No Joke

[Jeremy Williams]

I have had students show up for class with Vindicator knobs. The major benefit I've found with them is that they paint a great picture of what is open and closed during video reviews. The color coding allows the students to see the problem identification and resolution process more clearly during instructor initiated multiple failures. These valves are no substitute for proper flow checks and equipment awareness.

I disagree with @Wookie on this one. This is a belt-and-suspenders approach. If you can easily and safely add a visual cross-check to a critical part of a system without adding a point of failure then you should do so. In my opinion, Vindicators are exactly that.

Vindicator Safety Handle

 

[ReefGuy]

The lesson here is that you should NEVER skip your pre-entry check off, and that check off should be thorough.

The only diver this "prank" would hurt is a poor one. Just don't be that one.

 

[RainPilot]

I have no problem with the content or topic of this thread except comparing this to cut brake lines and attempted murder.

Context is everything.

I had a student do something unbelievably stupid and dangerous once. Closest I have ever come to burning an aircraft in, including combat missions.

When we landed, I stormed off because I was a hair's breadth from doing to him all the things people have mentioned here.

On my way past the ready room the boss saw me, took one look at my face and called me in to the office. He asked me what was wrong and I explained, pretty angrily.

Then he said something that changed the way I have dealt with many many people and scenarios since then.

“Do me one favour. Before you rip him a new one, as gently as you can, try to figure out if he understands what nearly happened. If not, lead him to the point where he does understand. Look at his reaction to the realisation and then do whatever you like. I’ll back whatever you do, if you start my way. “

The white-faced shock when my student realised what he had almost done to us was more of a teaching moment than anything I could ever have said to him. He bought beers that weekend and turned into a great pilot and instructor later.

I honestly believe that it is VERY likely that the joker had no idea of the implications of his actions. He saw a twinset, had heard about redundancy etc and really didn’t think it through. If that’s the case then Trace and the Captain took the only path that leads to a safer diver going forward.

 

[PfcAJ]

Give me a break. This was a set of doubles with independent first and second stages. At no time was Trace in any peril. Trace? Do you feel like if you had jumped in the water and breathed off your closed down primary that there would be ANY chance of you not surviving? Or would you just reach back and turn your gas on or grab your necklace?

If Trace thinks he would be in real danger, please quit teaching now. You are not confident or skilled enough to have new divers learn from you.

I know Trace personally. This wouldn't have even raised his heart rate. Cut brake lines? Murder? Get real.

For real.

I mean it’s a a stupid move, but talk about over reacting.

Things that don’t work when your right valve is turned off: the regulator you’re breathing and your wing. Pretty hard to miss.

Put down the pitchforks, guys.

 

[Landau]

On the Vindicator knobs - I'm all for them. I once saw another diver (Not my buddy) descending ahead of me on a line with the knob clearly off. I got him to stop at about 4m , watched the pressure need drop as he took a breath, turned it on all the way (may have been open a crack) checked the guage again, looks much better now and waved him on his way. Without the knob who knows what could have happened?

I had a chat with him after the dive.

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

Sometimes I feel a little dorky when I breathe off my reg/check my spg at the gate, hardly anyone does that. Not feeling so dorky now! I would be super pissed. Not funny at all.

 

[RainPilot]

Sometimes I feel a little dorky when I breathe off my reg/check my spg at the gate, hardly anyone does that

Never feel dorky for doing the right thing. There’s a reason for most everything you learn in your courses, much of it written the hard way by those who went before.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I once had a fellow instructor shut my air off on a single tank while in the pool demo'ing a doff and don of the full gear set for OW students. I saw him swim over my rig while I was explaining to the students on the surface what I would be doing.
He had also rushed a student of mine into the water to "hurry the class along" in this same session so I was already pissed. Thankfully the student didn't freak out and she was fine. The students did not see him shut the tank down.
I went down, turned the valve on and put my gear on. Surfaced and had one student looking at me with wide eyes asking if they had to turn their air off. I said no. That was just a check I was doing on the valve to simulate turning it on.
I told the SOB after class and the students had gone that is he ever touched one of my students again or any piece of my gear in or out of the water, he'd never make that mistake a second time.
I never spoke to him again after that. If I ever see him again, I won't even acknowledge he exists.

 

[beaverdivers]

In the late 70's, I was teaching SCUBA at a college. We had 15 weeks to train our new students. By the end of the course, they were extremely comfortable to the point of wanting to horse play with each other. Turning off each others air seemed like a " fun " idea.

We made a rule: Turning off anyone's air resulted in immediate failure!

 

[caruso]

I learned to scuba dive in college over the course of a semester so they threw a lot of extra stuff in there because it was spread out over many pool sessions. One jokester used to go around with a lift bag that he'd clip to an unsuspecting diver's ankle or fin and fill it with air from his regulator. Of course the bag would immediately fill and would flip the diver upside down and he or she would suddenly find themselves hanging upside down from the surface of the pool. I have to admit it was rather amusing however there is still a danger factor there even in a 9' deep pool. As far as I know this stunt was never attempted on an open water dive at depth, the results wouldn't be nearly as favorable.