1996 I had an advanced student on a deep dive that neglected to tell me she was having issues with her gauge sticking. Suddenly she comes to me blue in the face needing a reg. I hand off my octo and she locks her arms into my BC, going completely passive and unresponsive. She's breathing but its like no one is there. I had begun a slow ascent and manage to free her infator and dump her BC. I could not get to my inflator because of the death grip she had. I managed to control our ascent by exhaling all my air and flaring my fins. At the surface I inflated her bc and after a few minutes of floating she came to her senses.
We train for these scenarios, but the unknown factor is how the victim is going to respond. Are they going to maintain their senses enough that you can help them? Is the result of their panic going to kill you in the process? Of course you want to help, that is natural, but what system is going to give the best possible outcome? I can tell you that controlling a diver in an actual emergency when their up in your kitchen is much harder than you speculate. In saying all of this, I'm not giving you an answer but really posing more questions. Would handing off a long hose or a bottle keep their distance? In certain cases sure, but in others probably not. Gear doesn't make the diver, experience and training do. Thinking about the what ifs before you are faced with them and the reality that it could very well be ugly and unpleasant.
I will say that I'm not a big fan of the Octopus. It's better that nothing, but I think either a long hose or bottle is definitely better.
We train for these scenarios, but the unknown factor is how the victim is going to respond. Are they going to maintain their senses enough that you can help them? Is the result of their panic going to kill you in the process? Of course you want to help, that is natural, but what system is going to give the best possible outcome? I can tell you that controlling a diver in an actual emergency when their up in your kitchen is much harder than you speculate. In saying all of this, I'm not giving you an answer but really posing more questions. Would handing off a long hose or a bottle keep their distance? In certain cases sure, but in others probably not. Gear doesn't make the diver, experience and training do. Thinking about the what ifs before you are faced with them and the reality that it could very well be ugly and unpleasant.
I will say that I'm not a big fan of the Octopus. It's better that nothing, but I think either a long hose or bottle is definitely better.