rescue from depth

[mdsd]

Getting different views on this topic. Interested in scubaboard view.

scenario: Unconscious diver with reg in mouth at 80 feet. You need to bring the diver to the surface quickly. You were at depth for 20 minutes.

Various courses and texts talk to the proper technique for bringing the diver to the surface and giving first aid. But, if you have to bring the diver to the surface quickly what do you do about a safety stop for yourself.

Aren't there risks for both divers? How do you handle this scenario?

 

[Dive-aholic]

That's a hard call. Of course there are risks to both divers. There always are. Is the unconscious diver breathing? Probably not, so if you look at an ascent rate of at least 60'/minute, you have almost a minute and a half just to the surface. If you add a 3 minute safety stop to that with a nonbreathing diver you are pretty much guaranteeing death. Are you definitely going to take a hit - not definitely.

f you have surface support you can choose to stop at 15' and send the unconscious diver to the surface. If not, I'd probably take the chance and go to the surface with the diver. If I could turn over care to someone else, I'd probably descend back down and off gas for a few minutes just to be on the safe side, as long as I had enough air to do that.

Tough question, but a good one.

 

[GDI]

Well let us look at this in a way that may be practical. The diver you are helping may or may not live if you decide to do a safety stop. Pick One: Let him Live or Die?

Since you are always recommended to do a safety stop of 3-5 min at 15-20 feet you must also note a few things here.

1. Divers were surving dives for years without the use of computers and making safety stops.

2. The profile that you stated does not put you into a compulsory safety stop scenario. Therefore you could head directly to the surface and help the diver possibly saving their life. Just don't ascend any greater than 60 ft/min.

3. Once on the surface subject to and depending on any surface support you may opt to descend and wait out several minutes, leaving the diver in the capable hands of surface tenders. This would not be practical if you were boat diving. In boat diving you may be best just to call it a day of diving and monitor yourself for any abnormalities possibly leading to DCI.

4. No matter what you do in diving there are always risks. DCI is not just a case of ascending to fast or staying down to long there are many varibles invovled. You could have done everything correct and by the book and still get bent.

5. You did not mention if the unconscious diver was your buddy or not. IF not then where is that divers buddy? If they are your buddy then what about your personal condition? When a diver becomes ill many divers who help out only think about the injured diver they often forget about the diver's buddy.

Make a choice and go with it

 

[Diver0001]

Getting different views on this topic. Interested in scubaboard view.

scenario: Unconscious diver with reg in mouth at 80 feet. You need to bring the diver to the surface quickly. You were at depth for 20 minutes.

Various courses and texts talk to the proper technique for bringing the diver to the surface and giving first aid. But, if you have to bring the diver to the surface quickly what do you do about a safety stop for yourself.

Aren't there risks for both divers? How do you handle this scenario?

80ft for 20 min is still well within the NDL's. I would personally ascend directly to the surface in that situation. I agree with GDI. Anything you do that could keep him underwater longer than necessary could kill him.

R..

 

[ScubaFreak]

I agree with Diver0001 and GDI's points in that you are well within the NDL limits, making it safe to come straight to the surface ensuring a good ascent rate the whole way.

 

[Azza]

Head straight to the surface. Remember a recommended safety stop is just that. Recommended
V-Planner gives no obligatory stop;

Dec to 80ft (1) on Air, 66ft/min descent.
Level 80ft 18:47 (20) on Air, 0.72 ppO2, 80ft ead
Asc to sfc. (22) on Air, -30ft/min ascent.

I would even ascend faster than 30 fpm because at the end of the day you are only likely , if anything, to take a pain hit from the fast ascent. Im not saying sprint up here but maybe 60-70 fpm.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It's not a hard call at all. 20 minutes is only half the allowed no deco limit on the old navy tables and is still 5-10 minutes less than the NDL for an 80 ft dive on most current recreational diving tables The odds of getting DCS from a 60 fpm ascent and no saftey stop are extremely remote and this minimal risk in no way compares to the damage that will definitely be done by taking a 3 minute saftey stop at 15 ft or by inflating the divers BC and sending him or her to the surface from 15 ft and depending on surface support staff to notice and rescue the diver. If you decide to take the safety stop or send the diver up alone, it is not a rescue, it is a recovery.

Where the call gets difficult is where you have a substantial deco obligation and no other divers above you to pass the victim to the surface. Your options are then to surface with the diver and after a very minimal surface interval (1-2 minutes max), descend and complete an ommitted deco procedure and hope you can avoid a hit. The alternative is to inflate the diver's BC and send him up hoping that the diver's airway will remain open and that he will not incur a lung injury and that the diver will be quickly seen on the surface and rescued in a timely manner.

 

[captain]

Bring him straight up. In my early days I did 35 or 40 minute 80 foot dives and surfaced at 60 fpm per the Navy tables with no safety stop. The Navy tables were formulated mainly for surface supplied diver who went to 80 ASAP stayed at 80 feet the entire time doing work and surfaced at 60 fpm. Most scuba dives are variable depth dives, you may reach 80 feet as the deepest depth but not spend every minute at 80 feet.

Captain

 

[jroy017]

No mention wether he's breathing or not but any unconscious diver needs to be immediately resurfaced . The safety stop is a added bonus when everything is perfect if your diver is unconscious things are definatly not perfect. SURFACE IMMEDIATELY !!.

Worst case scenario you would have a deco obligation : bring buddy to surface hand off to crew, go back down for deco.

 

[Walter]

I agree, this is an easy choice. Straight to the surface, the chances of getting bent are extremely small. Even if it was a 50 minute dive to 80 ft, I'd skip the required deco (assuming the victim is breathing). DCS can be cured, death can't.