Okie Mike
Contributor
Background:
I was on a boat in Cozumel with 9 divers, the DM and the boat captain. The boat had no capability for giant stride entry, so back rolls were required (common for Cozumel 6 packs). The entries for each of the previous dives were not highly regulated--more of an "okay go" and then a free-for-all entry. The captain had told another diver to wait to go on a prior dive because someone was in the water behind them. It rained all day the previous day and the day of my 6th dive. Most divers were cold and eager to get back in the water after the surface interval. I was diving without a designated buddy, sticking close to the DM, the group as a whole or one of 3 other divers that I met on the boat. I was diving with a baseball hat on backwards for a little extra warmth on by thinning-hair head. On 2 prior entries, the cap and mask strap came off on my entry. I was holding the mask so it did not fall, but I had to put the hat and strap back on.
The Accident:
This was my 6th dive (3 2-tank trips) and last planned dive with this op since I was flying home the next day. It was rainy and windy and everyone was cold and wanted to get back in the water. We were diving Paso del Cedral and needed to enter the water quickly to stay together in the above average currents. The DM entered the water first to check the currents, signaled to the captain and the captain told everyone to go. I back-rolled into the water from my position near the front of the boat on the port side which happened to be down-wind. I was holding my hat this time and everything stayed in place. However, I was paying more attention to my hat and mask than my position in the water and did not swim away from the boat. The wind was blowing the boat toward me and blowing the stern in my direction. I quickly was against the boat and 10 feet or more toward the stern from where I entered.
I think I saw the tank approaching before it hit me, but I am not sure. Another diver back-rolled on top of me, with his tank striking me in the forehead above my right eye about at the top mask seal. I was immediately very disoriented (my bell was rung) but did not lose consciousness. My mask ended up dropping to the bottom but was retrieved by the DM. I quickly realized in the wind and current that I would need help back to the boat and although feeling slightly ashamed (not a rational feeling under the circumstances), I called for help. The diver who rolled onto me and his buddy assisted me back to the boat. He over-inflated my BC (I was not sinking) making it hard to breath but I was able to release the pressure and let him know I was floating okay. I removed my weights and gear in the water and the captain pulled them up. I was able to climb the latter myself.
My forehead was bleeding from about 3/4 inch cut and I had quite the goose egg. I realized later that I had a large bruise on my left thigh that had to have occurred in this accident. After about 5 minutes, my head was clear. I iced the bump and let the cut continue its slow bleed to clean out a little more. I encouraged the 2 divers that hit/helped me to go on their dive and I, obviously, sat this one out.
Lessons Learned:
When I tell this story, everyone wants to assign blame to someone. I assign blame in this order: (1) Me. I got distracted by a minor equipment issue and did not swim away from the boat, thereby putting myself in harms way. I alone easily could have avoided this accident by swimming away from the boat (or descending upon hitting the water--which has other potential safety issues). (2) The boat captain/DM. There should have been better instructions for entering the water and a more orderly entry procedure. Had the divers at the upwind end of the boat entered first, the wind would have blown the boat away from them, not toward them. The captain (or a deckhand, but there was not one) should also give the final go order to each diver after checking the water behind them. (3) No one. Just a freak accident that required really precise bad timing. (4) The other diver (or his buddy). He should have looked or asked to make sure it was clear behind him before rolling in. My position so close to the boat may have made it impossible for him or his buddy to see me. His buddy may have already been in the water.
Clearly, I need a different head covering that will not come off on back-roll entries. I initially thought the blow knocked my mask off, but after thinking about it, I think I must have removed it. I still had my hat on my head and the angle of the blow would have tended to knock the mask down on my face not off my head. I do not remember removing my mask, but it is a little worrisome to me that my reflex was to remove it and toss it aside.
This is not an accident I had ever really thought about. It seems obvious that bad things would happen if you land on someone else, but I never really thought it would happen. I will definitely be more vigilant to immediately clear the entry area in the future.
As a side issue, I did not go to the doctor in Cozumel even though another diver on the boat encouraged me to do so. I went back to the hotel, bandaged my wound, iced my head and took it easy. My vision was never fuzzy, and my head had been clear after the first 5 minutes. If I had a concussion, I assume rest would have been prescribed, which I did anyway. I actually snorkelled the next morning and felt fine other than the cut and bump site.
I also knew that the DM was coming by later that evening to finalize my nitrox certification so I knew someone would be looking for me. He offered a small brief apology and mentioned that the captain should have been telling divers when to go, but nothing more.
Looking at my head 12 days later, I probably should have gotten butterfly bandages or even a stitch or two to make the cut heal a little better. The scar should remind me to move away from the boat next time.
I am not going to reveal the dive op (but it would be easy to figure out). I plan to send the owner an email to make sure they know about my accident so that they can review procedures. Other than this, I had a great time diving with the op and plan to do so again. The lack of strict order (something I experienced the night before my accident on a twilight dive with another well-known operator) and easy going nature of the DM and captain was actually one of the things I really liked about the operator.
I was on a boat in Cozumel with 9 divers, the DM and the boat captain. The boat had no capability for giant stride entry, so back rolls were required (common for Cozumel 6 packs). The entries for each of the previous dives were not highly regulated--more of an "okay go" and then a free-for-all entry. The captain had told another diver to wait to go on a prior dive because someone was in the water behind them. It rained all day the previous day and the day of my 6th dive. Most divers were cold and eager to get back in the water after the surface interval. I was diving without a designated buddy, sticking close to the DM, the group as a whole or one of 3 other divers that I met on the boat. I was diving with a baseball hat on backwards for a little extra warmth on by thinning-hair head. On 2 prior entries, the cap and mask strap came off on my entry. I was holding the mask so it did not fall, but I had to put the hat and strap back on.
The Accident:
This was my 6th dive (3 2-tank trips) and last planned dive with this op since I was flying home the next day. It was rainy and windy and everyone was cold and wanted to get back in the water. We were diving Paso del Cedral and needed to enter the water quickly to stay together in the above average currents. The DM entered the water first to check the currents, signaled to the captain and the captain told everyone to go. I back-rolled into the water from my position near the front of the boat on the port side which happened to be down-wind. I was holding my hat this time and everything stayed in place. However, I was paying more attention to my hat and mask than my position in the water and did not swim away from the boat. The wind was blowing the boat toward me and blowing the stern in my direction. I quickly was against the boat and 10 feet or more toward the stern from where I entered.
I think I saw the tank approaching before it hit me, but I am not sure. Another diver back-rolled on top of me, with his tank striking me in the forehead above my right eye about at the top mask seal. I was immediately very disoriented (my bell was rung) but did not lose consciousness. My mask ended up dropping to the bottom but was retrieved by the DM. I quickly realized in the wind and current that I would need help back to the boat and although feeling slightly ashamed (not a rational feeling under the circumstances), I called for help. The diver who rolled onto me and his buddy assisted me back to the boat. He over-inflated my BC (I was not sinking) making it hard to breath but I was able to release the pressure and let him know I was floating okay. I removed my weights and gear in the water and the captain pulled them up. I was able to climb the latter myself.
My forehead was bleeding from about 3/4 inch cut and I had quite the goose egg. I realized later that I had a large bruise on my left thigh that had to have occurred in this accident. After about 5 minutes, my head was clear. I iced the bump and let the cut continue its slow bleed to clean out a little more. I encouraged the 2 divers that hit/helped me to go on their dive and I, obviously, sat this one out.
Lessons Learned:
When I tell this story, everyone wants to assign blame to someone. I assign blame in this order: (1) Me. I got distracted by a minor equipment issue and did not swim away from the boat, thereby putting myself in harms way. I alone easily could have avoided this accident by swimming away from the boat (or descending upon hitting the water--which has other potential safety issues). (2) The boat captain/DM. There should have been better instructions for entering the water and a more orderly entry procedure. Had the divers at the upwind end of the boat entered first, the wind would have blown the boat away from them, not toward them. The captain (or a deckhand, but there was not one) should also give the final go order to each diver after checking the water behind them. (3) No one. Just a freak accident that required really precise bad timing. (4) The other diver (or his buddy). He should have looked or asked to make sure it was clear behind him before rolling in. My position so close to the boat may have made it impossible for him or his buddy to see me. His buddy may have already been in the water.
Clearly, I need a different head covering that will not come off on back-roll entries. I initially thought the blow knocked my mask off, but after thinking about it, I think I must have removed it. I still had my hat on my head and the angle of the blow would have tended to knock the mask down on my face not off my head. I do not remember removing my mask, but it is a little worrisome to me that my reflex was to remove it and toss it aside.
This is not an accident I had ever really thought about. It seems obvious that bad things would happen if you land on someone else, but I never really thought it would happen. I will definitely be more vigilant to immediately clear the entry area in the future.
As a side issue, I did not go to the doctor in Cozumel even though another diver on the boat encouraged me to do so. I went back to the hotel, bandaged my wound, iced my head and took it easy. My vision was never fuzzy, and my head had been clear after the first 5 minutes. If I had a concussion, I assume rest would have been prescribed, which I did anyway. I actually snorkelled the next morning and felt fine other than the cut and bump site.
I also knew that the DM was coming by later that evening to finalize my nitrox certification so I knew someone would be looking for me. He offered a small brief apology and mentioned that the captain should have been telling divers when to go, but nothing more.
Looking at my head 12 days later, I probably should have gotten butterfly bandages or even a stitch or two to make the cut heal a little better. The scar should remind me to move away from the boat next time.
I am not going to reveal the dive op (but it would be easy to figure out). I plan to send the owner an email to make sure they know about my accident so that they can review procedures. Other than this, I had a great time diving with the op and plan to do so again. The lack of strict order (something I experienced the night before my accident on a twilight dive with another well-known operator) and easy going nature of the DM and captain was actually one of the things I really liked about the operator.
