Practicing 'emergencies' / 'accidents' underwater - cue / training cards

[sena_akutsa]

Thanks all,

So you know: Our first brainstorm about this was with an instructor, who challenged me to think about a way to structurally introduce this as a form of recurring training after certification. We have 4 instructors in our club, and they will be involved in implementing this after we have come up with a concrete plan on how to safely and effectively do it. They typically dive with the less experienced divers or those enrolled in a course, but if not, they are available for any other type of practice. We do weekly dives in a local training quarry with training platforms at specific heights. We typically do drills at 5-10m. All training dives will be supervised by an instructor. No instructor means no training dives (only 'fun dives'). We also have a yearly first aid class, and a yearly 'emergency ascent' training.

Please note again: this topic is not about the lack of training drills. We do that. This topic is ONLY about applying drills that the corresponding divers have (supposedly, according to their certification) mastered to real world situations. Taking them a step further and forcing divers to see a situation and respond to it with the correct drill.

In a similar way as a first aid training may teach you how to do chest compressions or how to apply a bandage, but getting an actor with make up etc. to simulate an above-water accident forces much more critical thinking to assess the situation, then come up with the correct 'drill', and finally apply that drill.
In the same way, during most certification classes we only practice the last part.

Good remark about accidently creating dangerous situation. That's something to be aware of indeed. That is why we want to adjust the cards to the diver levels, and only do this during club dives supervised by an instructor.
Of course hand signals are good to practice as well if possible. Either way having these cards also ensures that eventually a diver goes through the entire stack / list of situations we have thought of.

during classes our instructor simulated. As he was "the only one" all students got the bad habit of watching him constantly without being aware of others.
Later we found a different way: sometimes he writes a drill on his wet board to instruct a diver (without the buddy noticing anything), then after few minutes that diver will simulate the action like real.
The buddy has to react accordingly, all supervised from aside by our instructor (to avoid any accident).

we didn't practice with "cards" : fish lines, nets around wrecks , BCD inflators stuck by sand,.. these are a common deal here That's why we are constantly reminded to "always watch your buddy"

 

[mrtechbench]

It seems like a good place to start having cards with problem on the front and solution steps on the back, that way the person presenting card knows what to expect, and learns the responses too.

I like the idea of eventually using hand signals to communicate the problem, because in a real emergency that's probably how it would be communicated, that or charades where they grab your regulator instead of signing out of air, etc.

I don't know if there is a hand signal is for "pretend" or "practice" although I guess you could use the knocking to switch to ASL and then sign the word pretend/practice, followed by whatever the problem is.

If you want to keep variety/randomness, flip to a card but don't show it to them, communicate by hand signals, that way both of you get practice.

 

[TrimixToo]

It seems like a good place to start having cards with problem on the front and solution steps on the back, that way the person presenting card knows what to expect, and learns the responses too.

I like the idea of eventually using hand signals to communicate the problem, because in a real emergency that's probably how it would be communicated, that or charades where they grab your regulator instead of signing out of air, etc.

I don't know if there is a hand signal is for "pretend" or "practice" although I guess you could use the knocking to switch to ASL and then sign the word pretend/practice, followed by whatever the problem is.

If you want to keep variety/randomness, flip to a card but don't show it to them, communicate by hand signals, that way both of you get practice.

I'd love for ASL to be adopted (no, I'm not deaf, but I'm a hearing signer), but it will never happen. I even know some deaf divers but have yet to dive with any of them. It'd be nearly as good as 2-way comms, which I have also never used (sadly).

 

[mrtechbench]

I know some ASL and think it would be wonderful to be used, I would make the effort to learn more ASL.
I agree it doesn't seem like it will be adopted, that would have happened by now. Communication goes from movement of light beam, a few dozen basic hand signals to wet notes/slate, talking at the surface or through CCR loop, or not communicating.
I think two way comms could be very useful, but have not used them and nobody I asked wants them, they prefer the silence, which I also understand.

 

[DutchDiverDude]

The problem with ASL is already in the name: 'American' Sign Language.
With diving being such an international activity communication during courses must be internationally valid as well. Different hand signal standards exist between agencies, but they are very similar and visually logical. Similar and logical enough that they make sense and are adapted quickly when necessary.

Obviously there is a huge benefit to using 'real' sign language underwater, but it will never happen structurally for an activity such as this.

 

[DutchDiverDude]

Well, I got a great example of why this kind of training is so important during yesterdays dive.
My buddy was shooting his DSMB because he hit 50 bar (12L cylinder) but we weren't back to shore yet. We were at 10m depth. Not a necessity in our training quarry, but more or less for practice. Many of us have an extra inflator hose just for the DSMB.
During the DSMB shooting, his inflator started blowing and didn't stop anymore.

I had never practiced what I should do in such a situation. My first reaction was to make my buddy aware of the situation: grab the hose and show him. Due to the amount of air escaping and the hose flailing all around, communication was much more difficult. The hose distracted us and the bubbles decreased the visibility of hand signals.

He wasn't out of air yet, but that wouldn't have taken long. In this case, I reacted only to his signals of 'out of air' once he noticed his air was draining quickly. It took him several tries to get the message across due to the distracting hose and bubbles everywhere. I gave him my long hose and we surfaced (a bit too quickly). On the surface he told me he couldn't reach his valves underwaterto close the stage that was blowing. He usually dives double 12L, and had for some reason other gear with him this time. I closed both valves while on the surface so that the cylinder wouldn't drain completely and we swam back to shore.

It all went OK, we surfaced with some air left. Still, we should have been able to solve this underwater, and that should have been a combined effort of both divers reacting appropriately.
Knowing that my buddy had <50 bar, my first response to anything blowing was to be prepared to give him my regulator, which I now only thought about after receiving his signal.
Had I known his setup, I could have closed his right valve for him. Only back on the surface I noticed that he was using 2 first stages on his single 12L. I could have guessed that, since he usually dives double 12L. His setup is the same as mine.

Because this situation was never discussed AND never practiced, I did not know how to respond and was in 'reactive' mode. I gave him air on request but was not prepared to proactively help solve this problem in the safest way possible. I was just watching him and thinking: 'OK, now what?'

If we would have practiced and discussed the situation of blowing regulators / hoses, both in the middle of the dive (plenty of air) and near the end of the dive (low on air), I probably would have acted better.

 

[happy-diver]

So maybe you guys will now put your cards aside, getting into learning about gear and maintenance instead

Practicing the hose folding in half system to stop freeflow

 

[mrtechbench]

Just saw a video giving an example of a practice hand signal. He uses a sign for "drill" and it's a straight index finger pressed against your cheek, rotating at the wrist, like a dentist drilling your tooth.