Sad...Another Florida Diver Down

[Tom Winters]

When I used to teach students, we did the weight belt drop numerous times - actually pulling it clear, taking a look below, and firing away. Plus I had a standing offer to buy them a new weight belt if they ever got rid of it for any reason. There is a point, however finite, before the point of oblivious panic, and that's when I wanted them reacting from instinct.
It probably helped that we trained in the ocean - bombing pool bottoms with weight belts would not be too cool.

 

[gangrel441]

As a general rule, proper weighting would make a malfunctioning BC at the surface a non-emergency. Divers should be able to keep themselves at the surface comfortably with no air in the BC and two full lungs. Dumping weights should make the diver MORE positive, but shouldn't be necessary to GET the diver positive.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

I have removed the personal attacks. Unfortunatley, some of that fallout is that the responses to the attack was also removed.
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[Rockhound76]

Mmm....Okay.

I'm very sorry to learn about what happened. I hope we can all learn from this...

On my son's checkout dive last month, one of the students (adult) had several problems, including a panic ascent from 30' that I arrested. He claimed his gear malfunctioned, but we could find nothing wrong.

The next dive, he panicked again, due to a real failure; the zip tie failed on his BC after he insisted on tugging it hard to activate the dump. Of course, his BC would not hold air and he was about 10lbs overweighted. . He made it to the surface in full panic mode, ditched his mask, spit out the regulator and was "going down" when he rememberedd to ditch his weights (or someone, not me, did it for him. I was too slow).

The weight problem--more correctly, the BOUYANCY problem was solved right then. He swam to shore "pitching a fit" about his gear, but he didn't drown.

As some have pointed out in other threads, a technical diver or sport divers in certain circumstances can be properly weighted AND negative at the surface, especially at the beginning of the dive, but dumping weights (and extraneous gear) will solve the bouyancy issue almost every time. If it doesn't, ditch the bc.

 

[Thalassamania]

I can't comment on the circumstances of this accident, but time after time in the stats compiled by the NUADC on diving fatalities, the decedent was still wearing the weight belt. People in extremis just forget that one supersimple evolution.

Right-O. That's why I've had a life long policy, with all of my students, that any time they call me up and say they had to ditch their belt ... I'll buy them a new one. I've only had to pay off on that twice, and it was well worth it to know that they did not fall into that trap.

 

[cgvmer]

My condolences to the family. I dive a bp/w and don't have jacket bcd around...where is the zip tie that seems to be failing for these people?

(No I'm not DIR, or Tech, just more comfortable in a bp/w)

 

[gangrel441]

My condolences to the family. I dive a bp/w and don't have jacket bcd around...where is the zip tie that seems to be failing for these people?

(No I'm not DIR, or Tech, just more comfortable in a bp/w)

The zip tie in question is the one that holds the corrugated hose on to the elbow or shoulder dump valve on the BC. Even if you are using a BP/W, my bet is that this zip tie is present in your gear. There is also one at the connection between the corrugated hose and your power inflator. There is also one holding the mouthpiece on to your second stage reg, and there have been plenty of stories of those zip ties failing as well.

 

[gangrel441]

As some have pointed out in other threads, a technical diver or sport divers in certain circumstances can be properly weighted AND negative at the surface, especially at the beginning of the dive, but dumping weights (and extraneous gear) will solve the bouyancy issue almost every time. If it doesn't, ditch the bc.

A tech diver diving doubles may very well be negative at the beginning of the dive because of the boyuancy characteristics of double steel tanks. Not really sure of any circumstances under which a recreational diver on a single tank should be any more than 5 lbs neg at the start of the dive, to compensate for change in tank pressure by the end of the dive. 5 lbs neg should be within the range that the diver can compensate for with full lungs of air.

I don't disagree that ditching the weights will also solve the problem. I just think many of these problems would go away if divers learned not to have so much lead on them in the first place. I still maintain that a sport diver who NEEDS a functioning BCD in order to stay at the surface in reality needs to shead some lead from the weight belt...

 

[cgvmer]

Thank you Gangrel441, I had to look hard for them on my bp/w. I have the golemgear 35lb wing with the golem power inflater. The zip ties, are covered in rubber and are somewhat protected.

The lesson I learn from this thread (and that is the only reason for threads like this) is that I need to inspect my gear well, before each dive, and plan how to survive after a piece of equipment fails.

 

[Thalassamania]

The hose is usually glued also.