Need Advice/Intervention

[diver 85]

Make him sign up for a(nother) good life insurance policy--with you as beneficiary, of course....then show him this article....(click link):
CDNN :: Student Dies During University of Alabama Scuba Diving Course

 

[dburg30]

Only thing I get from that article is the person didnt listen very well. Broke the first rule of scuba, when breathing from your reg, always keep your airway open / dont hold your breath.

 

[gfyrasng]

The point of pointing our the CESA was not so he would do it but to show that he really doesn't know much about diving yet. I don't think he's ready, bottom line is my opinion.
I would NOT want him to be my buddy if we had to do a dive today.
Further more I do believe he is serious about scrubbing the pool.
And I do understand that although the gear he bought me was a gift, it is still his gear since he paid for it.
But that's not the case.
If everyone truly thinks it's not a big deal then ok I'll agree with that.

So lets say I do go in with him. I do not want to dive alone, under no circumstances, 8ft pool or 80ft open water. So if I brief him and we go in together how should I do it.
Scrub the pool with my back turned while he frolics around, or watch him like a hawk while he does it.
Keep in mind he has only had 2 pool sessions, and what I believe is very little knowledge of his gear.

 

[Can't swim]

I agree with Zen, clean the pool for your dad!
Sounds to me like he was hinting to you to do just that.

 

[Krenath]

My instructor hammered into my head the idea that an untrained diver should basically do nothing without an instructor nearby. Once he's certified, it's all on him. I fully agree with the OP that the dad is asking for trouble he wouldn't fully understand how to deal with yet.

Sure, the guy's dad will *probably* be fine, but that's not close enough to *definitely* for comfort. Best to convince the dad to put off the pool cleaning session until after the cert card arrives.

I don't get all the people saying "Why don't you clean the pool?" You know the dad is just looking for an excuse to use the pretty scuba gear. A clean pool isn't going to slow him down. The OP could clean the whole pool and the dad'll probably say something with "I'll just go make sure you did it right".

A mere 8ft pool is right about 1.24 atmospheres of pressure at the bottom. SO if Dad takes a deep breath at 8ft, holds it, and surfaces despite having been told NOT to hold his breath, the air in his lungs will expand 24%-ish on the way up. Unless my math is way off, this is about the same percentage increase in lung air volume as holding your breath from 48ft(2.48ata) up to 33ft(2ata) or from 90ft(3.72ata) up to 66ft(3ata).

While dad may not necessarily drown, there is some risk of an air embolism if he screws up.

If the dad is that dead set on...
1. using equipment he's not certified on
2. without instructor supervision
3. and very likely doing it alone,
...then what are the odds that he'll follow any other training to the letter?

 

[ktomlinson]

My opinion of this topic is that you have concern for your dad, which is a good thing. If he knows that holding your breath is the # 1 no-no then like a majority of people say, just watch him, or do it for him. Not knowing how to operate your gear like an expert after two pool dives isnt something to be concerned about, thats what practice is for. Having liquid and a bubble in the depth gauge is normal. Just because gear is old doesnt mean its not good gear. The thing I am most surprised by out of all the comments is that the gear is still his dads...how is a gift still the property of the giver?

 

[g1138]

Haha. Took me while to get that.

 

[g1138]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I'm still going to try to keep my dad out of the pool until he's certified.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

I would be interested to see how you look back on this thread a year from now. I wonder who will be more at home in the water, you or your dad... I think he is gettng used to scuba gear in a nice safe pool and will probably do fine with diving. No safer way to get used to the feeling of being underwater. Take a pill and quit worrying.

 

[Krenath]

I would be interested to see how you look back on this thread a year from now. I wonder who will be more at home in the water, you or your dad... I think he is gettng used to scuba gear in a nice safe pool and will probably do fine with diving. No safer way to get used to the feeling of being underwater. Take a pill and quit worrying.

A year from now, neither one of them will be uncertified divers trying to play with unfamiliar equipment in an unsupervised situation. Their comfort level then won't help with the situation now.

And if the dad develops bad habits as a result of playing around on his own, chances are it'll be harder to train them out of him later.

We're all looking at this situation from the point-of-view of experienced, certified divers. Playing around in a 8-foot pool is the easiest thing in the world for us because we have the training and experience and have developed safe habits.

This guy's dad has had half an open water class and from the son's description hasn't been paying full attention during it, preferring to later ask the son questions about topics that had been covered already.

I don't think it would be beyond this guy to discover the useful and fun fact that he can surface super fast just by pressing the 'up' button on his inflator hose. Why swim when you can use the elevator?