Who has performed a rescue?

[Steelyeyes]

Right after I got my DM cert myself and three buddies got in a bit of trouble with heavy surge. One guy got pushed completely to the surface, smashed into the lava by a wave, and then pulled out to sea by the backwash between wave sets. After the three of us rescued ourselves and just as one was headed to a phone to call the Coast Guard we saw our buddy floating 400 yards off shore in a pretty heavy sea state (it was like a pond when we entered the water). Chuck and I were in the best physical and mental condition so we stripped to snorkel gear and entered the water. We left our buddy Mike on shore with eyes on the victim and he steered us to him as we swam out.

Pat was conscious with a head and leg injury, dry tank, broken relief valve on his BC, and still wearing weights when we found him. The only air his BC was holding was a bubble above the relief valve. We dropped his weights and stripped his gear. Chuck grabbed Pat in a cross chest tow and I dragged his gear back. Other than vomiting from swallowing a decent amount of sea water while being pummeled he was in decent shape. We took him in for a medical evaluation right away. They treated his cuts and released him. He thanked us for saving him and complained about us ditching his rented weight belt.

My GF is a relatively new diver with AOW certification. Back when I got my DM in 1981 the rescue training was pretty rudimentary. It seemed prudent for us to take the Rescue Diver course together and we just finished it in early December 2016. Recovering an inert diver from the bottom and then giving rescue breaths while towing them and stripping their gear while everyone was wearing dry suits was one of the hardest and most eye opening things I've ever done.

 

[John Bantin]

The Aftermath of a Fatal Dive Accident: Undercurrent 02/2015

 

[FionaH]

About a year or so back, diving as a 3, with one of the others relatively new, so was keeping a close ye on him, the other had around 150 dives all in cold water, and had dived the wreck before. Down the shot, it was cold, so not planning an especially long time, met the wreck at 23m or so and decended down for a wee wander. Nothing was untoward, but on the way back, intending to overshoot the shotline and have a short explore towards the stern, something I oculn't quite work out what was subtley not right with the more experienced of my 2 buddies. So, cutting the dive short, and fortunately as it turned out staying within NDL, came back to the shot, signalled to go up, and the 3 of started our ascent. At about 18m one suddenly dumped all his bouyancy and landed back on the wreck (23m). I followed back, gave an Ok, he turned away and started staring into his camera, flashed at him, gave him a clout with my torch - nothing. So hauled him back onto his knees, and at this point his reg fell out - today was not goig terribly well....after putting his reg back in ( I don't remember it, someone else saw me do it) started a lift, rather unfortunately it was low tide and someone above was hanging ont he shot, so it was like spagetti around me, and I had to avoid getting tangled up. At around 8m or so, he suddenly came to - there were another 3 divers around who'd stayed to help by then - I got him to the surface, handing him over to one of the others and at the same time headed back down to retrieve my ineperienced dive partner who I had no idea where he was by now - I reached the top of the wreck again, to realise he was very sensibly on the shot with aother group heading up as per normal drill, so I did the same - missed a few minites of stops I'd acquired by now, but all was well - didn't see it coming, nver want to see it again

 

[Bubblesong]

whether years ago or yesterday, a student noticing the instructor was in trouble and rescuing the older guy is an unusual rescue.
Rescue courses today put a lot more people closer to being able to do something useful that before, so I still encourage everyone to go for the training, "lightweight" or not.

 

[Bubblesong]

The Aftermath of a Fatal Dive Accident: Undercurrent 02/2015

John, NO FAIR posting a link to half a story that requires a subscription to get other half the story!

 

[Erich S]

Agree, I think that you have to expect the unexpected and when I was called on to help I was only 18yrs old but received CPR training and also was certified in Senior Life Saving in my Basic course. My instructor was a Paramedic/Nurse so maybe he spent more time than was usual on life saving than was recommended by PADI back in the day.

 

[Erich S]

In the late 70s the PADI certs were:
Basic
OW
AOW
DM
Instructor

 

[Diver0001]

In November 2008 we (me and my dive team) rescued a diver from the bottom of a lake in 18m of water where he had run out of air and in a botched attempt to share air with the DM who was present, "drowned" and was left there for dead by the DM.

Through complete coincidence we were standing on shore nearby and preparing for a training dive. The diver was brought to the surface by my 2 CA's while I organized things on the surface. Somewhat miraculously the diver survived and went on to make a remarkable recovery despite some lingering physical issues (new reflex response in one leg).

As far as I know this was one of the few successful rescues ever made whereby the rescuers needed to search for a drowned diver under water.

It was all pretty traumatic. Strangely, the victim is the one who had the least psychological trauma about the incident because he literally can't remember anything that happened. One of my CA's stopped diving all together after that incident (gets panic attacks) but it "changed" all 3 of us.

R..

 

[Erich S]

A near tragic story Diver0001 and I think that the DM should have had his cert revoked.

 

[lerpy]

I have been involved in a couple of incidents, one just a person with poor gas management and terrible at common sense, one that ended in a chamber ride, and another that unfortunately ended in a fatality. These are the worst of the things I have dealt with. Both diving and working on a dive boat I have seen situations that have probably been stopped before they started, and others that you wonder how that did not go south. The serious incidents certainly leave a lasting impact, but you take solace in you used your training, and you did everything you could. At the end of the day in a lot of activities, you do it long enough you are going to run into people that have incidents.