One bad line wrap and Murphy Wins!

[MBH]

I just completed Cavern with Capt. Jim Wyatt and it was THE MOST "make you think" training that I've ever had. I had a gut feeling that Cavern with Jim would be challenging, but....it was a bit tougher than I anticipated... and thats a good thing.

Cavern with Jim Wyatt exposed my weak points, allowed me to fix the ones that I could (while on the fly), and tutored me in how to improve the ones that were totally FUBAR, and... he left my one or two strong points alone.

Here's how I "killed" my teammate (sorry about that Mark. I would attend your funeral but I'm most likely dead also.) I Made an OW tie off in the basin at Ginnie, ran the reel in through the right entrance, made a wrap just inside the cavern, stayed close to the right side wall, made a placement at the bottom of the first drop, made a CRAPPY WRAP in front of the grate, headed down flow into that little back tunnel and tied the reel off at the dead end.

It was an OOA, lights out, eyes closed, air share exit on the line. I can't swear to it but I think it was a "bump and go" exit. Mark was the OOA diver I was donating the long hose.

Mark was in front following the line, I'm on the line behind him and doing the bumping. Our progress started out pretty good but before we made it to the grate Mark stopped and wouldn't/couldn't continue to move foreward. I gave several touch contact "go foreward" signals but our progress was at a dead stop.

What happened was- My CRAPPY wrap that I made in front or the grate got pulled off as we were exiting. The flow blew the line back towards Mark and he got entangled with all the slack line in a major way.

It's my fault for making a bad wrap.
It's Marks fault for not catching my bad wrap.
It's hat's off to Jim Wyatt for letting us step into the poo-poo like that.

I know that I learned some very valuable lessons. Lessons that I'll never forget.
Brent

 

[Kevrumbo]

As the number three man with a novice Reel Man in the lead of a Wreck Penetration, guess who's forehead found every projection & stanchion off of a mis-laid wrap on an eyes closed, follow the line out egress? (Especially the closed wrap tie-off on the middle rung of a ship's ladder --that one hurt bad !)

 

[Meng_Tze]

Yeah, you get what you ask and pay for with Jim and then some. Nice to see you had a good time and welcome to diving the holes in the ground.

 

[bvmjethead]

Dang! You guy's are hardcore!

 

[jscott099]

OK folks, that's a wrap.

 

[TSandM]

We had the same experience during our wreck workshop. 18 minutes in, laying line, and 32 minutes on the way out. At that point we'd pulled a tie off and swum it completely AROUND our lead diver. There was no way we were getting out, so the instructors cut the drill.

I think one experience like that in training makes you ever so much more respectful and cautious about what a line MEANS. Some of these things, the instructor really doesn't have to teach you -- all he has to do is sit back and watch you teach it to yourself (and try to keep you safe in the process).

I'm really looking forward to my cavern class next month.

 

[refinished]

Brent - Let me try to ease your pain from beyond the grave. I had an idea what was happening and I knew you had a couple rock solid tie-offs not too far away. I was in the beginning stages of pulling all the slack thru my hand until the line was tight when the drill was called. I'm not sure I would have been able to handle all of that slack line and hand it off to you such that you would have any idea why I was handing you a big ball of precious line in the dark. I think Jim's call to cut the drill to let us see what a FUBAR state we were in was more illustrative than letting us fight it out. Lesson learned for both of us.

If it makes you feel better, I killed Jim once or twice after you left and we began Intro. The first one was a lights-out, OOA at the keyhole in Ginnie. I think I performed the skill with decent fidelity, but at the pace I was following the line(slow!), we never would have made it out on our gas supply. Lesson(s) learned. In Little River, he went OOA and I was unable to give him more than 18 inches of hose for a minute. I still have no idea what the long hose was caught on behind my head, but it came free only after I took the gas back from him and gave it a good dose of jiggle. Lesson learned.

Thanks to Jim, I am a better diver this week than last... Like most of us, I have a ways to go.....

 

[Meng_Tze]

.. so much more respectful and cautious about what a line MEANS.

One instructor once said to me: "Line is evil, never forget that. It wants to kill you, hold you down and wait for you to run out of gas. But if you treat it with the utmost respect, it will also be your best friend."

<or something to that extend>

 

[bluewatertoy]

I had a similar experience last year in Mexico during my cavern class with Dennis from Diablo divers. During our lights out OOA exit, the line somehow got caught around my tank valve. We died. Not quite sure how it ended up there, but it is still the best course I have taken yet. Like Meng says treat your line with respect. Can't wait to get back to Mexico or Florida and do some more cavern dives.
Kelly

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

. Some of these things, the instructor really doesn't have to teach you -- all he has to do is sit back and watch you teach it to yourself (and try to keep you safe in the process).

So true and I also firmly believe these type situations are the best learning experiences.