Sobering dive tonight.

[pipedope]

I am happy to hear that the latest dive went well.

You had new wrist seals, new gloves (mittens with hot water) and *no cold debt from a dive the previous night*.

The 5 minute change may also have made a difference as well as getting out of the water to deal with fins etc..

Here in Florida the main call for a dry suit is contaminated water diving and that calls for dry boots, dry gloves and a helmet rigged to really prevent any water from getting in. Think about diving in the local sewage treatment plant or at a nuclear reactor plant.

I like to (when possible) dive anything new in a tank or pool and then in clear water before using it in the dark and especially before taking it into a pipe where I have to work completely by feel.

Given that your dive where you got cold was a testing and practice dive, your one real mistake, and your buddy's also was not taking the hypothermia seriously as a pontential medical emergency. You really should have been rewarmed before driving. Rewarmed means warmed to the point of sweating, see the Navy Dive Manual.
You might want to stock up on instant heat packs for just this kind of situation. Heat packs under the armpits and in the crotch will warm you quickly. Use this only on a person who is still awake and aware, severe hypothermia is time to call 911.

Overall you done good.

BTW could you send some of that cold air and water down here????

michael

 

[Kaffphine]

Just to clear up some misunderstanding:

Pipedope- "and *no cold debt from a dive the previous night*. " That dive I had orginally posted about was a night, without one the night before. Although I had done two dives (24 &26mins) 4 days before.

"your one real mistake, and your buddy's also was not taking the hypothermia seriously as a pontential medical emergency. "
I knew I was going to get cold, but my first 'ok too cold' was tring to get my fins off... can't feel hands and it's hard to move them, bad. The distraction and lack of concertration probably started then too, as he was reminding me of some things that he shouldn't have had too. But I didn't realize it until I had gotten out of the trimlam and sitting still by the fire. I stayed there for awhile warmed up. Wasn't very active socially, a BIG departure from me normally. Though I was warm enought to go back out in the rain and take care of my gear, did that. Went back to warm up, stayed there til the fire was pretty much dead. And then tried to drive... that's when I realized how bad I was. And the next day had it hammered into my head, I was sooo tired at work. When my boss asked if I had a hangover, no just got too cold last night. She wasn't sure and wanted to know how much I had slept, 9hrs (way more than normal). I left work early, only an 8hr day and woke up pretty close to normal the next day. Had I realized how bad I was at the quarry and said somthing or was noticably worst, yes it ..err I would have been treated as an actual/potental medical emergency. But, and here's the real mistake, I never said anything because .... I don't know. I screwed up.


"BTW could you send some of that cold air and water down here???? " You can come up and share.

 

[pipedope]

This points out how we need to watch out for our buddies, during and *after* the dive.
Your buddy should (and probably did) see a red flag on needing to remind you of things getting out. With a sudden change in personality, i.e. your not being social (I assume that you dive with the same people enough that this should be obvious) there would be a second red flag and time to investigate. This really could rate a quick neurological exam with a check of body temp tossed in, given the conditions.

You were probably borderline but not really warmed up before you went back out to deal with your gear. Working in a cold rain is an easy way to get hypothermic even without a cold dive.

Remember that you are not really rewarmed just because you *feel* warm. To be sure of being warm you have to reach the point of sweating.

Now all you need to do is to watch for the same thing in your buddies and also brief your buddies to watch in the future and take more aggressive action as symptioms present.

Hey, where in central PA are you? My GF is from State College.

michael

 

[Kaffphine]

Pipedope- "With a sudden change in personality, i.e. your not being social (I assume that you dive with the same people enough that this should be obvious) there would be a second red flag and time to investigate. "

I recently moved back to the area and started diving elsewhere, so those I was diving with are now 1700 miles away. So I have a new crowd and new dive buddies to meet. Before I got to actually diving up here, I hung out at a few of the LDS went to a Jan1 dive (surface diver) to see how people are diving up here and meet up and talk with the instructor I was pretty sure I wanted to do a dry suit class with (people from other dive shops where giving him rave reviews). On the cert dives for dry suit, the guy that I dived with for the dive in the orginal post, had tagged along and after we talked for quite some time. We had seen each other in the water, talked through some of how, what and why of his diving and set-up, my diving past... so we went diving. When I went there that night he was the only person I knew, I had seen him a few times, but we had only really interacted that one day. Several people had warned me that in that crowd "bring a thick skin", NO problem I love that kind of stuff. So the new gal sitting by the fire not saying much while the guys were roasting each other, I guess was thought of as stragticly saving my own a$s and not as odd. I made up for it this week. I've meet a lot of REALLY experienced divers around here and they all make it soo inviting to ...just go diving (not that I need to be inticed too much ).