ScubaDeb1159
Registered
Here is a little background info before I tell the story, I am 53 years old, started diving with friends at Branford dive OP at age 18 uncertified till I was 30, got married, took a 15 year break got divorced and was cert in June 2008 at Vortex Springs. Decided to fulfill a lifelong goal and become OWI. Got with a dive OP in Ga. Worked my way up to DM by recruiting students at $10.00 a pop commision! Completed my IDC when my OWI and his Dive OP and a few friends decided to take a trip to the Keys for some nice leisure diving.
Somewhere midstream the OWI decided instead of going to the Keys we were going to do a 3 day drift dive in Palm Beach. Not feeling good about the change in plans because there was some inexperienced divers that had never been in the ocean. I was not working as DM, I was on vacation and I used my AOW/CC on the boat the morning of dive 1. Was told that morning that I would buddy up with one of the OW cert that I drove down with who had logged maybe 4 to 6 ocean dives and was also informed while were doing our dive briefing that it was going to be 4 to 6ft. So 9:00am getting on the boat, there were a CD, OWI, 3 DM's not counting the dive OP's DM and several OW and AOW cert students with our group, everyone is strapping their tanks and unloading gear, first sign of bad luck...my bungy cord was loose and stretched out and the first wave we hit my tank falls out and hits my dive buddy on the shin causing damage!
We get to the first dive sight, "The Flower Garden" and my dive buddy and I are the last ones off the boat. Stayed on the surface for about 15 mins, she had problems equalizing and I told her it was ok to call the dive there was no pressure. I had no idea where the group was, she was having problems with buouyancy. I stayed very close to her and holding her hand and when I would see her go up I would pull her back down by her fin. Caught up to the group, thank God! Checked my SPG, 500 PSI, I double check her's she has 500 PSI, signalled to the group we are going up, do a 3 to 5 min safety stop trying to give extra time because of the rough seas. Everything is fine, boat captain sees us and comes to pick us up. We both try to grab onto the fin ladders, finally make contact with the fin ladder, hanging on for dear life! Getting knocked around kept mask on and REG in, finally get on the boat and BAM! My first thought was heartattack, got my gear off and didn't say anything to anyone but was smiling and saying "Oh ****! I'm going out with my fins on!"
Got a bottle of water and a bag of chips and all the divers were getting back on the boat and we were heading to 2nd dive sight. Was feeling much better, wasn't dead, thought I may have bruised my sternum on the fin ladder, started thinking if I wanted to do the 2nd dive or not, weighed my odds and thought had better not push my luck. Get back to the room felt ok just having a little breathing issues. Get up the next morning, group's getting ready for day 2 of diving, still feeling a little pain in my chest not too bad, just knew something wasn't right, decided to call DAN. And was advised to go to St Mary's trauma center, where I was told I had a pneumothorax and to make myself comfortable with a chest tube for the next 9 days and the Dr assured me that I would never dive again. 4 or 5 dr's later, numerous xrays and CT scans still the same verdict...no diving.
Update, 5 months later did 2 dives to 35 ft. Lived to tell about it! Was told by a dive Dr in Tn. last week that if I was going to dive to just watch my ascents really close and "This story is true and the best of my knowledge"
Somewhere midstream the OWI decided instead of going to the Keys we were going to do a 3 day drift dive in Palm Beach. Not feeling good about the change in plans because there was some inexperienced divers that had never been in the ocean. I was not working as DM, I was on vacation and I used my AOW/CC on the boat the morning of dive 1. Was told that morning that I would buddy up with one of the OW cert that I drove down with who had logged maybe 4 to 6 ocean dives and was also informed while were doing our dive briefing that it was going to be 4 to 6ft. So 9:00am getting on the boat, there were a CD, OWI, 3 DM's not counting the dive OP's DM and several OW and AOW cert students with our group, everyone is strapping their tanks and unloading gear, first sign of bad luck...my bungy cord was loose and stretched out and the first wave we hit my tank falls out and hits my dive buddy on the shin causing damage!
We get to the first dive sight, "The Flower Garden" and my dive buddy and I are the last ones off the boat. Stayed on the surface for about 15 mins, she had problems equalizing and I told her it was ok to call the dive there was no pressure. I had no idea where the group was, she was having problems with buouyancy. I stayed very close to her and holding her hand and when I would see her go up I would pull her back down by her fin. Caught up to the group, thank God! Checked my SPG, 500 PSI, I double check her's she has 500 PSI, signalled to the group we are going up, do a 3 to 5 min safety stop trying to give extra time because of the rough seas. Everything is fine, boat captain sees us and comes to pick us up. We both try to grab onto the fin ladders, finally make contact with the fin ladder, hanging on for dear life! Getting knocked around kept mask on and REG in, finally get on the boat and BAM! My first thought was heartattack, got my gear off and didn't say anything to anyone but was smiling and saying "Oh ****! I'm going out with my fins on!"
Got a bottle of water and a bag of chips and all the divers were getting back on the boat and we were heading to 2nd dive sight. Was feeling much better, wasn't dead, thought I may have bruised my sternum on the fin ladder, started thinking if I wanted to do the 2nd dive or not, weighed my odds and thought had better not push my luck. Get back to the room felt ok just having a little breathing issues. Get up the next morning, group's getting ready for day 2 of diving, still feeling a little pain in my chest not too bad, just knew something wasn't right, decided to call DAN. And was advised to go to St Mary's trauma center, where I was told I had a pneumothorax and to make myself comfortable with a chest tube for the next 9 days and the Dr assured me that I would never dive again. 4 or 5 dr's later, numerous xrays and CT scans still the same verdict...no diving.
Update, 5 months later did 2 dives to 35 ft. Lived to tell about it! Was told by a dive Dr in Tn. last week that if I was going to dive to just watch my ascents really close and "This story is true and the best of my knowledge"
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