Tank Failure in Cozumel

[scubafanatic]

I have always wondered if resort tanks truly get an annual Inspection as is mandatory its rare to see a vis sticker at most resorts and by looking at date stamps doesnt tell you much more than that the tank is older than you:mooner:

I think a lot of resorts just cycle there tanks until theres a problem but thats just my opinion.....Would be happy to be told otherwise but sadly I may be correct

...you're absolutely correct......it has been my experience that resort/liveaboard tanks have the tank valve to regulator O-rings that are older than me, much less any sign of any inspections ! I know whenever I went to Bonaire I left behind a few dozen brand new O-rings in all the tanks I used......pretty much ALL the tanks had O-rings dating from the late Jurassic period! ....Some liveaboards have high mileage tanks too, but that's not as bad as I always swap out the tank O-ring before I set up my gear, and since I'm using the same tank all week....one O-ring is no biggie !

 

[Scared Silly]

...you're absolutely correct......it has been my experience that resort/liveaboard tanks have the tank valve to regulator O-rings that are older than me, much less any sign of any inspections ! I know whenever I went to Bonaire I left behind a few dozen brand new O-rings in all the tanks I used......pretty much ALL the tanks had O-rings dating from the late Jurassic period! ....Some liveaboards have high mileage tanks too, but that's not as bad as I always swap out the tank O-ring before I set up my gear, and since I'm using the same tank all week....one O-ring is no biggie !

With DIN the o-ring is on your side of the reg, so it is your responsibility to maintain it. Something I have always liked.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

sorry if this sounds too obvious but was the valve fully opened?

That was my question, too. When you inhaled, did your SPG visibly move?

Jeff

 

[scubafanatic]

With DIN the o-ring is on your side of the reg, so it is your responsibility to maintain it. Something I have always liked.

....good luck getting your hands on DIN valved tanks...they are either completely unavailable or a fair amount of extra work to obtain if by chance they are available.

 

[Sandisk]

These are all good questions, so let me address them each in order (by the way, you are absolutely correct in saying"what is important is how to avoid turning an incident into an accident").

1. Yes, as indicated in the original post, I did have a dive buddy. While I stayed close to him, I did not alert him to a problem until I decided to call it a dive and surface on my Spare Air. My dive buddy was my own, not the DM, and I did not alert the DM, who was at the front of the pack, while I was at the rear. My focus was, of course, more immediate. I did stay in very close proximity to my dive buddy in case I needed his air.

2. When my primary and then octo failed to function (note that this was a gradual rather than a sudden thing), I alerted my buddy and switched to my Spare Air in preparation for surfacing. We were at about 40 feet when I made the decision. The Spare Air was the 3 cubic foot version. Having extensively previously tested my safe surfacing abilities from different depths with the Spare Air, I knew I was well within safe surfacing limits with my equipment from that depth.

3. I did not bail out ealrlier because the air flow was intermittant. At points if would be stong and regular, then turn weak and irregular, then back to strong. I was thinking I might just have a minor patial clog in a filter that might work itself out. When it became clear that wasn't happening, I aborted the dive and surfaced safely and easily from 40 feet. I had no nitrogen load requiring mandatory deco obligation. Believe me, I felt no peer pressure at all about continuing the dive. Regardng assigning blame for faulty equipment, or at least clearly identifying it, I believe that IS a critical isse. The next person to get that faulty tank could be less experienced, less prepared, and in a less forgiving situation - with disasterous results.

 

[Sandisk]

I did not bail out ealrlier because the air flow was intermittant. At points if would be stong and regular, then turn weak and irregular, then back to strong. I was thinking I might just have a minor patial clog in a filter that might work itself out. When it became clear that wasn't happening, I aborted the dive and surfaced safely and easily from 40 feet

 

[danclem]

Hi Scandisk:

This is very interesting and quite similar to an incident that happened to one of our dive club members (Marker Buoys, Seattle) in Cozumel earlier this past May.

He was at 80 feet with a videographer. Did a "summersault" for the camera, and both primary and octo quit working as he was completing his "flip." Signaled out of air to the photographer, and they surfaced successfully. A very experienced diver. He had rented aluminum 100's, and like you had his equipment recently serviced.

To make a long story short, apparently tanks on Cozumel are filled in a central location, and the dive operator (Paradise) could not find records of aluminum 100's being inspected. Back in Seattle the reg was sent to a lab, and aluminum oxide was the culpret that clogged the first stage.

The operater sent an e-mail letting the diver know what their findings were (100's were not being checked), and that procedures were being modified to prevent this type of incident from happening again.

It would be interesting to know if you were in a position where your head was below your feet in a position where aluminum oxide, if present, may have been drawn into your primary.

I am posting an edited version of the commentary that took place on this issue last May.

Dan

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mon May 4, 2009 10:14 pm (PDT)

Excellent Christine. I have been in contact with the owner of Dive
Paradise, no surprise, she does not fill her own tanks they have a
central place on the island that does it for all, Meridiano 87. She
has significant political clout in Cozumel so we should see some
action. We will see how it goes.

It is kind of funny how I knew exactly what was plugging my filter
right away, I am an old retired welder from way back and still deal
with aluminum in many ways, welding, cleaning, scuba tanks, etc.

Painterman

On May 4, 2009, at 9:43 PM, Christine wrote:

> According to Mark Gresham, THE cylinder expert from PSI/PCI
> (Professional Scuba Inspectors/Professi­onal Cylinder Inspectors),
> the white powder is all about Aluminum Oxide, and lots of it! Like
> more than 3". It starts as Aluminum Hydroxide (containing water),
> and over time and as a result of the natural evaporation processes,
> ends up as a solid. The reality of the story is that the cylinder
> under focus right now probably hasnt been inspected in years!
>
> Unfortunately it took a playful stunt by one of our own to remind us
> that utilizing equipment from a rental source/dive operator comes
> with an unrecognizeable element of risk, and that questioning
> service records to include last hydro and visual inspections on a
> cylinder we throw on our back is not out of line, rude, or
> disrespectful. Its within our Safety Right. And we deserve to know,
> or don't dive. A reputable operation will have the records and the
> tanks should be endorsed with a sticker. Period.
>
> Thank the Angel that protected our friend. Use the message to
> protect yourselves.

 

[Sandisk]

Hey Dan

You know, oddly enough, I never even thought about that. Whenever I have an opportunity on a dive, I like to float along on the current upside down, arms crossed, knees bent, my head 6 to 8 inches from the bottom. As an obstruction comes up, I inhale just enough to rise over it, then exhale just enough to return to the 6-8 inch position, always remaining upside down. I do this of course for fun, but also to keep a fine tune on my bouyancy control and body control in the water.

On this dive, I started experiencing intermittant air flow very early on and had to finally abort after about 15 minutes. I honestly don't recall now if I'd been doing the upside-down thing at the beginning of the dive or not - but it would be just like me, so maybe.

By the way, after this incident, I also learned that most dive shops on Cozumel get their tanks from a central location... The shop I've dived with for years there wanted to make sure I didn't blame them for the faulty tank.

Sandisk

 

[riverdiver]

I had the same thing happen to me with rental gear,could not get air was like the reg could not keep up, but the inflator hose in the bc worked fine the hole dive was shot and I was going to get my money back for the gear rental. Come to find out I turned on my air to check the pressure then turned it off part way when I and started doing something else, put gear on a half hour later breathed through my reg air pressure good, got in the water, and I was breathing through a straw the hole dive.
Yup you had your valve open one turn.

 

[AfterDark]

I had the same thing happen to me with rental gear,could not get air was like the reg could not keep up, but the inflator hose in the bc worked fine the hole dive was shot and I was going to get my money back for the gear rental. Come to find out I turned on my air to check the pressure then turned it off part way when I and started doing something else, put gear on a half hour later breathed through my reg air pressure good, got in the water, and I was breathing through a straw the hole dive.
Yup you had your valve open one turn.

Sandisk stated early in this post: No apology necessary. The valve was indeed fully opened (I've been a stickler for that ever since I saw a girl almost drown on a dive in Malta - she'd only opened her valve about a third of the way and her air supply stopped cold on her). Do you read the posts?