Entangled for the first time!

[JohnAC]

Last Friday I went spearfishing, the viz was 5ft at best with a strong surge. On the way in I was in the process of trying to get my last fish on the stringer and my speargun back together when I became entangled in the kelp. I was in very shallow water, so I put a little air in my wing and surfaced.

Now get the picture, I have kelp tangled around tank, arms, speargun and fish at the end of loose rock point spear. A swell goes by and I don’t rise with it because I’m tangled up. For just a brief instant I felt the dread of panic.

I had just read a thread a day or two before about things that kill divers, like the urge of fight or flight as opposed to the rule of stop, think and act.

I took great comfort in the fact that I still had about 2000psi in my tank, so as crazy as it sounds; I flailed around and got the fish on my stringer and my spear back on the gun first. I tried just swimming free, but it was a no go. I was about to reach for my knife when I remembered that kelp was suppose to snap pretty easy. So with a little effort I was able to break free and swim out to a clearing.

The whole process didn’t take more than about 5 minutes I guess.

 

[PvtStash]

Way to keep your head, bravo!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

5 ft deep, 2000 psi, caught on some kelp.. Sounds terrifying, glad you survived.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hmmm ... there was a thread in here a few years back about some lady that drowned in 5 ft of water, tangled up in kelp. There was a fellow up my way a couple years ago that drowned in water he should've been able to stand up in ... except that he couldn't.

So let's not denigrate the fellow because of the conditions.

The key message is to keep your head ... stop ... think ... act.

We have all heard that mantra in our classes. But until you're presented with a situation where it matters, it doesn't really sink in what it means.

No matter how deep you are, or what the situation is that causes the problem, you will always have the best chance for a happy outcome if you just remember to keep your head, assess your resources, and think about what you need to do before reacting.

Even in five feet of water it can often be the difference between being able to post your story on ScubaBoard vs being the subject of someone else's conversation.

Well done, watchman ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Jorgy]

Not clear to me...

OP said he was shallow but the vis was 5 feet......

Did I miss something.......

OP - thanks for sharing and glad all is OK........I read posts like this to learn and hopefully become a better diver.......

M

 

[idocsteve]

5 ft deep, 2000 psi, caught on some kelp.. Sounds terrifying, glad you survived.

Don't mock the guy. Accidents happen.

I was taking a bubble bath once and I got soap in my eyes and I started freaking out because I couldn't find the wash cloth. I stood up, slipped, grabbed the shower curtain, fell back in the tub, still holding the shower curtain that had ripped right off the rod...now I was in a full scale panic and I thought I was a goner!

Luckily I was able to get a hold of the rim of the tub and I pulled myself up and over and landed on the bathmat. I blindly reached out and grabbed a bath towel and wiped the soap out of my eyes and as my vision cleared and my heart rate returned to normal I was quite proud of myself that despite the difficulty, my training kicked in, and I was able to get through it in one piece.

That's the last time I jump in the tub without a redundant wash cloth.

 

[cruiser]

Glad you overcame the panic and got out of your situation okay.

Although I've never been kelp diving, I read posts about it with interest because i hope to dive kelp forests next year.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Oh I misread the post, it was 5 ft vis and not 5 ft depth. Sorry.

Spearfishing with a speargun that uses a very strong thin line is an accident waiting to happen. You pretty much have to expect that you are going to end up getting tangled in that line sooner or later. Not too long ago, I somehow allowed a moderately sized fish (20 lbs) wrap 300 lb monofilament arounf my NECK. I've been wrapped up and entangled many, many times while spearing.

I'm glad the solo diver didn't panic, but if you are going to be solo spearfishing in crappy visibility, you should be quite confident that you can handle an entanglement, or you are not yet qualified for that activity. The OP say he has less than 100 dives....

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Normally I'd be inclined to agree, DD ... but the fact that the OP was able to quell his momentary feelings of anxiety and work his way through the problem calmly tells me more about his qualifications to solo dive than the number of dives he's done.

Everyone progresses at their own rate. I've known people with 30 dives who look more competent in the water than other people I've known with 300 dives.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

I think the first time you find yourself caught in something is real learning experience. Mine was also kelp, at a dive site new to me, in marginal viz, and my buddy didn't realize I had a problem and swam off until I couldn't see him. All the stories I had read of people getting caught in kelp and drowning came rushing into my head, but so did what I had read of how to cope with it. Like the OP, I methodically worked at freeing myself, without thrashing, and just as I got the last strand worked free, my buddy returned. It was a non-event, but I can certainly see how someone who has done this might feel it a noteworthy experience.

But I think I would have jettisoned the fish . . .