Scuba diver dies after being found floating at Kurnell, NSW, Australia

[Jax]

Perhaps I'm a newbie so that's why I'm saying that when someone's under pressure as in life threatening pressure, even the most intensive of training can vanish in an instant. Way I look at it, as a newbie of course, there's a difference in ditching your weights as a demonstration and ditching it because you have no more air, am in an unfamiliar configuration and just MUST get to the surface IMMEDIATELY.

Good point, sir, and entirely relevant because most divers do not practice ditching weight after initial training. The lack of practicing this skill has left diver after diver on the bottom. So please, practice all the skills, including mask removal and replace along with the weight belt ditching.

This is a woman who practiced this skill probably weekly. Not ditching the weight belt is extremely puzzling, and why I am not buying into complacency. Yet.

 

[Doubler]

I live in the Pacnorwest and the primary reason I don't dive here is the move to a dry suit. I have over a thousand dives and in an emergency my instincts are going to be muscle memory driven. The drysuit weight belts I have seen look like a over the shoulder belt system with 30+ pounds that would flustered the heck out of me. In an emergency being unfamiliar with equipment can and often results in a fatal outcome. It also seems that it is older divers new to drysuits that are the fatalities up here.

 

[Jax]

The drysuit weight belts I have seen look like a over the shoulder belt system with 30+ pounds that would flustered the heck out of me.

How very odd. :huh:

Does anyone know what type weight belt this is?

 

[AfterDark]

I live in the Pacnorwest and the primary reason I don't dive here is the move to a dry suit. I have over a thousand dives and in an emergency my instincts are going to be muscle memory driven. The drysuit weight belts I have seen look like a over the shoulder belt system with 30+ pounds that would flustered the heck out of me. In an emergency being unfamiliar with equipment can and often results in a fatal outcome. It also seems that it is older divers new to drysuits that are the fatalities up here.

I use the same belt wet or dry suit, just for the reason you stated, familiarity. Also those type have the integrated weight type release an accident waiting for a time and place to happen IMO.

 

[boulderjohn]

How very odd. :huh:

Does anyone know what type weight belt this is?

I assume he is talking about a harness that has straps that go over the shoulder. They are useful with dry suits because the dry suits lack the hips that keep a weight belt in place. I have never used one, but I understand it is easy to drop weights from them.

 

[DiverGirl1972]

Weight Belt Suspenders | LeisurePro

Example of weight belt suspenders

 

[scubadada]

Good point, sir, and entirely relevant because most divers do not practice ditching weight after initial training. The lack of practicing this skill has left diver after diver on the bottom. So please, practice all the skills, including mask removal and replace along with the weight belt ditching.

This is a woman who practiced this skill probably weekly. Not ditching the weight belt is extremely puzzling, and why I am not buying into complacency. Yet.

Most of my weight is ditchable in 2 integrated pockets. These are in a Scubapro BC, very secure but very easy to purposefully release. I do practice releasing these periodically.

 

[Jax]

Got it!

 

[robertarak]

They hang from the shoulders like suspenders, but you can ditch weight like any other quick release system.

 

[Ayisha]

From what I was told, during the entire dive Marcia was constantly drifting away from her buddies, causing them to have to continually keep track and keep up with her. She was asked several times to remain closer and she shrugged it off. The last time this happened was when they surfaced. I've dove with inattentive buddies before, and it's quite a chore keeping up with someone if they're not willing to do their part.

Do you think that Marcia was so used to being in the lead and having a group follow her that she had a hard time when it came time for her to be an equal team mate, maybe even follow those who knew the area? I'm not making excuses. Just trying to understand the complicated dynamics that seemed to be going on here...