What you should not do when diving

[mania]

Here goes the story told by my friends – instructors in Hurghada. It happened 2 days ago. It simply shows things you should not do when diving!!!!!

It was AOWD training. One instructor and one student.
First dive was supposed to be a deep one, second – training the buoyancy.
Both of them claimed to be good – diver (25 logged dives) said that he is the best and the instructor (1,5 month after the instructor course) said the same about himself.
First dive: Erg Somaya – deep dive – depth 34,5m. Exercises took 10 minutes, then they went up to 20m for another 10 minutes and then slowly up to 5m with safety stop. Total dive time – 44 minutes.
After sometime on the boat the student asked if anybody has a beer because he was thirsty. Instructor proposed water reminding about the possible dehydration. The student answered that tough guys don’t drink water and beer is the best. After all the student didn’t drink at all.
After 1hour and 47 minutes on the boat the second dive started. Instructor decides on the Gorgonia Garden and 16 – 17m of depth. Later instructor said he wanted shallower dive but student said – “are we diving or playing?”
Total dive time 47 minutes. 20 minutes were spent on the depth of 16m. Safety stop for 3 minutes at 5m.
On the way back to the jetty student drunk one can of coke. At the end of the day both student and instructor went to the club where each drunk 4 – 6 beers.

At 2 am student called the doctor. Complained about problems with breathing, itching of the skin and bends. Student ended up in the decompression chamber with DCS type I based on the strong dehydration.

They used only one computer (old Aladin Pro) but the final profile of both dives is unknown (basic question for me is whether the computer showed that the first dive was in fact the decompression dive).
A day before student did 2 dives at the 10m – dive time around 50 minutes.
A night before the deep dive they had a party till 3am.
The student is more or less OK, kept in the hospital for observation.
Mania

 

[Big Blue One]

... continue to dive with a student that is a complete idiot

I am leaving this post intact as an example of the type comment that is not allowed in this forum. Here we identify hazards. Name calling is specifically proscribed, and this qualifies. Using this as an example, the hazard is dehydration - in this case "willful dehydration" despite the advice offered by the instructor. The proposed solution is "do not dive with someone who is dangerously dehydrated; do not dive with someone who willfully disregards instructions."
Rick

 

[artcumming76]

So many things wrong here. As an instructor, why would you allow your student to dictate dive profiles to you, especially with that sort of attitude. Sounds like a poorly planned and executed day of diving, from partying the night before to drinking that evening. If computers were to be used for diving, why only one between two of them, the dive should have been planned using tables, not sharing a computer.

 

[fgray1]

First I hope the divers OK.
Second I don't think Mania was the instuctor from the way I read the story.
It's Hard to convince someone that their messing up if they don't care to listen.
This forum is Great because It give us an idea of just how accident come about. From what I've read so for, most of the accidents could have been avoided with just using your training and a little common sense. If this forum does nothing else I think by reading the reports and stories it will make us stop and think before we dive. Not doing what you know to be wrong will never kill you but because you've done it 100 times before and got away with it doesn't mean that on the 101 time it won't kill you.
Fred

 

[mania]

fgray1 is absolutly right. I'm not the instructor. In fact I'm not instructor at all.
This story was told by my friend - dive instructor who as volunteer works in the decompression chamber in Hurghada. And he was the one that treated the student - this is how we know this story. I posted it mainly to show how many things can be done in the wrong way although sometimes we think - wow 1 - 2 beers the night before wouldn't do much harm, 30 or 35 meters - there is no difference, etc, etc.
Mania

 

[Spectre]

First dive: Erg Somaya – deep dive – depth 34,5m. Exercises took 10 minutes, then they went up to 20m for another 10 minutes and then slowly up to 5m with safety stop. Total dive time – 44 minutes.
[...]
(basic question for me is whether the computer showed that the first dive was in fact the decompression dive).

For what it's worth, not that it really matters to the point; but I would be surprised if this -wasn't- a decompression dive. Assuming air and the flat profile above, the'd be looking at somewhere around 18 minutes of decompression time.. however that would equate to in water time of 41 minutes...

Once again; doesn't really make a difference as dehydration throws it all out.

 

[Drew Sailbum]

Too deep for an AOW deep dive if it was a PADI course. Course standard is 18 to 30m.

It also seems that the emphasis on staying away from the limits was not empahsized nearly enough (if at all). There is some sort of machismo involved in the "dive deeper, stay longer or its not real diving" mentality that really doesn't belong in dive training. I think this attitude was as much a contributing factor as anything.

Adding the dehydrating effects of alcohol only compunds the problem. On Monday I was speaking with a DAN representative and made a side comment about the Recreational Dive Professionals study which I participate in. Nowhere does it ask about alcohol consumption as it relates to diving! I'd guess at least 50% of the DCS incidents I've seen on this island have "excessive partying" as a contributing factor.

On the positive side, at least the student did recognize the signs and symptoms of DCS and sought out treatment. Delayed treatment is all too common.

It's not clear if the instructor had ever been diving with that student before. I usually do some sort of shallow dive as the first dive of the AOW. It lets me get a fell for the student's air consumption rate, buoyancy control, and overall dive awareness.

 

[Big Blue One]

Rick's mod of my message is fine and accepted for the emotive language.

The question really is to the instructors / dive leaders and on the highlight from Rick about the second issue in this thread - how many actually will stop a student mid-instruction, refund their money and suggest that it would be unsafe for them to continue instructing the student should they continue with their lack of appreciation for the seriousness to themselves (and more importantly future dive partners) of their actions !!!

do you continue to instruct someone who "willfully disregards instructions"

maybe this question should go to the professionals forum ?

 

[mania]

Too deep for an AOW deep dive if it was a PADI course. Course standard is 18 to 30m.

A day after the instructor told the authorities that the plan was 30m but the student dropped down to 34,5.
And they did two shallow dives a day before the accident.(I changed the word from "fatal" into "accident" after realizing that I misused the word "fatal")
Mania

 

[Rick Murchison]

A day after the instructor told the authorities that the plan was 30m but the student droped down to 34,5.
And they did two shallow dives a day before the fatal one.
Mania

Fatal?
Typo, right?
Rick