My first 'unexpected' moment...BCD issues

[Pesce Leone]

This summer, when diving the 'Punta della Madonna' near Seccheto on the island of Elba,
I had a a bit of a scare.

We were in a group of about 6 people, one of which was my wife... It was a little choppy and so I had a bit of a hard time sticking with my wife and the other guys (I was about 5-10 meters apart from them)
I tried paddling towards her but the DM signaled thumbs down and so I decided to go down and get closer while descending (bit easier without waves).

I went down quite quickly (later it seemed me and my wife accidentally had switched weight belts, 1,5 kilo's difference) and my wife was struggling a little to go down so, not wanting to go straight down and wait for her at the bottom (18m) I put a little air in my BCD to descend less rapidly and could slowly pin towards her.
I must have descended to about 7-10 meters when, after a putting in a couple of small hits of air in the BCD, I felt the jacket inflate completely and the top valve started pouring our air! I didn't realize what the problem was and all went really fast, finishing with me ballooning up to the surface and (with the BCD still locked) me paddling to the boat for a gear change.

I was more pissed off then scared...
My air was depleted down from 220bar to 170 but luckily the boat had an extra tank and backup BCD for me, In 5 minutes I changed gear and went down the line to find my wife and the others...

I spotted her yellow fins and managed to get down to her and continue the dive.

Later they explained that it was the BCD that locked up and that I should have detached its hose and deflated the BCD to control my buoyancy...

All I did (instinctively) to slow my rapid ascend was open my legs and arms, fins wide emergency style.

If I would have been Deeper then 7-10 meters it could have been quite dangerous I guess (and it could have easily happened)

Why don't they exam this type of problem in the OW course dive?

 

[toddthecat]

They do, at least in the PADI course. It is a skill covered I believe in Confined Water 2 (would have to check slates) named 'Disconnect BCD Inflator Hose". Students are required while underwater to disconnect and reconnect the BCD inflator hose. The reason for learning that is what you just described. A good instructor will explain why it is an important skill before demonstrating and then having students do it...

 

[PreciousOne]

Thats a very educational post Pesce. Thanks !
I completed my scuba course in Oct and won't be doing my confirmation dives until near the end of Dec so that is certainly something I will be refreshing!!
Toddthecat, thanks for your reply. I learned so many things so quickly in the "all weekend" course that I don't remember disconnect BCD Inflator Hose. I will be reviewing that and many other sections in the manual before my dives.

 

[DevonDiver]

toddthecat hit the nail on the head. This is why LPI Hose removal is taught on OW. It's still a tricky skill to practice when the LPI sticks unexpectedly.

It's also one of the reasons why it pays to have good buddy skills... with your buddy close enough to lend assistance (even if just to hold you down a little, whilst you sort the LPI issue out).

The most effective reaction to a problem like this is to immediately raise the LPI hose and hit the dump button (oral inflate button). The air will dump straight from the end of the hose. Then you can use your other hand to disconnect the LPI from the hose. That should save your BCD inflating to max and the consequent runaway buoyancy issue.

Another option is to get vertical...and pull on your shoulder dump (if you have one) immediately.

Either way... sort out the buoyancy first, then disconnect the LPI. Otherwise, you are likely to still be fiddling with the LPI as you breach the surface of the water like a submarine launched cruise missile. Once you begin to rise in the water column, air expansion will add exponentially to your buoyancy... get the matter dealt with quickly, before that happens.

 

[TSandM]

As stated, disconnecting the hose is a required skill. I have, however, seen more than one class taught where nobody told the students WHY you might want to do this. You found out the hard way . . . Glad you were shallow. Did you use the same BC for the dive you eventually did? Weren't you worried that the problem might recur? It usually either indicates IP creep on the first stage, or an inflator valve which needs service.

 

[Pesce Leone]

They do, at least in the PADI course. It is a skill covered I believe in Confined Water 2 (would have to check slates) named 'Disconnect BCD Inflator Hose". Students are required while underwater to disconnect and reconnect the BCD inflator hose. The reason for learning that is what you just described. A good instructor will explain why it is an important skill before demonstrating and then having students do it...

Cheers for the quick replies!!!

I remember having to do it for my (SSI) OW in the water but it didn't really prepare me for the inflating and ballooning bit, They don't teach you that!
They did teach me how it feels to be OOA (in the pool ofcourse) by shutting the tank unexpectedly and me doing the emergency ascent...
with Drysuit course they teach you the regaining of bouyancy by deflating the suit if upside down but for me at the time, not knowing the problem and without direct experience I didn't even think about detaching the BCD Inflator Hose! I thought it was just my bottle leaking air (the bubble vortex behind my head) and before I even realized i was going up, I surfaced... if it would have happened at 20 meters I would have had more time to react but I dunno if I would have acted right.

My main mistake was i think going down without being right next to my wife, who was also near the DM...they didn't even see me go up as it happened while they went down. The DM should have given me the time to get closer to my wife before calling the thumbs down...

I guess OW doesn't prepare you for a lot of little mishaps that you have to learn by personal experience...

Next time I will be prepared!

 

[Pesce Leone]

As stated, disconnecting the hose is a required skill. I have, however, seen more than one class taught where nobody told the students WHY you might want to do this. You found out the hard way . . . Glad you were shallow. Did you use the same BC for the dive you eventually did? Weren't you worried that the problem might recur? It usually either indicates IP creep on the first stage, or an inflator valve which needs service.

Paddling back to the boat I thought my dive was over but when they told me the had a reserve jacket and fresh tank for me I was ready to go down again...The DM said I was quite brave to just change the gear and try again, going down by myself to meet up with the others. Afterward I think I did risk a bit by doing that because I was quite agitated.

I changed octopus aswell I think...actually I'm not 100% sure... could it have also been that?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I wasn't taught this in my OW course either. All we did was orally inflate underwater, with the hose in. I had to learn the hard way as well.

I would sit down and think about your gear. Think deep here.

Anything that is life support should be attached to you pretty well. Regulators and tanks.

Anything that can effect your buoyancy should be able to be dumped or disconnected underwater in the event of a runaway ascent or decent. Weights should have a quick release. BCD inflater low pressure hose should have a quick release. Drysuit inflator hose should have a quick release. Practice releasing all of these.

For the inflater hoses, make sure that you can dump air + disconnect at the same time.

Raise up BC inflater hose and dump with left hand while reaching up with right hand to disconnect hose.

Raise left drysuit arm and bend at elbow, use your left hand to disconnect the inflater hose from your chest while using your right hand to press the dump valve on the left arm elbow.

 

[DandyDon]

It's amazing what rental gear divers survive at times before learning how important owning your own is. Expensive I know, including extra luggage fees - but how does one know what to expect with rental gear? Often one trip is enough...

Paddling back to the boat I thought my dive was over but when they told me the had a reserve jacket and fresh tank for me I was ready to go down again...The DM said I was quite brave to just change the gear and try again, going down by myself to meet up with the others. Afterward I think I did risk a bit by doing that because I was quite agitated.

I changed octopus aswell I think...actually I'm not 100% sure... could it have also been that?

You changed regulators too?

Getting your weight belt confused needs to be prevented as well, somehow. Different colored electrical tape maybe to mark rental belts?

 

[DevonDiver]

My main mistake was i think going down without being right next to my wife, who was also near the DM...they didn't even see me go up as it happened while they went down. The DM should have given me the time to get closer to my wife before calling the thumbs down...

You are correct in identifying the major learning point from this incident.

The buddy system is critical for novice divers. That buddy system means that you have to have awareness of your buddy and be within sufficient proximity to render assistance in a timely manner when it is needed.

Diver's natural enthusiasm and excitement at the beginning of a dive tends to lead to the worst adherance of the buddy system during the descent phase. The dive does not start when you reach the bottom... it starts when you prepare to exit the boat. The buddy system should start there also. From the moment you initiate the pre-dive safety check the buddy system should be in effect. That means awareness and proximity begin then also.

The descent is a phase of the dive when many potential problems can occur. It is the time for the greatest concentration...and the time when the buddy system is most critical.

A simular mentality exists with ascents. Big problems can occur towards the end of a dive and/or on the ascent. It is the easiest time to lose control of your buoyancy... as your tank is lighter, your BCD is full of air...and that air is expanding on ascent. It is also the time when you are most likely to run out of air...or forget to monitor your SPG. The trouble is, people get relaxed and complacent over the course of the dive.... so can 'switch off' their awareness prior to, or during, the ascent. Again..this also happens when people surface. Divers die because of this.

The dive starts with the pre-dive safety check. The dive ends when the divers de-kit on the boat or shore. Between the start and end... the divers should not lose awareness of their buddy, time, depth or air. They should not lose proximity from their buddy/team, should either party require immediate and unexpected assistance.

Just as with flying an aircraft.... the ascent and descent are the most critical and potentially incident prone stages of the dive. My experience shows that, sadly, these are also the stages of the dive in which many divers show the least focus and awareness.

In the OP's case... if the buddy system had been followed more effectively, it would have meant that the DM would have noticed he was descending away from his divers... thus forcing him to slow down..or return back to the diving pair. It would also have meant that the buddy would have been available to assist with the problem.

The DM should have done more to enable you to dive safely... but he didn't. You cannot rely on every DM or Diveguide being professional or safe. Stick to what you were taught...and what you know to be safe... and don't rely on a dive 'pro' to do the right thing.

That's a great lesson... thanks to the OP for sharing his experiences and helping to illustrate those learning points for the benefit of others!