Phineas Gage
New
So, I'm a newbie diver and thought I would share a really great experience I had during our final confined water session for Rescue Diver. Thankfully my screw-up happened in a pool surrounded by great divemasters and a phenomenal instructor. It's kind of a minor incident compared to other confessions being posted here, but for me it was an incredibly important lesson. Primarily because for the first time I feel I really understand what it means to learn to be a better diver, and how that is actually different than just being an "experienced diver."
So the story starts with us taking turns with some scenarios involving surprises we find at the bottom of the deep end of the pool. In this particular case there were two divers in distress, one was injured but non-panicked, the other unconscious. My buddy and I moved towards them, having already decided to divide the problem based on who was closest to our respective sides. As it turns out I took on the "injured diver" being played very convincingly by one of our divemaster/instructors. As I approached him and began trying to communicate (OK? Calm down. Breathe.) he suddenly began to signal OOA at me and looked like panic was starting. After all the talk of how a panicked diver can be a dangerous item up close, I became acutely aware that I was now less than 8" away from a huge potential problem. The only thing going through my mind at that point was to give this guy my reg before he could reach out and forcibly yank it from my mouth. So, like a dumbass I just pulled my reg out (on a full exhale) and thrust it at him like it was some sort of shield to protect me.
First Rule Broken: Take care of yourself first, don't make two victims.
It was this moment that the seed was planted for a bad chain reaction. I quickly realized that the combination of having nearly empty lungs and a mildly increased heartbeat led to almost immediate feelings of air starvation. Again, without thinking, I reached to my left shoulder and grabbed the first thing to come to my hand and shoved it in my mouth. Instead of getting my integrated air reg, I had instead just inserted my snorkel into my now thoroughly air-hungry maw. I promptly used what little air I did have left in my lungs to perform a rather pitiful attempt at clearing what I thought was a second stage, and then heartily inhaled half of the pool.
Second Rule Broken: Stop, Think, Remain Calm
Needless to say I was shocked to feel the water rushing down my throat instead of the air I was expecting. To my credit I did quickly swap for the right mouthpiece, but with all the choking reflex that was trying to commence I just didn't have anything left in my throat that was strong enough to blow it clear. And by now my thinking was so severely disabled that any chance of realizing I did actually have a purge button on the end of the contraption was wishful thinking. I was going to the surface ASAP, Game Over, Do Not Pass Go - Do Not Collect $200. Thankfully this was all of 5 feet away at this point since from the first moment of inhaling water I had already started assuming an upright position. I wouldn't call my state of mind a "full blown panic", I was acutely aware of what I was doing and why, it was more like making a decision to get air without thinking of the other options available. The root of all evils to be sure.
Long story short, I broke the surface choking and gagging like a frat boy who spent too much time near the keg and found myself surrounded by the concerned eyes of dive professionals pearing at me from behind their masks.
Third Rule Broken: Practice Basic Skills / Know Your Equipment
Now, I try very hard to improve my diving skills and take to heart the notion of practicing something on almost every dive. I regulary flood and clear my mask, and I routinely swap my primary reg for my safe-second too. It's not that I don't practice, it's that my self-imposed drills weren't adequate to prepare me for reality. My reg swaps have always been "take a deep breath, blow bubbles, swap regs, exhale forcibly to clear, and taadaa." Never once have I actually used the purge button to clear it. This kind of practice, although great for instilling a false sense of confidence, does virtually nothing by way of preparing me for the inherent ugliness of a real OOA situation. Had I been practicing in other variants of the use of the equipment I would have instinctively used the purge on my reg in this case. And would have realized I had a snorkel in my mouth when I couldn't find the purge button.
In my mind this single lesson made the entire Rescue Diver course worth every penny and moment of time spent for me. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic course for all the other things we learn, but the scenarios and how they effectively replicate reality is really what made it worthwhile.
I have now made what I feel are the first changes to my equipment and my emergency drills based on actual understanding of how to mitigate risks. I've removed my integrated air second and installed a traditional octo on my first stage. I want to be able to have the option of giving a fellow diver a regulator besides the one I am currently using, and more importantly I don't want two mouthpieces hanging next to each other where I am going to need to pick the right one in a stressed situation. And from now on when I practice clearing my reg I will always use the purge button.
More than anything else, I am grateful that I got to learn this lesson in the relative safety of a pool instead of in open water in a real situation.
So the story starts with us taking turns with some scenarios involving surprises we find at the bottom of the deep end of the pool. In this particular case there were two divers in distress, one was injured but non-panicked, the other unconscious. My buddy and I moved towards them, having already decided to divide the problem based on who was closest to our respective sides. As it turns out I took on the "injured diver" being played very convincingly by one of our divemaster/instructors. As I approached him and began trying to communicate (OK? Calm down. Breathe.) he suddenly began to signal OOA at me and looked like panic was starting. After all the talk of how a panicked diver can be a dangerous item up close, I became acutely aware that I was now less than 8" away from a huge potential problem. The only thing going through my mind at that point was to give this guy my reg before he could reach out and forcibly yank it from my mouth. So, like a dumbass I just pulled my reg out (on a full exhale) and thrust it at him like it was some sort of shield to protect me.
First Rule Broken: Take care of yourself first, don't make two victims.
It was this moment that the seed was planted for a bad chain reaction. I quickly realized that the combination of having nearly empty lungs and a mildly increased heartbeat led to almost immediate feelings of air starvation. Again, without thinking, I reached to my left shoulder and grabbed the first thing to come to my hand and shoved it in my mouth. Instead of getting my integrated air reg, I had instead just inserted my snorkel into my now thoroughly air-hungry maw. I promptly used what little air I did have left in my lungs to perform a rather pitiful attempt at clearing what I thought was a second stage, and then heartily inhaled half of the pool.
Second Rule Broken: Stop, Think, Remain Calm
Needless to say I was shocked to feel the water rushing down my throat instead of the air I was expecting. To my credit I did quickly swap for the right mouthpiece, but with all the choking reflex that was trying to commence I just didn't have anything left in my throat that was strong enough to blow it clear. And by now my thinking was so severely disabled that any chance of realizing I did actually have a purge button on the end of the contraption was wishful thinking. I was going to the surface ASAP, Game Over, Do Not Pass Go - Do Not Collect $200. Thankfully this was all of 5 feet away at this point since from the first moment of inhaling water I had already started assuming an upright position. I wouldn't call my state of mind a "full blown panic", I was acutely aware of what I was doing and why, it was more like making a decision to get air without thinking of the other options available. The root of all evils to be sure.
Long story short, I broke the surface choking and gagging like a frat boy who spent too much time near the keg and found myself surrounded by the concerned eyes of dive professionals pearing at me from behind their masks.
Third Rule Broken: Practice Basic Skills / Know Your Equipment
Now, I try very hard to improve my diving skills and take to heart the notion of practicing something on almost every dive. I regulary flood and clear my mask, and I routinely swap my primary reg for my safe-second too. It's not that I don't practice, it's that my self-imposed drills weren't adequate to prepare me for reality. My reg swaps have always been "take a deep breath, blow bubbles, swap regs, exhale forcibly to clear, and taadaa." Never once have I actually used the purge button to clear it. This kind of practice, although great for instilling a false sense of confidence, does virtually nothing by way of preparing me for the inherent ugliness of a real OOA situation. Had I been practicing in other variants of the use of the equipment I would have instinctively used the purge on my reg in this case. And would have realized I had a snorkel in my mouth when I couldn't find the purge button.
In my mind this single lesson made the entire Rescue Diver course worth every penny and moment of time spent for me. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic course for all the other things we learn, but the scenarios and how they effectively replicate reality is really what made it worthwhile.
I have now made what I feel are the first changes to my equipment and my emergency drills based on actual understanding of how to mitigate risks. I've removed my integrated air second and installed a traditional octo on my first stage. I want to be able to have the option of giving a fellow diver a regulator besides the one I am currently using, and more importantly I don't want two mouthpieces hanging next to each other where I am going to need to pick the right one in a stressed situation. And from now on when I practice clearing my reg I will always use the purge button.
More than anything else, I am grateful that I got to learn this lesson in the relative safety of a pool instead of in open water in a real situation.
