Rescue ascension

[Seageek]

This one comes from a recent discussion with several other novice divers. It is very similar to the thread on emergency ascension with out Air, except, we were wondering in a rescue dive, if you found your buddy unconscious in, let's say 90' of water and you use the proper hold technique to keep his reg in but he's obviously not breathing/or unconscious and you know time is precious. How rapidly can you ascend (while continuing to breathe) to get him/her to the surface for necessary CPR or first aid? At what point do you endanger yourself? Can you get him to help at the surface and then drop back down and decompress? Hope that's not too many questions and I pray I'll never have to use the answers I get, But, it would be great to feel confident in the best response.

 

[DandyDon]

We study many skills in scuba that we hope to never use. Good question.

I believe that all Rescue programs teach keeping yourself safe first, so you don't become the second victim, and so you can remain able to assist. Searching for or assisting another diver, tho - I am willing to increase my level of managed risk somewhat. How much? Depends.

I might ascend faster than 30 ft/min - more like 60. I'd skip a safety stop, but only minimize a deco stop. From a deco stop, I might make sure the injured diver is somewhat buoyant then let me surface, hoping the boat crew would see and take over surface rescue.

If the diver's reg is out of mouth and unresponsive, I don't think we mess with trying to put it in for the ascent. Rescue breathing is started on the surface, and I carry a special mouthpiece just in case.

Returning to the water for a missed stop is debatable. I've done it under very favorable conditions. With a rescue in progress, I'd probably skip it and hope there was enough O2 on board for both of us.

 

[Wildcard]

Basicly the guy is dead already so don't endanger yourself. Rember the rules. Ascend no faster than 60 feet/min. Your in NO DECO LIMIT diving which means you can in a situation lke this, blow off the safety stop, it is after all not a mandatory deco stop.
Hold the reg in the guys mouth, ascend using his BC at no more than 60 ft/min. Hit the surface and inflate his BC then yours and get him back on the boat then attempt CPR as needed.

 

[DandyDon]

Can you explain the purpose in holding the reg in the mouth, when task loading is already high...??

Hold the reg in the guys mouth, ascend....

I thnk I was taught to not bother, unless I am mistaken?

 

[Wildcard]

The thought is that it will help protect the airway from aspiration of sea water. As the body ascends, if there is still air in the lungs, it will expand and vent which will also help to keep the airway clear. But then again, he is prolly dead anyway. Just dont try to ventlate with the regulator, we have had that discussion here befoere too.

 

[lamont]

This one comes from a recent discussion with several other novice divers. It is very similar to the thread on emergency ascension with out Air, except, we were wondering in a rescue dive, if you found your buddy unconscious in, let's say 90' of water and you use the proper hold technique to keep his reg in but he's obviously not breathing/or unconscious and you know time is precious. How rapidly can you ascend (while continuing to breathe) to get him/her to the surface for necessary CPR or first aid? At what point do you endanger yourself? Can you get him to help at the surface and then drop back down and decompress? Hope that's not too many questions and I pray I'll never have to use the answers I get, But, it would be great to feel confident in the best response.

Well, I probably wouldn't 'find' my buddy unconscious in 90' of water. I'd probably notice him go unconscious.

At that point he's not dead, but he's dying. I'd make sure to secure a reg in his mouth, and I'd ascend at a rate which was fast, but in control -- particularly if we're talking about an NDL dive. Probably this would look simething like 60 fpm to 30 feet and 30 fpm to the surface (so 2 mins to surface) and would try to clear my buddies lungs at 30 feet to prevent barotrauma. On the surface I'd get help for the buddy and then probably get on O2 (particularly if the dive was near the NDL limits at 90'). I would not try in-water recompression for blowing off NDL stops. I'd find someone with a bottle of O2, 50/50, 50% or highest nitrox content i could find, and contact the chamber if I felt DCS effects.

If this were a technical dive, then I'd have to make a judgement call about ascent rate on DCS risk and barotrauma risk vs. buddy dying on me. If I could hand off the victim fast on the surface, and was not alone, and was asymptomatic, I would try executing missed deco procedures by going back down again. If it were a really deep technical dive where surfacing would result in truly explosive decompression, then I'd hand off the victim to safety divers.

 

[Eagle-scuba]

Never endanger yourself...assume that your buddy is already beyond simple recovery, you still need to ascend at the rate 1fpm...address the issue with the buddy once you get to the surface, be careful not to let the ascent get away from you as your buddies bcd will need venting as you rise , same as yours.... you will of greater value to your buddy, and athorities once you surface safely...see ya` under

 

[lamont]

Honestly, on an NDL dive I'm not worried about the DCS risk to myself. Its very minimal. I'm more worried about the barotrauma risk to my buddy and how long he's been unconscious in the water. The former will make the ascent slower and the latter will make the ascent faster. On an NDL dive you're probably still running only a 1 in 100 chance of clinical DCS if you blow off your ascent rate and stops (they used to teach 60 fpm ascents and optional safety stops), and if you do take a hit it will probably be a pain hit, skin hit or something easily recompressable. You aren't blowing off 90 minutes of deco coming off of the Doria...

 

[Wildcard]

An unconcious diver will vent overpressure on there own as they asscend, baro trauma is not a big risk.Even if it was, they are not breathing underwater, it dosen't get much worse than that. You wont make them any more dead. Don't endanger your self.

 

[DandyDon]

....you still need to ascend at the rate 1fpm...

Typos happen here. I dont think he meant one ft per min; I think he meant one ft per sec or 60 ft per min.

As said, 60 ft per min used to be the accepted ascent rate even for the last 60 ft, and for a maybe not dead diver, I'd go for that - skipping non-mandatory stops. I know, he's probably a dead diver, but maybe not. Can't give up hope too early.