Woman critical after West Van scuba diving accident - Canada

[bowlofpetunias]

Any word on the current condition of the diver?

 

[DCBC]

Really? I view boat traffic, jet skis etc. as a real, very real hazard. You've loads more experience than I - so what am I missing? Why don't you factor them?

What I'm saying is that the greatest majority of my diving over the past few years has been ocean related (I have yet to see a jet ski in the North Atlantic). That's not to say that there aren't locations where boat traffic is more prevalent. The harbours I've mentioned are fairly busy, but if you dive from a boat, boat traffic hasn't been a major consideration. If I was "worried" about boat traffic being a real safety hazard, I'd dive from a boat, or simply choose another location. I appreciate that this may not be so easy for some, but I have a variety of choices.

 

[DCBC]

Well, let's remedy your awareness level.

Sure. may I attempt to do the same for you. Underwater diver rescue is a requirement for diver certification with:

CMAS, NAUI, SEI, ACUC and BSAC. It also was required with IDEA a few years back, but as I'm no longer active with them so I can't attest to their current standards. The point remains that this is an important skill-set that is not addresses by all agencies.

 

[edm81363]

A very helpful discussion (not so much).

 

[Crush]

A very helpful discussion (not so much).

I am certain that the scuba rescue comments were not intended as personal insults to you or msmith304 (who thanked your post). I couldn't help but notice that you are both PADI OW divers or PADI instructors...

 

[InTheDrink]

A very helpful discussion (not so much).

That's one of the funniest posts I've read or cartoons I've seen. How true, how terribly true!!!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I am certain that the scuba rescue comments were not intended as personal insults to you or msmith304 (who thanked your post). I couldn't help but notice that you are both PADI OW divers or PADI instructors...

Perhaps this thread simply isn't the place for that discussion, considering that ...

- we don't really know whether or not training had anything to do with the accident
- we don't really know whether the victim was PADI trained
- the subject's been covered ad nauseum in other threads and forums

Perhaps Ed and those like him who are PADI trained are just feeling like there's no place on ScubaBoard to escape the beat of that particular drum ... despite the fact that it is an indictment of everyone who chooses that particular agency.

I know Ed ... I consider him a friend, and have had the pleasure of following his progression from a new diver to someone who has worked hard to make diving safer for quite a few of our local divers. I empathise with how he and others like him feel. And despite the fact that I agree with some of the observations that were made earlier in the conversation, perhaps this isn't an appropriate place to get into a discussion on the shortcomings of agency standards.

Let's wish this woman a speedy recovery ... without further information I'm not sure we can have any kind of constructive discussion on how to prevent accidents like this one in the future. We simply do not know why it happened in the first place.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Bob,

I understand your feelings here, but it is better to discuss actions we feel we can take in our own diving than to speculate on an accident where, as you say, we'll probably never know what exactly happened. We do know that there was a breakdown somewhere, which left a diver in jeopardy though.

SeaRat

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Bob,

I understand your feelings here, but it is better to discuss actions we feel we can take in our own diving than to speculate on an accident where, as you say, we'll probably never know what exactly happened. We do know that there was a breakdown somewhere, which left a diver in jeopardy though.

SeaRat

I agree, John ... what I don't want to see is this turning into another discussion about the shortcomings of one particular agency's standards ... because there's no reason to believe that had anything to do with the accident.

To address your point more directly ... I believe that, if anything, a more fruitful discussion would be one that encourages people to practice the skills they did learn at whatever level of training they had ... because without practice, a diver doesn't retain the ability to put those skills to use when they are needed.

Whatever a diver's certification ... whatever their agency ... what differentiates safe divers from those who will succumb to problems leading to accident is their ability to act calmly and rationally during moments of stress. The differentiator is more often the diver's confidence in their abilities than it is who trained them, or even what skills they learned ... we all share an ability to reason through a problem if we remain calm enough to do so.

So if we ... as educators ... truly wish people to learn from someone else's misfortune, then I think the first question we should pose is "when was the last time you practiced your skills ... whether those skills include rescue, or even the simplest things like clearing a mask or sharing air during an ascent.

The key message is that as long as you are breathing, there is no emergency ... there is merely a problem that must be dealt with. The difference between success and failure is the ability to deal with it calmly, and with the confidence that comes from practice.

Doing something once in a class doesn't teach you a skill ... it only shows you how to learn it. Learning comes through repetition.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DandyDon]

From what I have seen in my travels, it's not so much what it taught anyway so what is practice - including with me.