What to do in the event that...

[flots am]

I like these contingencies and believe that I can do all of them underwater.

Then congratulations and I wish you a happy life.

I agree though that for someone completely new (ie. not completely comfortable) to being underwater, this could very well be overkill and keeping it simple would be good.

Your profile lists you as being "completely new".

flots.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Then congratulations and I wish you a happy life.



Your profile lists you as being "completely new".

flots.

In my case my profile does not take into account my freediving background.

 

[knowone]

I'm a bronzed caucasian.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

How's this for contingencies. A few weeks ago i was diving solo in 100 feet spearfsihing around a shipwreck. i had one or two small bleeding fish in a bag I had clipped to my belt.

I entered "into" a shipwreck, it was actually just a 20 feet section of wreckage that had a ceiling that was maybe 6-8 feet high and the depth of the recess was only like 12 feet. more like an overhang, not confining at all.

I went in their looking for fish, initially I was skip breathing and hoping for a fish to appear as I lay still on the bottom. Suddenly I see about a 5 foot green moray coming right for me meandering through the floor of the wreckage like a snake. It was coming fast and i instinctively tried to rise up to get off the bottom and away from it.

It followed me up and was bitting at the bag which is against my leg and not far from other important parts. I tried to back out of the enclosure and backed out a few feet, but because I was distracted by the eel I was scrapping the ceiling and i instantly became entangled on something on the ceiling with my tank. I was now stuck to the ceiling and had my hands full, I was repeatedly hitting the eel with the pole spear and I was trying not to injure it (I could have shot it with the speargun, but that probablly would have made things worse if i didn't make a perfect shot). This whole situation took less than 5 seconds to evolve.

I couldn't really move at all, i couldn't go down because the eel was really excited and pised and was biting at the spear and my bag and i couldn't move back or away because i was stuck. I kept smacking and poking the eel, quite forceably but it really wanted the fish I guess. I remeber thinking: "who would beleive this situation?". 15 seconds ago the dive was going perfectly and now I got a problem.

I decided that the eel was going to have to suffer for my stupidity, so I really began poking it hard and puncted the skin and open mouth, while i tried to avoid it's eyes. After a few really hard jabs, he finally lost interest and slithered away.

I exhaled and then wiggled and shook my tank a little and quickly popped loose from the ceiling. 25 seconds of spearfishing excitement.

 

[knowone]

Seems like the PLAN was successful.

 

[Cave Diver]

I kept smacking and poking the eel, quite forceably but it really wanted the fish I guess. I remeber thinking: "who would beleive this situation?".

Having been in a somewhat similar situation, I would believe it.

 

[nhebrant]

agree with pafindr - pretty much every potential scenario you would experience as a Open water diver or even advanced open water diver should have been covered in your OW confined water session. I definitely make a point of showing how to handle equipment under water - isnt it vital??? Unfort as pafindr its alot of info to take for most students so alot i would say goes in one ear and exits the moment they finish Dive 4! But then again, how many students are just there to get the cert and go diving without thinking if they properly remembered what they learnt.
I work in a dive center in Koh Tao, Thailand and the number of OW students that come and forget about the basics - even why is a log book important.
With that in mind I now make a point in class room and pool session that things learned here are for their (students) safety and also that it is their responsibility - seems to do good in pool and dives but how effective is it over the long???? who knows......

.... but to cut a long answer short - you should have trained for all that in the OW - if you feel that you dont know, then request a scuba review!

rgds
Nick

Scuba Diving Thailand - PADI Courses & Certifications in English, French & Spanish
Scuba Diving Instructor Nicolas Hebrant | Scuba Diving Adventures & Photography

 

[Mike Boswell]

How's this for contingencies. A few weeks ago i was diving solo in 100 feet spearfsihing around a shipwreck. i had one or two small bleeding fish in a bag I had clipped to my belt.

I entered "into" a shipwreck, it was actually just a 20 feet section of wreckage that had a ceiling that was maybe 6-8 feet high and the depth of the recess was only like 12 feet. more like an overhang, not confining at all.

I went in their looking for fish, initially I was skip breathing and hoping for a fish to appear as I lay still on the bottom. Suddenly I see about a 5 foot green moray coming right for me meandering through the floor of the wreckage like a snake. It was coming fast and i instinctively tried to rise up to get off the bottom and away from it.

It followed me up and was bitting at the bag which is against my leg and not far from other important parts. I tried to back out of the enclosure and backed out a few feet, but because I was distracted by the eel I was scrapping the ceiling and i instantly became entangled on something on the ceiling with my tank. I was now stuck to the ceiling and had my hands full, I was repeatedly hitting the eel with the pole spear and I was trying not to injure it (I could have shot it with the speargun, but that probablly would have made things worse if i didn't make a perfect shot). This whole situation took less than 5 seconds to evolve.

I couldn't really move at all, i couldn't go down because the eel was really excited and pised and was biting at the spear and my bag and i couldn't move back or away because i was stuck. I kept smacking and poking the eel, quite forceably but it really wanted the fish I guess. I remeber thinking: "who would beleive this situation?". 15 seconds ago the dive was going perfectly and now I got a problem.

I decided that the eel was going to have to suffer for my stupidity, so I really began poking it hard and puncted the skin and open mouth, while i tried to avoid it's eyes. After a few really hard jabs, he finally lost interest and slithered away.

I exhaled and then wiggled and shook my tank a little and quickly popped loose from the ceiling. 25 seconds of spearfishing excitement.

That's a good story and brought back memories.

When I was a spearfisherman I carried a T-bar for fish. We made these by welding a 5-inch piece of steel rod to the end of a 4 or 5-foot piece of steel rod, making a T. All made of 5/16" spring steel rod.

You spear a fish and string it onto the rod, through the mouth and out the gills. You can put a lot of fish on this rod, and you carry it in your left hand and lay it down when you don't need to carry it. That way, when the eels and reef sharks come, you are not what's for dinner.

 

[Crush]

When I was a spearfisherman I carried a T-bar for fish. We made these by welding a 5-inch piece of steel rod to the end of a 4 or 5-foot piece of steel rod, making a T. All made of 5/16" spring steel rod.

You spear a fish and string it onto the rod, through the mouth and out the gills. You can put a lot of fish on this rod, and you carry it in your left hand and lay it down when you don't need to carry it. That way, when the eels and reef sharks come, you are not what's for dinner.

Plus, when you let go of that anchor, it carries the fish down while you shoot up at an incredible rate, faster than most predators can pursue!

 

[Mike Boswell]

Plus, when you let go of that anchor, it carries the fish down while you shoot up at an incredible rate, faster than most predators can pursue!

Well, the T-rod stringer weighs maybe a pound, and the fish are neutral, so it's not much of an "anchor". But I have had sharks swim up behind me and snatch my stringer out of my hand, and I have always been glad those fish weren't tied to me.