There are already threads on scuba board about accidents that have happened, so I decided to make a thread about the sillier types of mishaps that might happen. Things that don’t really affect the safety of the dive, but still could have been avoided to make the dive easier.
Silly Happenings and Mistakes
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I guess I’ll start, the last time I went diving, we were in the Florida keys and I had just descended for the second dive when my right foot began to cramp really badly. I wear water shoes over the little neoprene socks that I use to make my fins more comfortable, and I had forgotten to remove the one on my right foot so that it was barely fitting into the foot pocket. I simply stopped and removed the fin and the water shoe and then put the water shoe in my bc pocket and continued the dive. Still it seems kind of silly that I removed one shoe but left the other one on.
Alfa13
Registered
I gave my brand new GoPro to someone to take a picture of me underwater. I thought I put my wrist strap back on when he handed the camera back. Luckily someone on the boat saw my GoPro floating at the surface and was able to get it back to me.
tarponchik
Contributor
Couple times I stepped into the ocean w/o my weight belt. In one case, I even forgot it at home so I simply stuffed my BC pockets with rocks. Couple times I submerged while still breathing through the snorkel.
Belzelbub
Contributor
I've got a couple.
Several years ago, I was out on my boat to dive with a friend of mine. Planned to be a spearfishing dive. My friend was new to spearfishing and hadn't purchased his own speargun yet, so he was using my spare. We arrived at the spot, and started gearing up. That's when I realized that I screwed up. Had mask, fins, BC, reg, weights, computer, camera, gloves, knife, speargun. Ready to go except I had left the spears at my house. Oh well, I guess this is going to be a non-spearing dive. It wasn't a total loss. My buddy found a titanium knife on that dive.
On another occasion, spearfishing with a friend. Backroll in, and arrive at the bottom. when on the bottom, I notice that someone had dropped a weight. I pick up the weight. Before I could place in my pocket, I see another one. At that point, I realize that they are mine. Turns out that when I added the weight, I forgot to zip the top of the pocket closed. New BC, so I wasn't as used to it then as I am now. Luckily, it happened at the beginning of the dive so I still had a full tank of air to keep me negative. Trim weights were secure, just not the main, so I think it was just a total of 4 lbs.
Several years ago, I was out on my boat to dive with a friend of mine. Planned to be a spearfishing dive. My friend was new to spearfishing and hadn't purchased his own speargun yet, so he was using my spare. We arrived at the spot, and started gearing up. That's when I realized that I screwed up. Had mask, fins, BC, reg, weights, computer, camera, gloves, knife, speargun. Ready to go except I had left the spears at my house. Oh well, I guess this is going to be a non-spearing dive. It wasn't a total loss. My buddy found a titanium knife on that dive.
On another occasion, spearfishing with a friend. Backroll in, and arrive at the bottom. when on the bottom, I notice that someone had dropped a weight. I pick up the weight. Before I could place in my pocket, I see another one. At that point, I realize that they are mine. Turns out that when I added the weight, I forgot to zip the top of the pocket closed. New BC, so I wasn't as used to it then as I am now. Luckily, it happened at the beginning of the dive so I still had a full tank of air to keep me negative. Trim weights were secure, just not the main, so I think it was just a total of 4 lbs.
Looks like we’re going freediving now
KatieMac
Contributor
Diving in Roatan, I did the 2 morning dives and thought I was done for the day. After having lunch, I decided to do the 3rd dive as well.
Different DM and different boat. When we got to the dive site, I realized my fins weren't on the boat. It wasn't a long ride so we went back to the shop for them (they NEVER have women's size spare fins on the boat). My fins weren't in the other boat - they had been moved to my locker. The DMT who was diving with us grabbed them from my locker and got back on the boat.
So, back to the dive site and I jump in the water. Then I realize my weight pockets aren't in my BCD. I was about to bail on the dive and just hang in the boat but the DM promptly grabbed 10LBs and stuck it on my tank strap and trim pockets.
Even the slightest glance to the side would turn me over. The DM noticed my "struggle" and moved some weight to my front pockets which made the dive manageable but certainly not easy.
With my core and glutes fully engaged to manage the unfamiliar weight distribution, I finished the 66 minute dive. I was a bit sore the next day but the dive was well worth it.
Of course, the situation sparked a discussion between the DM and DMT. My weight pockets had been in my locker - right beside my fins. Why didn't he recognize and grab them? So there was some discussion about "responsibility".
MINE, I said. It doesn't matter that it's a full service shop. My life, my gear, my responsibility. I never should have let the boat leave the first time without checking my entire set up. Dumb rookie move.
But it did give me a story to tell here.
Different DM and different boat. When we got to the dive site, I realized my fins weren't on the boat. It wasn't a long ride so we went back to the shop for them (they NEVER have women's size spare fins on the boat). My fins weren't in the other boat - they had been moved to my locker. The DMT who was diving with us grabbed them from my locker and got back on the boat.
So, back to the dive site and I jump in the water. Then I realize my weight pockets aren't in my BCD. I was about to bail on the dive and just hang in the boat but the DM promptly grabbed 10LBs and stuck it on my tank strap and trim pockets.
Even the slightest glance to the side would turn me over. The DM noticed my "struggle" and moved some weight to my front pockets which made the dive manageable but certainly not easy.
With my core and glutes fully engaged to manage the unfamiliar weight distribution, I finished the 66 minute dive. I was a bit sore the next day but the dive was well worth it.
Of course, the situation sparked a discussion between the DM and DMT. My weight pockets had been in my locker - right beside my fins. Why didn't he recognize and grab them? So there was some discussion about "responsibility".
MINE, I said. It doesn't matter that it's a full service shop. My life, my gear, my responsibility. I never should have let the boat leave the first time without checking my entire set up. Dumb rookie move.
But it did give me a story to tell here.
SlugLife
Contributor
- Forgetting a piece of equipment is by far the most common screw-up
- Lacking a simple tool, o-ring, bungie, zip-tie, etc which might save your dive.
My dive-buddies have driven 2 hours (each way) got a hotel, etc .... only to figure out they're missing am o-ring, or something simple would have fixed. After numerous such incidents, I now have an extensive save-a-dive kit which has saved countless dives. Only a few for myself, but many for friends/buddies/strangers/etc. O-rings are the most common thing to go wrong.
The save-a-dive kit also ends up with other random uses that aren't dive-related. For example, this last weekend, the mini-first-aid-kit came in useful for a friend's kid that cut their foot swimming & fixed a fishing net with zip-ties. I've filled car tires a couple time, and filled an random-person's inflatable raft with leftover air. Lengths of cord and bungie has random uses too, like fixing a mesh loot bag, or a temporary-mask-strap, or replacing frayed/worn bungies.
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