Close call - spot the errors leading up to it

[decompression]

Every issue that occurred could have been avoided if they remembered their BASIC ow training. Each are addressed, SPG use, buoyancy, situational awareness, wildlife interactions...etc. Maybe the real issue is the limited time/emphasis placed on these things during most ow courses. Some get it, some do not.


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[The Laconic]

I thought you hit all the major points in the first post. And I agree with Bob that the camera itself was a contributing factor. (This is why I haven't taken a camera into a cave.)

One thing that especially bugged me, though: since when is "mask around neck" a signal that everything is OK?

And if it were a signal, why would he signal that everything is OK? Everything was not OK.

And if it were a signal, and everything were OK, how on earth was that boat supposed to see this "signal"?

 

[Bob DBF]

Shouldn't the lesson be.. when it gets hard to inhale - go UP (or get on somebody's octo)?

That was what I was taught when I started diving ( no octo's, buddy breathe ).


Bob

 

[dmaziuk]

Split fins.

My first thought was why TH you're doing a drift dive against a current. Splits didn't show up until he almost lost one, so "against a current in splits" came later.

And what Steve said.

 

[scagrotto]

1:15 "Fascinated I forget to check my gauge" Right. Because at 1:00 you still had plenty of air left. I don't know how this guy's air consumption is, but unless it's really, really high and he planned a 5 minute dive his problem started before the video did.

1:40 "breathing becomes difficult." Action remains elusive.

1:58 "I realize I have very little air left" And perhaps why breathing became difficult 18 seconds ago?

 

[DogDiver]

Been diving for 49 years and have never run out of air. Been real low a few times, but never OOA!


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[seeker242]

Is it even appropriate to try to stop in a strong current when you are drift diving? Seems to me drift means DRIFT! That seems like the first mistake to me, by everyone... The group grabs onto some rocks, the guy doesn't and keeps drifting away and nobody even notices... Am I allowed to say "WTF?!?!"

 

[Diver0001]

While surfing the 'net I stumbled over this little YouTube video and I thought it could be a nice reminder about how a fairly shallow and benign reef bimble can turn into a scary and potentially dangerous situation. Before discussing the case, let's watch the video. Note that this isn't my video, I just found it out there on the 'net.

I'm not in an overly critical mood, so this doesn't strike me as an accident but certainly as an incident.

Looks like the dive was at a depth of about 15m. Situational awareness and buddy contact between the diver and his buddy (if he had one) was sloppy to say the least. He says that he was fighting a current, which is contrary to what you would normally do on an offshore dive in Mexico, so it's not clear to me if they were diving a plan or not. The current didn't look that heavy to me but it was clear that the group was having trouble staying together.

In any case, aside from the obvious, his immediate response to running out of air and being unable to locate his buddy (or another nearby diver) was ok. The ascent was pretty fast but took control and solved the main problem without (obviously) panicking. The fact that the buddy didn't surface is further proof of sloppy buddy contact (if there were buddies assigned).

Once on the surface, he removed his mask and was missing a couple of bits of gear that one should really have on a drift dive.

a) DSMB
b) whistle
c) mirror or flashlight.
d) snorkel. Some of you won't agree with this one but on a dive where it's possible that you may have to surface 500m from shore, I would strongly recommend having a snorkel with you, even if it's in the BCD pocket.

Removing the mask was a mistake. He should have left it in place and put the snorkel, if he had one, in his mouth. That would have made it more comfortable for him.

The fin coming off signals a problem with securing the gear but it's unclear if that happened because something broke or something was too loose and/or didn't fight correctly. Trying to signal the boat with the fin was a good idea and may have been the reason he was located as quickly as he was.

I'm not sure how well his BCD was inflated on the surface but at least the camera kept getting submerged. Not knowing where it was attached, it made it look like he could have been laying low in the water. Another good reason for the mask and snorkel but also a good reason to make sure he had ample positive buoyancy.

The last thing that I noticed is that the guide (or lead divers) weren't using an SMB. It would have helped the diver know what to do on the surface if he were able to see and follow an SMB on the surface so he didn't get separated as far from the group. This may have also allowed the boat to see him and pick him up earlier.

R..

 

[KeithG]

My big issue is that the diver was "surprised" when they ran out of air. That is the real FAIL for me.

The video is not that long. The diver (and buddy) should have been heading to the surface way before the turtle was spotted.

 

[Neilwood]

As someone said earlier, most of the issues here were covered in the basic OW course.

1) Buddy - existed only in name. It looked to me like 4 individuals instead of 2 buddy pairs.
2) Monitoring your gas - not sure how long the dive had gone before the clip started but in the 5 minutes of the clip I don't recall seeing it getting checked once.
3) Allowing himself to be distracted by wildlife/ camera to the point of getting into a dangerous situation.
4) Not carrying the requisite signalling devices - if it is possible that you will get separated from the boat or caught in a drift, you must have the right signalling devices (at a minimum 1 sound and 1 visual but preferably 2 visual ie an SMB and a mirror)
5) Removing his mask on the surface - despite the ongoing snorkel arguments on SB, they do have their uses and this is one where it might have been good. It would have been easier for him to stay at the surface with it (if it had been a while before "rescue" it is easier to float face down in a lot of cases).
6) It looks from the clip that he hadn't inflated his BCD once he had surfaced. He comes up with the inflater in his hand but it doesn't look like he orally inflates.