No air left. Unable to do controlled ascent!

[Abaco24]

Dear Scuba Gods.............

Thank you for being with our OP on his first dive, God Bless Him for not feeling the need to feel the power of rising to your sea surface with the many products offered to divers, but rather yielding to our well deserved training of our almighty dive instructors.

Also wish him the best for finding his big yellow diver buddies Octo to avoid a repeat situation. If he should find himself in another similar situation we pray Oh Mighty scuba Gods that you protect him with the many search capabilities here on SB, so that he may be healed with the knowledge of 25 years of senior divers .

May he be healed in your graces on all future dives....In Divers Scuba Board Members we agree,

Amen

 

[Brewski]

What kind of orientation to the suit did you get from the manufacturers rep or did they leave it up to wonder boy to describe how the suit works?

Having recently volunteered to be one of the instructors for a dry suit demo day, I can tell you the pre event briefing basically has the instructors give the testers an orientation, check for weighting, and then lead a tour. we were told that this is not a dry suit class but rather an experience dive.

Now we were all given some good advice from the mfg rep to make our job easier, add that to our own experience diving dry suits, I believe we performed a safe experience for the participants.

I assume Scubettes experience may have been similar.

 

[AfterDark]

Having recently volunteered to be one of the instructors for a dry suit demo day, I can tell you the pre event briefing basically has the instructors give the testers an orientation, check for weighting, and then lead a tour. we were told that this is not a dry suit class but rather an experience dive.

Now we were all given some good advice from the mfg rep to make our job easier, add that to our own experience diving dry suits, I believe we performed a safe experience for the participants.

I assume Scubettes experience may have been similar.

Scubette, version did sound quite as rosy as yours.

 

[AfterDark]

Dear Scuba Gods.............

Thank you for being with our OP on his first dive, God Bless Him for not feeling the need to feel the power of rising to your sea surface with the many products offered to divers, but rather yielding to our well deserved training of our almighty dive instructors.

Also wish him the best for finding his big yellow diver buddies Octo to avoid a repeat situation. If he should find himself in another similar situation we pray Oh Mighty scuba Gods that you protect him with the many search capabilities here on SB, so that he may be healed with the knowledge of 25 years of senior divers .

May he be healed in your graces on all future dives....In Divers Scuba Board Members we agree,

Amen

It's her/she not him/he and the instructor gave her heck for going for the octp.

 

[Splitlip]

Don't feed 'em.

 

[Scott L]

Not so many do them now.

Emerald does I believe.

Hypnautical Charters as well...

 

[djinnah]

I'm a new divemaster as of 8/2009 and was on the dive with Scubette. I'd like to add additional details that may offer more insight.

I feel the instructors knowledge that her dive buddy is legally visually handicapped is critical in this scenario.

1. She's diving with her buddy who is "legally blind" with limited visual capabiltiy but I used to be his dive buddy and can say he is VERY capable and has enough vision to safely dive as well as assist. He does require the use of a magnifier to read his gadges.
2. She is a new open water certified diver as of only a few months ago.
3. She was trying demo DUI drysuits for the first time.
4. The dive group was probably too large. I believe but not positive the group was 10people and 1 instructor. If that's accurate then I believe the instructors had to many students.

Knowing these add'l details is reason enough to expect an instructor to provide special considerations when training students. I'm not blaming the instructor however he should have insured they were both close to his side and quickly assist in getting her teamed up with her buddy or to personally assist in a low air situation. When he was told she had only 550 PSI there was time for the instructor to insure that she and her dive buddy were partnered up and assending.

In short, instructors need to evaluate their student before entering the water and then train and assist based on good judgement especially when dealing with a visually impaired diver.

New students need to be able to safely rely on instructors and there ability to assist based on the divers experience and physical capabilities.

If I were the instructor, I would have made the group no more than 6 students to account for these add'l concerns. Unfortunately, I was teamed up with a dive buddy I did not know and he could not decent below 30 feet because of ear pressue issues.

My 2 cents.
Divemaster D

 

[AfterDark]

I sounds to me like the her instructor was in over his head, made some incorrect conclusions and then gave some equally incorrect advice. She should have been debriefed after the dive and then been given the correct advice based on her answers during the debriefing. Also a pat on the back for being in a OOA situation after a exhale and keeping her head enough to do go in the opposite direction that nature intended and reach for her buddies octp and not his for certain working primary 2nd stage! Credit should be given where due to build confidence in a student. IMO from what I've read here that wasn't done.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I'm a new divemaster as of 8/2009 and was on the dive with Scubette. I'd like to add additional details that may offer more insight.

I feel the instructors knowledge that her dive buddy is legally visually handicapped is critical in this scenario.

1. She's diving with her buddy who is "legally blind" with limited visual capabiltiy but I used to be his dive buddy and can say he is VERY capable and has enough vision to safely dive as well as assist. He does require the use of a magnifier to read his gadges.
2. She is a new open water certified diver as of only a few months ago.
3. She was trying demo DUI drysuits for the first time.
4. The dive group was probably too large. I believe but not positive the group was 10people and 1 instructor. If that's accurate then I believe the instructors had to many students.

Knowing these add'l details is reason enough to expect an instructor to provide special considerations when training students. I'm not blaming the instructor however he should have insured they were both close to his side and quickly assist in getting her teamed up with her buddy or to personally assist in a low air situation. When he was told she had only 550 PSI there was time for the instructor to insure that she and her dive buddy were partnered up and assending.

In short, instructors need to evaluate their student before entering the water and then train and assist based on good judgement especially when dealing with a visually impaired diver.

New students need to be able to safely rely on instructors and there ability to assist based on the divers experience and physical capabilities.

If I were the instructor, I would have made the group no more than 6 students to account for these add'l concerns. Unfortunately, I was teamed up with a dive buddy I did not know and he could not decent below 30 feet because of ear pressue issues.

My 2 cents.
Divemaster D

You do know that with this added info had she actually been injured you would have been required to file a report outlining what had happened? In fact in the conditions you describe this could be called a serious lapse in judgment and, if scubette wished to persue it, grounds for a quality report to the agency. I have personally seen a similar one filed for less. The instructor seriously needs to reevaluate their training methods and get current on standards as well as standard practices. Before they get someone hurt or their instructor card pulled.

 

[Tom Holmes]

I read this post with great interest as I have recently purchased a Dry Suit and am going to do the PADI class in the pool (to begin with) next week. The comments on buoyancy between BCD and suit are well received and will become part of my psyque in the coming weeks.

I am curious. . . . . . I have read the PADI book which tends to spend way too much time on materials and how to purchase rather than diving safely. My dive shop didn't have the DVD for the crew pack when I bought the book. Has anyone seen the DVD and if so did it help?

Thanks for the information from all of you