Near drowning incident - November 12, 2016

[Slow]

To me, this is more of a function of experience. We can show people what to do and when, but they'll still be like a deer in the headlight when presented with similar yet somewhat different scenarios. I think it's a noble aspiration, but I don't have a clue how to raise their panic threshold, especially since we aren't allowed to do harassment drills anymore. I feel that they were not only great for the new diver, but they were fun as hell for everyone.

Slight hijack...

I recently took OW cert. Was very disappointed at everything being so super structured that you never had to do anything you hadn't had tons of time to think about first. Example: OK, show me you can CESA now...I take two nice full breaths...at the top of the 2nd one start swimming. HA, like I'll ever CESA under those conditions. I have never been super comfortable in the water and was looking forward to SOMEthing harassment-like. Alas...

Maybe I've watched too many Navy Diver/SEAL/PJ training videos, but that sort stuff (probably not so extreme though) looks very useful to me if I'm going to be safe in the water in any sort of surprise situation.

/hijack

 

[Daedalus]

Great rescue, but I'm told that you can't shout once you reach that level of distress.

I think the takeaway is to not be afraid to call out "help" when you're having difficulty. Even if you're trying to resolve the issue on your own in the water - whether it's retrieving a dropped piece of gear, turning on a tank, or oroblems maintaining surface buoyancy - having someone's attention on you when you try to resolve can save your life. Do it before you get into trapped into the instinctive drowning response cycle.

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

Great post! Scary as $#!7 post. The info kevinnm posted sent shivers down my back, I can imagine hands clenched on gear, and the inability to think straight. Thanks for posting this life saving incident...

 

[Storker]

Second, if you are having an emergency don’t hesitate to shout for help.

You can't shout if you're trying to breathe in, Ken. The perceptual narrowing won't allow it. This near drowner was in near panic. Their brain had shut down higher functions like speech in favor of the atavistic need to simply breathe. This is why most drownings are incredibly quiet.

I'll posit that the incident pit is a big issue in cases like this. There's been a few occasions where I've had to work a bit more than normal - and perhaps more than advisable - to stay on top of the situation. Nothing dramatic, but clearly a little closer to the borderline between "OK" and "not OK" than usual. I can easily imagine being in a situation where my reaction basically is "It's OK... It's OK... It's OK... OMFG!!! SH!T!!! IT'S NOT OK!!!"

I think the takeaway is to not be afraid to call out "help" when you're having difficulty.

There's a barrier to calling out "help". What if I'm overreacting? Does my situation warrant a full-blown rescue scenario? I've been in (non-diving) situations when someone has hit the "emergency" button, and the majority of those people have been extremely embarrassed and/or rather distressed for causing a big scene. In some cases, it's taken quite a bit of consolation to make them realize that one emergency call too many is infinitely better than one too few.

 

[Daedalus]

There's a barrier to calling out "help". What if I'm overreacting? Does my situation warrant a full-blown rescue scenario? I've been in (non-diving) situations when someone has hit the "emergency" button, and the majority of those people have been extremely embarrassed and/or rather distressed for causing a big scene. In some cases, it's taken quite a bit of consolation to make them realize that one emergency call too many is infinitely better than one too few.

Yes, that's the barrier that should be broken down. There should not be any shame attached to requesting a "spotter" while you're still at the lip of the incident pit.

 

[Storker]

There should not be any shame attached to requesting a "spotter" while you're still at the lip of the incident pit.

Quite. But first, one has to realize that one can request a "spotter" when the situation is getting a smidgen hairier than one is used to. I'm pretty convinced that quite a few of those with little to moderate experience aren't even aware of that option. On top of that, throw in the very human reaction of not wanting to look even less proficient than one is.

 

[RyanT]

Many years ago I worked as a life guard at a water park with a wave pool. For some reason, people who are poor swimmers often think that wave pools are safe and venture in. This resulted the life guards having to perform lots of rescues. In my experience, the early stages of drowning often look quite like what Ken describes, a sometimes series of rather calm motions as a person's head repeatedly begins to slip beneath the surface. Rarely did I see someone madly flailing about. Thank you Ken for this really valuable information and for being so aware. I'm sure your rescuee appreciates it even more!

 

[The Chairman]

There should not be any shame attached

Again, the inability to call out is not a conscious decision... it's deeper than that. Far deeper. Speech is learned while breathing is instinctual. When the caca is flying instinct wins everytime. @Duke Dive Medicine calls it panic, while I call it near panic. Panic is wild while, near panic is simply a quiet struggle for survival. I don't think I've ever been there, though I've been close. It was a surreal moment but then a solution presented itself by accident and I was fine.

 

[Daedalus]

Again, the inability to call out is not a conscious decision... it's deeper than that. Far deeper. Speech is learned while breathing is instinctual. When the caca is flying instinct wins everytime. @Duke Dive Medicine calls it panic, while I call it near panic. Panic is wild while, near panic is simply a quiet struggle for survival. I don't think I've ever been there, though I've been close. It was a surreal moment but then a solution presented itself by accident and I was fine.

That's not what I am talking about. There's a time period (however brief) before the panic / near panic where assistance can and should be requested. The ego barrier to requesting a spotter or assistance early on in an incident should be discussed, recognized, and dissolved.

 

[Steve_C]

I have seen numerous students taking OW classes where the class comes to the surface. Then the instructor takes his reg out to talk to the students and the students do the same. To discuss the dive. This is while they are still in the water. Seems to me that a lot of instructors out there are helping the student to get in the bad habit of taking the reg out of their mouth when at the surface. Maybe not their intention but that is the training and the role modeling they are doing. Even if I am in stand up shallow water the reg stays in until I am on dry land or up on the boat.