The Elephant in the Room

[uncfnp]

This incident was discussed in the May issue of Undercurrent, subscribers to that periodical can access the article at the link below. They concluded that the diver was not in danger and the dive op acted appropriately.

Which basically just echoes most every post on that thread made by divers with experience in south Florida drift diving. It really was a shame that thread was deleted.

They think that the lone diver may have been using a European-made computer with a different algorithm than his buddies, which is why he went into deco when they did not. They advise dive buddies to use computers with the same algorithm.
Things Are Not Always As They Seem: Undercurrent 05/2018

Aka Suunto (Mares, Cressi). I can’t access the entire article since I am not a subscriber but this advice, while prehaps good in an ideal world, just isn’t practical for the average recreational diver. Better to know the principles behind your personal computer’s algorithm and plan dives accordingly.

 

[Soloist]

Sorry, just reading this thread for the first time. Topics related to this issue may very well have been discussed in previous threads, but sadly a large percentage of the responses revealed a complete naïveté of the fundamentals of Florida drift diving. Many of the posts were understandably emotionally charged by an inexcusably misleading and irresponsible video. However, prior to the actual facts of this “incident” being released, many posted rebuttals based on our own experience and knowledge of drift diving in Florida. This resulted in some informative exchanges for those interested, unsuspecting and unfamiliar with this type of diving. For that reason I was irritated by the removal of the thread in its entirety. I think the elephant needs a few more peanuts. Thanks Kathy.

 

[CuzzA]

They advise dive buddies to use computers with the same algorithm.

Or do what you're taught in basic and whoever in the buddy pair needs to go up first, you signal and both end the dive.

 

[KathyV]

Or do what you're taught in basic and whoever in the buddy pair needs to go up first, you signal and both end the dive.

It doesn't always work that way with drift diving. I tend to use up my air faster than my husband - although I have gotten better and most of the time we end the dive together.

But this incident reminded me of 2 liveaboard trips we've done in the past. In the Sea of Cortez it was rough and there was a lot of current and we always surfaced together and deployed our SMB safety sausages and waited for pick-up.

But in the Red Sea it was calm and there wasn't a lot of current. Sometimes I would go up first and he would come part way up to watch while I got picked up, and then he would rejoin the group.

But in those 2 LOB situations, there were always crew members in RIBs in the water helping to retrieve divers so you were never on the surface for very long. That didn't appear to be the case in the now infamous "non-incident" in Florida. The dive boat is advertised as able to carry 35 divers - and it was clear from the video that there was a large group on-board, but the dive boat was doing all the retrievals. So in my mind it isn't surprising that divers might be floating around in the sea for awhile waiting to be picked up, but I guess that's just how they do drift dives in South Florida!