Diver Dave1
Contributor
Interested in opinions on the situation described below on a dive I took a few yrs ago at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
We were doing a night dive in the reserve. There were approximately 8 divers and one DM on the boat. We were given good pre-dive instructions by the DM. At one point we would go into a coral cut in the barrier reef between us and the open ocean. We were to stay on the right edge of the cut until we came to a chain. We would use the chain to hold and pull across the bottom of the cut in a strong current. We could stay on the chain and watch fish go by for a time if we wanted. Once to the other side, we were to stay very close to the wall and swim out against the current. Once out of the cut, the current would drop off.
The Reserve was less than 20 ft deep and the diving was easy at first. Then we came to the cut in the coral and the current picked up, just as expected. As we approached it, I noticed one diver seemed to be having a bit of trouble. He was 50s, very overweight and seemed to be having trouble finning well. I will call him Bob though I never knew his name. I dropped back in the group to be next to him as the DM led the group into the cut. Bob was last into the cut and I was just in front of him. As we pulled across the chain, Bob was clearly nervous and I was concerned for him. If you lost our grip and could not kick well enough, the current would pull you out of the shallows and into the open ocean outside the reef. Outside the reef had been rolling at 3-5 ft all week and it was well into the night and very dark. I reached the end of the chain and swam forward by the wall then turned to watch Bob. He was bicycling with his legs and getting no where against the current. It looked to me that he could get swept out at any moment. From my view, he was getting very tired and panic was setting in. I could not get to the DM and keep sight of Bob.
I made a decision at that moment which is where I want comments from others. I decided that if Bob got swept out, I was going to go with him. I would tap the person in front of me on the leg and wave goodbye so they could tell the DM what happened, then I would let the current take me with Bob. He was clearly panicking and struggling. I was calm and relaxed. With 2 of us in the open ocean, one relaxed, both with lights and a DM looking for us, we would be OK but might be out there for an hour, maybe even more. If Bob was alone out there in a panic, I was concerned he might not do well and perhaps not even survive. Is this the right choice?
I had a main light and a back up. Bob at least had a main light, I am uncertain about the back up. I had a whistle but not one strong enough for the distance. The water was warm, mid-80s but neither of us had a wetsuit. The current was not that bad for a diver in reasonable shape and adequate technique. Bob was neither of those. No one else in the group had trouble with the current.
Back to the dive I had a slate and wrote for Bob to keep his knees straight and showed him my kick. He tried it and it helped quite a bit but not enough. Finally, I grabbed the top of his tank and reg. and kicked for all I was worth. Between the two of us, we both got out of the cut and into the non-current area. In the end, all worked well and no one had a problem. Bob thanked me once we were in the boat. He said he was not certain he was going to make it and was afraid he was going to be swept out. I suggested he might want to work on his kick technique and conditioning for diving.
I now wear a full wetsuit when diving, usually 3 mil. I also carry a whistle with a much louder voice and a signal sausage though this has limited use at night. The real question is, what is the right choice if Bob had been swept out with the current? Going with Bob puts some risk on the diver but I could not imagine living with the guilt of not trying all I could if things did not end up well for him. What would you do?
We were doing a night dive in the reserve. There were approximately 8 divers and one DM on the boat. We were given good pre-dive instructions by the DM. At one point we would go into a coral cut in the barrier reef between us and the open ocean. We were to stay on the right edge of the cut until we came to a chain. We would use the chain to hold and pull across the bottom of the cut in a strong current. We could stay on the chain and watch fish go by for a time if we wanted. Once to the other side, we were to stay very close to the wall and swim out against the current. Once out of the cut, the current would drop off.
The Reserve was less than 20 ft deep and the diving was easy at first. Then we came to the cut in the coral and the current picked up, just as expected. As we approached it, I noticed one diver seemed to be having a bit of trouble. He was 50s, very overweight and seemed to be having trouble finning well. I will call him Bob though I never knew his name. I dropped back in the group to be next to him as the DM led the group into the cut. Bob was last into the cut and I was just in front of him. As we pulled across the chain, Bob was clearly nervous and I was concerned for him. If you lost our grip and could not kick well enough, the current would pull you out of the shallows and into the open ocean outside the reef. Outside the reef had been rolling at 3-5 ft all week and it was well into the night and very dark. I reached the end of the chain and swam forward by the wall then turned to watch Bob. He was bicycling with his legs and getting no where against the current. It looked to me that he could get swept out at any moment. From my view, he was getting very tired and panic was setting in. I could not get to the DM and keep sight of Bob.
I made a decision at that moment which is where I want comments from others. I decided that if Bob got swept out, I was going to go with him. I would tap the person in front of me on the leg and wave goodbye so they could tell the DM what happened, then I would let the current take me with Bob. He was clearly panicking and struggling. I was calm and relaxed. With 2 of us in the open ocean, one relaxed, both with lights and a DM looking for us, we would be OK but might be out there for an hour, maybe even more. If Bob was alone out there in a panic, I was concerned he might not do well and perhaps not even survive. Is this the right choice?
I had a main light and a back up. Bob at least had a main light, I am uncertain about the back up. I had a whistle but not one strong enough for the distance. The water was warm, mid-80s but neither of us had a wetsuit. The current was not that bad for a diver in reasonable shape and adequate technique. Bob was neither of those. No one else in the group had trouble with the current.
Back to the dive I had a slate and wrote for Bob to keep his knees straight and showed him my kick. He tried it and it helped quite a bit but not enough. Finally, I grabbed the top of his tank and reg. and kicked for all I was worth. Between the two of us, we both got out of the cut and into the non-current area. In the end, all worked well and no one had a problem. Bob thanked me once we were in the boat. He said he was not certain he was going to make it and was afraid he was going to be swept out. I suggested he might want to work on his kick technique and conditioning for diving.
I now wear a full wetsuit when diving, usually 3 mil. I also carry a whistle with a much louder voice and a signal sausage though this has limited use at night. The real question is, what is the right choice if Bob had been swept out with the current? Going with Bob puts some risk on the diver but I could not imagine living with the guilt of not trying all I could if things did not end up well for him. What would you do?
