What do we need to be safe divers?

[Diver0001]

Once you've finished your course, no one is going to nurse you out in the deep blue. You are responsible for your safety. If you screw up you can die!

....snip....

A lapse in concentration or even a short period of stupidity can quickly result in serious injury or death.

I think it's quite possible for divers to *learn* how to respond adequately to incidents so that an "incident pit" doesn't materialize.

The incident pit

I believe it was someone at BSAC who coined the term "incident pit". Basically it describes a process whereby a diver is confronted with a problem and responds inadequately to that problem, hence making it worse and worse until it gets out of control.

There can be a long chain of events that lead to a problem.

For example, Imagine this series of events:

• The diver who was up late the night before the dive (fatique),
• had an argument with their wife/husband on the morning of the dive (emotionall distracted),
• was late getting to the site (time pressure) and hurried to get the gear ready
• skipped the pre-dive check (procedures failure)
• descended and only realized upon descending that the LP hose was not correctly attached to the inflator. (= incident: no longer normal diving mode)

Each one of these little things contributed to getting the diver in a situation where they went from normal diving mode to having an incident. In this case it's not a serious incident just yet but you could easily imagine such a thing getting worse and worse, leading to ear barotrauma, uncontrolled descent to deep depths, panic, failing to drop weights and even death.

That's the incident pit, like an icy slope that gets steeper and steeper until there's no stopping yourself from sliding all the way down. Moreover, as you can see the incident pit can begin well before the dive and could have (in our example) been interrupted at many points before the diver found themselves descending out of control without the ability to inflate the BCD. Some people describe this as a chain of dominoes which is also an apt description.... one thing leads to another until it balloons out of control.

Climbing back out of the incident pit
There are a number of factors that can improve your chances of reversing matters once things start to go wrong. Here are a few obvious ones:

1) recognition and proactive mitigation. You can often recognise (if you're honest with yourself) when you are no longer in "normal mode". This can mean maybe taking a step back, discussing it with your buddy, even calling a dive before getting in the water etc etc. In our example above, if the diver in question had arrived at the site (late) and said to their buddy that they hadn't slept well and had a fight with their partner, then maybe they would have decided to sit out, or the buddy could have offered more support in making sure the buddy check was performed, the tempo was lowered or the dive plan adjusted to compensate, etc.

Recognising that we're no longer in normal mode and compensating early is all about "an ounce of prevention". Interrupting the chain of falling dominoes before the crucial one is reached...

2) Skills mastering. Some skills are things that many divers don't practice much after OW. Inserting regular moments of "skills mastering" into your diving habits is one way to make sure that if something small happens, like in our case, that it doesn't get bigger because you *know* what to do and are proficient at it. For exmple, our diver could have orally inflated the BCD to achieve neutral buoyancy and then re-attached the LP hose. These are skills that every diver was taught at the OW level but many may not have practiced. Building up a good base level of experience with ALL of the basic skills would have helped a lot of divers to not slip further down the incident pit.

3) Having a plan-B. Knowing (and agreeing with your buddy) ahead of time what you will likely want to do particular scenarios arise can be very helpful in shortening the reaction time and avoiding getting sucked further down the incident pit. For example, if our diver in this case had regularly thought about what they would do if their BCD failed then maybe they would have thought to drop some weights early on in the descent when it was apparent that there was a problem... or to inflate the BCD manually ... avoiding further sinking and avoiding a worsening of affairs.

4) Having a good emergency protocol. I have something I call my A, B, C, D rule for handling task-loading and organizing tasks during (worsening) incidents. This is the process that goes into effect if you weren't able to "see it coming", you weren't able to "absorb the anomaly with skills" and your normal plan-B didn't work.

I teach it to all of my OW students. Basically any protocol for emergency management (PADI has something called "Stop, Think, Do") is going to prepare the diver to climb back out of the incident pit by organizing the necessary tasks such that the right things are getting done in the right order. This post will get too long if I go into too much detail about my "ABCD rules" but I've posted about it before so you might be able to find it with a search if you're curious.

I wanted to post this in response to the assertion that

A lapse in concentration or even a short period of stupidity can quickly result in serious injury or death.

because I don't necessarily agree with it. I think a lapse of concentration or a short period of stupidity can put you in the mouth of the incident pit by causing something to happen that isn't "normal diving mode" but that if the divers skills are trained well enough, they have good self and situational awareness, a plan-B and a good emergency plan, that it would be highly unusual for any *one* thing to suck you right down the drain.

R..

 

[Instructor_Tom]

the one thing I see missing from the discussion and from most OW divers kit is a spool or reel with enough line to shoot an SMB from depth.

just as a lift bag and reel is required equipment for deep divers to establish a deco station should they loose contact with the up line. OW divers should be taught how to shoot a lift bag or SMB from depth and surface on the line simulating a BCD failure and to be used any time when not surfacing on the anchor line to warn off boater in the area.

BCD failure are rare if one properly maintains their equipment but they do happen and buddies do wander off. self rescue skills are critical to avoid panic.

T.


Sent using Tapatalk HD

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I think lists can be shortened a bit, because it is presumed that certified divers have certain skills. To be a safe diver you need to exercise those skills on every dive. Start with being in good physical condition, add in good equipment in good repair, then a safe dive plan within your competence level which you communicate to your buddy and which you both follow. Following a through equipment and buddy check, dive the plan, as buddies, and ascend slowly at every stage of the dive, not just the final ascent. Do a good safety stop at 5 to 7 meteres, ascend, exit. Hydrate, relax for an appropriate surface interval, and repeat. That's my recipe for safe diving.
DivemasterDennis

 

[DevonDiver]

A lapse in concentration or even a short period of stupidity can quickly result in serious injury or death.

I believe that recreational diving is, by design, very forgiving. The tolerance for errors decreases as dive complexity and scope increases. So I disagree with your premise, for most divers...

That's actually a bad thing.

People can be really dumb and get away with it.

Often.

That reinforces dumb behavior. It encourages it.

Until they day it becomes a long period of stupidity... and they get unlucky... and they don't get away with it.

 

[Diver0001]

the one thing I see missing from the discussion and from most OW divers kit is a spool or reel with enough line to shoot an SMB from depth.
...snip...

OW divers should be taught how to shoot a lift bag or SMB from depth and surface on the line simulating a BCD failure and to be used any time when not surfacing on the anchor line to warn off boater in the area.

I guess if you're a divemaster then you already know this but for everyone else, PADI has recently changed the OW training standards and the skill to deploy a surface marker buoy is now part of the OW course.

R..

 

[TSandM]

My hat is off to Diver0001, who absolutely said everything that needs to be said, and said it better than I did . . . If anybody wants to read more about the ABCD approach he uses, HERE is one of the best threads on SB.

 

[Foxfish]

July 2012 12/107
A pair of divers completed a 27 min dive to a maximum depth of
24m and made a 1 min stop at 9m and a 3 min stop at 6m on
their ascent. They ascended the boat's anchor line and arrived
at the surface normally. One of the pair moved to the ladder
towards the rear of the boat while her buddy stayed on the
anchor line submerged to avoid surface conditions and to
prevent congestion at the ladder. The first diver stood on the
ladder but did not climb it. She said words that suggested she
was caught on something and it is thought that it was her reel
line caught on the ladder. Her mouthpiece was replaced and
she sank back into the water. She was not seen again. The
buddy was recovered and a search conducted in the area down
wind and tide. The Coastguard was alerted. A helicopter, three
lifeboats and other craft carried out a search but the missing
diver was not found. The diver's body was recovered from the
shoreline twenty four days later.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:04 AM ----------

February 2012 12/362
An instructor and 4 students were engaged in a training course
at a maximum depth of 6m. During alternative source practice,
the casualty accidentally knocked his own regulator out of his
mouth and went from surprise to panic and made for the
surface. The instructor tried without success to replace the
casualty's regulator while slowing their ascent to the top. At the
surface, casualty stated he was alright so the instructor left him
with a passing instructor for a few minutes while descending
again and taking two other students through the skill. When
back at the surface, the instructor asked the casualty if he
wanted to try the skill again, the casualty initially said yes then
started having chest pain so he was taken to shore and put on
oxygen. The emergency services were called and, out of
precaution, they took casualty to hospital. Further tests revealed
possibility of an air bubble behind casualty's heart.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:05 AM ----------

February 2012 12/041
A diver conducted two dives a day over a weekend with dives
on day one no deeper than 10m. On day two she dived to 18m
and then, after a surface interval of 2 hours 15 min, she dived to
a maximum depth of 20m. During both dives on the second day
the diver experienced buoyancy problems with her drysuit,
feeling that air had become trapped. She had difficulty
maintaining a 6m safety stop on the first dive rising to 2m and
then fighting to get back to 6m. On the second dive she could
not control the stop at all and ascended direct to the surface
and remained there. After a surface interval of around 5 hours
the diver began a car journey home. An hour later she began to
feel unwell with a headache and fatigue which both gradually
increased until she fell asleep. On returning home the diver took
pain relief and went to bed but had a restless night. The
following morning the diver noticed a purple rash in clusters on
her chest, neck and back; she still had the headache and felt
tired and lightheaded. The diver discussed it with her husband
but felt uncomfortable phoning a recompression chamber. The
diver was eventually persuaded to call the chamber and after
describing her symptoms was advised to attend straight away.
The diver attended a recompression chamber and was
recompressed on a royal navy table 62 with extensions and
received a follow up treatment the next day

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:06 AM ----------

March 2012 12/050
An instructor conducted two training dives involving a number of
ascents. The first dive was to a maximum depth of 20m for a
total dive time of 20 min and involved two ascents from 20m to
6m and both were controlled and within the limits of dive
computers. A 3 min safety stop was conducted at a depth of 6m
before a controlled ascent to the surface. After a surface
interval of 2 hours 30 min a dive was conducted to a maximum
depth of 15m and involved two more ascents with the instructor
was acting as a 'casualty' . The first ascent was uncontrolled
from 10m to 3m before the ascent was halted and the pair
descended to repeat the ascent. The second ascent was
controlled, stopping at 6m and a 3 min safety stop was
completed before a controlled ascent to the surface. Three days
later the instructor noticed an unusual throbbing pain in her
arms which came and went rather than being continuous. The
arm also felt weak and was described as a dead weight. The
following day she contacted a diving doctor and was advised to
report to a recompression chamber where she received
recompression treatment resulting in full resolution of
symptoms.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:07 AM ----------

March 2012 12/365
The casualty completed a deep dive in the morning, then went
on a fun dive after a surface interval of 1 hour 46 min. The dive
profile was 12m for 20 min, there were no issues except for a
rapid ascent computer warning. No symptoms appeared until a
few hours later when casualty felt numbness and weakness in
right arm. Casualty was treated in chamber for DCI.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:08 AM ----------

March 2012 12/058
A diver and his buddy conducted a dive to a maximum depth of
26m for a maximum duration of 35 min including 9 min at a
depth of 6m checking their buoyancy and carrying out safety
stops. Both divers were using dive computers, with the diver
using a new computer. After returning to the RHIB with no
problems they stowed their kit and started to have lunch. After a
period of 10 min or so the diver complained of pain in the right
side of his chest and of having no feeling in one of his legs. The
diver was laid down with legs raised and given oxygen. The
Coastguard was informed and after consultation with a diving
doctor the RHIB was advised to return to harbour to be met by
an ambulance. On returning to shore the diver was transferred
by ambulance to a recompression chamber where he received
a 5 hour treatment. The diver was reported to have suffered
DCI due to dehydration.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:12 AM ----------

April 2012 12/064
An instructor and student were diving on a wreck at a maximum
depth of 18m. A gas check around 20 min into the dive
indicated that the instructor had 135 bar and the student had
110 bar remaining. Around 22 min, after some previous
buoyancy issues, and at a depth of 13m the student's
weightbelt came undone and fell off. The student and instructor
managed to swim down and grab the belt. The student held
onto a rock whilst the instructor struggled to refit the belt for
approximately 6 min. After successfully refitting the belt the
instructor checked the student's gas and found he had only 10
bar remaining and so she gave him her alternate source. They
started to ascend after 28 min. The instructor had 30 bar
remaining. During the ascent the student became inverted and
the pair made an uncontrolled ascent to the surface. The
instructor ensured both their BCDs were fully inflated on the
surface and signalled distress to the cover RHIB. The boat
came alongside and requested the divers swim around and
away from the rocks to allow the boat access. On recovery into
the boat the student was placed on oxygen and then the
instructor was recovered and both divers shared the oxygen
supply. Whilst the second diver was being recovered a lone
diver surfaced and signalled distress and was subsequently
recovered; that she had also had a fast
ascent. The oxygen equipment was then shared between the
three divers who were breathing from it for one minute each
whilst waiting for the remaining divers to surface. As the oxygen
began to run low the skipper contacted a charter boat in the
area which provided an additional oxygen set which the three
divers then shared between them. Attempts to contact the shore
by VHF radio were unsuccessful and so the boat returned to
shore after recovering the remaining divers. On approaching the
shore the boat signalled distress to the shore party and by the
time the boat arrived several additional oxygen sets were
available. All divers were placed on oxygen and the Coastguard
was alerted. The Coastguard tasked a rescue helicopter, which
was being refuelled at the time. The three were monitored and
given fluids and none displayed any symptoms of DCI. At the
recompression chamber the student and the diver from the
second incident were assessed and found not to require
recompression treatment. The instructor started to display
symptoms of visual disturbances, memory loss, aches in
various joints and felt generally exhausted. She received two
recompression treatments over the next two days, appearing to
make a full recovery and was released. After several days the
instructor complained of slight memory loss and occasional
trouble finding words when speaking and joint weakness. The
instructor represented to the chamber and was given two further
treatments over two days before being discharged again. Some
speech and memory symptoms persisted.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2012.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:15 AM ----------

November 2010 11/003
A group of three divers were diving from the shore at an inland site with the intention of visiting one of the wreck features. After 30 min the divers had still not found the wreck and reached the far side of the lake. The group decided to ascend and one diver became separated from the other two. The remaining pair continued their ascent and one noticed that the other's suit seemed to be over-inflated. Dumping air from her BCD did not slow the ascent, she lost control and made a rapid ascent to the surface. The remaining diver made a normal ascent and conducted a 3 min safety stop during which she was able to see the diver who had the fast ascent. On surfacing she found that her buddy was inverted and unconscious on the surface and she raised the alarm. The site's rescue boat responded and the unconscious diver was recovered from the water. Resuscitation attempts were made but the diver did not recover. Her buddy was assisted to the shore by other divers. The third diver surfaced some distance away and made his way back to shore. A media report of the coroner's inquest stated that the casualty had suffered a collapsed lung and tissue damage caused by the rapid ascent.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2011.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:17 AM ----------

June 2011 11/088
A diver and his buddy had conducted a wreck dive to a maximum depth of 22m and were ascending. As they got close to the surface the diver encountered a problem and his mask flooded. He sank back down and his buddy lifted him to the surface and raised the alarm. The charter boat skipper manoeuvred his vessel to the divers. The skipper noticed that the buddy was having difficulty supporting the unconscious diver on the surface and he dived in and assisted him to remove the diver's equipment in the water and recover him onto the boat using the stern lift. Once on the boat, CPR was commenced and the emergency services were called. Two lifeboats attended and the diver was transferred to one of the lifeboats and from there the diver was airlifted by helicopter to hospital where he later died. Other divers in the group were taken to hospital for checks. The coroner's finding was accidental death due to a heart condition that affected the casualty's breathing.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2011.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:18 AM ----------

July 2011 11/093
The casualty was diving with a group of four when the current picked up. The group sat on the bottom and deployed their delayed SMBs then began their ascent. The group separated, splitting into two buddy pairs. The casualty was with her buddy on ascent until they reached 5m, where her buddy remained for a safety stop but the casualty continued up to the surface. When the buddy surfaced and boarded the boat he noticed the casualty was not onboard, so they searched and saw her on the surface roughly 60m away. She was on her back with no regulator in her mouth and she was unconscious. The Coastguard was alerted. The casualty had no pulse and CPR was carried out on the vessel as it steamed back to port, the vessel was only 5 to 10 min away from port and the rescue helicopter was returning from a previous incident but was further away. A medi link call was established with INM, the vessel was met by a first responder, Seahouses CRT also responded, the casualty was taken to hospital by ambulance, but was declared deceased on arrival.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2011.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:21 AM ----------

October 2009 10/003
A diver was recovered from the water after a 14 min dive to a
maximum depth of 23m. She had become separated from her
dive group and at one point during the dive she had become
caught on the shotline at a depth of 5m. She was towed
ashore, resuscitation techniques were applied and a pulse and
breathing were restored. An ambulance and a helicopter
attended; the casualty was airlifted to hospital but died six days
later. The cause of death was severe hypoxic-ischaemic brain
injury following water inhalation, pneumothorax and cardiac
arrest.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2011.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:26 AM ----------

May 2010 10/084
A group of eight divers were diving a wreck from a dive charter
boat. One pair of divers had completed a 20 min of dive to a
maximum depth of 30m. When one diver checked the other's air
contents, the buddy indicated having 70 bar which was less
than expected given past experience and he indicated to start
their ascent. The pair jointly deployed a delayed SMB as
previously agreed and began their ascent. As they approached
5m the first diver indicated that they should conduct a safety
stop but his buddy continued straight on to the surface. The first
diver surfaced shortly afterwards and his buddy shouted at him
that he could not breathe and he saw him being sick. The diver
swam towards his buddy, inflated both their BCDs and tried to
reassure him whilst signalling for assistance to boats in the
area. A RHIB carrying divers from another group responded and
began resuscitation of the casualty whist his equipment was
being removed. They then recovered the casualty into the RHIB
and continued resuscitation efforts until a helicopter arrived.
The helicopter transferred the casualty to hospital but he did not
survive. The casualty's buddy was placed on oxygen and
subsequently reported a tingling in his feet. He was
subsequently airlifted to a recompression chamber as a
precaution.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2010.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:26 AM ----------

May 2010 10/087
5 min into a dive at a depth of 16m a diver found his buddy lying
on his side with his mask half full of water. The diver recovered
the casualty to the surface and after a struggle managed to
recover the casualty into their charter boat with the assistance
of the crew. Resuscitation efforts were made during the return
to harbour where they were met by a doctor and ambulance
crew. Resuscitation efforts continued for over an hour but the
casualty did not survive. A lifeboat and helicopter were tasked
to support.

From the BSAC diving incident report 2010.

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 11:38 AM ----------

I previously stated:

....Once you've finished your course, no one is going to nurse you out in the deep blue. You are responsible for your safety. If you screw up you can die! You need to evaluate your skills and attitude and decide if you fit into any of the risk categories.....A lapse in concentration or even a short period of stupidity can quickly result in serious injury or death.

There were some on the thread who questioned those assertions. I've posted a number of cases which confirm them to be correct. If anyone still has doubts I'm happy to post some more.

 

[Diver0001]

My hat is off to Diver0001, who absolutely said everything that needs to be said, and said it better than I did . . .

The most amazing thing is in the history of Scubaboard, this has never happened before.

I hope Peter sees this thread so he can keep hope that it is, actually, possible.

R..

---------- Post added October 21st, 2013 at 07:12 PM ----------

There were some on the thread who questioned those assertions. I've posted a number of cases which confirm them to be correct. If anyone still has doubts I'm happy to post some more.

So you seem to be suggesting that these one-line incident summaries contain a full picture of the entire chain of events leading up to the accident they describe?

I must say that you're better at this than I am then. because when I read, "5 min into a dive at a depth of 16m a diver found his buddy lying on his side with his mask half full of water."

I'm a little puzzled as to how the victim got to be there. It might have been a momentary lapse of concentration or stupidity that set it in motion but all they describe is the end result and I'm a long way from saying, "lapse of concentration = instant death". That's too much of stretch for me.

Given the tone of your post you seem to be interested in arguing this point. So without just quoting more incident reports, maybe you can describe the mechanism that leads straight from a momentary lapse of concentration to death. I'm interested in the logic behind your thinking. Why would that be a one-step process in your mind?

R..

 

[letterboy]

I lapse all the time, and I survived, so far...

 

[Diver0001]

^^ second miracle noted in this thread.