My first underwater emergency

[TSandM]

You know, we talk about accepting much larger buddy separations in clear, warm water . . . but those are the conditions where it's so much harder to get someone's attention. In our water, people stay closer together AND tend to use powerful lights, which make superb signalling devices. In Maui, I was challenged to figure out how to get Peter's attention, even to point out interesting wildlife. I often had to stop and just wait until he checked and saw I wasn't coming with him. A light signal was useless, and waving one's arms or other physical signalling is only effective if the person is looking.

Having a free flow like I had yesterday in a hundred feet of clear, warm water in Molokini, but with my buddy twenty feet away from me and looking in another direction, would have been an entirely different, and far more stressful occurrence. Having the same situation occur while diving with Tim (kidspot), would have been no more stressful than yesterday, because we stayed just a couple of arm's lengths apart and he knew where I was and what I was doing at all times.

It seems to me that we think things are fine in clear water, but they not only aren't, but they may be worse in some ways.

 

[Ben_ca]

Lynne,
Good going..... Hey those valve drills are a lot easier in doubles

 

[gcbryan]

That's actually a good point about not considering this to be an emergency. I have a recreational piliots license and I used to fly helicopters. My instructor simulated a failed engine once (many times) and I dealt with it correctly but later referred to it as handling an emergency. He pointed out that with the training I now had I shouldn't consider it to be an emergency, just something to deal with.

He said an emergency would be something like a fire onboard. It changed the way I thought about "emergencies". If you train and consider something to be inevitable and no big deal you tend to be better at dealing with it.

It sounds like you did a great job however.

 

[carldarl]

That's actually a good point about not considering this to be an emergency. I have a recreational piliots license and I used to fly helicopters. My instructor simulated a failed engine once (many times) and I dealt with it correctly but later referred to it as handling an emergency. He pointed out that with the training I now had I shouldn't consider it to be an emergency, just something to deal with.

He said an emergency would be something like a fire onboard. It changed the way I thought about "emergencies". If you train and consider something to be inevitable and no big deal you tend to be better at dealing with it.

It sounds like you did a great job however.

In one of my simulated dead-stick landings the surprise for us was the "long cough & sputter" we received when bringing the fuel back up. Went from about 200 feet to just starting to flare before the power came back up. Fortunately the "emergency" landing area I chose was a crop duster's "field". Red crushed-cinder path out in some farmland. Short but we would have made it. I didn't start to sweat until we were back at altitude and I had time to think about it. Its amazing how you can handle what I now refer to as "issues or incidents" when properly trained.

 

[Darnold9999]

TSandM

Had a long think about buddy separation in great vis on the last trip. First time I have used a camera so was working through what I was comfortable with. No question safer is the same separation I have locally, but with camera in hand and my buddy with video camera also in hand we both ended up separated by more than I was used to. So after the first dive I had to evaluate if what we were doing was within my comfort zone. I say we were separated by up to 40 feet, but normally about 20 - 30 feet. Thinking about it I came to the conclusion that as long as visability was great and I was confident that my buddy was going to remain well within my swim distance if I went OOA or had another significant problem what we were doing was an acceptable risk. These were easy dives as well don't think we went below 100 feet all week and most of the time was spent at 60 to 80 feet.

We were careful to always keep the other in sight and not move to a new location without checking that the other was paying attention.

Did work out signals re banging on the tank to communicate - once, come look when you are done this is interesting, two, come look this really interesting but not urgent, three, get your ***** over here right now this is important. Three bangs on the tank and I want your full and undivided attention right now, don't care what you are doing.

SO with the current free flow situation - I'm going to be OOA very soon. I know exactly where buddy is, start swimming. Three bangs on the tank on the way, he looks up and is ready to donate primary reg when I arrive or even meet me part way.

Without the signals you are right, I can remember waving my arms trying to get his attention to point out a turtle just at the edge of visability. Could not get his attention at all - he was filming something else and so simply would not look up so I couldn't go chase the turtle until he did. Very frustrating, so I had to find a way to add the tank signals. (Did get a picture of the turtle - my current avatar )

NOT as safe as immediately close by, but a risk I am comfortable with - in those conditions, have yet to carry the camera locally so will need to evaluate how I plan to use it here.

Diving is risky behaviour, no matter what you do there will be some element of risk to it. My plan is to always be within my comfort level, if I am not then something has to change. Some will be willing to accept more risk than others. My tolerance for risk may change depending on what I am doing.

 

[TSandM]

Just had a long and somewhat acrimonious marital discussion of the same topic, with the same conclusion

My take on things is that I'm not willing to assume much unnecessary risk, and I have personal experience that you can dive within what I would consider safe parameters and have a wonderful time doing so, in poor viz or in good.

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Lynne, god forbid my comments should follow a long and somewhat acrimonious marital discussion, but just remember that unless you have overhead going, tangible or deco obligation, a free-flowing regulator can still be breathed for quite awhile as you ascend. Its uncomfortable and scary and a PITA, no doubt, but at a rate of 60 feet per minute which (uh, well within my lifetime) was long considered perfectly acceptable means that from 120' you're on the surface in two minutes. A free-flowing reg should allow you to swim upwards for at least two minutes while you're still breathing off it, so it might not (depending on other factors) require that you assume horrendous unnecessary risk.

And now I will flee the thread, lest I be hit in the head with a thrown object or otherwise subjected to acrimonious discourse!! LOL

 

[Snowbear]

Comfort zones are as individual as the divers who establish them

 

[TSandM]

Doc, I love you, but wouldn't having my buddy five or six feet away from me, and reasonably attentive, forestall the need for a 60 fpm ascent while trying to stay calm and focused on top of an obnoxiously noisy and distracting freeflowing regulator? Is six feet not enough room to have fun? (I'm trying not to be acrimonious -- I reserve that for my spouse.)

 

[Peter Guy]

No, six feet of separation is NOT sufficient to have fun!

And that "marital discord" keeps on going, and going, and going, and....

Hmmm, wonder how the week in the BVI at the end of the month is going to be?