Pool session gone awry...

[mweitz]

Interesting thread.

I was told that a diver out of air would pull my reg out of my mouth. My buddy and I both have our secondary on our BC's intead of an octo. We both check them before each dive. We will continue to do so.

I think I need to worry more about traffic, seat belts and great whites than this particular scenario, no?

Seriously though, I firmly believe that if you keep a cool head you will overcome most anything. I have about 20 dives under my belt and have already been pretty scared a couple of times. I have a great respect for the ocean and a healthy fear of it. No matter what happens or how scary it is, just keep cool, and find the way out. Have a good idea of your location, know your depth, keep your buddy in sight ALWAYS and be thoughtful of your "emergency" plan at all times. Regualarly check your buddies air supply and confirm yours back to him. Know what his and yours should be (roughly) based on depth and time. Don't dive over your limits. Don't get lazy when you get better, I bet that is the cause of most accidents...

Mark

 

[s7595]

my octo hangs from a bungge around my neck ,if buddys grabs one in mouth ,I can have oct in my mouth in less than 2 seconds

 

[Diver0001]

Interesting thread.

....snip....

I think I need to worry more about traffic, seat belts and great whites than this particular scenario, no?

....snip....

Mark

Everyone thinks it will never happen to them. Until it does.

R..

 

[TheRedHead]

Yes. Uncertified divers aren't supposed to be in the water on scuba without direct supervision.

The instructor should already know.

Really? My dive shop had a pool and we were encouraged to come between classes and practice skills we had already learned. Sometimes there may have been other instructors in the pool with their classes, but not my instructor was never there. Once I went with a certified diver and we had the pool to ourselves for a couple of hours.

I was always cautioned before entering the pool to never practice a skill I had not been taught in class. I always followed the rule and practiced my skills exactly as they had been taught.

If I were in the original poster's situation, I would leave the decision to report the incident to the instructor with the husband. It was his error and his decision to make. I believe I certainly would have learned from this error and not have made it again. As long as he learned what happened, and realizes that making an emergency descent was not necessary, I think he has learned the important lesson.

Perhaps it is more of a case of the poster losing some confidence in her husband's judgment underwater, and since he is probably going to be her future dive buddy, that makes her uncomfortable. I would ask myself if that is really the case, and if so, I would try explain that to my husband and try to work it out before involving the instructor.

If I were in her shoes and my husband said, "Yeah, I screwed up, but I'll never let that happen again," I would feel ok with that.

 

[adder70]

Wow!

4) I had no idea that practicing 'unsupervised' was frowned upon. Generally there were instructors popping in and out of the room with the pool to check on everyone using the pool at the time... and our intentions were to practice, practice, practice... to the point that we are 100% comfortable with everything we've been taught. We've spent 25-30 hours in the pool over the past few weeks... A friend who is being certified through another agency/dive shop spent about 6-7 hours total in the pool before going on his OW checkout dives. I just personally feel better that I'd be able to handle a problem that arises than someone who has only been in the water for 1/4 or 1/5 the time I have.... : )

Am I the only one that is horrified by this?! Instructors popping in and out of the room?! A pool may only be 8 to 15 feet deep, but how can an instructor supervise when not even in the pool, and sometimes not even in the room?!

 

[MikeFerrara]

Really? My dive shop had a pool and we were encouraged to come between classes and practice skills we had already learned. Sometimes there may have been other instructors in the pool with their classes, but not my instructor was never there. Once I went with a certified diver and we had the pool to ourselves for a couple of hours.

Yes really. Uncertified divers in training are to be supervised.

Once a skill is initially taught by an instructor a divemaster or higher may directly supervise practice but even then there must be an instructor indirectly supervising.

What you describe is as blatant of a standards violation as I've ever heard of.

 

[Foo]

My instructor didn't even allow us to practice reg removal and recovery, mask clearing or anything unless it was our turn and he was there, watching. Once, between classes, I had asked if he would let me practice in a private pool with my husband (a certified diver) and he said NO WAY. He felt very strongly that an uncertified diver should have direct supervision of an instructor at all times, until earning their "water wings". The more I learn, the more I appreciate him.

Foo

 

[scubapro50]

hassle free diving ? ..... OK .... have your instructor put you thru the "hell" dive part of the course. Back in the 60's they made us put alumnium foil in the masks (so we couldn't see) and made us pick up weights off the bottom on the pool. The instructors would then swim around and do stuff like drop your weight belt, turn off your air or sometimes remove your regulator out of your mouth just to see how you would react. ( now remember we had doublehoses and singlehoses without octs. back then ). Now since I'm an "old salt" and haven't taken a basic course in over 30 years they may not do this anymore. Hell ..... I just learned that most on the time they don't show you how to share one 2nd stag in buddy breathing (and let you practice it in the pool) or discuss the importance of having a snorkel with you at all times ....... training .... i know they don't teach how to take your tank off underwater and use it as a ram to butt sharks attacks by hitting them in the nose...... honest ..... I was taught that ....

 

[saltzp]

I only read one page of answers to your question but it has led me to ask one of my own. If this was not part of a class, and your instructor was not there, how did you get tanks to use????????

 

[String]

or discuss the importance of having a snorkel with you at all times

At least as times move on obsolete theories and equipment slowly disappear !

Standards may be dropping but some things such as not forcing a pointless snorkel on people are a definate step in the right direction.