Bonaire accident issues Close Call

[Diving Dubai]

I'll cross post what I put in the other thread for the benefit of others.

We're all guilty to a greater or lesser extent of letting out basic skills get rusty, and getting complacent. The more dives you accumulate without incident the greater the complacency.

Reg swapping to some people is up there with mask floods and clears, they hate them and will do anything to avoid them (It was 50 dives before I got happy with mask off)

People also forget about their Alternate. They gear up and tuck it away. People often just test their primary 2nd on the surface but not the Alt.

Personally I'll switch to my Alt underwater at the beginning of the dive to prove it. While I've checked it at the surface I want assurance it works underwater. Not every dive but certainly every dive trip or every few dives on a vacation. If I'm carrying a pony I'll do the same - maybe descend on the Pony. If I'm carrying a deco stage, again I'll test as soon as I hit the gas depth. I want to ensure stuff works at the beginning of the dive rather than finding a problem later on.

This all give reg changing practice. which is good, It's second nature to me - but to some it's not.

Practicing Skills is good, but no-one knows what they will do in an emergency

I once had a wet breathe (mouth piece gave way) and swallowed a bit of water which closed my epiglottis (although I didn't realise this at the time)

Even changing regs to my pony had no effect (which it wouldn't but that was my reaction) - What did confuse me was looking at 2 different SPG's each reading over 150 bar in each cylinder. I went vertical to head for the surface just finning, and at 30' the spasm cleared allowing me to breath, so I have some sympathy and understanding. the Incident happened at 22m and my epiglottis re opened at 10m

For me I was lucid with no panic, I remember I was thinking about four different thinks simultaneously one being why have I got 2 over half full tanks and not getting air.

Perhaps it was practice and experience for me, perhaps not. But I can attest that while training and practicing is good, you will never know how you react until something happens

 

[Thook]

Thanks guys... counting my blessings... Dubai and Ryan you are right... It's easy to sit back and say. "This is what I would have done." However, when human nature kicks in, no matter your experience level, training can go out the window when you're in survival mode. So this is why I have shared this story. It's embarrassing yes, but if someone else can benefit from it then it's worth something. No one is bullet proof, and it can happen to anyone, any time.

 

[RyanT]

As I told my instructor, I can simultaneously donate my primary, conduct a valve drill, buddy breathe on a deco bottle, ascend without a mask, untangle myself from monofilament, navigate out of silt out, and bake a cake underwater (in my mind!). In practice it never goes as well! And no, your story is not embarrassing, it's helpful to us all!

 

[Diving Dubai]

@RyanT

Too right. I can connect my LP inflator hose with ease, blindfold on the surface. When it becomes detached at the start of a wall dive, when you have little air in your BCD, its amazing how small that connector becomes and how large and clumsy your hands are.

 

[Thook]

LOL Ryan.... I'd like to order a cake.......

 

[redacted]

Maybe, but...



Plastic and diaphragm materials degrade, pistons wear out, springs fatigue and get less springy.

As with many other aspects of diving, it's a probabilistic issue. Let's say the failure rate of 20 year old regs is 5%. The OP fell into that 5%.

Or we could say the failure rate of a 20 year old reg is about the same as a 5 year old reg or a 40 year old reg, like I usually dive. Age is not a major independent variable in the failure rate of regulators. The mouth full of water suggests a case related failure. The fact that it occurred at depth makes me suspect the mouthpiece or exhaust valve, but a diaphragm or cracked case are also not out of the question. Other failure modes tend to produce free flows rather than water intrusion. Almost all failure modes are repairable resulting in "good as new" regulators.

 

[johnnywulff]

Thanks God your wife is ok, one question what was the dive time when happen?

 

[KeithG]

Or we could say the failure rate of a 20 year old reg is about the same as a 5 year old reg or a 40 year old reg, like I usually dive. Age is not a major independent variable in the failure rate of regulators. The mouth full of water suggests a case related failure. The fact that it occurred at depth makes me suspect the mouthpiece or exhaust valve, but a diaphragm or cracked case are also not out of the question. Other failure modes tend to produce free flows rather than water intrusion. Almost all failure modes are repairable resulting in "good as new" regulators.

agreed. having the mouth piece come off can lead to water inhalation.

thook: do not blindly retire the reg. have it looked at and make sure you fully understand the failure. then get it fixed (if feasible). knowing the cause of the failure may help prevent it from re-occuring undetected.

my divebuddy had a mouth piece come off a freshly serviced reg. LDS screw up. now that we are aware of that failure mode, it will not happen again.

our regs are 30 years old and in top notch condition. age is not a factor if they are taken care of.

 

[diver0008]

I'd surmise that "panic" is high on the list of factors contributing to diving incidents.

Be alert, aware, and stay cool.

 

[gfaith]

We are all glad you wife is doing okay. This is one of the reasons my wife/buddy and I both dive with bungeed backups and underarm primary. Really easy to just reach down and your backup second is in your mouth. I have been known to jump off the boat with nothing in my mouth and quickly get that bungeed backup in even before I hit the water..
(Please don't tell anyone)..

@Thook we would really appreciate that follow-up on the failure and how your wife is doing with her diving.

We all have to get back on that pony when we fall off.