American recovered - Lombok, Indonesia

[Boarderguy]

I have no idea how I'll react in an emergency, but I hope that I wouldn't have a predisposition to do nothing, Do you tell potential dive buddies beforehand that if they get into serious trouble they're SOL? Serious question. To be fair to them, you should. I mean maybe it would encourage them not to wander away.

My buddy brief is to go over our dive plan and reinforce if they need air then take the regulator out of my mouth and we'll figure it out from there. I always have a pony and when with a buddy have a 95% idea on exactly where they are throughout the dive. I'm leading the dive with an insta buddy unless they are a far more experienced diver than me or I'm learning a new site.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

I can vouch that it's very, very common for "group dives" in Hawai'i and the Caribbean not to have assigned buddies. Done well, you have a DM leading and a DM trailing. The trailer watches the group.

Note I'm saying "done well." That doesn't mean this is optimal. Buddy assignments are a good thing as well.

 

[Centrals]

"Better one victim than two".
Assess the situation FIRST.

 

[boulderjohn]

The amount of unfounded speculation in this thread is astounding. I saw no indication that the diver was believed to be in any trouble when he ascended. The description is all too vague to be sure, but in my initial reading, I thought it was a scenario that occurs too often--a diver feels some personal stress, decides to end the dive, leaves the rest of the group (often after signalling his intent), heads to the surface, and has a medical event there or on the way up.

But really, the possibilities are endless.

BTW, if you are on an NDL dive and see a buddy heading to the surface, there is no DCS risk in making an ascent at a safe rate to see why.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

The amount of unfounded speculation in this thread is astounding. I saw no indication that the diver was believed to be in any trouble when he ascended. The description is all too vague to be sure, but in my initial reading, I thought it was a scenario that occurs too often--a diver feels some personal stress, decides to end the dive, leaves the rest of the group (often after signalling his intent), heads to the surface, and has a medical event there or on the way up.

But really, the possibilities are endless.

BTW, if you are on an NDL dive and see a buddy heading to the surface, there is no DCS risk in making an ascent at a safe rate to see why.

To be sure, we don't know. But isn't it helpful to speculate (including your thought) to see how such incidents can be prevented in the future? Even if the speculation is wrong in this situation, that it is reasonably realistic means we might want to anticipate the possibility and determine how to proceed should such an event happen.

 

[chrisp10000]

Hi, I'm a DMT on this island. I know the dive site and some people involved in the search and recovery operation. I'll tread carefully as people I know were affected by this, but maybe I can add a bit of clarity.

• The group was one DM plus a number of fun divers, likely max 4.
• It's very common for divers to be assigned buddies. It's not common here for divers to have no buddy.
• The dive site has points of interest at ~26m and ~18m. The incident occurred close to the ~18m point ('shark cave').
• When we dive this site we usually have OW groups and AOW groups. Both often visit the ~18m point.
• Most fun divers around here have between 4 and 40 dives. Few have rescue training. Most have only ever dived with a guide, and are used to the guide taking responsibility for the group.
• Generally, the currents here are stronger than a lot of people expect, especially at this dive site. Around here this is probably the most common reason for diver stress.
• At the time, visibility was lower than usual. Visibility and currents were less predictable than usual and sometimes changed during a dive.
• All dives around here are drift dives. The group leader shoots the SMB at the end.

a diver feels some personal stress, decides to end the dive, leaves the rest of the group (often after signalling his intent), heads to the surface, and has a medical event there or on the way up.

While I don't want to engage in further speculation, this was the conclusion I reached too.

Thoughts are with the family of the victim and with other people affected.

 

[Norwegian Cave Diver]

I was with a family member who for the first 25 dives was calm, happy, enjoying the dives. Great gear, all new and in perfect working condition. Then another normal dive and the diver was clearly super stressed. Was smart enough to ask me for help and I took that person to the surface. We had a conversation and did a surface swim back. Nothing happened on the dive that was different. Same depth range. Smaller adult. Best air remaining of the 4 of us fit all dives we have done together. No external reason for the person to be frightened. It was all in the divers mind. Hasn’t done another dive since. I am Rescue trained and certified. Kept the diver calm. Don’t know what the trigger was to create the issue. In this case it could have been - no one is in site - it’s poor visibility- was all it took to freak out and panic. Stay calm, go to the surface and inflate. Sad. Condolences to loved ones.​

 

[Litefoot]

Hi, I'm a DMT on this island. I know the dive site and some people involved in the search and recovery operation. I'll tread carefully as people I know were affected by this, but maybe I can add a bit of clarity.

• The group was one DM plus a number of fun divers, likely max 4.
• It's very common for divers to be assigned buddies. It's not common here for divers to have no buddy.
• The dive site has points of interest at ~26m and ~18m. The incident occurred close to the ~18m point ('shark cave').
• When we dive this site we usually have OW groups and AOW groups. Both often visit the ~18m point.
• Most fun divers around here have between 4 and 40 dives. Few have rescue training. Most have only ever dived with a guide, and are used to the guide taking responsibility for the group.
• Generally, the currents here are stronger than a lot of people expect, especially at this dive site. Around here this is probably the most common reason for diver stress.
• At the time, visibility was lower than usual. Visibility and currents were less predictable than usual and sometimes changed during a dive.
• All dives around here are drift dives. The group leader shoots the SMB at the end.

While I don't want to engage in further speculation, this was the conclusion I reached too.

Thoughts are with the family of the victim and with other people affected.

Thanks, Chris, for adding to the discussion. So it was “likely” a DM leading a group of four relatively inexperienced divers on a drift dive with unpredictable currents and poor visibility with a “shark cave” feature to boot. I can see myself fighting with my own trim, buoyancy, and breath control while struggling to stay with a group that may get strung out. Under those conditions, I see it would be hard to stay within the parameters which define a traditional buddy.

 

[Bob DBF]

No external reason for the person to be frightened. It was all in the divers mind.

A low level CO2 hit will affect some that way, it's the somethings wrong feeling before one can identify a symptom.

 

[MidOH]

I can assure you that if a buddy all of a sudden headed to the surface at an unsafe ascent rate, I would not be chasing after them. No point in having two people hurt or dead.

So follow him safely to the surface and get him to the boat ladder.

Folks, if someone cuts a dive short, way shorter than anyone could drain a tank, they need help.

Saving a life is more interesting than little slug pictures.

Group dive = no buddy.
The only person I'd chase is 'my kid'.
It's amazing how many of these stories start with 'we lost sight of him' or 'separated from buddy'.

Buddy system is a bonus system. Nobody should count on it working. But anyone could have gone up with him.

Since they didnt, that dive was likely ruined, and the 2nd dive never done at all. People always think that theyre ruining their dive time by helping, but you dont get a second dive when someone dies on the first.

These people coild have at least watched him get on the boat. 45'. Less than 2 minutes of their time.