PatW
Contributor
1) Kicked Reg - I would put my reg back into my mouth and give the offending party a dirty look.
2) Lost Mask - I would try to find it and retrieve it. I could hold it in place and refill it, but it would be time to call the dive. I can ascend without a mask. It might be tricky figuring out the safety stop depth and the time elapsed (I bet I could not make out the numbers on my computer without the mask) If a safety stop was necessary, I would have to rely on my buddy for this. But I would think a strap would fail on entry. All that would take would be retrieving the mask, returning to the boat and replacing the strap (I carry a spare in my equipment bag).
3) Lost strap on fin - I would return to the boat with my fin and replace the strap (I carry a spare in my equipment bag). If it happened on entry, I could still do the dive. Otherwise, the dive is over.
4) Stuck dump valve. Well, I generally don't use my dump valve. But I have had a BC fail to hold air because of a leak at the hose/bc connection. It was inconvenient but I was able to dive with an uninflated BC. I did show the problem to the dive master and my buddy. They should know these things.
5) No light night dive - well you should have a back up light and a blinky. You should not lose everything but it can happen. If my buddy has a light, I would just show them mine was gone and stick to them. In my experience, night dives are not all that dark anyway. The main problem is being close to my buddy so they KNOW where I am. I was on one night dive and my buddy turned off her light and piggy backed on the dive master's light. That was very aggravating because I had to spend a considerable amount of effort keeping track of her.
Most of these things are not that serious. The thing is to not panic. The second thing is that if the "problem" whatever it is causes you more than just mild irritation, then you should call the dive. Dangerous situations often start with one small problem. A stressed diver has less capacity to cope with a second minor problem. A few minor problems can quickly add up to a fatal one. So if you get to the point where your coping mechanisms are at all taxed, it is time to call the dive.
2) Lost Mask - I would try to find it and retrieve it. I could hold it in place and refill it, but it would be time to call the dive. I can ascend without a mask. It might be tricky figuring out the safety stop depth and the time elapsed (I bet I could not make out the numbers on my computer without the mask) If a safety stop was necessary, I would have to rely on my buddy for this. But I would think a strap would fail on entry. All that would take would be retrieving the mask, returning to the boat and replacing the strap (I carry a spare in my equipment bag).
3) Lost strap on fin - I would return to the boat with my fin and replace the strap (I carry a spare in my equipment bag). If it happened on entry, I could still do the dive. Otherwise, the dive is over.
4) Stuck dump valve. Well, I generally don't use my dump valve. But I have had a BC fail to hold air because of a leak at the hose/bc connection. It was inconvenient but I was able to dive with an uninflated BC. I did show the problem to the dive master and my buddy. They should know these things.
5) No light night dive - well you should have a back up light and a blinky. You should not lose everything but it can happen. If my buddy has a light, I would just show them mine was gone and stick to them. In my experience, night dives are not all that dark anyway. The main problem is being close to my buddy so they KNOW where I am. I was on one night dive and my buddy turned off her light and piggy backed on the dive master's light. That was very aggravating because I had to spend a considerable amount of effort keeping track of her.
Most of these things are not that serious. The thing is to not panic. The second thing is that if the "problem" whatever it is causes you more than just mild irritation, then you should call the dive. Dangerous situations often start with one small problem. A stressed diver has less capacity to cope with a second minor problem. A few minor problems can quickly add up to a fatal one. So if you get to the point where your coping mechanisms are at all taxed, it is time to call the dive.