What-If Scenario's, What would YOU do?

[NewFloridaDiver]

I would take out my broad sword and start to slay the dragon .....errr I would use my sheers to cut my way out, if needed remove my gear to get to it easily (doubles at 40' would last a long time) and just take my time.

What if you drop your shears!? Oh #&%!

 

[Gil57usa]

Another scenario: You're at 100 feet, cold water, low viz, diving a single 130, and your primary reg freeflows and you can't get it to stop.

You could go to your back-up reg and put a kink in your primary second stage hose to slow down the free flow. Go to your pony bottle and head up to the surface. Hope your Buddy is close enough to help out with some gas if needed.

 

[Gil57usa]

What if you drop your shears!? Oh #&%!

I would pull out my back-up shears. If I drop them too, then pull out the knife.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I was all about shutting the valve even on single until I thought about couple of dives I have done where this could have happened. I have since decided that for me there would be some situations where I would not necessarily do what I'd see as my preferred way of responding (go to buddy's reg, shut valve, maybe reopen to test if freeflow stopped, and ascend).

On some sites I dive the last bit of ascent is done in considerable current. You basically have to hang onto line not to be blown away. Maybe not for dear life but there is a definite chance of separating from your buddy if you make a mistake, at least separating from the airshare. And once you're gone, buddy might not be able to catch up.

I have some tanks that for trim I have to set very low - which makes the valve quite a wiggle to reach. If I was diving a tank that I do not know I can quickly re-open on my own, I would noway go shutting no valves on it underwater! I would rather suffer the obscuring bubbles! I would breathe from my buddy's reg because I don't particularly like breathing a freeflow but at least if I separated from buddy's air source I might have some air left in my tank, and I can get to it too.

Generally in rec diving I do not think it's always safest to go fiddling with the valve. A lot of gas in shut off tank is still no gas when you need the breath right NOW. You better know what you are doing. You might think you are taking of your BC and playing with your tank - and whoosh your weight-integrated BC went to the bottom and you went to the surface etc.

Every dive is situational ... and you have to always weigh potential risks against the benefits of any given course of action. But if you haven't attempted an ascent yet while breathing from a free-flowing reg, you should try it sometime (from a relatively shallow depth) ... the bubbles can make things ... interesting.

This is one of the drills I did once with Uncle Pug (at his suggestion), and I was quite surprised at how distracting those bubbles could be. Since then I've decided that if given the option, coming up on my buddie's safe second is generally the better thing to do.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[NewFloridaDiver]

I would pull out my back-up shears. If I drop them too, then pull out the knife.

Seriously, this makes me rethink the necessity of redundancy in my equipment. I would have thought that one pair of shears and one knife would have been redundant enough. Perhaps not! Maybe one pair of shears, one leg strapped knife and a BC knife? both with line cutter built in. This is one of my fears, getting tangled in netting or monofil line.

 

[biz_nate]

I've had to deal with a free-flowing 1st stage several times when ice diving (this alone has made me seriously consider an environmentally sealed 1st stage as my next purchase), but it's always been under very controlled conditions. We're never more than 100 ft away from the hole and generally no deeper than 40 ft, so I've just learned to stay calm and swim to the surface where they can thaw the equipment (and fill my hood with a lovely squirt of hot water). Then, back into the water we go!

As for an errant kick knocking my mask off, I've only had to deal with this once, as a brand new diver. I was lucky in that the mask was close enough to easily retrieve. That said, when my dad and I dive together we spend a good 1/4 of the dive antagonizing each other- removing fins, grabbing masks, etc. We do it safely, so we're always around if the other needs help or (eek) is about to hit coral, but I've grown accustomed (as accustomed as one can grow) to swimming around in salt water with eyes open. After reading this thread though, I may invest in another mask this week. Better safe than sorry, no?

-Ben

 

[biz_nate]

Wanted to add one other thing- in any scenario other than that controlled ice dive, what NW said.

 

[TSandM]

If I got entangled in monofilament, I'd try to identify where I was caught and cut the line. I'd also immediately signal my buddy and indicate my plight. If I were separated from my buddy (in which case, shame on me AND him), this is one of the few times when removing one's gear underwater might be necessary. Luckily, since I don't dive weight integrated, I could do that without too much hardship.

A friend of mine got into exactly this scenario at 25 fsw in our local underwater park, during a cleanup project. Her buddy swam away from her, and Tanja ended up having to remove her gear to clear the entanglement. She surfaced with 300 psi. Her buddy didn't come up for another 15 minutes. This story made a big impression on me when I heard it, shortly after I learned to dive.

 

[NewFloridaDiver]

If I got entangled in monofilament, I'd try to identify where I was caught and cut the line. I'd also immediately signal my buddy and indicate my plight. If I were separated from my buddy (in which case, shame on me AND him), this is one of the few times when removing one's gear underwater might be necessary. Luckily, since I don't dive weight integrated, I could do that without too much hardship.

I can see where this could be very difficult, especially if you were rolling around trying to identify where you were caught. I would think it would be best to just Stop, Breathe, Think, then Act accordingly, yes? Slow and easy is the key. Panic and you're done.

A friend of mine got into exactly this scenario at 25 fsw in our local underwater park, during a cleanup project. Her buddy swam away from her, and Tanja ended up having to remove her gear to clear the entanglement. She surfaced with 300 psi. Her buddy didn't come up for another 15 minutes. This story made a big impression on me when I heard it, shortly after I learned to dive.

Buddy? What buddy... I doubt I'd ever dive again with that buddy! This just makes me more resolved to being as able as possible to handle any situation by myself. I love this thread!

 

[NewFloridaDiver]

As for an errant kick knocking my mask off, I've only had to deal with this once, as a brand new diver. I was lucky in that the mask was close enough to easily retrieve. That said, when my dad and I dive together we spend a good 1/4 of the dive antagonizing each other- removing fins, grabbing masks, etc. We do it safely, so we're always around if the other needs help or (eek) is about to hit coral, but I've grown accustomed (as accustomed as one can grow) to swimming around in salt water with eyes open. After reading this thread though, I may invest in another mask this week. Better safe than sorry, no?

-Ben

I think this is a great idea Ben, what you and Dad used to do... It would be a great way to learn to react instinctively and calmly to situations, if done safely. As for the backup mask, that is what prompted my scenario in the 1st place. Now I'm definately going to buy a new one and keep my old as a backup. Where to put it though? a seperate hip pocket? It's a bulky thing to carry.