Tried to Kill Myself but Failed!

[Gone for diving]

Yes I must have been sloppy with tightening the yoke. About the oring; Sorry, but you are mistaken. I stuffed the oring back in the groove, tighten the hell out of the yoke and went diving. LOL. I did have it replaced at the shop when they filled it.

As I said if the gap is big enough it will not damage the oring ( to much)

Just kinda fun thought....
A good oring blows out...
An blown out oring 1/4 damaged oring,
Seals.
It's all in the assembly.

 

[34109411]

So I’ve been on the fence on whether or not to post this……because it’s really hard to openly and publicly admit when you do something totally stupid. But then I thought more about it last night and figure that if it might provide some productive and positive food for thought and discussion…..or maybe help someone else from making the same mistake….that I really do need to talk about it.

Day before yesterday we are out on our boat and I’m doing a nice easy dive to celebrate my 68th B-day and get us a nice Lingcod for my B-day dinner. (it's a tradition thing) I’m a solo diver (certified SDI/TDS) and have done this dive many times with no issues. Nice easy exchange with little current, descent vis of about 10 ft.. I dive an HP102 Steel with a back-mount 19cf pony and a Zeagle Ranger BC.

My wife snapped the pic below right before I donned my hood, mask, gloves, fins, speargun & stringer prior to back-roll entry over the side. In looking at the pic I have realized my mistake and what happened. The “yellow” circle is my primary Apeks 2nd stage. My pony second is kinda hidden just below and behind my right hand. The “green” circle is the clip that I normally route my pony hose through so that the pony 2nd is basically is right in front of me, always there and easily accessible. Once I finished kitting up with all my crap for the dive, I was in a rush to splash and inadvertently must have grabbed my pony 2nd rather than my primary, inserted the pony 2nd into my cake-hole, took a couple of hooves, then back-rolled into the Sound. All seemed good so I gave my wife the OK, swam forward, descended the anchor line to about 60ft and began my hunt.

About 10 minutes into the dive and after bagging and stringing a nice dinner Ling, I noticed my reg getting a bit stiff to breath….then the next breath where there was NO gas. I immediately went for my pony 2nd, but it wasn’t there in it’s normal spot because it was already in my mouth and not in it’s normal clip. My brain is spinning and totally telling me that my main gas supply is depleted for some reason and I NEED my pony 2nd. I have a moment of what I would call “high anxiety” and possibly first stage panic. My brain is saying WTF??? ESA??? so I go to my BC / Air 2 thinking that I can “re-breath” on the way to the surface if needed. The Air 2 immediately delivers blessed gas from my still full primary tank and I am some how able to calm down, settle to the bottom, re-group and access the situation.

I check my pony SPG and it’s zeroed out so I start to realize my mistake. I sweep and recover my primary 2nd, switch to that from my Air 2….and all is good. I check my primary computer and realize that I still have 3350psi of a 3500psi fill. The picture of what happened starts to clarify in my mind and I bet I spent a good full minute or two on my knees just breathing and slowing down my heart rate as I stare at my primary AI computer and see that I have LOTS of primary gas available and all is well.

Being solo and with my redundant gas now gone, I call my dive and nav back to the anchor line and my marker strobe…….make a nice slow ascent with SS and surface with plenty of primary gas remaining. Had a great Lingcod dinner and glad that I get to be a year older…

Anyway….. it’s not easy to post this because I’m totally embarrassed that I made such a stupid flipp’n mistake…. But hoping that we might be able to have some productive conversation about it.

My “personal” lessons learned.

• Confirm, crosscheck, double check and triple check all configurations and functions before splashing.
• Confirm, crosscheck, double check and triple check all configurations after splashing.
• Don’t be lazy about checking gauges early and often. If I had checked my primary gas PSI earlier I would have realized that I wasn’t using my primary gas.

That’s it. Sorry about the long post and thanks for listening….

well you sort it out really well. No shame to do a mistake and you know what was yours. Be safe

 

[DiverSailor]

So I’ve been on the fence on whether or not to post this……because it’s really hard to openly and publicly admit when you do something totally stupid. But then I thought more about it last night and figure that if it might provide some productive and positive food for thought and discussion…..or maybe help someone else from making the same mistake….that I really do need to talk about it.

Day before yesterday we are out on our boat and I’m doing a nice easy dive to celebrate my 68th B-day and get us a nice Lingcod for my B-day dinner. (it's a tradition thing) I’m a solo diver (certified SDI/TDS) and have done this dive many times with no issues. Nice easy exchange with little current, descent vis of about 10 ft.. I dive an HP102 Steel with a back-mount 19cf pony and a Zeagle Ranger BC.

My wife snapped the pic below right before I donned my hood, mask, gloves, fins, speargun & stringer prior to back-roll entry over the side. In looking at the pic I have realized my mistake and what happened. The “yellow” circle is my primary Apeks 2nd stage. My pony second is kinda hidden just below and behind my right hand. The “green” circle is the clip that I normally route my pony hose through so that the pony 2nd is basically is right in front of me, always there and easily accessible. Once I finished kitting up with all my crap for the dive, I was in a rush to splash and inadvertently must have grabbed my pony 2nd rather than my primary, inserted the pony 2nd into my cake-hole, took a couple of hooves, then back-rolled into the Sound. All seemed good so I gave my wife the OK, swam forward, descended the anchor line to about 60ft and began my hunt.

About 10 minutes into the dive and after bagging and stringing a nice dinner Ling, I noticed my reg getting a bit stiff to breath….then the next breath where there was NO gas. I immediately went for my pony 2nd, but it wasn’t there in it’s normal spot because it was already in my mouth and not in it’s normal clip. My brain is spinning and totally telling me that my main gas supply is depleted for some reason and I NEED my pony 2nd. I have a moment of what I would call “high anxiety” and possibly first stage panic. My brain is saying WTF??? ESA??? so I go to my BC / Air 2 thinking that I can “re-breath” on the way to the surface if needed. The Air 2 immediately delivers blessed gas from my still full primary tank and I am some how able to calm down, settle to the bottom, re-group and access the situation.

I check my pony SPG and it’s zeroed out so I start to realize my mistake. I sweep and recover my primary 2nd, switch to that from my Air 2….and all is good. I check my primary computer and realize that I still have 3350psi of a 3500psi fill. The picture of what happened starts to clarify in my mind and I bet I spent a good full minute or two on my knees just breathing and slowing down my heart rate as I stare at my primary AI computer and see that I have LOTS of primary gas available and all is well.

Being solo and with my redundant gas now gone, I call my dive and nav back to the anchor line and my marker strobe…….make a nice slow ascent with SS and surface with plenty of primary gas remaining. Had a great Lingcod dinner and glad that I get to be a year older…

Anyway….. it’s not easy to post this because I’m totally embarrassed that I made such a stupid flipp’n mistake…. But hoping that we might be able to have some productive conversation about it.

My “personal” lessons learned.

• Confirm, crosscheck, double check and triple check all configurations and functions before splashing.
• Confirm, crosscheck, double check and triple check all configurations after splashing.
• Don’t be lazy about checking gauges early and often. If I had checked my primary gas PSI earlier I would have realized that I wasn’t using my primary gas.

That’s it. Sorry about the long post and thanks for listening….

I'm really late to this discussion but this is truly impressive. It would have been nearly impossible for most divers to keep a cool head in this situation, after running out of air and the pony reg is "missing".

 

[crofrog]

Now that some time has passed, what have you changed @NW Dive Dawg in your customs-and-practices?

From an accident investigation standpoint, these are the issues as I see them:

• Primary Cause:
  • Inadequate Equipment Check: The diver failed to properly verify the correct regulator (primary vs. pony) before entry, resulting in the unintended use of the pony regulator as the primary air source.
  • Increased equipment complexity: the pony bottle running out of gas led to the OOG situation. It is worth noting that, in this case, the added complexity of the pony bottle was not properly managed, and that complexity directly resulted in the incident.
• Contributing Factors:
  • Rushed Pre-Dive Procedure: The diver was in a hurry to enter the water, leading to a lapse in standard pre-dive checks and a failure to confirm correct regulator placement.
  • Inability to differentiate regulators. The pony regulator was not able to be tactilely identified.
  • Loss of Situational Awareness:
    • The diver did not notice that the primary gas supply was not depleting at the expected rate, indicating that the pony bottle was being used instead of the primary tank.
    • Delayed Recognition of Gas Supply Issue: The diver failed to conduct regular gas checks on a periodic basis with a predicted estimate of gas used. These issues delayed the recognition of the error.
  • Complex Equipment Configuration: Using a pony bottle alongside the primary tank introduced complexity, increasing the likelihood of confusion between the two air sources.
  • Absence of Team Diving Protocols: Diving solo eliminated the safety benefits of a team member who could have identified the incorrect regulator setup before the dive, and could have donated gas during the dive.
  • Overconfidence in solo diving: The divers confidence in their solo diving certification and experience may have led them to underestimate the risks associated with the dive.
  • Startle Factor During Emergency Response: The diver experienced a startle when the regulator failed to deliver gas, which temporarily hindered effective problem-solving and response to the situation.

Safety recommendations (from my point of view as a GUE-trained diver):

1. Reduce external pressures: Allow sufficient time for all checks to be completed.
2. Adopt standardized doubles configuration: All regulators have access to the whole volume of gas, the secondary being on a necklace, which provides tactile and visual feedback that you are breathing from your left post.
3. Implement standardized pre-dive checks: In GUE procedures, this is GUE-EDGE. The first E is a comprehensive head-to-toe check of all equipment to be used on the dive.
4. Conduct routine situational awareness: checks upon reaching the bottom (flow check, pressure check, note time) and every 5 to 10 minutes. Estimate pressure prior to checking gauge to help build a mental model for the rate at which gas is being used. Compare this usage rate to the estimated usage calculated during dive planning.
5. Dive as a team: There are more resources, including brain power, to solve failures.
6. Routinely practice emergency procedures: e.g., s-drill and valve drills.

 

[Cthippo]

Now that some time has passed, what have you changed @NW Dive Dawg in your customs-and-practices?

From an accident investigation standpoint, these are the issues as I see them:

• Primary Cause:
  • Inadequate Equipment Check: The diver failed to properly verify the correct regulator (primary vs. pony) before entry, resulting in the unintended use of the pony regulator as the primary air source.
  • Increased equipment complexity: the pony bottle running out of gas led to the OOG situation. It is worth noting that, in this case, the added complexity of the pony bottle was not properly managed, and that complexity directly resulted in the incident.
• Contributing Factors:
  • Rushed Pre-Dive Procedure: The diver was in a hurry to enter the water, leading to a lapse in standard pre-dive checks and a failure to confirm correct regulator placement.
  • Inability to differentiate regulators. The pony regulator was not able to be tactilely identified.
  • Loss of Situational Awareness:
    • The diver did not notice that the primary gas supply was not depleting at the expected rate, indicating that the pony bottle was being used instead of the primary tank.
    • Delayed Recognition of Gas Supply Issue: The diver failed to conduct regular gas checks on a periodic basis with a predicted estimate of gas used. These issues delayed the recognition of the error.
  • Complex Equipment Configuration: Using a pony bottle alongside the primary tank introduced complexity, increasing the likelihood of confusion between the two air sources.
  • Absence of Team Diving Protocols: Diving solo eliminated the safety benefits of a team member who could have identified the incorrect regulator setup before the dive, and could have donated gas during the dive.
  • Overconfidence in solo diving: The divers confidence in their solo diving certification and experience may have led them to underestimate the risks associated with the dive.
  • Startle Factor During Emergency Response: The diver experienced a startle when the regulator failed to deliver gas, which temporarily hindered effective problem-solving and response to the situation.

Safety recommendations (from my point of view as a GUE-trained diver):

1. Reduce external pressures: Allow sufficient time for all checks to be completed.
2. Adopt standardized doubles configuration: All regulators have access to the whole volume of gas, the secondary being on a necklace, which provides tactile and visual feedback that you are breathing from your left post.
3. Implement standardized pre-dive checks: In GUE procedures, this is GUE-EDGE. The first E is a comprehensive head-to-toe check of all equipment to be used on the dive.
4. Conduct routine situational awareness: checks upon reaching the bottom (flow check, pressure check, note time) and every 5 to 10 minutes. Estimate pressure prior to checking gauge to help build a mental model for the rate at which gas is being used. Compare this usage rate to the estimated usage calculated during dive planning.
5. Dive as a team: There are more resources, including brain power, to solve failures.
6. Routinely practice emergency procedures: e.g., s-drill and valve drills.

And then you wonder why GUE divers have a bad reputation.

 

[crofrog]

And then you wonder why GUE divers have a bad reputation.

Debate the points, not the person buddy. This is how you actually learn from these things.

We’re all just one mistake away from having something similar written.

 

[FishWatcher747]

And then you wonder why GUE divers have a bad reputation.

When one only has a hammer everything looks like a nail.

 

[Wibble]

Wot i lerned from screwing up...

Virtually every time I screw up it's due to failing to do the basic checklist, e.g. forgetting the drysuit inflator hose, leaving the bailout off...

It's not hard, left to right:

• CCR: drysuit dump open, (validates diluent on), read PPO2 and pressures, inject oxygen breathe it around the loop and prove the PPO2 goes up, breathe from the bottom bailout, validate the deco bailout is turned on and isolated
• OC heavy: drysuit dump open, drysuit inflate working, wing inflate working, breathe from backup reg whilst checking SPG, breathe from primary reg, check deco gases are pressurised, breathe from deco gases
• OC light: gas on, breathe from backup, breathe from primary, check gas; fins on, mask on, gloves on

Distractions are a complete PITA! It takes something to re-do your basic checks again until it's complete.

 

[crofrog]

Virtually every time I screw up it's due to failing to do the basic checklist, e.g. forgetting the drysuit inflator hose, leaving the bailout off...

Do you use an actual written checklist?

 

[gschaut]

For what it's worth, I have a distinct physical difference for each regulator. My short hose and long hose regulators are mirror image each other. Primary tank regulator has hose on left (primary tank on left side), and crack pressure adjustment on the right side. Long hose tank has hose on right, crack on left. Deco regulator is green WITH a cap over the mouthpiece. Stage regulator has a blue spiral wrap over hose and no crack pressure adjustment knob. I can identify each regulator by feel, in zero vis, even if they get stowed on the wrong spot.