Took a ride up from 80'

[beaverdivers]

Any suggestions on how this might have been handled differently? From my perspective everything happened so fast.

I believe this problem points out an inherent training flaw: Using an auto-inflator to dump air! It gives the diver a chance to make the mistake of adding air to the B.C. instead of dumping air. Resulting in a rapid ascent!

I strongly feel that students should be trained to dump air from a shoulder or back dump valve that is separate from the inflator. Then a diver can not make this dangerous mistake.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

..The OPs reaction was to keep his little guppies together and get them to the surface. He did that, and that was the right thing to do. There were no "victims" of any sort in this dive... Just a diver or three who are a little wiser than they were when they entered the water.

1+.

The OP did just fine.

It is easy to armchair quarterback these incidents (which is what the forum if for, of course!!), but other than a frisky ascent he did ok.

Things happen quickly, and it can be hard to react quickly enough to unanticipated events like the student accidently inflating his BC, but the overall response by the OP was pretty good. He got his divers and himself safely back to sunshine and seagulls, so I'd call that a good outcome even if it was a bit "messy".

Best wishes.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I believe this problem points out an inherent training flaw: Using an auto-inflator to dump air! It gives the diver a chance to make the mistake of adding air to the B.C. instead of dumping air. Resulting in a rapid ascent!

I strongly feel that students should be trained to dump air from a shoulder or back dump valve that is separate from the inflator. Then a diver can not make this dangerous mistake.

I disagree and scuba pro does too (finally). I always thought it was stupid that SP had a pull dump on a string and none on the inflator.. then they fixed it and added on like all the recreational BC's do.

When training a student, it is better to have everything they need in one hand. They dump too much, they press a button... not drop the pull dump, root around for the inflator as they sink...

 

[gypsyjim]

trident missile ascent is wrong.

Been there. Done that. I was amazed how quickly a nice easy ascent from 78' became somewhat of a launch, or pop up!

I never actually trained on a BCD, having learned before the darn things came along. I had not learned how to hold the hose as high as it required to actually dump air. I understood the fundamentals, but lacked the on hands experience with the new tools and techniques.
It does not take hitting the wrong button to become launched, because in my case I WAS venting, I was just not holding the hose high enough to vent correctly.

That first dive I had on a BC was using a rental on an unplanned trip, and I really should have known better than jump into new gear, without training, but back then I was young, dumb, and damned near invincible, or so we all think at that age.

Reading this thread it is pretty easy for me to imagine that the first diver in OP's incident was simply excited by his free flow, and not venting correctly. Once you begin that ascent from 80-85', if you do not vent things well things can start to happen pretty damned quickly, and popping up can be the result.

Luckily it sounds like things worked out much better for OP and his students, than it did in my case, but they were at the beginning of their dive, while my accident was after a @30 minute dive to 78', and I was pretty badly beat up by the event.

 

[Steve_C]

Push button, in goes air
Pull on inflator hose and quickly dump as much or little air as I want including all from the shoulder dump

No altering of trim. No chance to mix the buttons up.

 

[Freewillow]

Thank you Stoo :kiss2:. Glad to see that I am not alone

 

[beaverdivers]

I disagree and scuba pro does too (finally). I always thought it was stupid that SP had a pull dump on a string and none on the inflator.. then they fixed it and added on like all the recreational BC's do.

When training a student, it is better to have everything they need in one hand. They dump too much, they press a button... not drop the pull dump, root around for the inflator as they sink...

I agree adding the cable dump that is attached to the auto-inflator provides another good option. Moreover you can pull down on it by grabbing the corrugated hose or the inflator resulting in dumping air, you don't have the problem of pushing the wrong button thus adding air.

 

[flots am]

Push button, in goes air
Pull on inflator hose and quickly dump as much or little air as I want including all from the shoulder dump

No altering of trim. No chance to mix the buttons up.

The cable that actually pulls the dump valve open isn't amazingly strong and it's possible to break it if you're really pulling hard.

Don't ask how I know this <cough>dive #7</cough>

flots.

 

[wgw04024]

Were either divers AOW certified? Just curious...

 

[Bob DBF]

The cable that actually pulls the dump valve open isn't amazingly strong and it's possible to break it if you're really pulling hard.

Don't ask how I know this <cough>dive #7</cough>

flots.

I had an Oceanic version Air II and the pull dump was operated by plastic covered stainless cable so I guess it's best to check inside in case you need to know. Of course the rest of the unit was made out of plastic.


Bob