Skin diving around divers on a safety stop

[Blackwood]

In addition, the water is shallow enough that the little extra N2 loading would be insignificant compared to the dive the guy just finished.

Yes, the extra N₂ loading is insignificant. But that's not the concern associated with bouncing during a surface interval.

What's troubling is the propensity for bubbles that have formed and lodged in the venous side to shrink enough that they move to the arterial side before the (generally quick) ascent.

 

[miketsp]

If a skin diver gave me the correct hand signal for short of air or out of air then I would assume that indicated some sort of training and hand over an octopus.
If he just came along and pointed at my octopus indicating that he wanted it, then I wouldn't hand it over on the assumption that he wasn't trained and could easily have a barotrauma.
OTOH if he just grabbed it, I'm not going to fight him for it.
He may just be an OOA diver doing a CESA and happened to see me on his way up.

 

[drbill]

Agree with Guba. The OP requested member's input and it was given. A bit immature in my mind... although one of the DM's on our boat will routinely free dive down to where I'm filming (up to 70') and check it out. If he interferes with my work, I whack him upside the head but otherwise he's a pretty good guy.

 

[stiebs]

However, what is she (or her buddy) doing giving up her octo to this clown. Divers are taught to never let someone grab a regulator. No one should ever touch your reg or octo unless you offer it.

So you're telling me that if your buddy (or any other diver, for that matter) runs out of gas while you're not paying attention, you're not going to let him/her take a breath from your octopus until they've made you fully aware of the situation, and you offer up a regulator for them?

Remind me not to go diving with you.

 

[String]

At your typical safety stop depth of 6m its plenty of deep enough to cause bubble formation or microbubbles if you go freediving shortly after diving (or worse, in between).
You're in the area of the water column where the pressure changes are greatest per distance which is why its the most critical part of a real dives ascent.
Even if you dived well within table or computer limits the rapid ascent and descents associated with free diving can cause you problems and push you outside those limits.

 

[Fotoz4FX]

You know... I'm enjoying this interaction amongst the divers here in this forum and expressing that it's nobody's business but the diver's (skindiver) is, in fact, an opinion worthy of expression.

Interestingly though, I really wonder if skin diving to 15' (hardly a barotrauma depth for any diver under surface air and certainly not a N2 concern following a normal dive) <--- note the word 'normal'... would be of any real concern for me, a diver with suitable knowledge of my required 'surface interval' as I'm reasonably sure the surfaced diver would be as well.

I think we can reasonably state that what was done was in the realm of reckless... maybe even stupid ('Stupid is what Stupid does' is a great teaching aide) but if we are to assume that a diver was taught well enough to fend for him/herself I hardly would condemn the man.

I've done it probably more than a hundred times around seasick divers who are chumming at the surface and attracting fish all around themselves and I'm still here, undamaged, never bent, never even affected but grateful tor the fish photography I got as a result. Note, that doesn't mean I am right to do so... I take responsibility for my own actions without endangering others. In otherwords... I wouldn't share air with a free diver... that is liable.

Part of what is missing in this questionable scenario is as follows:
1. How deep was the dive?
2. How long was the dive?
3. Was the diver on enriched gas or air?
4. Did he reach dive limits before surfacing?
5. Did he off gas at only 15' and for how long?
6. Did he even do a safety stop?
.... see where I'm going with this?... there is just too much to know about the diver before any of us can really say, he endangered himself or anyone around him.

Sharing air at 15' is of course risky for the novice but then...
7. Was he a novice?

Ad Infinitum.

 

[jaymal]

Part of what is missing in this questionable scenario is as follows:
1. How deep was the dive?
2. How long was the dive?
3. Was the diver on enriched gas or air?
4. Did he reach dive limits before surfacing?
5. Did he off gas at only 15' and for how long?
6. Did he even do a safety stop?
.... see where I'm going with this?... there is just too much to know about the diver before any of us can really say, he endangered himself or anyone around him.

Sharing air at 15' is of course risky for the novice but then...
7. Was he a novice?

Ad Infinitum.

According to the the dive plan my girlfriend gave me. This is her dive not the skin diver's but he should have been on a similar profile.

1. 40 ft max depth.
2. <50 minutes
3. Air
4. No.
5. I do not know. I am guessing a minute or two.
6. Unknown.
7. Yes, mostly like less than 5 dives after certification. This was my GF's 3rd dive past certification. Her buddy had more dives but probably less than 25 and I think had not dived in a while. It was her buddy that shared the octo.

The skin diver in question would not be my buddy.

 

[Jeff Toorish]

Divers are taught to never let someone grab a regulator. No one should ever touch your reg or octo unless you offer it.

Really? I was never taught that. In fact, I seem to recall being specifically taught in an OOA situation to go for the octo and grab it if needed.

Obviously in this situation, sharing air is not a great idea.

Free divers, the serious ones at least, don't free dive after scuba.

Jeff

 

[miketsp]

..snip..

Interestingly though, I really wonder if skin diving to 15' (hardly a barotrauma depth for any diver under surface air and certainly not a N2 concern following a normal dive) <--- note the word 'normal'... would be of any real concern for me, a diver with suitable knowledge of my required 'surface interval' as I'm reasonably sure the surfaced diver would be as well.
..snip..

Without wanting to take this out of context, but it deserves a comment due to the number of inexperienced readers on SB.
This will leave some readers with the impression that you can't get a barotrauma from 15', whereas there are documented cases of barotraumas in as little as 6'.
Quite a few in swimming pools and some where a diver had a barotrauma just because a wave passed overhead!

 

[adjuster-jd]

I could see a creative lawyer arguing that the diver who supplied the compressed air to the free diver is somehow liable for a lung-expansion injury due to the free diver's rapid ascent... May not win that case, but it might just end up going to trial.