What should a DM do in this situation?

[HammerNoMore]

In my opinion this is unnacceptable. *You* might like it because you don't have to exit when your buddy does but your buddy has essentially been sent off solo and low on air.

Bad mojo on that.

Well it is, after all, a matter of opinion. *I* was recently on the other side of the coin in PR when I had a high pressure leak just off the boat at about 60'. I signaled the DM that I was OK and that he should pair off my buddy with someone else. Did a nice safety stop just to be safe, surfaced, turned off my air, hopped on the boat and preceded to repair the problem so I would be able to enjoy the next dive.

I also love the way people throw around the term "low on air". This should be better defined. Most operations require people to start the ascent with 500-1000 lbs left. Unless the profile of the dive has it particularly deep at this point, this isn't really low on air and should provide the heaviest of breathers plenty of time to ascend safely, including a stop. In a true "low on air", there is not enough air left to make a normal ascent. This is an emergency situation and not the topic of this conversation.

James

P.S. These statements refer to clear/warm open water dive sites. Other situations obviously require more moderation.

 

[Diver0001]

<snip>
Im not advocating solo diving here - i simply dont see it as being "solo" just because buddy pairs have changed or youre in a group.

Neither do I but I don't think that's what Al Mialkovsky was saying. I think he was saying that he doesn't mind if one buddy is sent to the surface and the other stays down. That's what I *thought* I was responding to.....

Now that you've set me on thinking I think there's a judgement call to be made. Clearly if the divers in question are being responsible for their own dive then swapping buddies under water must be possible in some cases. It goes a bit against the grain for me to do this (I hope I'm not sounding like a control-freak...) but maybe I could loosen up a bit about it and still be ok. I'm sure I won't send a diver to the surface solo.

R..

 

[String]

Fair enough we still disagree but not as much then

Again the "sending to surface" here im referring is in clear calm waters where typically it happens from <30ft and you can see the boat and have the luxury of an anchor line if needed.
Again if you're not happy thats fine - its a personal decision which is what im advocating here - divers to decide their own limits and stick to them. Ive got no problem at all with that. What i dont like is the following-the-herd mentality of "if its ok for him its ok for me" - THATS what causes problems.

 

[Mako Mark]

I would discourage any divemaster from sending a lone diver to the surface. Splitting the group puts you in the position of not being able to be in two places at once.

I think I would have either prevented the problem, by slowing the group down or diving a little shallower in order for the heavy breather to complete the planned dive time. Or I would have looked at the rest of the group, found the next lowest on air, and send them up together.

The water clarity and other conditions would have a great effect on which of these two would be more correct.

 

[Diver0001]

Fair enough we still disagree but not as much then

Again the "sending to surface" here im referring is in clear calm waters where typically it happens from <30ft and you can see the boat and have the luxury of an anchor line if needed.

Ah. I think I missed that part. My reference was local diving conditions. Around here vis averages about 3 metres. If I send someone to the surface here I can't watch them ascend and I'll never know if he got there ok.

<snip>

What i dont like is the following-the-herd mentality of "if its ok for him its ok for me" - THATS what causes problems.

We agree on this too.

R..

 

[HammerNoMore]

Splitting the group puts you in the position of not being able to be in two places at once.

Why would a DM need to be in two places at once? The primary purpose of a DM not working with students is that of a guide. A certified diver should not be relying on a DM as a babysitter.

 

[kjunheart]

The problem with sending a diver up alone is that the descent and the ascent are two of the most likely times during a dive to have a problem as is any other dynamic portion of the dive.

No one should "cut your dive short". You plan how the dive will be conducted which includes setting time and gas limits and you dive it that way. If the DM has a buddy he should stay with the buddy. Otherwise he isn't a buddy is he? If you aren't able to dive without a DM then you should go up too.

I have to say that I am enjoying this thread because it has made me think and I agree totally with Mike.

During my short time as a diver, I have gone on charter boats without a dive buddy. But I have always made sure before I booked that I could buddy up with the DM (guided drift dives) or on one occasion as a really green diver, hired a DM. But it never occurred to me that the DM wouldn't surface with me if I had to call the dive for whatever reason. Something I will have to keep in mind next time I go. It really bothers me to know that it was a dive op here in West Palm Beach that did it. It just seems inconceivable that a dive op would allow that.

After having an upsetting buddy learning experience on one of my AOW dives, I truly value the importance of being and having an alert and attentive buddy. Everyone makes mistakes at some point in their dive life and the bottom line is you just never know when it will happen and what it will be. That experience and the fact that I have been lucky to dive with people who stressed - early on - the importance of having a buddy and what the buddy "rules" are have (I believe) made me a better diver. Needless to say, I would never allow anyone to surface alone much less my buddy. Even when we dove as a threesome, there was never a second thought when someone was OOA or had problems that all three of us would surface. So how can a DM, who is supposed to be more experienced, justify taking that kind of action/risk?

Not an attack on who said it earlier, but I do have a problem with the divers who get pissy (for lack of a better word) with a fellow diver who “cuts the dive short.” For example, a new diver who still gets intimidated by more experienced divers might not call a dive when they should because they fear “ruining the dive” for someone else. In the beginning I felt that way and now realize I could have put myself in a bad place. No one should ever feel that pressure. How many times have I read on this board if it isn't right then call the dive? Hasn’t everyone been in a situation where you had to call a dive for whatever reason? Would you want or even put up with anyone giving attitude about calling a dive? If you don’t want to be at the mercy of other divers that may affect your dive, then may I suggest finding a dive op that doesn’t dive follow the leader?

Just my thoughts… :10:

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

I'm beginning to see why so many dive operations don't provide a dive leader any longer.

I also see an overreliance on your buddy in diving these days. You just feel safe with a buddy don't you?

Are you?

 

[jhelmuth]

What I don't understand is, why dosen't the DM use good planning techniques?

These should have included (not limited to these only):
* Who buddies with whom (including an assesment of the appropriateness of the buddy pairings)
* What the dive plan is (including what time/pressure to turn the dive)
* Communications (understanding the signals required to deal with such issues)
* Contingencies (what will we do as a group if this happens, and/or what we will do as buddy teams if this happens - address both)
* Who is the leader(s) and that the leader(s) is responsible to ensure all plans are followed.

This is the minimum that we are taught to deal with in planning the dive. Why is that so hard? If applied in this instance, there would not have been any issue (because the DM should never have been a buddy - he's a leader diving solo, or with someone who is more appropriate - IE similar gas management ability)

 

[TCDiver1]

I agree totally with Mike.

I do to.

Also a good pre-dive briefing would have covered procedures for low on air situations. No need for anyone to be confused or feel pressured to suck a tank dry for any reason.

String, i agree 100% with your accountability argument but we have a saying here in the US that rings true in every country i have ever dove in; "Assumption is the mother of all ****-ups. IMO, assuming a diver will be okay to surface alone is a potential mistake unless you know the diver real well and can assume from experience that they will be okay doing so.

My question to you would be have you ever acted as a DM or group leader who is responsible for a group of divers. From my experience, even a normally very confident/experienced diver can have problems from time to time. You can not assume a diver will be okay just because they got certified at one time or another.

To each his own but thats just good DMing from my experience.