Rebreather NSS/CDS report from death at Peacock earlier this year.

This Thread Prefix is for incidents related to semi-open or closed circuit rebreathers.

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Yea, the university where I teach really, really wants marking rubrics and learning outcomes.
Scoring rubrics are often vague for the reason I mentioned above--with too much detailed specificity, they become unusable. Worse than that, the details can mask reality, as I used to demonstrate in presentations by showing how such a clear and objective rubric, seemingly perfectly fine at first glance, could score a terrible performance at the top and a stellar performance at the bottom.

Those vague rubrics must be accompanied by what is called a calibration process, in which scorers are trained by scoring previously scored benchmark performances until everyone is on the same page in evaluating performance. That is how, for example, AP assessments are scored, and they achieve 90% inter-rate reliability on a 9-point scale.
 
I really like GUE EDGE although it’s more of a flow but the challenge response nature of it, and the team aspects covers all of the elements needed for OC diving.


Don’t underestimate the power of habits and rituals

Thank you. In TDI we have START which is similar.

Its a great thing. But it's not a written checklist.
 
I think the items covered in the gueedge are perfect but its has about 11 too many e's in it. It's also about time and a place.

Drifting away from the boat or getting splashed in the face by 3 foot waves is not the time or place to be taking about what side your p valve is on or what's in your pockets.

As for the 20 years experience.

I see alot of sloppy people in my trade that do ****** work and say the I've been doing it this way for 20 years and its a total eye roller.

If you have been technical diving for 20 years and still arnt dead than you are probably doing something right.
 
The father and the son are incredible divers. When I say incredible….I mean beyond words Hall of Fame caliber guy. I honestly lost a piece of myself that day. Rest in peace, you will forever be in my heart.
 
Questions from someone with 0 experience diving a CCR:

Is it possible to avoid this outcome with any sort of reliability by bailing out early and often, at the first sign of discomfort? And in the same vein, do accidents like this one indicate anything about CCR divers willingness or hesitation to bail out?

The answer is yes. I have my bailout on a necklace, just like one would on open circuit. It takes maybe 2 or 3 seconds to flip the loop closed, spit it out, and get the bailout reg. I absolutely do this at the first sign of discomfort. I also do it, for example, when I'm about to climb the boat ladder, and other times just for practice or as part of an S-drill. It is, as it should be, very easy and natural.
 
The answer is yes. I have my bailout on a necklace, just like one would on open circuit. It takes maybe 2 or 3 seconds to flip the loop closed, spit it out, and get the bailout reg. I absolutely do this at the first sign of discomfort. I also do it, for example, when I'm about to climb the boat ladder, and other times just for practice or as part of an S-drill. It is, as it should be, very easy and natural.
I think the key phrase here is "at the first sign of discomfort". Speaking to a couple of people that had waited till things had progressed, almost fatally in one notable case, they said that as much as they knew they should bail out, they just could not physically bring themselves to do it (and required help).

But on the other hand one should be practiced / proficient enough in the bail-out process that a perceived or actual problem does not turn into another problem; a flooded loop for example (and why, IMO, a BOV reigns supreme). Practice might not make perfect, but it does, or should, make one proficient. :thumb2:
 
I would like to see every manufacturer give a waterproof predive checklist with their units. I know some of them do. I have used them in the past but found almost all of them too complicated and gave up on them. I created my own that is both simplified and flows better for me. since the creation of my own, I have had 2 minor issues that caused me to add 2 more items. It has been many years and nothing else has been added. I would be great if the culture around RBs would not only accept checklists (which I think every single diver does) but to also promote their use to others without chastising.

I did exactly the same (and DiveRite is one of the manufacturers that provides their checklist). Checklists in Rebreather Diving
 
I think the key phrase here is "at the first sign of discomfort". Speaking to a couple of people that had waited till things had progressed, almost fatally in one notable case, they said that as much as they knew they should bail out, they just could not physically bring themselves to do it (and required help).

But on the other hand one should be practiced / proficient enough in the bail-out process that a perceived or actual problem does not turn into another problem; a flooded loop for example (and why, IMO, a BOV reigns supreme). Practice might not make perfect, but it does, or should, make one proficient. :thumb2:
Bovs are fine so long as it hasn't been contaminated with costic slime.

The necklace bailout works well for the primary diver however donating requires a
Some additional steps that require the donating diver to get off the loop and potential have no life support system for a few critical seconds
 
The necklace bailout works well for the primary diver however donating requires a
Some additional steps that require the donating diver to get off the loop and potential have no life support system for a few critical seconds

There are multiple units and /or ways to stow a long hose that don’t require leaving the loop to donate.
 

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