Shasta_man
Contributor
Had to point out how funny Blackwood's post is:
"If you have one tank, and he has three..."
That's too hilarious.
"If you have one tank, and he has three..."
That's too hilarious.
What would you have done?
- Thread starter The Logic Theorist
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Blackwood
Contributor
The Logic Theorist:
Joking aside, let me ask you this:
If you can't afford to skip a dive, can you afford the medical payments after a non-fatal SCUBA accident? To begin with, figure multiples of $1,000 for hyperbaric treatment.
Shasta_man:
I assume these two aren't teamed up, but the situation at hand brought this picture to mind (set aside all the oddities with the guy and his configuration). GO TEAM!
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The Logic Theorist
Contributor
Blackwood:
I have primary coverage through work, and secondary I have the DAN master plan.
I get where you're coming from definitely, and I certainly won't be purposefully planning dives that push the limits of my training. But, as it is, my diving choices are severely limited by my location and the cost of dives around here. I may just not have looked hard enough yet, but I can't find much worth doing near me (DC) that's not a boat charter, and then I have to rent gear, a car, and potentially a hotel room. I've found a charter out of Ocean City that has a schedule, and my plan at this point is to do several dives in the 70-90' range with them. If -they- call the dive on account of conditions, I'm not charged, and that depth is well within my training limitations. Seems like the best plan moving forward.
Actually, according to his story, that is pretty much what did happen...Shasta_man:
Which is why he was going to have to go up when he hit NDL's.
If you can make a 51 minute dive to 130+ feet, on a single 80, you have one really low sack rate.
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I'd say that's debatable.The Logic Theorist:
You might have been diving within your limits assuming that nothing went wrong. But what would you have done if for some reason you'd experienced a free flowing reg? Or somehow managed to lose a fin ... or your mask? What would you have done if current would've prevented you from being able to get back to the line before beginning your ascent? Your Open Water instructor SHOULD have taught you to think about contingencies as part of a basic dive plan ... certainly you should have learned this as part of the deep dive "experience" of an AOW.
You didn't mention what size tank you were using ... but I doubt it held adequate gas to safely support you and your dive buddy if you'd have had to do a shared-air ascent from 128 feet.
You exceeded your deco limit ... and you exceeded your ascent rate. So obviously you weren't diving within your limits. You're lucky ... and luck has a way of catching up with you underwater.
At your experience level, I'll offer a couple of "rules of thumb" that you can apply to help keep you out of situations like this one.
First, don't go deeper than the amount of cubic feet of gas in your cylinder. If you're using an AL80, limit your depth to 80 feet. If you want to go deep, get a bigger tank. Your gas isn't just for you ... it's so that if your buddy has an issue and you need to come up sharing air, you'll be able to do so safely.
Second, never get in the water with someone who doesn't plan to BOTH start and end the dive with you. A solo ascent from 128 feet isn't something that a diver without an alternate air source should even contemplate. What would you have done if you'd lost access to your air supply right after you and your buddy parted ways? Blow and go? Doubtful you'd have made it. More likely you'd have panicked and embolized long before your body floated to the surface. I'm not normally into "your gonna die" speeches ... but some friends of mine pulled a dead woman out of the water last year because she attempted something like that.
People "get away" with doing dives like that all the time ... and because nothing went wrong and they made it, they think it's within the limits of their ability. That's the wrong way to think about it ... the limits of your ability extend only to the point where something can go wrong, and you can deal with the problem and still make the ascent safely.
From 128 feet, and without a redundant air source, that requires a competent dive buddy.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
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I stand corrected ... but that's still only about 91 CF of gas ... not enough for most new divers to handle a dive to that depth safely.The Logic Theorist:
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
gangrel441
Contributor
The Logic Theorist:
Just remember that dive planning goes right up until the time you make the dive. If you are geared up and about to splash when it occurs to you that something about the dive is well beyond your training, you still need to find a solution or call the dive. The last charter I was out on, the second wreck of the day, something in the briefing about the site didn't add up for me from a navigational standpoint. I asked a question. I got a logical answer, but one that didn't resolve my issue. I asked more questions. After about a 10 minute discussion, problem was resolved, and I was comfortable with the dive site. I would probably not have worried about it if I was diving with my usual dive buddy, but I was paired with an inexperienced diver who was diving his first Lake Michigan wrecks. Point being, don't be afraid to ask questions about the dive plan, and if you can't get satisfactory answers, don't be afraid to call the dive. Better to be out a little money and a little red in the face than hurt on a dive that exceeds your limits.
The Logic Theorist:
No one said you shouldn't do boat charters. I suggested some alternatives that I have locally in Chicago in order to meet other divers. The charter op you have found now sounds like one more up your alley. Depths are good for an AOW diver, and it don't sound like they make a habbit of catering to techies. That said, try to find a buddy while you are going out with these guys, so you get used to diving with someone other than an instructor. Best of luck, and enjoy the diving!
Mr. Bubble
Contributor
DOn't take it so hard. You did the right thing. You are new to the sport, and you went in good faith believing that they would treat you well. Now you know better. Get used to it. It is rampent in this community. Once you find a diver that you like, stick with them. There are far to many that I would not dive with, as to those that I would dive with. Chalk it up as experiance and follow this link......
http://www.divebuddy.com/default.asp
http://www.divebuddy.com/default.asp
fire_diver
Contributor
The Logic Theorist:
Well, hopefully you won't die. If so, I hope you have a fast death and won't suffer. 70-90' is WAY outside of your range, regardless of what your AOW instructor may or may not have told you. Right now, you don't even know what it is you don't know.
But I know you don't care about my opinions becuase they fly in the face of your superior training. So go forth, dive, and pray you have a fast death if the merde hits the ventillator.
Good Luck!
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