Bent in Belize--Blue Hole Incident

[Cali_diver]

I am very surprised that a dive op would let someone go into the water without a buddy, computer or a depth gauge, especially on a third dive after a deep dive. Considering all the possible outcomes, it seems like it could have been rather bad for business...... When I was in Belize one of our divers went deeper than the rest and op didn't let her dive for the rest of the day.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

I am very surprised that a dive op would let someone go into the water without a buddy, computer or a depth gauge, especially on a third dive after a deep dive. Considering all the possible outcomes, it seems like it could have been rather bad for business...... When I was in Belize one of our divers went deeper than the rest and op didn't let her dive for the rest of the day.

But you are not surprised the same dive op would sell a charter to deeper than recreational limits, on an AL-80?

I'm not surprised - when you leave the US, you leave to US. All bets are off.

 

[TechDeep]

i rarely carry a 2nd computer on a dive unless one is being tested or it is a dive that i am not very familiar with and/or i expect to be pushing limits. [the blue hole would have been a 2 computer dive.] in fact, for many easy dives i don't bother with any computer/depth gauge/timing device. my spg provides all the status info i need in a dive less than 25 feet with an 80 or 63. for most dives, a single computer is quite adequate as i am prepared to revert to tables for a while while i load the backup from my saave-a-dive kit.

Differn't strokes ...

I guess I shouldn't have said always. If I'm going to be divemastering on a weekend where I know I'll not be going any deeper than 30ft., then no backup is needed.

The point I was making is that if I'm on a boat for pleasure, then that means I have made an investment. Some more (Belize, for example) some less (jumping on a local boat in Va Beach). In my opinion, spending the money to go diving and then showing up unprepared is just not smart on so many levels.

I didn't say all of my computers are $1K plus. Many times, my backup is an Aeris 500AI that I bought in an entire set of gear that I got for a fraction of the total value, because a local person had quit diving, and needed cash. Sure it's hose mounted, not fancy, but very reliable. So if my fancy compumask looses connection (as it has done) or craps out entirely (as it did on an expensive trip), I'm still diving, and I haven't wasted any of what I already spent on diving that day. So, if this computer (or for that matter, the abyss regulator or Ranger BC) keep me diving on just one boat trip, they have more than covered my meager investment. The rest is gravy. Maybe this doesn't make as much sense as I think it does, but I wouldn't consider entring the water without a depth gauge or timing device. And yes, I did dive for many years using only tables, and that was just as much fun. But I have also used manual typewritters in the past, but I don't use those any more either.

If this logic doesn't float your boat, that's fine. If this keeps me out of the DIR club, then I can live with that too.

To the OP I would just like to say that I'm glad you're OK. You exercised some poor judgement, and you paid a price. I appreciate your taking the time and having the guts to post what you did. I honestly believe that you know better than to do what you did. I hope you learned a valuable lession that will stick with you the rest of your days. I will not give advise on whether you should or should not dive again. I do feel the need to pass along that in my opinion, some serious soul searching is in order.

 

[tracydr]

Please clarify how you put a 151' deco dive into your dive table or your eRDP ( electronic Recreational Dive Planner ). Which dive table are you using?

True, he did blow by the recreational dive tables by going too deep. He would have been forced to take a minimum 6 hour surface interval after that first dive. But, if he had stayed within recreational limits, tables would have been an okay option. They did work in the good old days, although they had their limits. Perhaps part of why tables did work is because they are very conservative, annoyingly so. Also, when divers actually dive tables they plan they're dives instead of watching a computer.

 

[markmantei]

True, he did blow by the recreational dive tables by going too deep. He would have been forced to take a minimum 6 hour surface interval after that first dive. But, if he had stayed within recreational limits, tables would have been an okay option. They did work in the good old days, although they had their limits.

6 Hours would have ment the end of the OP's dive day, which he was not willing to accept. The issue was not so much the broken computer, but his refusal to call the remaining dives because he did not have the neccessary equipment to safely execute the dives. Remember he was even willing to dive without a SPG!

 

[tracydr]

tracy the good thing about diving nitrox with the air computer, the air only will always be more conservative than the nitrox machine, so you do not run into the issue of computer variation in profile conservatism..... I know lots of people that will dive nitrox on air profiles/tables the last day of the trip to make certain they're being more conservative.

Thanks. I've considered doing that for extra conservatism but the reason my husband and I dive nitrox is that we want the extra bottom time on multi-day trips. I'm sure, between my husband's two nitrox computers, my one nitrox computer and the air computer that could function as a bottom timer, we would never get caught without on an important trip.
Not to mention, we could resort to nitrox tables, although that would probably give us less bottom time than an air computer, since I don't know of a multi-level nitrox table that I know of, yet.
GUE divers use bottom timers with SPG, don't they? What tables do they use? Since they are almost exclusively nitrox at the recreational level, I'd like to see their tables.

---------- Post Merged at 08:24 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 08:22 PM ----------

6 Hours would have ment the end of the OP's dive day, which he was not willing to accept. The issue was not so much the broken computer, but his refusal to call the remaining dives because he did not have the neccessary equipment to safely execute the dives. Remember he was even willing to dive without a SPG!

Yes, and I guess that would be my point. I guess the lesson learned is that the first dive of the day really should of been the last, based on a whole lot of reasons.

 

[bconno]

There are all the bad choices here that bother me but one thing that nobody has mentioned was he called Dan, they told him it wasn't a dcs hit sleep it off!
this is the second time in a year I have heard this from a diver.
a coworker of my wife went to Cozumel last year, she hadn't dove in several years. I believe the first dive was columbia deep, at some point she looked at her gauge and saw she had little air left. She gave low air signal to her buddy (assigned buddy, a stranger on the boat) the buddy shrugged her shoulders and swam away, this girl freaked and bolted to the surface. First sign was. Bloody nose, ok not necessarily dcs. By that next day numbness in her hands and arms, other symptoms starting. She asked the DM, was told not dcs. She called Dan that day, they told her not dcs.
dont want to hijack this thread but I would seriously expect them to err on the side of cautionIt appears they did the same with this diver........not good Dan.

 

[John_B]

Everyone is so quick to tell you how great you are for posting this, but I don't see any real name in that signature, so I give no kudos for admitting your faults. My advise to you is to sell all your dive gear and find another hobby. You failed yourself, your kids, your ex wife, your instructor who should have taught you better and all other responsible divers by breaking just about every rule that exists for diving. YOU WENT IN THE WATER WITHOUT A DEPTH GAUGE???? Really, Inconceivable. Probably the only reason you are still alive is your general good health and absolute pure luck. Go buy a lottery ticket. DAN insurance should not even pick up the tab for this just because you were so far out of the realm of good judgement and common sense, I'm surprised that your health insurance will. It would be well within their rights to deny the claim if someone forwarded your admission printed here. You just used up your one free pass, hang up the mask and do not dive ever again. I have only heard of one diving death that had a worse decision tree than this one.

Says a guy who dives a modded "box of death" CCR?

 

[markmantei]

There are all the bad choices here that bother me but one thing that nobody has mentioned was he called Dan, they told him it wasn't a dcs hit sleep it off!
this is the second time in a year I have heard this from a diver.
a coworker of my wife went to Cozumel last year, she hadn't dove in several years. I believe the first dive was columbia deep, at some point she looked at her gauge and saw she had little air left. She gave low air signal to her buddy (assigned buddy, a stranger on the boat) the buddy shrugged her shoulders and swam away, this girl freaked and bolted to the surface. First sign was. Bloody nose, ok not necessarily dcs. By that next day numbness in her hands and arms, other symptoms starting. She asked the DM, was told not dcs. She called Dan that day, they told her not dcs.
dont want to hijack this thread but I would seriously expect them to err on the side of cautionIt appears they did the same with this diver........not good Dan.

Agreed, although a call to DAN if your unsure is obviously a good call, I imagine it is rather difficult to diagnose someone over the phone. A trip to a chamber doc if possible would be prudent as well, if possible. A diagnosis from a DM is probably about as good as a SB diagnosis.

 

[vladimir]

There are all the bad choices here that bother me but one thing that nobody has mentioned was he called Dan, they told him it wasn't a dcs hit sleep it off!

Thank you! While we all recognize the value of DAN insurance, we need to stop genuflecting and critically evaluate their advice.