Patient unconscious after diving accident - Vancouver, BC

[TSandM]

I don't think you can "master" it in OW, but I do think that people ought to be taught that they need to continue to practice these skills, no matter how distasteful they are. I don't like ice water in the face any more than anybody else does (and I utterly LOATHE being deprived of my vision) but I make myself do this periodically, so that I know that I can.

I had a buddy once have his mask flood on about his 40th dive. He completely lost rational thought and took off for the shallows . . . Luckily, he didn't bolt to the surface, but it was still a very traumatic experience for him and for the two of us who watched him flee and couldn't catch him. He had certified in warm water, and had never done a mask flood and clear in Puget Sound. He was appalled at his reaction, and immediately went to work fixing it.

Masks don't always stay sealed or in place. If there is a teaching point from this, it's to remind all of us that we need to be sure we are calm and competent in the face of a mask full of water, or a lost mask.

 

[emcbride81]

I wonder if he held his breath on the way up and that is why he may have lost conciousness. If he was a new diver he may have freaked with the water in his mask. I have talked to several new divers that said getting used to mouth breathing was hard enough, but they had more issues with it when they had a flooded mask. I would be interested to hear more details. Glad to hear he only needed a chamber ride.

 

[ahava]

In the O/w water classes I teach, the very first time the student places his/her head under water with the 2nd stage in their mouth they do not have a mask on ther face. Teach them to breathe like this from the beginning and less stress from then on is usually the result.

 

[tstormdiver]

TS&M, You're right, Mastery of the skill is not not normal coming out of an OW course. A bad choice of words, on my part. I guess what I meant to say is that the student should be at least be reasonably comfortable with doing it. In our shop's OW classes, the student will practice this skill an absolute minimum of 5 times in the pool & a minimum of 5 times in open water check out dives. Like ahava, we also teach breathing on a regulator & snorkel without a mask at the start. By the time the course is completed most students are reasonably comfortable with the skill of mask removal/ flooding & clearing.

 

[Wayfarer2]

Earlier this year I was in Belize and had an itch on my nose so I popped my mask off scratched it and put my mask back on. When we were back on the boat another diver asked why I had removed my mask and when I told then they said that it was incredibly dangerous thing to do.

 

[tstormdiver]

When we were back on the boat another diver asked why I had removed my mask and when I told then they said that it was incredibly dangerous thing to do.

??????????

 

[TheWetRookie]

Earlier this year I was in Belize and had an itch on my nose so I popped my mask off scratched it and put my mask back on. When we were back on the boat another diver asked why I had removed my mask and when I told then they said that it was incredibly dangerous thing to do.

Boy, he better stay away from our sea lions as they will steal it if you let them.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

Mask clearing can and should be mastered in basic OW class. Now, hovering at depth with mask removal is not mastered at OW.... But every student should be able to easily and consistently remove replace and clear their mask to pass OW. I do realize that there are too many courses that only require the student to clear it once in the pool and once in the open water. IMO that is unacceptable.

In instruction, I have my students perform Al skills over and over, both stationary and negative, while finning, in a fin pivot, and in a hover.
One of my students went on his first certified dive and his mask lens fell out. Yep. Out. He actually tried to put it back in and when he couldn't, he asked for my dm's extra mask. He then put on the mask and finished the dive happily. He now carries a spare mask in his own pocket.
This is a basic skill that Should be practiced all the time. I do it myself just to do it. We all need to practice our skills.

This incident sounds like we don't have all the facts. If we do, then this guy was sorely lacking in his basic skills. Add that to panic= dive accident. Sad.

 

[Tricia]

I also hate having my mask off, but I think it's more having water up my nose than anything. Two thoughts for any newbies reading this post:

First, because I am an occasional diver (two trips per year), each time I arrive at the resort (the evening before the first dive), I go to the resort's pool with my mask and a snorkel. I start out by just snorkeling a bit and "getting my feet wet". Then I disconnect the snorkel from the mask and holding it up with one hand, I swim around the pool with just the snorkel - and force myself to open my eyes. This gets my face - and mind - adjusted to to being without the mask and opening my eyes underwater.

Second, I NEVER leave my mask on the bench of the dive boat - or anywhere else it can be damaged. Why? Because four years ago, I did just that in the Bahamas and apparently, the mask got smacked by somebody without me realising it. And then, when I was at about 17 meters, suddenly the left lens of the mask imploded onto my face! First, it was the shock of something hitting my eye and the water rushing in like that, and of course, second, the "horror" of being without a mask "that deep". Sure, I'd done those skills tests in my OW class, but that had been a long time ago. Fortunately, my buddy was right there and she guided me to the surface. I had a black eye for a few days, but was still able to dive.

So now I do both these things and I know that if the mask happens to get kicked off or whatever, I'm able to deal with it and not freak out. It sounds like this poor guy just panicked and went for the surface - despite likely being told never to do it. Very sad.

Trish

 

[Grover48]

When I certified, 2 months ago, we entered the water from our dive boat using the giant stride method. My first dive after certification was on a 6 pack in Mexico. We entered the water by rolling backwards over the edge. I held on to my regulator and mask with my right hand as I had been taught in class. Imagine my surprise when my mask popped off because the strap had been washed forward over my head on entry. My sinuses flooded and I had a mask in my right hand. I surfaced, blew my nose, donned my mask and went diving!