Bent over a BC

[docmartin]

wish my memory served me better but i definitely recall reading about resubmerging as a valid alternative to a chamber when in far away recalls. i believe one article was in the last issue of immersed ("the australian protocol") if i recall correctly and another one might have been in undercurrent a few years ago. i read the navy actually has a protocol for in water decompression treatment, too (thanks grajan for digging it up). furthermore, my dive computer, a suunto stinger, does allow it within 3 or 5 minutes after surfacing and violating a decompression requirement. the manual actually tells you to do so to avoid going into lockout. therefore, i believe the statement to never resubmerge is too strong and - in some cases - actually wrong.

 

[MikeFerrara]

dreamin'

I have an opinion for you but you may or may not like it so take it as you see fit.

First off equipment unfamiliarity figures quit prominatly in diving accidents and so do rapid ascents. So do underdeveloped and rusty skills. Frankly hiting the wrong button (not likely) shouldn't be a big deal. It should be a small adjustment early enough that you simply undo the mistake.

Much dive equipment is designed for looks not function but even at that, most bc inflators have the deflate on the end and the inflate on the side. Even the small hard to feel ones are in the right place so while I can see not hitting any it's hard to see hitting the wrong one.

A bit of supposition....

While I wasn't there and can't say for sure, if I've seen this once I've seen it hundreds of times. Wether or not he hit the wrong button in the beginning he got to buoyant to fast and then, in a rush, didn't have a clue what he was reaching for. In order to do what he did you need to do more than a quick burst from the wrong button. He pushed the wrong one and held it rather than easily correcting the mistake as he could have had he been aware that he was holding the wrong one.

Sorry if it isn't what you wanted to hear.

 

[GQMedic]

1. The Malibu RDS is by Aqua Lung. A very functional BC.

2. I use this very same BC and have been doing so for nearly 3 years.

3. There is nothing wrong with the BC deflator button. I find it every time.

4. The cause of this incident is DIVER ERROR due to diver failing to know the equipment he/she is using.

5. This incident was very preventable.

Yet another reason to own and know your equipment.

 

[GQMedic]

Bad plan!

Don't do it. Resubmerging only adds more risk to the problem.

Grajan once bubbled...
If this happened to me I would be inclined to fix the problem on the surface as quickly as possible and then decend to at least half my max bottom depth wait five minutes and then carry out a very slow ascent (air permitting).

It this a good plan? What should you do?

 

[MISFIT DIVER]

I would have to agree with Mike. Most all BC's that I have seen, the inflate button is were the thumb is and the dump is were your pointing finger is. I was always taught and my instructor teaches this way, If the inflator is laying down in the normal position, you grab it with the thumb on the inflate valve and the pointing finger on the dump. This way, when you raise the LP inflator hose to dump the air, your hands are always in the right position and on the right buttons. Most BC that I have seen have the dump button and inflator button different sizes and shapes. I have found that this hand position works well and is easy to remember. Like the others, I am glad your brother is well. BC familiarity is the first step of the pre dive safty check. Just my thoughts

 

[diverbrian]

I am glad that everything worked out.

I was taught to look up so that I can see bubbles coming out of the inflator hose when venting. Seeing that I trained in my own gear from the second pool session of my open water, I know my own gear. Fortunately, I have never had to use rental gear. But, you and your brother have been beat up enough on the mistakes. I won't add. You may want to try the ideas about only hitting BCD buttons for a short burst underwater instead of laying on them. That way you shouldn't add enough air to make an uncontrolled descent.

All the best.

 

[billfish]

the inflator, and yank on the air dump cord. Wouldn't this be the best way to stop an uncontrolled accent? Even a very inexperienced diver unfamiliar with the equipment should know where/how to find it. However you look at it, this guys problem was a lack of experience and training, not a bad design.

I'm glad he came out of it fine, and hope he doesn't give up on diving. Beacuse of his experience he'll probably become obsessed with buoyancy control and become an expert in the future.

 

[agstreet]

Scubaroo once bubbled...
Why would this have made his DCS more severe?

That question asked, resubmerging is recommended against AFAIK.

It's recommended against by PADI and other US based dive agencies, but in-water recompression isn't necessarily a bad thing to do, especially for a non-symptomatic diver. As other's have mentioned, this is sometimes referred to as the "Australian method," and it has been used with varying degrees of success. Here's a link that has a number of case histories:

http://www.saudidiving.com/inwater-recomp.htm

 

[Scubaroo]

agstreet once bubbled...
"Australian method"

Yeah, I didn't want to bring that up myself

 

[cornfed]

There is also an article by Richard Pyle on the Abyss site.

<edit> Which turns out to be the same article posted by agstreet </edit>

Cornfed

docmartin once bubbled...
wish my memory served me better but i definitely recall reading about resubmerging as a valid alternative to a chamber when in far away recalls. i believe one article was in the last issue of immersed ("the australian protocol") if i recall correctly and another one might have been in undercurrent a few years ago. i read the navy actually has a protocol for in water decompression treatment, too (thanks grajan for digging it up). furthermore, my dive computer, a suunto stinger, does allow it within 3 or 5 minutes after surfacing and violating a decompression requirement. the manual actually tells you to do so to avoid going into lockout. therefore, i believe the statement to never resubmerge is too strong and - in some cases - actually wrong.