Question Near incident. What should I have done?

[BoundForElsewhere]

We were on our way back, like 2 minutes into the way back. We were encountering a lot of "traffic" though so it was taking a while.


I never had this impression, and I don't see how I'd avoid this situation in the future either. If I must begin and end in the anchor, and there is too much current around the wreck to navigate it from the outside, am I supposed to make a mental map of every path along the wreck before diving it? I guess I never really thought about the idea that aborting and surfacing with DSMB was not safe no matter the conditions. Isn't that what Open Water diving safety is built upon? If that's not the case, am I to consider the entire dive effectively a cave dive with no path to the surface except for the entrance?



Me and my partner have penetrated several wrecks and dived a few cenotes in Tulum, some of which were borderline caves (e.g entrance light just faintly visible in dreamgate), so to us this was nothing special. Whether it's normal or not I don't really know, I felt very comfortable on every one of those dives and were it not for the rest of the group I'd happily have entered the passage I refused even without the guide there. My worry was finding the path splitting, taking the wrong turn then having to ask 3 divers behind me on single file to turn around, while one of them is low on air

I have to go back and check standards but I believe AOW doing a wreck adventure dive are not to be penetrating the wreck. It sounds to me like a few of you were a wee green for that dive.

 

[steinbil]

never had this impression, and I don't see how I'd avoid this situation in the future either. If I must begin and end in the anchor, and there is too much current around the wreck to navigate it from the outside, am I supposed to make a mental map of every path along the wreck before diving it? I guess I never really thought about the idea that aborting and surfacing with DSMB was not safe no matter the conditions

Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of questionable operators, and there is a widespread culture of trust-me-diving in guided dives, which emphasizes the need to be more self-sufficient. You can avoid the situation by either:
a) recognizing that the conditions are bad enough that you choose to sit out the dive
b) taking responsibility for having an exit strategy

If you are moored to a wreck, unable to make a drifting ascent, having to start the dive with the current and finishing against the current, and the current is so bad you have to return by penetration, through passages that are narrow enough that you have to go single file, and there is a possibility of navigating wrong - that's a lot of reasons not to dive.

I realize the dive might have been slightly less hairy then it sounds, but if that's the way you describe it, then it's a hairy dive for you, and even more hairy for the less experienced divers you were with.

 

[The Chairman]

I have to go back and check standards

Are international standards the same as US standards? I honestly don't know.

 

[scubadada]

...If I must begin and end in the anchor, and there is too much current around the wreck to navigate it from the outside, am I supposed to make a mental map of every path along the wreck before diving it? I guess I never really thought about the idea that aborting and surfacing with DSMB was not safe no matter the conditions.

Where is your mooring line, on the bow, midship, on the stern? Is it on the port or starboard side? Is it low down on the structure or higher up? What is it tied to? It is not that hard to make a mental note of how to find your line, you must just make the effort to do it. Even in brisk current, it is generally not that difficult to dodge the current to return to the line. If all else fails, deploying an SMB is a reasonable alternative. What would you do if you got blown off the wreck in the current? You would deploy your SMB.

There is a false sense of security in following a guide. Your goal should be to become a competent, independent diver, whether you are using that skill or participating in a group.

 

[DiveProKoko]

As an instructor, you either instruct or you guide a dive. You don't do both. He's probably a s** instructor. You did the right thing. Out of air/low on air takes precedence over everything, especially currents. What's worse, running out of air and drowning, or drifting from the boat (in a group) with a DSMB(s) deployed? You did the right thing.

 

[OctopusLover]

Where is your mooring line, on the bow, midship, on the stern? Is it on the port or starboard side? Is it low down on the structure or higher up? What is it tied to? It is not that hard to make a mental note of how to find your line, you must just make the effort to do it. Even in brisk current, it is generally not that difficult to dodge the current to return to the line. If all else fails, deploying an SMB is a reasonable alternative. What would you do if you got blown off the wreck in the current? You would deploy your SMB.

I mean, I knew which part of the ship we were in, and where the mooring line was in the ship. If I was on my own, with the 120 bar me and my partner both had, I have no doubt I'd have found the mooring line one way or the other. The problem was that unexpectedly, someone I felt responsible for was on 50 bar. How could I plan for that?

And yeah, deploying the SMB is exactly the last resort that I always assume is available, but it sounds like some of you agree that this is perhaps more dangerous than I previously realised, yet it doesn't seem like I had a better option given the circumstances, e.g knowing what I know now I think I'd still do the same

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

Are international standards the same as US standards? I honestly don't know.

PADI be PADI everywhere.

 

[OctopusLover]

As an instructor, you either instruct or you guide a dive. You don't do both. He's probably a s** instructor.

I feel like the blame for this part is on the operator though, when we booked the liveaboard I assumed they'd have a dedicated instructor or do their training dives separately from the rest of the group. He was put on a position where he had to either tell my friends to skip several of the dives on the trip, or tell the rest of us ro be unguided, which I'm sure he though would put him in trouble. Given the culture of the country we were diving in, I can understand how that may well be the case and he had no other option. This is why I'm not naming anyone on this thread

 

[steinbil]

I mean, I knew which part of the ship we were in, and where the mooring line was in the ship. If I was on my own, with the 120 bar me and my partner both had, I have no doubt I'd have found the mooring line one way or the other.

So I guess you were more comfortable with the dive, which makes it a little bit less of a trust-me dive for you. But there is still a problem of not knowing the exit strategy. Having a free ascent as an option is VERY different from a must-return to the anchor line at all costs. So you should start asking the what-ifs, and make sure you are satisfied with the dive plan also taking into account possible issues during the dive. Planning for success is easy, planning for failures is a little bit more involved.

The problem was that unexpectedly, someone I felt responsible for was on 50 bar. How could I plan for that?

It's reasonable to expect that the instructor is responsible for their students in the water, so it's not necessarily that specific situation you are planning for. However, your gas plan should cover getting your buddy back to the required exit and to the surface in case of a catastrophic loss of gas. So your gas reserves should be enough for 2 divers with an elevated SAC to swim back to the anchor line and make a slow ascent as required. (Hint: if you are at 30m with an AL80, that doesn't leave a lot of gas for swimming around). And that same gas planning would have enabled you to bring this other diver back while sharing gas if needed.

And yeah, deploying the SMB is exactly the last resort that I always assume is available, but it sounds like some of you agree that this is perhaps more dangerous than I previously realised, yet it doesn't seem like I had a better option given the circumstances, e.g knowing what I know now I think I'd still do the same

It's hard to say exactly how dangerous it was without knowing more about the dive site and the conditions. Were you offshore? What were the weather conditions and visibility on the surface? Were there any boats that could follow your SMB on the surface, and were they briefed to do so? If not, how far would the current take you away from the dive boat and in what direction? What is the time of day and how much daylight do you have left? What are the local SAR options and how quickly do they respond? These are some of the things that should be considered when diving from a boat in high current.

 

[lermontov]

He might have reacted like that because he felt he was made to look incompetent and not managing the group he was with -well tough luck it sounds to me that the group was only a few moments away from a total cluster f**k
no way anyone should be doing a penetration with 60 bar