Saving Myself from my Buddy

[Mike Edmonston]

I don't know about DIR -- but nothing he did was taught in PADI rescue class either.

PADI specifically tells their rescue students to not rip an air source out of a breathing diver's mouth as that's a great way to kill someone.

PADI specifically teaches to not dump weights and ascend unless there's compelling reason as an overly rapid, or worse, out of control ascent can create far more problems than it will solve.

PADI specifically teaches to not force your help on someone who is not in distress.

PADI specifically teaches that after rescuing someone, never make a big deal out of it as that's a great way to embarass or humiliate the person who needed rescuing (let along the person who didn't).

Forget DIR. This guy couldn't pass any NAUI or PADI rescue course out there.

Yeah, he's batting 1000 on the "what not to do" series

 

[SteveAD]

If I was on a jury at your trial for killing this bozo I would have no hesitation to call it justified self defense. This kind of thing is why I would rather dive alone than with an instabuddy. And I would NEVER ditch MY buddy to dive with a stranger.

 

[Jim Kerr]

Well I'm not DIR and someone correct me if I'm wrong but don't they "encourage" 3 man buddy teams? So this guy that didn't want to dive with you and your husband as a third buddy definitely sounds fishy to me too.

As far as insta buddies are concerned I cringe at the thought of being paired up with one but sometimes I have no other choice. If I'm traveling alone and they have a "no solo" diving rule then I'm forced to be someones' insta buddy and they mine or not dive. I usually end up with someone who thinks they're in a race or something and never sees half the critters they swim over while sucking up most of their air. One guy missed a "huge" Nurse Shark right underneath him and looked annoyed when I pulled on his leg to point it out to him. I had to point at it 3 or 4 times till he finally saw it.

I never ask what their certification level is (I've seen too many accelerated course DMs) but rather "how many dives" they have and how they are on air. Then I usally ask them where they have been diving and by then I usually have a good feel for what kind of dive it"s going to be.

I was really fortunate this last time I had to be an insta buddy and got paired up with a guy from England who had about the same number of dives as I have and as I found out later was also a DM and Tech Certified. So he was a little (read alot) better diver than I am but more importantly our air consumptions matched. We were in the Keys doing a couple of the popular wreck dives which have some depth so we were able to maximise our bottom time. We dove together for 2 days and I have to say he was the best insta buddy I ever had.

So my advise is don't turn down a diver in need right away (hey, it might be me) until you feel them out. It's they who are joining you so if they're not agreeable to the dive plan just tell them thanks but no thanks.

 

[RiverRat]

Well I'm not DIR and someone correct me if I'm wrong but don't they "encourage" 3 man buddy teams? So this guy that didn't want to dive with you and your husband as a third buddy definitely sounds fishy to me too.

I'm not DIR either but from what I understand most of them would not even plan a trip "solo". The odds of finding a DIR diver "in the wild" are pretty slim. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a 3 man team is possible in DIR as long as the dive is planned as such and each diver understands that the third diver may not get full attention in an emergency. The dive has to be planned a little different. And ripping the reg out, well that's a no no for anyone. DIR teaches to deploy your primary in front of the diver and have the diver grab it from you. You then OK the diver and deploy your SPG to show your PSI and get the diver calm. The only time you'd put a reg in a divers mouth for him is when he's unconcious. And that's standard stuff for any agency.

 

[TSandM]

I'm not DIR either but from what I understand most of them would not even plan a trip "solo". The odds of finding a DIR diver "in the wild" are pretty slim. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a 3 man team is possible in DIR as long as the dive is planned as such and each diver understands that the third diver may not get full attention in an emergency. The dive has to be planned a little different.

First off, 3 man teams are pretty standard for DIR diving. Running a 3 man team just requires some agreement on positioning and signals, and pretty good situational awareness on the part of all team members. One of the things we get hammered on in training is getting so involved with a problem that the two team members involved in the issue forget the third. We are NOT to do that. It's easier said than done, but we try. It is also the responsibility of the third team member to perceive what the emergency is and plan what his role should be, and where he should go to make the exit more efficient.

The dive is not planned differently, except for the discussion about team positioning, and individual responsibilities during the dive. Gas planning is the same.

And yes, in an OOA emergency, you deploy your primary regulator, getting it very close to the OOA diver, who then takes it and puts it in his mouth. If the OOA diver is panicked and paralyzed, I'd make a gentle attempt to get my reg into his mouth. Nobody's ever going to pull a working regulator away from someone else.

 

[Cave Diver]

Obviously he wasn't DIR or he never would have dived with someone with that failure point.

:lol:

 

[RiverRat]

Obviously he wasn't DIR or he never would have dived with someone with that failure point.

I would rather dive with that "failure point" than that so called any day. She handled the dive quite well, he was the problem.

 

[Jim Kerr]

The only time you'd put a reg in a divers mouth for him is when he's unconcious. And that's standard stuff for any agency.

I have to disagree with you on that one. It has been my understanding to "never" attempt to put a reg into the mouth of an unconcious diver but to get them to the surface as soon as possible to start rescue breathing and CPR if needed. And I believe you're also suppose to apply presure to the chest while ascending so that air can escape so as not to expand and cause an embolism. I think it's time to review my rescue manual.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

I have to disagree with you on that one. It has been my understanding to "never" attempt to put a reg into the mouth of an unconcious diver but to get them to the surface as soon as possible to start rescue breathing and CPR if needed. And I believe you're also suppose to apply presure to the chest while ascending so that air can escape so as not to expand and cause an embolism. I think it's time to review my rescue manual.

This sounds correct. An unconscious diver isn't going to be breathing on his/her own anyway, and they won't be able to close their mouth around the mouthpiece of a reg. Get 'em up to the surface ASAP and get rescue breathing and, if needed, CPR. The sooner that can be done and the sooner the cycle of care can be initiated, the better chance the patient has of survival.

 

[Charlie99]

I have to disagree with you on that one. It has been my understanding to "never" attempt to put a reg into the mouth of an unconcious diver but to get them to the surface as soon as possible to start rescue breathing and CPR if needed. And I believe you're also suppose to apply presure to the chest while ascending so that air can escape so as not to expand and cause an embolism. I think it's time to review my rescue manual.

Putting pressure on the chest won't help. The important thing is an open airway. If the diver is unconscious and limp, then ascending is a good idea.

A diver that is convulsing from an epileptic seizure or and oxygen toxicity seizure likely does NOT have an open airway during the main portion of the seizure. Ascending while the diver has his airway blocked by his convulsions is likely to cause AGE. This is one case where it is a good idea to wait a minute or two at depth to see if the seizure ends. It's not likely that you can insert a reg, but it's worth a try.