What to do in the event that...

[Mike Boswell]

As a new diver I'm hoping to get a comprehesive list of things that I should do in the event that... (this or that goes wrong). We briefly went over things in the OW class, but I know I will encounter other issues. Sure, many can be prevented with proper planning and checks, but what to do when things happen anyway?
.

It's a good question and your intent - to compile a list of contributions from a wide base of knowledge and experience - is a good one.

Equipment failures have been very rare for me, and I can only remember a few instances where I've had any problems.

One of those was when I descended to about 50 feet and started inflating my BC, only to discover that the air I put in was bubbling back out somewhere behind my head. I couldn't equalize and kept sinking to the bottom.

I was puzzled for a minute, and then reached back and felt for the inflator elbow, and tightened the threaded nut that holds the elbow onto the wing: Presto, problem solved. From this experience I learned to check and tighten the threaded nuts on my wing every so often.

I was not taught that skill in any course, because we used standard BCD's in every course and they don't have those connectors.

 

[Mike Boswell]

Once, many years ago, I got my mask knocked completely off by a very unhappy fish.

I was pretty deep, I was low on air, I couldn't see much of anything, and I had no idea which way was up. Every direction I looked was just blue.

As I tried to solve this dilemma, it occurred to me that my bubbles had to be going "up". So I swam in the direction of my bubbles and made it to the surface.

 

[flots am]

Depends on which recreational OW class.

Yeah, it does. It's not so much the content, but the time spent in the classroom and practicing skills in the pool.

There's very little that's likely to happen to a new OW diver, diving within recommended limits and conditions that can't be safely handled using the skills taught in class.

Unfortunately, most new divers ignore their limits, have no idea where their buddies are and don't remember much of anything from class.

flots.

 

[fogrunner]

Apart from the few 'bickering' posts, quite an interesting topic.
Thanks for the pertinent info and insights.

 

[Reef_Haven]

Alot of the discussion on this thread has been about dealing with a free flowing reg. Simply toggling the valve on and off between breaths is something that I have practiced quite often in the pool. You should always be able to reach and manipulate your own valve.

 

[Lockdownx99]

this is so ridiculous. the guy asked a simple question. he should be given an answer. YES the LDS should have gone over some of the what ifs. i agree. BUT, they cannot possibly go over every singe one of them. there are plenty of unique things that have probably only happened a hand full of times to a limited number of divers and that is probably what this guy is after. what is your experience and what did you do to counter it. thats it. im sure glad i dont have to dive with any of the twits on this board because im certain it would be a very quiet experience. i bet every time i ask where you have dived at in the past, you would expect me to have sifted through the archives to find your previous posts. its simple really. if you dont have anything to help the guy asking the question, or you simply dont like the question hes asking, GTFO. simple. you waste more time acknowledging that he has asked a dumb question or that you think his question has been discussed in the past than if you simply answered the question and moved on. what the hell is this called a discussion board for if we are only supposed to search and recover answers to our questions through previous discussions. its so stupid how bad ass everyone thinks they are online telling others that their question is stupid. so if this guy asked this same question in person would you tell him to go back to his lds and turn your back to him? what a jerk off.

 

[TMHeimer]

this is so ridiculous. the guy asked a simple question. he should be given an answer. YES the LDS should have gone over some of the what ifs. i agree. BUT, they cannot possibly go over every singe one of them. there are plenty of unique things that have probably only happened a hand full of times to a limited number of divers and that is probably what this guy is after. what is your experience and what did you do to counter it. thats it. im sure glad i dont have to dive with any of the twits on this board because im certain it would be a very quiet experience. i bet every time i ask where you have dived at in the past, you would expect me to have sifted through the archives to find your previous posts. its simple really. if you dont have anything to help the guy asking the question, or you simply dont like the question hes asking, GTFO. simple. you waste more time acknowledging that he has asked a dumb question or that you think his question has been discussed in the past than if you simply answered the question and moved on. what the hell is this called a discussion board for if we are only supposed to search and recover answers to our questions through previous discussions. its so stupid how bad ass everyone thinks they are online telling others that their question is stupid. so if this guy asked this same question in person would you tell him to go back to his lds and turn your back to him? what a jerk off.

That's what I said on page 4. Didn't you read my post???!!! Just kidding. Unfortunately the stuff you say is true. I TRY to just answer what an OP asks without philosophizing, but I'm probably guilty too once in a while. Guess it's the price you pay to have such an informative open forum.

 

[knowone]

Apart from the few 'bickering' posts, quite an interesting topic.
Thanks for the pertinent info and insights.

And we all know what happened to the Bicker Brothers.

 

[aquaregia]

Are we talking about a diver turning off their own valve if they had a freeflow, or a teammate shutting off their air for them? I'm still a new diver, but the idea of someone else touching my valve is a little unsettling.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Are we talking about a diver turning off their own valve if they had a freeflow, or a teammate shutting off their air for them? I'm still a new diver, but the idea of someone else touching my valve is a little unsettling.

Did you not do OOA drills in your Open Water class?

In this case you would simply respond the same way.

It's one example of why practicing your skills is so important ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)