Rescue diver needs help!

[karararar]

Hey everyone, my arms are waving over my head and my legs are finning madly!!

Im in the middle of my rescue diver course and am formualting my emergency assistance plan. We were asked to pick a local site we hadnt dived before (my instructor is the devil ) but have been given three weeks to get everything ready before we actually dive it ourselves. I should mention this is in Ireland!! The site I looked at is only accessible to scuba divers at night, so off I went at night on recon. The big thing I noticed is there is no lights at all down there and its also wet and slippy! When I asked some of those divers who do go there what they do for light, of course they said they used their car lights. Can anyone suggest how I can get around this in my dive plan? As I said, my instructor is the devil and there is no way I could write down to use car lights (as we all know it says not to in the adventures in diving manual for good reason!) and whatever I write for the plan Im gonna have to carry out at my dive! Argh....meltdown!

 

[Guba]

I'm no expert, and I have little idea what your instructor will want on this, but I've conducted night exercises in "challenging" environments. Maybe these suggestions will be useful.
1) Paths can be laid out using chemical light sticks. While they don't illuminate well enough to see all the obstacles, they can mark the easiest going. They can also be color coded--red for hazardous areas, green for "safe" passage, etc...
2) Inexpensive headlamps could be provided (if the number of divers is small, anyway)
3) Even more inexpensive flashlights can be hung from "necklaces", or lanyards to be worn by divers. The beams need to point downward, of course. Once on station, the flashlights can be placed on rocks and other natural rests in a circular arrangement so that they point toward a central location. This becomes your staging area.
4) If one or more is available, you could set up gasoline, propane, or even battery powered florescent lanterns. These throw considerable light for a long time.
5) Recreational Vehicles use 12 volt light systems that use special incandescent bulbs. Set up a car battery and a series of these bulbs (again in a circle, and if you want to get more elaborate use directional reflectors) for your staging area.

Just a few thoughts that have worked for me in the past.

 

[karararar]

Guba, you are a genius! I'm pretty sure when I go to dive the site the other 5 divers of the group will come too, especially with my wonderful EAP and my even better lighting arrangements!

 

[battles2a5]

Set up 2 strobes or lights on the shore. Place one close to the entry/exit point and one on the same heading about 20-30 paces behind at a higher elevation (hanging from a tree or something). If someone surfaces away from the exit point, they can adjust their position until the 2 lights line up on top of eachother, then you know you are heading in the right direction towards the exit. Night/shore diving 101 .

Conversely, if you consider the sight unsafe for nightdiving, you can recommend in your plan that you do not dive the site at night. You can also recommend a side by side, locked arms, side-stepping entry due to the slick ramp. Or set up a knotted rope, or something. Just address the obvious concerns, that's what your instructor is looking for.

 

[karararar]

Thanks Battles2a5, I'll put those entry points in, never thought of that. The problem with the site is that local authorities have banned scuba there during day light hours due to the volume of boat activity and it is a well known bathing site (about twenty years ago it was a nude mens only site!!) However its free to dive at night and is teeming with life, in particular Freddy the octopus! I'll go back this evening to see if I could elevate the light on something, Im sure if it was possible the lads wouldnt be running down their car batteries! (although, you never know!!)

 

[mattbinvt]

If you or a friend has one or two Coleman Lanterns But I would use the Chem Sticks. The Bright Green Illuminate the best. One step better use red ones where there is a possible "danger" for extra visability. But thats my 2 cents.

 

[karararar]

Thanks everyone for your help, I did the EAP and passed the rescue course last night!! Woo!!