Where was the instructor?

[mnj1233]

PADI does, not sure about other agencies.

From open water dive #3:
"7. Achieve and maintain neutral buoyancy underwater by inflating the BCD orally."

As said above, the instructor should be within reach/have contact and ready to share air during this skill (and any skill that requires the reg to be removed from the mouth).

Interesting to know how many actually perform this skill. I know I wasnt asked to. But then again I wasnt real impressed with my instructor then or to-date. Beyond open water I have found a new instructor I feel gives the utmost attention to students getting it down-pat.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I don't understand why it sounds like her low pressure inflator hose was disconnected. Achieve and maintain neutral buoyancy underwater can be accomplished using the fin pivot or by kneeling on the bottom if the fin pivot is not possible for enviro reasons. We have training platforms for ow dives and use the fin pivot at depth to perform this exercise. However, the lp hose is not disconnected from the bc. it does not need to be. She should have had her inflator in the left hand and reg in the right. Take a breath exhale to inflator. Reg back, in repeat as necessary.

Nothing in the standard requires this to be performed like an ooa situation. And like Mark I usually use the oral inflator at surface as an air conservation method also. And I'll practice with students when they do their oral inflation exercise. But again if she'e being taught to drop the reg and inflate underwater that's stupid and irresponsible. AND NOT REQUIRED!

Just grabbed my instructor manual and it states under the recommended techniques for accomplishing performance requirements for ow training dive 2:" Buoyancy Control(fin pivot) this exercise is to be conducted in the same manner as Open Water Training Dive 1, except the student is to inflate the BCD orally instead of using the low pressure inflator." Nowhere is there any mention of disconnecting the lp hose for this exercise.

Now if her account is correct then someone screwed up by: 1 her not having her reg in her right hand, 2 if this is the case no one close enough to offer an octo or retrieve her reg for her, 3 when we do this even though they have the reg an instructor or DM is ALWAYS within reach, watching their eyes and actions as they do this. why was not someone as close in this situation? And finally 4 did she somehow panic and bolt for the surface and think she signalled ooa before someone could catch her. Then somehow got seperated from the others when they surfaced to find out what happened to her. Not knowing she had sunk back to the bottom. Having not read the other accounts, and going by the obviously sensationalized account in the paper, these are the scenarios that occurred to me.

 

[dkktsunami]

"When she tried to reattach the device connected to her air tank.....". Sounds like low pressure inflator hose was disconnected during manual inflation drill and she lost primary?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Yeah but why was it disconnected in the first place. and how do you reattach,inflate and retrieve reg at same time?

 

[RonFrank]

Interesting to know how many actually perform this skill. I know I wasnt asked to. But then again I wasnt real impressed with my instructor then or to-date. Beyond open water I have found a new instructor I feel gives the utmost attention to students getting it down-pat.

We did several drills that involved removing the regulator, and manual BCD inflation was one of them. IMO EVERY student should be required to perform this skill, as it is one that maybe necessary in the event the power inflator fails.

Other regulator removal skills included switching from primary to octo, and switching from primary to snorkel on the surface with swimming with one's head submerged.

We did your CESA with the regulator in the mouth. However the Instructor paid close attention to determine if one sneaked a breath. I know this as fact because I exhaled my air too fast, grabbed a breath near the surface and BUSTED! I had to repeat the drill, and I was not the only one :11:

 

[RonFrank]

We will likely never know the exact sequence of events that surrounded this accident. Thankfully the student is OK.

Ironic that the press which is generally so quick to jump to conclusions, and paint the story with a huge brush is so ignorant about scuba that they fail to ask even some of the most basic questions surrounding an incident like this.

Maybe we will learn more, expecially if a law suit is put into motion. I'm sure every lawyer in the area is knocking on that door... :11:

 

[dannobee]

Only going by "Her Account" did you read it? Why if she was one on one with an instructor why would they be suprised she didnt surface.??? Im askin??? You stated "everybody surfaced together" apparently someone cant count cause one was on the bottom.

Allegedly she DID surface, but slipped back underwater. Have you ever dived at the breakwater? It's the most frequently dived place for OW training in the SF bay area and there are fequently over a hundred OW divers there, kicking everything up, and vis is frequently less than 5 feet when this happens. Once they got her out of the water, there were quite a few Rescue divers and Instructors to assist, along with O2 on the spot.

I'm glad she's ok though.

Like I said, look at the messages on the yahoo ba_diving board from other people who were there. And orally inflating your BC is a skill required by PADI for OW certification.

 

[mnj1233]

Allegedly she DID surface, but slipped back underwater. Have you ever dived at the breakwater? It's the most frequently dived place for OW training in the SF bay area and there are fequently over a hundred OW divers there, kicking everything up, and vis is frequently less than 5 feet when this happens. Once they got her out of the water, there were quite a few Rescue divers and Instructors to assist, along with O2 on the spot.

I'm glad she's ok though.

Like I said, look at the messages on the yahoo ba_diving board from other people who were there. And orally inflating your BC is a skill required by PADI for OW certification.

Granted Im only going on what the story I originally posted said and if you read it carefully she Never Got to the Surface. Dont know what to say but a student should never be the last one up.

 

[Tom725]

The report in the paper makes no sense but then reports from " civilians" often do not.

I was not there and do not know what happened, but as a seasoned instructor I have never had a student who had trouyble who did not blame everyone but themselves for the problem - usualy the equipment while they are at the site then the instructor or dive master afterwards.

I am not saying this was the students fault but neither am I saying it was the instructors. There is not enough information available to determine blame, if any.

 

[JRScuba]

I was not there and do not know what happened, but as a seasoned instructor I have never had a student who had trouyble who did not blame everyone but themselves for the problem - usualy the equipment while they are at the site then the instructor or dive master afterwards.

Wow !!!!! I thought that only happened in Florida...