Why don't we emphasize cesa more??

[fisherdvm]

After the fiasco of diving with my incompetent nephew, and how little he knew about cesa, I met up with my sister and brother in law (both NAUI master divers). I suggested that we should practice cesa in the shallow. My sister said, this is really an "advanced" skill, and should not be done by OW beginners. Of course, I would never argue with a "NAUI" master diver!

I just read through my DAN magazine about how 1/5 of divers death in 2003 (29 of the 153 deaths) were due to out of air situations. One case pointed out a scuba instructor who ran out out air and died from pulmonary embolism.

If folks like divemaster (one here on this board), and dive instructors (on the current DAN magazine) are getting air embolism - maybe we are not emphasizing cesa enough. Technically, if your airway is open and you are saying "ahhhh" or whistles through your regulator, or without your regulator, you should not get air embolism, right??

Are air embolism occurring because of preexisting pathologies in their lung, or is it that we, as a group, are not practicing cesa enough??

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Could be fear of having an accident while practicing? The Navy had a training tower to do a simulated escape from a submerged submarine. The tower was not operational when I was there so I have never personally used it. Ho Ho all the way to the surface. (Then Die of hypothermea in the North sea, Sharks in warm water)

 

[Soggy]

CESAs are a last ditch resort resulting from a deficiency in skill and if divers were trained better to use team work, planning, disciplined monitoring of gas, and gas redundancy, would become unnecessary.

I'm glad to hear that it's not being taught much anymore. Unfortunately, I have a feeling the fundamental skill that would prevent a CESA from being necessary is probably not being taught well, either.

 

[lamont]

Gas Planning, Buddy Skills and S-drills can really eliminate the need to ever do a CESA

 

[The_DivePirate]

Padi still teaches CESA, at least it did last year when my wife was certified.

"My sister said, this is really an "advanced" skill, and should not be done by OW beginners."

Seems a little odd coming from a NAUI diver. Considering some of the views that some of my NAUI buddies have expressed. I'm a firm believer in, more knowledge is better than less. Even if it is a last ditch effort. IMO Besides that, ADVANCED SKILL?, from a NAUI diver? HUH??

Dive safe/Train hard,
Joe

 

[Kevfin]

Gas Planning, Buddy Skills and S-drills can really eliminate the need to ever do a CESA

Exactly!

 

[CLEAR BLUE]

I just did my open water certification this past July and we had to do the CESA in the pool and during our 3rd or 4th certification dive.

 

[trtldvr]

I am a naui instructor and I was puzzled by the "advanced skill" comment as well. Yes, gas planning and monitering are prefferable, but if a ooa situation arises the more "tools a diver has in his back pocket" the better. Doing a cesa in training a couple of times will not prepare most divers to do it if the situation occures. OOA drills should be practiced from time to time. The problem is people will plan their dive, but noone ever plans on running out of air.

 

[fisherdvm]

I remembered doing cesa in my padi ow in 1993 as well.

 

[Lehmann108]

I'm very glad that I snorkled and free dived for so many years before learning scuba diving. CESA is something very simple for me (as long as I breath out!) Just knowing that I can descend and come back up from over 60' feet on one breath of air (of course with a breath-up and the help of the mammilian dive reflex) in free diving makes the thought of running out of air at depth not really that spooky. In general, people grossly under estimate how long they can go without breathing and be perfectly fine. No need to panic. Drop your weights, hell, drop your BC and tank and just gently and calmly kick to the surface humming all the way.