Yukon tangent thread

[ScubaSteve]

To steal Cave Diver's line: invoke the first rule of SCUBA!

Dive with a buddy???

 

[Jax]

Dive with a buddy???

no - don't hold your breath!


(It confused me, too, when CD posted it, because I learned the first rule to be, "always breath continuously on SCUBA".)

 

[ScubaSteve]

no - don't hold your breath!


(It confused me, too, when CD posted it, because I learned the first rule to be, "always breath continuously on SCUBA".)

:joke:

It was a joke because someone recently changed it so their first rule was dive with a buddy (even though they themselves claimed to solo dive).

 

[Jax]

:joke:

It was a joke because someone recently changed it so their first rule was dive with a buddy (even though they themselves claimed to solo dive).

:blush: Oh, yeah; I forgot, this IS the Yukon thread! :kiss2:

 

[boulderjohn]

Here is a roll call story.

A few years ago, a Key Largo diver operator who is no longer in business left two divers and went home. Fortunately, the two were able to make it to shore after a very long swim. I used that operator after that (I didn't know about it then), and they were very careful about roll calls. They even used tags. That may also be why the operator our shop now uses when it makes trips to that area is very careful about those roll calls.

Last year I was with them, and we were doing the last dive of the day at a very popular location, with lots of other dive boats moored nearby. We were instructed to return to the boat in 50 minutes, and we did. As we were putting our gear away, a roll call was taken. Two people were missing. We continued to pack up, getting more and more uneasy as time passed. Eventually all bags were packed, and every passenger was leaning out over the rails, looking for signs of bubbles. All the other boats left. Our boat was dead silent as people scanned the water's surface.

Eventually someone shouted "Bubbles!" and pointed. The DM donned MFS and sprinted out. He turned, gave the OK sign, dived down, and got the divers to return to the boat. Once on the boat, we learned that they did not have watches or computers, so they had no idea how long they had been out. They chatted amiably as they undressed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone else was glaring at them with all their gear already packed away.

These people were about a half hour late getting on the boat. It was a shallow dive, but they still must have had pretty darn good SAC rates. I don't think I could have stayed down that long. But, it shows that it can be done. If their absence had not been noted, the boat, and all other boats, would have been back in the harbor when they finally surfaced.

 

[donhealy]

Cruisin Home,

We thought about our home waters in So. Cal. and those that we visit in the tropics.

At home, we always wear our Spare Air. We often dive in kelp beds, so even shallow dives can result in entanglements. Most of us have newer computers that give approximate gas time left. Most of us had them set to go to zero time at 500psi. We are now thinking 750psi. We all realized that we often pushed the time limits to get that last picture.

For the tropics, we don't bring our Spare Airs. We all wish we could. We sometimes get too complacent when diving on the live aboards and this has resulted in near OOA several times. You tend to get religion when your computer is reading 0 psi,the tank is hard to breath, your still 50 ft. from the boat and you are using the swim back as your safety stop. That is not good air management.

I personally forgot to turn on my tank once and giant strided in. You don't really want to know the feeling of being under water and not being able to breath your regulator. Its an experience you don't forget. NEVER be complacent! Always follow the buddy check list.

One thing we all agreed on is that when on Nitrox we all took the %N2 seriously as well as the depth limits and PO2.

 

[EastTNDiver]

Same experience here, Don. I was on Blackbeards a few years ago and they have the same set up, names on the board and you move your name from one board to the other when you're off and on the boat. All week it never worked. By day 4 the captain said this system works if everyone does their part. That's a big IF. IF it works on paper but doesn't work in practice, it doesn't work. Luckily we were all from the same dive shop and looked out for each other, so had no problems. But a verbal roll call would have been more effective.

My son and I were on Blackbeard's this past June, and they're still using that same practice. We also noted the same behavior and issues as was mentioned by donhealy. Often, I would hear the captain or a crew member ask a diver as they re-entered the boat, "How did you get so wet if you didn't dive?"...a poke at the diver for not moving their name tag over to the "in the pool" side. I'll admit that I was one of those who forgot a couple times. In theory it seems like a good system, but like you said, the system relied as much on the divers and crew keeping up with each other.

 

[Cruisin Home]

Cruisin Home,


I personally forgot to turn on my tank once and giant strided in. You don't really want to know the feeling of being under water and not being able to breath your regulator. Its an experience you don't forget. NEVER be complacent! Always follow the buddy check list.

.

I did that once. I turned my air on but when my buddy checked he turned it off and then back a smidge. I was able to get breath at surface. When got down tto the deck of the wreck at 130fsw all of sudden couldnte breathe. Decided to swim to buddy. My guage read zero, had him check my valve. he did and then I got air!!! had a little one way shouting match when we surfaced. I only check myself now, dont let anyone else check my valve. You are right, complacency kills. Fish live there, we are just visiting!

Was stationed in SanBernardino in USAF early 80's and know the Calif kelp diving all too well. entanglement is another monster waiting to attack the unprepared.

 

[cruiser]

I did that once. I turned my air on but when my buddy checked he turned it off and then back a smidge. I was able to get breath at surface.

I saw this happen a couple times on a dive boat in Cozumel. The divers turned on their air, and then the DM's came behind them and TURNED IT OFF. This wasn't discovered until the divers were underwater. Then and there I realized how dangerous that could have been and now make a habit of setting up and testing my own gear. I get a lot of practice with that system, too, since I'm a solo diver.

To the poster above who mentioned Spare Air, I tried to take a canister to Roatan and it got confiscated. It was in my checked baggage and drained of air, but because there was no way for the inspectors to see inside of it, they pulled it from my luggage. They kept it for me in the TSA locker until I returned and could pick it up. Next year I'll take my pony bottle (with the valve removed).

 

[Cruisin Home]

we as a community should put more pressure on the tropical dive providers to have pony tanks available. I'd be willing to pay a few more bucks if necessary.

Just more safety concious. Kinda like all the kids wearing seatbelts in cars, and helmets on bicycles. We never did these things but it is a safer world now with these items.