OOA/Safety Stop Question

[johndiver999]

Yes, agree 100%. And given that some (if not most) OOA situations involve panic, ascending slowly/safely can be a challenge.

Most OOA situations are not really out of air, but low on air. Most air shares occur when a diver is low on air. Most ascents conducted while sharing air are not panic ridden scrambles to the shiny ceiling.

If sharing air, you take control of the victim, grab them firmly by the BC, demonstrate control, strength, calmness and look them in the eye. They SHOULD calm down.

Control the ascent rate, watch the remaining air supply and if it does not seem like a problem, then do a safety stop. Even if things are not going that well on the ascent, the donor should strive to make a stop at 15 or 20 and attain neutral buoyancy - even though this can be difficult when managing two people's BC's.

Trying to stop gives you a chance to stop, if you don't plan on actually stopping - just try to stop. Otherwise the two of you are quite likely to blow past that depth and the final ascent will be way too fast.

Even if the stop is for 5-15 seconds it gives you a chance to be neutral and then the final 15 feet should be more controlled. If the victim is flailing around and arm swimming and possibly going to catch a second stage hose and rip your reg out... then just head for the surface.

 

[Island23]

Fortunately I have never been in this situation, but have always wondered how to handle something like:

Two divers diving in a buddy pair, one signals OOA to the other. The diver with air donates his octo (or primary, but it doesn't matter) to the OOA diver, and they begin to ascend once the OOA diver is calm enough to do so.

The diver with air has enough remaining gas for both divers to make a safety stop. Should one be made, or should both divers head for the surface?

Gas allowable, always do your safety stop. In an emergency, like the others have already said, if your buddy wants to go up & is motivated enough, trust me, he's going up, with or without you & will disregard depth & stop. Post action, here, depends on depth but in his OOA, he has to remain on surface & get out of the water. You have a choice of staying, with him but if you have to go back down, after he's out, you go back down & in-water recompress, which is acceptable now.

Ex) buddy gets a concussion, slashes his head, swallows water or looses buoyancy - all emergencies. In ADV diving, you can IWR yourself for your own safety, after you make sure buddy is back on surface & being looked after. "I" have to take care of my own stuff, before I get out, even without showing DCS symptoms.

 

[SlugLife]

I'll mostly reflect what's already been said. Safety stop or even a short safety stop if you can, but safety stops are optional. If you have enough air and the other diver is calm enough, you can try the safety stop. Otherwise, don't over-complicate things and head to the surface while carefully monitoring your ascent-rate.

Similar also applies to solo-diving or switching to a bailout tank, and some varities of emergencies. Sometimes it's better to just surface (assuming no major DCS risks) and deal with the problem there.

 

[PR_SMITH]

Control the ascent rate, watch the remaining air supply and if it does not seem like a problem, then do a safety stop. Even if things are not going that well on the ascent, the donor should strive to make a stop at 15 or 20 and attain neutral buoyancy - even though this can be difficult when managing two people's BC's.

Best not to be managing 2 BC's. When you make contact with OOA diver, wrap your arms around them from behind, dump your BC completely, and use your left hand to manage their BC and hold your right hand on the reg they are breathing. This technique is what I was taught for an unresponsive diver, but can be used anytime.

 

[tursiops]

This technique is what I was taught for an unresponsive diver, but can be used anytime.

I hope you were also taught that looking the diver in the eye is a good way to reduce panic?

 

[L13]

...you go back down & in-water recompress, which is acceptable now.

...you can IWR yourself for your own safety, after you make sure buddy is back on surface & being looked after. "I" have to take care of my own stuff, before I get out, even without showing DCS symptoms.

IWR is not an option here, because IWR is only recommended if you have appropriate equipment and safety divers(gas left in your tank from the dive is not appropriate equipment).

A safety stop is not ever required. Only decompression stops are required. Re-entering the water to do a skipped safety by yourself while an emergency is still being handled on the surface is a bad idea.

IWR is a DCS treatment, not the completion of deco after an emergency surface. Deco methods after an emergency surface are a completely different subject, and are irrelevant to an NDL dive.

 

[PR_SMITH]

I hope you were also taught that looking the diver in the eye is a good way to reduce panic?

That would be the first thing...

 

[Johnnay]

If you have the gas, OOA diver is calm, do the stop.

 

[johndiver999]

csBest not to be managing 2 BC's. When you make contact with OOA diver, wrap your arms around them from behind, dump your BC completely, and use your left hand to manage their BC and hold your right hand on the reg they are breathing. This technique is what I was taught for an unresponsive diver, but can be used anytime.

The way you handle an unresponsive (or unconscious) diver is way different than one who is not. I don't know why you would muddy the water with this information? Grabbing a functioning diver from behind and dumping all his air from the BC is quite likely to induce panic not help.

And of course, dumping all your air and relying on the "dead guys" gear and air supply, might not always work as well as imagined (it is quite possible their gear does not work and/or the air supply is depleted).

In reality, hauling up an immobile diver is easier than an active one who is doing unhelpful things. They really are not similar scenarios.

Have you done any of these scenarios for real?