Tried to Kill Myself but Failed!

[steinbil]

1. Thanks for sharing the incident. I'm glad it ended well. We all make mistakes, which leads me to #2.

2. It's easy to blame diver error, but the fact is we all slip up. That's why I think the real problem is a system failure. You need a setup and routine that will eliminate as many of these errors as possible and allow you to fail safely.

3. Obviously having a good buddy would be a safety net. I do regular boat dives with a group of experienced divers, and almost every week some mistake is caught by another diver on the boat ride, whether it's a trapped hose, not-fully-closed zipper, something dangly, disconnected dry suit inflation hose, etc. Also a good buddy would notice if you're breathing the wrong hose under water, and would also give you gas the moment you need it and help you solve the issue.

4. When solo diving it is therefore even more important to mitigate these risks. Good suggestions have already been made in the thread. Here are some I would consider: BM doubles, necklaced backup, breathing both regulators on the surface before descending, full system check after descending - flow check of all valves, breathing all regs, checking SPG, situational check every 5-10 minutes - flow check, SPG, computer, navigation.

I do all of the things I mention in #4 even though I never solo dive. I would also consider doing a topside buddy check with your wife/captain even if you're solo diving.

 

[mjrascoe]

Great to see you share this and I'm very glad all turned out well. It's great that you provided a clear and concise breakdown about what went wrong so others can learn from the mistake. Just goes to show how accustomed we all get to our normal setup and little brain farts can really put your life in jeopardy. Dive safe!

 

[Celt]

Great post, I’d look on that as a success and move on, lesson leaned. Thanks.

 

[lowwall]

I can't get the needle to move. At least I don't perceive movement. And yes, was breathing off the short hose. I can't attach video here but am happy to provide it through other means.

Now that I think about it, it probably shouldn't move unless the valve is partially or fully closed. I think I overlaid what happens when I'm checking my regs with an IP gauge with the SPG check. I made a note on the previous post.

Clearly I've been out of the water for too long (almost 6 months).

 

[jadairiii]

How did this result in killing a number of divers?

During the early 90's, tech diving, guys had their stage regs clipped near them or over their shoulders (back mounted bottles) so they could switch to their deco gas. quite of few, like the OP did, inadvertently grabbed the wrong second stage, and toxed. Some geniuses developed the "poodle jacket" to try to fix that.....

That is why, in tech, since then, you always bungie the stage reg to the tank (and have the bottle clearly marked MOD), that way, you dont do what the OP did. The time is takes to "unclip" the reg from his harness, you could have the pony reg deployed from its bungeed position.

FYI, I would also never have one of those clips on my rig, too many lines and stuff can pop through that gate and become entangled.

 

[Boarderguy]

Great write up @NW Dive Dawg, glad you got your dinner AND made it back up top. Curious about the decision to breathe off your Air2 when you thought your main tank was empty though? I avoid this same situation with 2 things. 1) my primary reg is black with a red hose and my pony is yellow with a yellow hose. 2) I clip my primary to my waist D-ring and my pony reg to my right shoulder during rig setup and before donning. Once the rig is on I move my primary to my left chest until I get to the water (mostly shore diving).

Because not everyone handles an ooa situation successfully.

As we are so often to point out on this board: gear solution to a skills problem. This is exactly why backmount users drill swapping regs. He did exactly what he's supposed to other than using his main as a pony instead of the 19 that was attached to it.

FYI, I would also never have one of those clips on my rig, too many lines and stuff can pop through that gate and become entangled.

Those clips require a good deal of force to open. Unless you're doing penetration dives they're not a problem at all.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks, @NW Dive Dawg . Stories of how an experienced diver can make a mistake are good reading for newer divers.

 

[johndiver999]

You never told us how deep it was? Probably just reinforce what others have said. But here goes.

That clip is stupid. it is perfect line trap for a speared fish to run a line through it. The pony should be on a necklace so you can better feel a freeflow, not like you have it. Going for the air 2 is instinctive and was illogical, but luckily you did that.

A back mounted tank that you can not manipulate the valve nor confirm the hose routing is clearly less safe than a slung bottle.

You accident is the only real example of how carrying a back mounted pony presents additional and significant danger (that has killed quite a few people). One way to mitigate that danger is to try to use a significantly different second stage for the pony than primary and also probably a different type of mouth piece. These are additional signals that can help you when you are being stupid and careless.


I dive an extremely similar rig as you do, however I have no spg on a hose for the pony, and I always use a necklace for the pony after I realized it is the most logical. I also use an air 2 about 95% of the time.

This is a very well known error and if you are going to back mount, you should be prepared for it

Doesn't sound like you learned the proper lessons.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thank you for sharing and good job on working out a stressful situation underwater without bolting for the surface. Lots of good comments have already been mentioned. For me personally, this is one (of several) reasons that I prefer a side slung pony. Zero chance of me inadvertently breathing my pony dry. But backmount as you have yours is a perfectly acceptable option, but clearly there are some pre-dive checks that you need to add to your routine. Personally, I'd go to smallish backmount doubles before I'd do a backmount pony, but that is just me. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Nemrod]

Also SDI solo certified. I sling my 19 or 30 cf buddy bottle. And I necklace the alternate or I have the 40 inch hose doubled and bungeed on the buddy bottle with the second stage aside the valve if I want a more self contained unit. Either way it would be more difficult to mistake the alternate for the primary.

To further prevent confusion, and in line with the SDI course recommendations, remove a standard octopus from the primary regulator as it is not needed and can cause confusion in a switch to the buddy bottle or alternate air source.

I am proud of how you handled yourself and resisted the urge to bolt for the surface, good job.

Almost two years ago now, I became solo, unintentionally and unplanned and therefore not equipped with a fully alternate air supply, on a drift in Jupiter, Florida. I aspirated sea water due to an equipment issue, had a laryngeal spasm and all the fun stuff and got into some deco (and my computer quit!) since I could not ascend as planned despite badly wanting to bolt to the surface, the urge to bolt to the surface is tremendous. Then passed out and some other fun stuff too. I told myself, while I was floating beside myself, that I had no intention of dying and that changes would be made in my protocols and equipment both for buddy diving and solo diving. Two months of antibiotics to clear the resulting pneumonia. I will pass on doing that trick again.