?

As you know Lynn, I didn't pass the valve drill in our fundies class (even though I turned the valve off and on and maintained my position) because I failed to arch my back properly. My current IANTD instructor has a different philosophy. He says I'll pass the valve drill if I successfully manage to turn off and on all the right valves in the right order (correctly switching regs) while maintaining my position in the water regardless of my form.

Different strokes...

 

[Cacia]

what is "feather the valve", feed yourself air from the first stage
valve, on, off?

 

[Diver0001]

Feathering is turning the valve on for as long as you inhale. When you stop breathing in then you turn the valve off and turn it back on again when you start to draw the next breath.

R..