Panicked Diver Stories

[Belzelbub]

ipe is very scary!
I really like to get mor educated about IPE and the causes. Most divers never heared about it

Yes, it is.

I was on a checkout for a Deep, or maybe Night cert. First dive of the day. Dive site is a deep hole with some platforms at various depths, and some objects at the bottom to try to make it interesting. Water is FL cool, 72ish year round, and very tannic. Light doesn’t penetrate very far, so you can do a “night dive” there in the middle of the day.
Four students and the instructor that day. We reached the bottom at 106’, then started to head up along the wall. One of the students started to panic. I saw a flurry of bubbles, and some very rapid kicking toward the surface. This was around 80’.
Instructor caught up to her and managed to calm down. She got herself under control and signaled she was OK. We ascended to the upper platform which was around 18’ or so. At that point, 3 of us practiced deploying DSMBs as instructed, but the panicked diver refused. She just laid down on the platform, still signaling OK. When the safety stops were completed, we headed to the surface.
As soon as we broke the surface, the panicked diver spat out her regulator and was gasping/gurgling. I handled her gear, while the instructor got her out of the water. Called EMS, and put her on O2. She did a precautionary chamber ride, and was diagnosed with PE, most likely IPE.

I've also never seen anyone as good on air as him.

My daughter is like that. Barely uses any air. My consumption is decent, but even with a 130, I’ll likely run out of gas before she does while diving with an AL80.

 

[Raphus]

Yes, it is.

I was on a checkout for a Deep, or maybe Night cert. First dive of the day. Dive site is a deep hole with some platforms at various depths, and some objects at the bottom to try to make it interesting. Water is FL cool, 72ish year round, and very tannic. Light doesn’t penetrate very far, so you can do a “night dive” there in the middle of the day.
Four students and the instructor that day. We reached the bottom at 106’, then started to head up along the wall. One of the students started to panic. I saw a flurry of bubbles, and some very rapid kicking toward the surface. This was around 80’.
Instructor caught up to her and managed to calm down. She got herself under control and signaled she was OK. We ascended to the upper platform which was around 18’ or so. At that point, 3 of us practiced deploying DSMBs as instructed, but the panicked diver refused. She just laid down on the platform, still signaling OK. When the safety stops were completed, we headed to the surface.
As soon as we broke the surface, the panicked diver spat out her regulator and was gasping/gurgling. I handled her gear, while the instructor got her out of the water. Called EMS, and put her on O2. She did a precautionary chamber ride, and was diagnosed with PE, most likely IPE.

My daughter is like that. Barely uses any air. My consumption is decent, but even with a 130, I’ll likely run out of gas before she does while diving with an AL80.

What does ipe stand for?

 

[Belzelbub]

What does ipe stand for?

Immersion Pulmonary Edema.

 

[Gone for diving]

My daughter is like that. Barely uses any air. My consumption is decent, but even with a 130, I’ll likely run out of gas before she does while diving with an AL80.
[/QUOTE]

While it's great that air consumption is good.
I have seen it twice, while diving in 40ish degree water 100ft. That a buddy of mine's the second stage freezes up. Because the valve hardly opens, and ice crystals build up, and there is a small free flow which keeps getting worse. And its not long it's a full blown free flow. I donate, shut down the air, ascend, at 60ft, the reg works perfectly... I think sipping the air is the problem, and a quicker breath every now and then will dislodge the ice and let it get out of the seat......
Just something to watch for,
One reason I dive double tank

 

[Belzelbub]

I have seen it twice, while diving in 40ish degree water 100ft. That a buddy of mine's the second stage freezes up. Because the valve hardly opens, and ice crystals build up, and there is a small free flow which keeps getting worse. And its not long it's a full blown free flow. I donate, shut down the air, ascend, at 60ft, the reg works perfectly... I think sipping the air is the problem, and a quicker breath every now and then will dislodge the ice and let it get out of the seat......

Good advice. In the case of my daughter, not likely to be a problem. 40ish water temp just doesn't happen where we dive. Might see lower 60s, but she much prefers temps well into the 70s.

 

[wgw04024]

but she much prefers temps well into the 70s.

As do I!

 

[dmaziuk]

Well, this is a very short story, but here it is.

On the benwood with one of my kids in Key Largo. He got cert'd when he was 15 or so (i think). Always good in the water, extremely calm, seems like a natural. I've also never seen anyone as good on air as him. Anyway....we're on the Benwood, I look up at him he's a tad up/right of me, and I see him just laying there, as though he's asleep. I make like 3 quick strides to get to him, and all of a sudden, he just looks at me. He was checking his horizontal buoyancy, and I just happened to see him just as he started to just 'float'. Ugh...

Not a diving anecdote but I sometimes float on my back at the end of my swims. I once had a lifeguard run to me screaming Sir! -- apparently just like you, she missed the part where I was "checking my buoyancy" and all of a sudden saw me "just floating there".