Wife doesn't want to dive anymore due to botched freeflowing reg incident

[Cliffpiper]

So I'll start off saying it could have been much worse. My wife is a new diver and really doesn't feel 100% comfortable on her dives yet. Understandable.

I would just like to share my incident that I had with her recently on a dive so that others remember this stuff happens and no matter how much your train for it, things can and will sometimes just go completely wrong.

To make a long story short, she had a freeflowing reg. The reg malfunctioned. Instead of immediately starting her ascent, she decided to take the reg out of her mouth to try to make it stop freeflowing. Bad idea. She immediately freaked out and made a rush for the surface from approx. 45' with no air in her mouth. We were down for only 11 minutes and most of that was at a shallower depth so I wasn't that worried about getting bent (but it is still possible I know).

All in all, she stated that she no longer wants to dive due to "near drowning" incident. I told her that she was far from drowning as I was right there with her the whole time. I also explained to her that she should have left the reg in her mouth and made her ascent, but to stay calm. She is coming around now and saying that she just wants to take a break from diving, but wants new regs. She refuses to dive her regs that freeflowed and I don't blame her. There is something really wrong with those. 3 freeflows on 3 dives (not all the same trip I assure you, and I even had a tech tell me there was nothing wrong with them, yea right).

I would like to state what she did wrong in full.

1. She didn't stay calm.
2. She took the reg out of her mouth.
3. She tried to save the dive by making it stop.
4. She turned a freeflowing reg issue into an out of air issue.
5. She ascended waaaaay to fast and her dive computer hates her now for life.
6. When she got to the surface, she didn't inflate her BCD. I had to do it for her.

What could have happened? She could have got bent or had a case of AGE. Even worse, she could have drowned. I would say that she was relatively lucky this time around. Whether she wants to continue to dive or give it up, I respect her decision. I will not pressure her into something she doesn't want to do, especially something like diving. It's not safe and more mistakes, maybe more costly, could be made.

I would just like to say that even though you have that O/W cert card doesn't mean that you are 110% proficient at your skills. Your confined water dive skills and even the open water checkout skills are one thing, but until you have to deal with it for real, it's a whole other ball game.

I think she learned her lesson and I hope that other new divers who read this learn something from her mistakes also. I did what I could to help her but there is only so much your buddy can do when another diver is freaking out and bolting for the surface. Stay calm and work through the issues. Lesson learned.

So what do you think about this incident? Have you ever had one similar?

 

[MarineResearch]

I would suggest that both of you Put Another Dollar In and get some more training.

Breathing from a free flowing regulator is a basic OW skill. She also could have used her or her buddy's octopus, with the two of you making a nice slow ascent. A good buddy would have offered her a regulator...and I'm sure she would have taken it even in a state of panic. More training and experience make little issues like a free flowing regulator nothing more than an inconvenience.

 

[Splitlip]

Why should she have dropped her weights?

 

[mala]

where was this dive?
you 2 alone or with a group?

 

[yarik83]

Amen to that.

Free flowing regulators usually happen on surface where proper procedure is to cover mouth piece with palm of hand. Under water you would flip second stage with mouthpiece down and pressure difference would make it stop. If above method did not work... you can still very much breathe from a free flowing regulator. As a dive buddy you should have given your spare second stage to your wife and fixed her problem for her under water or made a safe ascent. Worst case scenario you could have given her your spare second stage, flipped around and turned off her air and turned it back on again and that would have also fixed the issue.

Above poster is correct. It would be a very good idea for both of you to undergo a few pool sessions at the very least to resolve your known issues AND get more comfortable with your gear.

 

[TSandM]

I think you analyzed the situation pretty well, although I'm not sure why you think she should have dropped her weights.

I had a freeflow when I had about 60 dives. It was violent and extremely noisy, and I was unprepared for how much it would affect my ability to see. I also took the reg out of my mouth to try to get it to stop, which it didn't, but I had my backup reg under my chin, and put it in quickly when I realized the primary wasn't going to stop. I also had two buddies right in front of me, both of whom offered me their regs. We shared gas and executed an ascent, and although it wasn't very pretty, it wasn't completely uncontrolled. But the noise and the reduced visibility shook me more than I had any idea that it would.

What bothers me about your story is that you started by saying your wife wasn't very comfortable in the water, and then you described a situation where a very manageable issue was converted to a potential lethal accident by panic. What your wife may be telling you, by saying she no longer wants to dive, is that perhaps she didn't ever really want to do it, and has never been comfortable. If that's the case, either a much slower reintroduction is necessary, or maybe she should just accept a great role as shore support.

 

[Selchie in LB]

... She is coming around now and saying that she just wants to take a break from diving, but wants new regs. She refuses to dive her regs that freeflowed and I don't blame her. There is something really wrong with those. 3 freeflows on 3 dives (not all the same trip I assure you, and I even had a tech tell me there was nothing wrong with th...

Wow! I would be hesitant to dive regs that 'repeatedly' free flow. Have you tried diving her regs? Is there an adjustment that gets bumped resulting in free flows? I have an Oceanic Delta 2 (I think) that is older which will free flow because the adjustment knob is easily moved. Maybe have the tech dive with the reg!

Thanks for sharing your story. It is usually a cascade of events that result in serious injury. Panic seems to be a major cause. I have heard that people take their reg out of their mouth and this just seems to substantiate that claim.

I have had a couple of run away assents, but not due to bolting and fortunately didn't suffer DCS. I would suggest to your wife that you practice air sharing and maintaining close contact through some shallow dives. Don't be fooled though DCS can still occur in shallow water!

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Cliffpiper]

where was this dive?
you 2 alone or with a group?

Alone and it was in a lake. I have dove there many times and she did her checkout dives there.

I would suggest that both of you Put Another Dollar In and get some more training.

Breathing from a free flowing regulator is a basic OW skill. She also could have used her or her buddy's octopus, with the two of you making a nice slow ascent. A good buddy would have offered her a regulator...and I'm sure she would have taken it even in a state of panic. More training and experience make little issues like a free flowing regulator nothing more than an inconvenience.

Sorry forgot and left that out. I did give her my octo after she pulled hers out. That was when she decided to rocket to the surface because she felt like she couldn't get a breath. I know that breathing from a freeflowing reg is a basic OW skill and so does she. She was just in a state of panic as this was the first time she had to deal with it in a real situation.

Everyone is saying that 'we' need more training. Sure I do plan on going and getting more in the near future, but keep in mind I have been diving significantly longer than she has. As far as gear goes, I am quite familiar with mine and hers thus why I was able to help her at the surface. I mean what was I supposed to do? Hold her down there and force her to breathe from the octo when she clearly wasn't interested in that. I'm sorry but your reply is wrong. I understand what you are saying but that wasn't the situation. Yes I didn't list that I offered her my octo, but I did so I believe I'm a good buddy. On my part, I did everything by the book. What she did was turn the current scenario into a different scenario and I really can't do anything about that, at least at my level (as why I agree more training wouldn't be a bad thing). After I gave her my octo, she yanked it out and was gone. By the time I reacted, which was quite fast, her fins were at my head level.

I guess I'm just not understanding what else I could have done. She had no reg in her mouth, we were at 45', I offered my octo but she refused it, and I followed her to the surface to make sure she inflated her BCD and was OK (which she didn't do). What did I do wrong.

Like I said, I agree that more training is never a bad thing, but please don't make it sound like I'm incompetent when I'm really not.

And to Splitlip, just asking, but aren't you supposed to drop your weights in an OOA situation? That's what I was taught anyways. Is that not correct?

yarik83, yep, I agree with you also about the training. Everything you mentioned I did, however, turning off the tank I did at the surface instead of underwater. I didn't have time to underwater. By the time I gave her my octo, she was gone. I tried grabbing her but she was up and away. At least it was at 45' and not deeper.

---------- Post Merged at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:29 PM ----------

I think you analyzed the situation pretty well, although I'm not sure why you think she should have dropped her weights.

I had a freeflow when I had about 60 dives. It was violent and extremely noisy, and I was unprepared for how much it would affect my ability to see. I also took the reg out of my mouth to try to get it to stop, which it didn't, but I had my backup reg under my chin, and put it in quickly when I realized the primary wasn't going to stop. I also had two buddies right in front of me, both of whom offered me their regs. We shared gas and executed an ascent, and although it wasn't very pretty, it wasn't completely uncontrolled. But the noise and the reduced visibility shook me more than I had any idea that it would.

What bothers me about your story is that you started by saying your wife wasn't very comfortable in the water, and then you described a situation where a very manageable issue was converted to a potential lethal accident by panic. What your wife may be telling you, by saying she no longer wants to dive, is that perhaps she didn't ever really want to do it, and has never been comfortable. If that's the case, either a much slower reintroduction is necessary, or maybe she should just accept a great role as shore support.

Oops. I went back and read and yea that's only if your in water too deep for CESA. My bad. I stand corrected. About her not wanting to dive, this is something that she very much wanted to do. When I first got certified, it was the end of the diving season where I live and she was very upset that she couldn't get certified right then (no money to go south at that point in time). It took a bit to put the money together for her gear and course work, as she is in University also. Like I said, I would never have pressured her into diving. This is something that she wanted to do because I had such a good time doing it and she thought she would too. That was the case with that. I told her also that if she doesn't ever want to dive again, that's fine. I dive with other people also. However, she said that after she calmed down and thought about it, she would still dive but stay very shallow, like say 20' max. Again, diving is diving to me. 20' or 120' makes no difference to me. I would still just love to spend the time with her doing something we both really do actually enjoy.

---------- Post Merged at 04:56 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 04:29 PM ----------

Wow! I would be hesitant to dive regs that 'repeatedly' free flow. Have you tried diving her regs? Is there an adjustment that gets bumped resulting in free flows? I have an Oceanic Delta 2 (I think) that is older which will free flow because the adjustment knob is easily moved. Maybe have the tech dive with the reg!

Thanks for sharing your story. It is usually a cascade of events that result in serious injury. Panic seems to be a major cause. I have heard that people take their reg out of their mouth and this just seems to substantiate that claim.

I have had a couple of run away assents, but not due to bolting and fortunately didn't suffer DCS. I would suggest to your wife that you practice air sharing and maintaining close contact through some shallow dives. Don't be fooled though DCS can still occur in shallow water!

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

I have actually dove her regs. They are my 'old' ones. I used them for about a month when they freeflowed in the pool for winter skill practice dives then didn't do it again for a few dives. They are only like 3-4 months old. There is an adjustment but she barely plays with it ever. Only adjusts it slightly. They will flow even on the most resistance though and that's why I'm just done with them. Going with Zeagle F7's for her. Not taking any chances and I can get them at a great price being that I work at a dealer. I'm just sending them to Aeris to get tech'd by the manufacturer and then I plan on getting rid of them. Any takers lol? PM me if interested.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Dropping weights at depth is only appropriate at one time. To let the body go to the surface quicker. You never want to drop weights at any depth. As for the free flowing regs I am wondering why regs that free flowed in the pool did not get checked before you let a loved one use them? And in her heightened state of anxiety she very well may have felt like she could not breath from your octo if it is not a high performance second equal to your primary. It sounds like she needs some one on one time with an instructor that will address her needs alone rather than in a group. And why did she not go for her own octo? She could have been on that while fixing her free flow or doing her ascent.

 

[mala]

freaked divers go to the nearest place they feel safe.

so thats either the surface or their buddy.

is their any reason she did'nt come to you?