Uncontrolled descent

[Bert van den Berg]

Thought I'd share a 'drama' that occurred to me yesterday. In order to have full use of my hands on entry to the water I like to connect my gloves to the junction of the low pressure inflator hose and the larger diameter manual inflator hose. After clipping on any accessories (like slinging a pony) I pull the gloves off the inflator hose and put them on. Done this many, many times without incident.

Yesterday was different. Started my descent and when time to add air to the BCD, nothing happened! Pulling the gloves off the hose had caused the low pressure inflator hose to become disconnected. It took a few seconds to realize what had happened and by now I was going down very fast.

I found it very difficult to connect the low pressure inflator hose back on while wearing thick gloves. I weighed the odds of success with the gloves against the extra time it would take to remove one glove and decided to continue to try with the gloves on. By the time the hose was reconnected I was at 80 feet.

From now on, nothing gets connected to the inflator hoses - ever.

 

[The dutch guy]

Why you didn't orally inflate your bcd to get neutral first and than deal with the inflater hose?

 

[JohnN]

Why you didn't orally inflate your bcd to get neutral first and than deal with the inflater hose?

Or in addition, descend slowly in horizontal trim?

 

[northernone]

Thank you for sharing the experience. Glad you got it sorted and were able to equalize on the way down! That's where I've stowed gloves too. I'll be changing my methods.

In hindsight there's always ways of handling an unexpected situation better. However, let's remember in our critique we are thinking while comfortably behind a screen and not rapidly sinking with increased taskloading in cold water.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[Bert van den Berg]

Hi Dutch Guy,

Good point. In truth, the idea of manually inflating the BCD never ocurred to me because I had a better option. I didn't want to make the thread any longer or more complicated so omitted the fact that I used my drysuit to stop the descent. It still took a while to stop descending because the drysuit dump valve was completely open and when I started to add air to the drysuit it immediately vented. Had to tighten the dump valve and was then able to stabilize the situation. But thanks for stating that fact because many people don't have the drysuit option.

 

[mcpowell]

Thought I'd share a 'drama' that occurred to me yesterday. In order to have full use of my hands on entry to the water I like to connect my gloves to the junction of the low pressure inflator hose and the larger diameter manual inflator hose. After clipping on any accessories (like slinging a pony) I pull the gloves off the inflator hose and put them on. Done this many, many times without incident.

Yesterday was different. Started my descent and when time to add air to the BCD, nothing happened! Pulling the gloves off the hose had caused the low pressure inflator hose to become disconnected. It took a few seconds to realize what had happened and by now I was going down very fast.

I found it very difficult to connect the low pressure inflator hose back on while wearing thick gloves. I weighed the odds of success with the gloves against the extra time it would take to remove one glove and decided to continue to try with the gloves on. By the time the hose was reconnected I was at 80 feet.

From now on, nothing gets connected to the inflator hoses - ever.

Thanks for the heads up. There are so many things I don't know. I never thought to connect my gloves like this, but now know I won't in the future. If this only helps one person not to get into a dangerous situation in the future, you've done mankind a service.

 

[Storker]

I didn't want to make the thread any longer or more complicated so omitted the fact that I used my drysuit to stop the descent. It still took a while to stop descending because the drysuit dump valve was completely open and when I started to add air to the drysuit it immediately vented.

If I roll to the right and lower my left elbow, I can put quite a bit - i.e. too much - gas in my DS before it starts to vent. Even when the valve is wide open (which it almost always is).

Do you descend feet-first?

 

[Imla]

May I ask how thick your gloves are?

You might want to try a few dives where you connect/disconnect anything that may need to be connected/disconnected under water...

It is fully possible to get used to working with thick gloves...

Greetings: Cold water diver photographer techdiver... Ie... dry gloves with double liners, or 5mm wetgloves in the summer...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

You may want to consider a balanced rig. With an empty BC you should never have so much weight that you descend faster than you can stop with a couple of fin kicks.

 

[northernone]

You may want to consider a balanced rig. With an empty BC you should never have so much weight that you descend faster than you can stop with a couple of fin kicks.

Bit of a side track here....

As a guy who dives dry with a pair of cave filled lp134 tanks and an al80 deco gas I'd like to remind you not all rigs can be 'balanced' as you describe beginning a dive and without a redundant buoyancy source certainly can't stop a decent with a couple fin kicks.

At the beginning of a dive I need 30+ lbs buoyancy compensated in my bcd to account for the tank swing full to empty. I don't know what tanks the OP was using but it's worth remembering that not everyone dives a small enough rig that's easy to 'balance'. And some do sink like a stone even properly weighed.

I agree often divers are overweighted but I'm not sure it's the case since he was able to use his drysuit to arrest his decent.

Regards,
Cameron