You've been killed two times by your students? Dam that must hurt, at least the first time anyway. :shocked2:
DM's drowned by students
- Thread starter robbcayman
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You've been killed two times by your students? Dam that must hurt, at least the first time anyway. :shocked2:
Darned good thing I am not a physician then.....
me too
you too? at least one DM candidate, anyway
OP
robbcayman
Contributor
This idea didn't stem from an argument. I was talking to our local DM at the shop and we were sharing stories. He was telling me about about a diver that panicked and tried to bolt to the surface on a checkout dive from 60 feet. As the student went to bolt he grabbed his fin. I'm not sure grabbing his fin was the best idea, but that stuff is beyond my level of training. This resulted in a struggle knocking the students reg out and then he really panicked going for the DM's reg.
Luckily, the DM remained calm gave him his reg and grabbed his octo. They did a slow ascent, but he said it was quite an event. This made me wonder about the times it didn't end so well. Imagine a small woman DM trying to control a large male who panics underwater. If he jumped on her at depth it could be bad news for both. Imagine a new student loses reg and mask and the DM is trying to assist at depth. I'm just curious if anyone has had this happen or even heard of it.
Luckily, the DM remained calm gave him his reg and grabbed his octo. They did a slow ascent, but he said it was quite an event. This made me wonder about the times it didn't end so well. Imagine a small woman DM trying to control a large male who panics underwater. If he jumped on her at depth it could be bad news for both. Imagine a new student loses reg and mask and the DM is trying to assist at depth. I'm just curious if anyone has had this happen or even heard of it.
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I once had to deal with a student who went into full-blown panic. It happened in an instant, and there had not been the slightest prior indication that it was likely to. He had gone through his pool work just fine, done everything as I expected him to do, and on his first checkout dive, had a full-on panic attack at 20 fsw.
Sometimes there are no warning signs, and you just have to deal with it when it occurs. I've never heard of a DM or instructor actually drowning because of it ... it's one of those things you're supposed to have been trained to deal with before getting to the point of being responsible for student divers ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
Sometimes there are no warning signs, and you just have to deal with it when it occurs. I've never heard of a DM or instructor actually drowning because of it ... it's one of those things you're supposed to have been trained to deal with before getting to the point of being responsible for student divers ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
diverdoug1
Contributor
Bob, what was your course of action after this incident? I have only had one student truly panic on a training dive, and I recommended that they pick some other type of recreational activity. I am of the opinion that even though students who panic in their training may be able to work through their issues, they may have an increased propensity for panic in stressful situations. I feel it is best to tell the student that enjoyment derived from diving may not worth the increased risk of injury should another panic episode occur.
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Well, there were two issues that needed addressing in my situation ... a serious case of mammalian reflex and the fact that he panicked. I decided to try addressing the first issue and see how it affected the second. We spent some time working in chest-deep water to see if we could get him breathing normally without his mask ... to "adapt" to the sensation of cold water on his nose. When he was able to do that without issues, we kicked back out to about 10 feet and had him try the mask flood and clear again. Once again he ended up on the surface ... not as bad this time, but he still had an overpowering urge to go to the surface. At that point I ended the class and told him he would probably never be someone who would respond calmly to an emergency situation ... and that could easily get him killed underwater. I haven't seen him since ...
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
For those of you who have experienced a panicky diver firsthand, if you've seen the movie Sanctum, tell us: is the "panicked diver" scene accurate and realistic?
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I have no knowledge of this every having occurred
That's a judgment call. I've never witnessed it.
Can you wait for my reply until the video comes out and then some.
But then I would see it sooner given the opportunity because *ag*
a member here, worked on it.
Agnes Milowka Passion, Daring, Adventure
A few of us, not *ag* because I don't know her, jumped on a panicked diver about to over inflate to the surface one day when the instructor
pulled his knife to deflate the students BCD.
The student that is. She was big, and was about to break free
of the small male instructors grip. On the bottom at 33ft.
But then I would see it sooner given the opportunity because *ag*
a member here, worked on it.
Agnes Milowka Passion, Daring, Adventure
A few of us, not *ag* because I don't know her, jumped on a panicked diver about to over inflate to the surface one day when the instructor
pulled his knife to deflate the students BCD.
The student that is. She was big, and was about to break free
of the small male instructors grip. On the bottom at 33ft.
paddler3d
Guest
I would venture to hear that many a DM, many an AI, and many an Instructor have personally experienced the situation that you just narrated.
A pre-req for DM is Stress and Rescue, where you learn how to deal with this. This training is reinforced and practiced throughout your DM training.
More often than not by the time students get to the actual checkout/open water dives, they know who the weak links are and the instructor team has a game plan in place to react to these situations.
One trick that you learn in Stress and Rescue is that the panicked person want air, they want to be on the surface. The last place they want to go is under the water. You can easily use this to your advantage. But, that is what you will learn in class.
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