Scary OW certification weekend

[supergaijin]

Mr OP, before you go anywhere, do yourself a favour and go diving again- even if it's in a pool. From your description it sounds like your training was inadequate and potentially dangerous. For example you've stated that your air was turned off underwater, before attempting the Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent known as CESA. This is a violation of safety- but one that can be confusing as there are 2 other separate skills: "responding to 'Out Of Air' where the instructor turns off your air, and you signal OOA. And the other where you signal OOA and breathe off the Alternate Air Source.

For your own safety in "pursuing your life-long dream", do a few more dives shallower than 45 feet in some easy conditions before travelling overseas to dive.

EDIT: glad to hear you will return to dive.

 

[Tim R Alcoser JR]

Oh my god. I love my instructor.

See, we did the out of air scenario in the pool, but it was only for a brief few seconds, and only to show you what it felt like to be in an out of air scenario, or so we were told.

 

[ferris213]

I'm glad it all worked out ok for you, and that you were checked by a medical professional. I totally agree with the other posters recommending you do some more diving before your big trip. I would suggest hiring an instructor to help you work through your skills again, even if it does cost a bit more.

As tempting as it might be to use the same instructor as you did for your course, if I were you I would hire someone else. Even if it is for a different perspective on the same skills.

It sounds like it was a fairly traumatic day, and you have mentioned a few times you nearly panicked. This is something I would mention to a new instructor, and hopefully they can find ways for you to overcome it.

Good luck.

 

[GrimSleeper]

I'm glad it all worked out ok for you, and that you were checked by a medical professional. I totally agree with the other posters recommending you do some more diving before your big trip. I would suggest hiring an instructor to help you work through your skills again, even if it does cost a bit more.

As tempting as it might be to use the same instructor as you did for your course, if I were you I would hire someone else. Even if it is for a different perspective on the same skills.

It sounds like it was a fairly traumatic day, and you have mentioned a few times you nearly panicked. This is something I would mention to a new instructor, and hopefully they can find ways for you to overcome it.

Good luck.

Have to second what ferris213 says. If your memory of the sequence of events is completely accurate - and panic, even mild fear, can often colour how we remember things, let alone being in an alien environment for the first time, so OP, please don't think I'm calling you a liar - your instructor did a lot of things wrong. Please do think about working with someone else, who doesn't know you 'have a dream', and can give you an honest assessment of whether you are ready to dive independently. You owe that much to yourself and to anyone else in your life.

 

[KD8NPB]

I will contribute exactly one tip to this thread:
Please buy DAN insurance, formulate an emergency plan, and always dive with a buddy.

 

[Sly New Girl]

Everyone who mentioned how glad they are that Mr Adran is going to be okay deserves a thumbs up! I've only just gotten started and already I've heard and seen things that give me pause. I personally saw a man rescued twice in one night. The first time he was hauled up and drug into the shallows he said it felt like everything was spinning in circles and he thought he was sinking really fast. Only according to his buddy they weren't even 40' down and the bottom was 5' away. The second time was after he said he was okay so my buddy told him to take care of himself and we went back to doing our own thing. Not ten minutes later we were following them up again. The other guys buddy had convinced him to give it another try. My dm had a lot to say. He was really nice and he talks quiet, he doesn't yell. But you can tell when he's as serious as a coffin nail.
My advice to you Mr Adran, as someone who depends on the goodwill and experience of others as I do, is this; Never dive with a buddy you can't trust. Not even one you can't trust to tell you the absolute truth. I wouldn't be half so willing to depend on my buddy if I didn't trust him to prevent me from making rash decisions. Not just to haul me out afterwards but to actually give me a constant measure of his attention with keeping me safe always on his mind. Find someone to dive with who not only loves the water and diving but cares what happens to you too.

 

[clownfishsydney]

I must say that I believe the OP's story. However, what I cannot believe is that an instructor let all this happen.

The air leak was probably from the swivel between the HP hose and the pressure gauge. As others have said, even a full blown leak takes a long time to empty a tank. I suspect that you have breathed so hard once this happened you have used most of the little air you had in your tank before the instructor took you to the surface.

As to the turning off air situation, I have never heard of this occurring legitimately in any dive course, especially on an OW course. This is madness. I can perhaps understand a quick on/off so that you can see what it feels like as the air runs out, but to have it off and then do an ascent, totally unbelievable that someone would do this (and I believe you when you say it happened).

As to the lung problem, I suspect it was one of two things. The first, you breathed so hard you sucked in some water and this has got into your lungs and you have suffered basically the same as diver's immersion pulmonary oedema. This would certainly make you feel as though you could not breathe and would cause such irritation to your lungs that you will spit up pink frothy sputum. I have seen this happen twice to others. Basically it is an almost drowning situation.

Finally, to let you get back in the water after this, even if just snorkelling, is just short of criminally negligent (or maybe not). Find another dive instructor I think and another shop.

 

[jar546]

Once the HP hose that leads to the SPG is busted, there is absolutely no accurate reading of the PSI in the tank and it will read low so there is no way of knowing how much air was actually left in the tank. Just a clarification as it is not relevant to the story and situation.

The OP should not be certified as a diver and would need medical clearance in order to continue through the certification process for OW. In all actuality, the OWI did you a major disservice.

 

[doctormike]

As a medical professional this does not make to much sense. Bleeding in the lungs is caused by just a few things..infection, cancer, TB, etc. PE is not very likely based on the symptoms and the resolution of them so quickly. If exertion caused it than it should happen any time you ran or such. It sounds like you had a panic attack hyperventilated causing a shift in pH that lead to bronchospasms. The coughing caused a little irritation in the lungs with a little bleeding.

As a medical professional and a diver, I would say that cancer and TB would be pretty far down in the differential diagnosis of acute, frothy hemoptysis following a rapid ascent from depth. Certainly below things like immersion pulmonary edema and the various subcategories of DCI (such as an expansion injury). Probably even below something like a sinus squeeze causing a nosebleed. PE actually could be a possibility, since in this scenario we would be talking about an air bubble in the pulmonary arterial circulation causing a blockage of blood flow to an area of lung tissue - that is, a PE that is non-thrombotic (not the classic blood clot) and non-iatrogenic (not caused by a medical procedure). O2 therapy for this condition could cause a reduction in symptoms. But our clinical details here are sketchy.

Also, as a medical professional, I wouldn't reassure anyone over the Internet that acute hemoptysis following a rapid ascent from depth was just "a little irritation", without even a "probably" thrown in there..!

 

[CamG]

Greetings Mr Adrian I am very glad you are ok.
Never be afraid to seek professional medical attention for a scuba related incident.
Join DAN if you have not as they are the best in the business at scuba related issues and your insurance is so well worth it!

Do not mistake all the attention on the thread as negative as most here are concerned for your welfare but can come across a bit condescending. They really mean well and not sticking to training standards is a HUGE mistake in the SCUBA industry.
If your feeling were hurt I am sorry, I can only speak for myself but I only wish you good things and safe diving in the future.

Please gain your experience slowly and safely while enjoying diving.
It is a awesome sport but not without risk so be prepared, EYE'S OPEN.
It does not take many accident threads to get a clear idea of just how dangerous it can be.

CamG Keep Diving....Keep Training....Keep Learning!