"Diver attacked by Giant Pacific Octopus"

Ok, "attack" maybe isn't the best verb but it got your attention, got mine too. So I'm snoozing in front of the tele last night and a scuba story comes on. "Diver attacked by Giant Pacific Octopus" and lives to tell the tale. It was a story on the Discover channel featuring other death defying events of some sort...

So help me out, this story sounds wrong on so many levels that I had to get some PNW folks input. Did anyone else see this telecast last night? As best as I can recall, here are the facts:

Experienced BC drysuit coastal diver takes photographer from Southern clime for first drysuit dive to try and take video pictures of giant pacific octopus. As they recreated the "attack", I heard/noticed a few things:

Both divers were diving with plastic backplates and webbing with no apparent BCD. Presumably using drysuits as sole inflation system.

Both divers appeared to be wearing neoprene drysuits and single tanks. Apparently was the first time the photographer had ever tried a drysuit...wait it gets better....

Photographer comments on having bouyancy problems, floaty feet, etc and the need to hang onto some rocks, along with his camera...wait the best part's comin'...

At 30 minutes into the dive at ~ 80 fsw, they are at the point of ascending, the photographer spots an octopus and starts filming, meanwhile his buddy thinks he has spotted another 'pus hiding in a crevice and starts poking at it to come out and play...which it does and while the photographer starts filming this encounter, the tentacles start wrapping around his buddy's mask, reg and head. The 'pus is still comfi in his crevice and precedes to remove the diver's mask. It seems that the photographer was too busy hanging on to rocks and his camera filming this to think that perhaps some assistance might be called for...

Ok, I'll hold my tongue, last night I was bitting it so I could hold off the urge to throw my TV remote at both of them...

P.S. They and the 'pus lived, and the 'pus has a great story to tell the grandkids about how he defended the homestead ...

Haven't we all had that experience on our first drysuit dive?

I thought the monster instructor-eating octopus was a standard part of the course.

Maybe that's just the SSI class?

tinman once bubbled...

Photographer comments on having bouyancy problems, floaty feet, etc and the need to hang onto some rocks, along with his camera...wait the best part's comin'...

P.S. They and the 'pus lived, and the 'pus has a great story to tell the grandkids about how he defended the homestead ...

Click to expand...

You forgot about the 5# ankle weights and the force fins, (so how did he get floaty feet????) and the danglies hanging all over!!!!

Did the attack look anything like this.

http://www.seanet.com/~katrinakruse/octopus_on_my_head.htm

I saw this too. Talk about not being a good buddy. Keep both hands on the camera and don't under any circumstances help your friend...

wrecNcaver once bubbled...


You forgot about the 5# ankle weights and the force fins, (so how did he get floaty feet????) and the danglies hanging all over!!!!

Click to expand...

That's exactly what I noticed too, not pretty!

And Jeff, the Octo in question was about 5 times the size of yours, and instead of being curious, he was pissed off in a big way!

Yep, I agree with most of what you say. However you criticise them for only using dry suit inflation and no BCD. What is wrong with that???? I did all my diving originally with just dry suit inflation. It is only since diving as a sport that I have used a BCD.

Happy diving

Rick
:cop:

RickM once bubbled...
Yep, I agree with most of what you say. However you criticise them for only using dry suit inflation and no BCD. What is wrong with that???? I did all my diving originally with just dry suit inflation. It is only since diving as a sport that I have used a BCD.


Happy diving

Rick
:cop:

Click to expand...

...Rick, sorry, I lost track of this thread. My criticisms would be many fold but I'm sure there are better drysuit divers who could think of more but let me address your question first:

Lack of BCD for bouyancy control - yes, Duncan and other very skilled cave divers in certain conditions, and commercial divers are able to handle this just fine. They accept risks that go beyond traditional sport diving and have procedures, skills and support to deal with it.

Use of drysuit as a primary and sole means of bouyancy in recreational diving just seems like a very bad idea - but maybe that's just me. I've left behind my more dangerous pursuits, diving is for fun...

I've listed below just a few of my thoughts. I would of course,welcome other views, as I am frequently, dare I say mostly, wrong about things (at least that's what I've learned from my teenagers):

1) First time in drysuit and doing an open ocean dive.
2) Overtasked with camera - affecting ability to be situationally aware, good buddy, position in water column, etc.
3) Poor bouyancy and trim control and inadequate weighting - should have been sorted out before.
4) "Very experienced BC drysuit diver" leading the dive should have known better and sorted out this for the "Warm water photographer" prior to this dive.
5) Anyone on the boat besides these two divers? Wasn't clear if boat was manned during dive incident. Why? Search for UP's wonderful boat anchor stories to answer that one.
6) Messin' with ocean creatures in their lairs for a better picture opp...well I'm not a fan of that....

All this is easy to say with 20/20 hindsight. However, if some of the above had been observed, this close to tragic incident would have been avoided, but that doesn't make good TV does it?

Tinman,
I didn't see the programme you talk about, but wish I had. I cannot comment on the divers you mention in the programme, however interfering with wildlife to get a shot is a BIG no no!!

I was just commenting on the fact that I am an underwater search diver and have not used a BC at work. I will admit that if I work in shallow water, especially with a quilted undersuit, there is never enough pressure to get rid of all the air to achieve neutral boyancy. I often find my feet starting to rise - not something you want when high ranking officers are watching at the recovery of a dead body.

From what you say, without having watched the programme, I would agree with you. Sounds a bit amateurish. And they wonder why diving is considered so dangerous!:upset:

Happy diving

Rick
:cop: