Special Thanks Monastery Panel Discussion Members. Phase One is done!

[DocWong]

Hi,

I wanted to thank our Monastery Panel Discussion members; Chuck Tribolet, Dennis Hocker, David Mackiewicz, Gary David, Neil Benjamin and Scott Timms and everyone else who attended the panel discussion and the input everyone provided on Wednesday night March 26th at my office in Redwood City.

The inputs on the signs was valuable! The first sign is just about a done deal! This sign can be seen here: Monastery Beach Survival Project

The second sign is still in it's design process and I'll post that when there's more to show. This one is more geared to scuba divers and I got some invaluable feedback for that during the panel discussion!

So Phase 1 is done and now onto Phase 2, which is doing filming at Monastery Beach demonstrating what we discussed during the Panel Discussion. I'm volunteering to get rolled in the surf, but will need spotters and plenty of support. Also I'll need to video divers entering and exiting the water for the video. Any volunteers? I plan to have EMS services on hand just in case.Russ and Jim from Backscatter will be on hand to do video.

I estimate that we will need to go out 5-6 times, demonstrating the concepts in different condtions.

Date to be set and announced pending coordination with Park and Recs, EMS, video crew, etc.

 

[miskatonic]

I just wanted to chime in on this because I have been rolled at Monastery beach while scuba diving. I was diving with a group made of exclusively of instructors and dive cons. All of them were standing helplessly on the beach while I was being tossed in the waves. I blew off ¾ of my air just getting out of surf. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I am over 6 feet and was able to kick off the bottom after dropping my weights. In truth I am very lucky to be alive.

The only way a video is going to truly have any impact is if you actually die while making it. (I do not recommend that.) If you are going to make a video to show the physics of what happens when a person or a diver get rolled by waves you should do this Mythbuster style; Use a stunt dummy with various scientific recording devices.

I highly doubt you will get a single diving professional to help you with this. Getting rolled at Monastery for the sake of a video is both foolish and dangerous. I do agree that there is a serious issue with this beach. I really do hope that something is done about it. Unless you are a stunt man and really know what you are doing the chances for disaster are very high.

 

[rainman_02]

What were all the "instructors and dive cons" doing? They are all REQUIRED (SSI, I'm assuming since you said dive con) to provide assistance / rescue...

 

[Ben_ca]

I just wanted to chime in on this because I have been rolled at Monastery beach while scuba diving. I was diving with a group made of exclusively of instructors and dive cons. All of them were standing helplessly on the beach while I was being tossed in the waves. I blew off ¾ of my air just getting out of surf. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I am over 6 feet and was able to kick off the bottom after dropping my weights. In truth I am very lucky to be alive.

So please tell the story... Entry or exit? Solo or with a buddy? What were the conditions? Crawling or walking out?

Were the Dive instructors/Dive Cons your buddies? or were they just waiting around assessing the conditions?

 

[miskatonic]

It was an entry. In fact it was the very first time I had been diving at that particular beach. I had a dive con as my buddy. I was a fairly new advanced diver.

We were getting ready to dive. I had inflated my BC and did a buddy check. I took one step off the beach and realized I was in 6 feet of water. Just as the first wave came over me I realized I was over weight. When I went to put more air into my BC I realized that something was seriously wrong. The BC would not inflate...at all.

Between the time I did the initial buddy check and the actual entry I needed to take my BC off and adjust something. When I did this I set the BC down (in the sand) and then put it back on. As with all things at Monastery the BC picked up berries. These berries clogged up one of my dump valves. When I added air I over inflated the BC and this allowed a berry to get in between the valve and the seal.

The next thing I know a wave washes over me. I loose my regulator. I ended up on the bottom with no regulator in my mouth and no way to inflate my BC. In fact my BC was filling with water.

BTW this was a buddy entry. The same wave that hit me knocked my buddy over. She was laying helpless in the sand on the beach. Her fins and mine had gone flying into the surf. I did end up getting out but it was only through a self rescue. Though there was a lot of people on the beach there was zero they could do to help. They could not get to me without putting their own lives at serious risk.

 

[Ben_ca]

BTW this was a buddy entry. The same wave that hit me knocked my buddy over. She was laying helpless in the sand on the beach. Her fins and mine had gone flying into the surf. I did end up getting out but it was only through a self rescue. Though there was a lot of people on the beach there was zero they could do to help. They could not get to me without putting their own lives at serious risk.

Okey bear with me here....

So in this case would you agree that the root cause of this incident are the following items:

1. Improper gear check - If a piece of gear is taken off then it should be checked again for proper function

2. Misjudging the conditions - The conditions were not diveable (maybe or maybe no in this case)

3. Improper Technique - The conditions were diveable but wrong entry technique led to the divers getting pounded on the entry.

4. Lack of dive site information - The divers didn't know how steep the grade of the beach was underwater thus was caught unaware of the drop off

Now wouldn't you think that Doc's project could address a number of those items?

 

[Adobo]

I had a dive con as my buddy.

Dive con... hehehehe

 

[Diving Demon]

I for one thank you for doing this, Doc. I got rolled in the surf and died at monastery once while diving. I think this will help people.

 

[DocWong]

Thanks for the warning. I'll plan accordingly. Sounds like the conditons that day was pretty rough.

 

[Diving Demon]

I for one thank you for doing this, Doc. I got rolled in the surf and died at monastery once while diving. I think this will help people.

Sounds like the conditons that day was pretty rough.

They were.