Skipping the pre-dive checks

[TSandM]

The dive plan stuff was all done -- we had done the deco plan and gas plan the night before, and then discussed it at length with the other team in the parking lot, to make sure we were all on the same page. What we didn't do was gear checks -- at least, I did mine and it appears that I didn't miss anything important. I don't know how good a job Peter did of his, given how ill he felt. We did stop at about 40 feet, when we got out of the surge, and did bubble checks and a general eyeball check and okay.

I don't like starting a tech dive without going through the list, because I know we all forget stuff at times, and in this case, as sick as Peter was, he was a setup for missing something important. But I also couldn't see making him stay on the boat or even on the surface (where he was actually vomiting violently) to get it done. I've been on boats before where people were very seasick prior to starting the dive, but I never thought about what that does to gear checks.

 

[rjack321]

We've done many a tech dive where the gist of the checks is a mod-S (on the boat). Gas/valve check on the boat, bubble check on the scooter trigger on the way down. If you screw around deploying lights and checking dump and inflators you will miss the dive. At a certain point you have to trust that people have their sheet together and that you can handle any gear hiccups. And that anyone catching anything in the water or on the descent will abort the dive. Sometimes its not pretty, e.g. not having a suit inflator hooked up and getting help on the way down to attach it. But generally its something you laugh about afterwards.

 

[nadwidny]

There's a lot to be said for personal responsibility.

 

[Peter Guy]

As the buddy on this dive, I'm going to chime in and provide my perspective.

a. Boat was a 22(?) Ft RIB, in moderate (6 - 8 foot) swells and a lot of wind chop run by a very experienced captain (and one I know and trust as part of my dive team). Gearing up was done by the captain "assisting" us into the gear.

b. After getting my gear on, while sitting opposite Lynne, I tested inflators (wing/drysuit), regs (both back gas but NOT deco! Although I had checked the deco pressure and that the pressure was holding) -- refused to go through the checks with her and told her everything had been checked and backrolled in -- holding onto a granny line -- got to the surface and puked and puked and puked

c. At that point I thought, Screw It -- thumbed to Lynne (other team had already started their descent) and then thought better of it and signaled to descend. By 10 feet I felt fine -- checked with Lynne, told her she had small stream of bubbles and she told me I was OK.

d. The dive itself was wonderful except for the taste in my mouth! Upon surfacing, I puked again and again.

This was NOT the best diving situation I've ever had.

 

[TSandM]

I do find it fascinating that nobody but me seems to find skipping the checks to be undesirable. So much for the culture of safety, I guess . . .

 

[rjack321]

I do find it fascinating that nobody but me seems to find skipping the checks to be undesirable. So much for the culture of safety, I guess . . .

Its not optimal but sometimes there's not much alternative if you want to do the dive. Conditions in class (and at nearly all caves) are always conducive to taking whatever time it takes to go through whatever checks you want, no matter how long it takes. But the real world just doesn't cooperate like that. You can't do bubble checks in the surf zone before getting into drowning depth at California beaches. And on many boat dives the current will carry you miles from the site if you start gue-edging on the surface and rechecking gear.

You could have skipped the dive and puked the day away, vomiting is better than drowning obviously.

 

[lv2dive]

I just read that Peter *did* do the checks... the issue appears to be more about *how* they are done than skipping them entirely?

 

[TSandM]

I really believe the ritual of doing the checks together is one of the strengths of our system. If one person forgets something, someone else is likely to remember it.

Richard, I agree with you that real life isn't sitting quietly in a cenote. But even on a boat, I try to be ready early enough that we can run through a quick gear check.

My cynical answer above really has to do with having read Panos' and Gareth's articles in the recent Quest magazine, and thought to myself, "Well, I know how well the people doing "big" dives that I've seen stick to the checklist procedures on OC. I wonder how well it will work with CCR?"

 

[LiteHedded]

sure. but **** happens and there isn't always time for everything by the letter. ran into it time and again in my tech 2 class. you do the best you can.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I do find it fascinating that nobody but me seems to find skipping the checks to be undesirable. So much for the culture of safety, I guess . . .

... remembering a "lumpie" dive we did at Redondo one night with KathyD ...

(Kathy) "Does she always do this for a 20-foot dive?"
(Me) "Yup ... every time."



... Bob (Grateful Diver)