Right Place at Right Time

[Carl_F]

Wow. Their guardian angels were busy that day matching you up with them! This could easily have been one or more fatalities. How do you think his weight belt got so loose?

Likely the weight belt loosened up as depth increased and body compression occurred. The gas spaces in the gut compress, too. I'm a big guy and often find the need to adjust the cummerbund when I get to the bottom. Likely the weight belt wasn't particularly tight to begin with, too. Couple that with depth and off it comes.

Carl

---------- Post added June 2nd, 2014 at 07:14 PM ----------

You are probably already fully aware of the liability you assumed, unfortunately in our world today, many of our best deeds do not go unpunished. Obviously you did the right thing morally speaking, I just mention the liability because it seems like the right thing to do in a forum such as this. You did however, put your own life and livelihood in some amount of risk.

Unless he was a dive pro, he probably didn't incur as much liability. It could have been covered by Good Samaritan laws. Since any one can sue any one in the U.S. for any reason, it could still wind up in litigation until the judge dismisses the case based on the Good Samaritan laws.

 

[yardpro]

i have the same issue as carl.

as i descend i get skinnier, or just re distributed......

 

[divin'dog]

I am sure there are those that could nit-pick the way I handled this situation.

You did good. You got back safely. They got back safely. You controlled the situation and used good judgement. Can't ask for any more than that. You were their angel for the day.

 

[Altamira]

You deserve a big pat on the back, not only for the way you handled the problem, but for putting yourself and your fun dive at risk to buddy up with people that obviously needed you with them. You could have gone with the Navy guys, and no one would have faulted you for that, but you did the right thing by taking care of people that need help. That is not always the easy thing to do.

 

[MMM]

Makes total sense since I adjust as I descend (tightening everything up) but I can't say I ever thought that compression would be that significant.

Likely the weight belt loosened up as depth increased and body compression occurred. The gas spaces in the gut compress, too. I'm a big guy and often find the need to adjust the cummerbund when I get to the bottom. Likely the weight belt wasn't particularly tight to begin with, too. Couple that with depth and off it comes.

Carl

---------- Post added June 2nd, 2014 at 07:14 PM ----------

 

[ReefGuy]

True enough. I think I'll call the shop this week and see how they pair people up and discuss my concerns with them. I'm sure they get it all the time.

Good plan. I think you'll have fun.

 

[bullfroger]

you're lucky his tank didn't slip in his can band. might have been even more fun

 

[fiziks]

Makes total sense since I adjust as I descend (tightening everything up) but I can't say I ever thought that compression would be that significant.

Since he tried to put it back on in a vertical position, he probably put it on (on the boat) while standing straight up, which usually leads to a loose belt. I teach my students to lean forward and let the belt rest on their back so they aren't trying to hold it up as they tighten it... and then to re-tighten their belt as soon as they get horizontal in the water.

---------- Post added June 3rd, 2014 at 03:27 PM ----------

you're lucky his tank didn't slip in his can band. might have been even more fun

I can't count the times I've seen someone dragging an AL80 around by the reg hose and not even know it.

 

[diver 85]

Seriously, you did well--------(my fellow coonazz ??...maybe?).......I kept thinking about the their instructor ---was he/she in on any of this ---ie knew they were planning & going on these dives??????.........Did you get that far into their dive lives(hx)???

 

[scagrotto]

My only question is how the charter allowed them on without AOW cards.

Yeah, another 5 dives in the spring would have made everything all right.

Never in a dive briefing was there a reminder that OW divers maintain a depth of 60'. I assume they place the onus of knowing limits on the diver..

My opinion is that when dive ops start telling divers what they can't do they're implicitly telling them they can do other things, but if they haven't already seen you dive they have no idea what you're capable of. That shouldn't matter in court, but I figure if a diver is certified and pays for a trip they're claiming they've got the training and know their limitations.

Requiring AOW makes some sense based on typical agency positions on diving within your training, but it completely ignores actual experience. Requiring x number of dives also makes some sense, but there are some people who will be just as clueless or unskilled after 50 dives as they were when they finished their 4th checkout dive. If I was a dive op I think I'd limit myself to describing the site and advising people to "dive within their training and experience", but even that isn't perfect.