panicked diver

[Jim Ernst]

as a new dm , i got to do my first official class for pay this weekend, and was given my first expirience at a panicked diver, new diver on last cert dive lost his reg and as i was bolting to assist he recoverd but didnt clear , got a breath of water spit out reg and began to flale, i was able to grab his hand restore his reg and while holding this diver calm him enough to get him to sit and breath a moment, and then talking (signals of course) get him to relax, still seeing panick in his eyes and face, and the death grip he had on my hand, i continued to stay with him and he then asked me to take him to the surface, on the surface he calmed down thanked me for the help and comfort of knowing i was there imidietly to help, minutes latter had me take him back down and he finished his cert dive and then i took the group on a pleaser dive, he did well and i got a real new expirience, thought id share this with all to comment on.

 

[Captain CaveMan]

Good job Jim. sounds like a good experance for you and him.

 

[Jim Ernst]

thanks, i admit i was very pleased to be able to make things right for this student , so as for him not to give up as was a young guy 19-20, and he told me on the surface how very scared he was, and the comforting grab from me and then knowing i was there was a big deal for him! i was afraid he would give up, i do beleive he will go on to be a good diver!!!eyebrow

 

[TSandM]

I sincerely hope the people who hold the hands of new divers know how much they are appreciated. A quiet, calm instructor who I had never met before kept me from panicking on my first dive, when I tried to clear my mask and choked myself. I think there are a lot of people who would never get certified without the help of the divemasters and instructors who are there to give confidence and help solve problems. And at least at our shop, as far as I know, the divemasters are all volunteers.

 

[Lead_carrier]

It is amazing how far a thank you from a student goes to paying you back for all the time, effort and money it took to get to dm. Keep with it.
And if you get paid for it, that's all the better. Our dm's are all volunteers but we (instructors) try to help them out when we can.

 

[dlndavid]

Way to go Jim, that seems like a new experience very early on in your new DMship.
Glad to hear it turned out Ok.

 

[DementialFaith]

Bolting, from the wisdom of many experienced instructors, is always bad. No matter how well the instructors/dms can control the situations should they occur. And from a first hand experience, if a student truly wants to bolt, it'll take 3 dms his size to hold the panicker down. If a student isn't ready for the ocean, drill them in the pools until they are.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Bolting, from the wisdom of many experienced instructors, is always bad. No matter how well the instructors/dms can control the situations should they occur. And from a first hand experience, if a student truly wants to bolt, it'll take 3 dms his size to hold the panicker down. If a student isn't ready for the ocean, drill them in the pools until they are.

it sounds like you missunderstood this part of the post, the student was NOT bolting he was struggling to regain his reg, i was the one that BOLTED if you will to his aid and that was almost all it took to help this new diver as , soon as he felt and then saw me there to help was then quit releived to have me there and we were able to resolve the worst of the problem, had the diver continued to panic and BOLT for the surface i know well enough and would not have tried to hold him down as that would by far add not only to his panick but also jepordise my safety and thus possibly leave me incapable of offering further assistants at the surface had he made it there.

 

[Puffer Fish]

it sounds like you missunderstood this part of the post, the student was NOT bolting he was struggling to regain his reg, i was the one that BOLTED if you will to his aid and that was almost all it took to help this new diver as , soon as he felt and then saw me there to help was then quit releived to have me there and we were able to resolve the worst of the problem, had the diver continued to panic and BOLT for the surface i know well enough and would not have tried to hold him down as that would by far add not only to his panick but also jepordise my safety and thus possibly leave me incapable of offering further assistants at the surface had he made it there.

Nice to see everything worked out OK. Also hope that is the worst situation you have to go thru. Scary moments like that help when something bigger happens.

Oh, by the way, an instructor.DM can hold a bolting diver down safely, just make sure you are not infront of them. Never had it happen in a class, but have when helping another instructor out, and with checkout dives for "experienced" divers.

Might suggest, if you can, that you talk to that diver after a couple of months, sometimes that sort of thing can have a long term effect.

 

[Jim Ernst]

Nice to see everything worked out OK. Also hope that is the worst situation you have to go thru. Scary moments like that help when something bigger happens.

Oh, by the way, an instructor.DM can hold a bolting diver down safely, just make sure you are not infront of them. Never had it happen in a class, but have when helping another instructor out, and with checkout dives for "experienced" divers.

Might suggest, if you can, that you talk to that diver after a couple of months, sometimes that sort of thing can have a long term effect.

if i can i will see how he is latter down the road, good sugestion, and yes after thinking of what you are saying i would imagin that you are refering to the method used and learned in the rescue class, if i am correct? though at the time this diver didnt show any signs of bolting for the surface as he SEEMED to be mainly trying to get his reg and stop chocking and just breath and going to his aid seemed right at that time, and i can safely say my being there worked for him and saved him any further panic as he stated my being there was the safe comfort that was so helpful, if that makes any sense, thanks for your expertise and advice!!!