Becoming the second victim

I have read quite a few incidents on the accidents forum where one diver gets into trouble and sinks, and a second diver goes after him and becomes a second victim. Often they suffer a dcs hit because of the extra depth and the fact if they do recover someone they have to make a rapid assent. An incident like this recently happened off Vancouver Island. I have read that a rule of rescuing is you shouldn't become the second victim. I have been thinking that is easier said than done. If you are diving with a family member or a long time buddy the idea that you would simply let them sink without trying to help them would be hard to live with. You would also have to answer to their loved ones about why you did nothing. Do you think you could live with yourself and do nothing?

The question really isn't "should I try to rescue or should I let them die?," but "do I have the training, gear and ability to perform a safe rescue now?"

You'll be MUCH more likely to answer the second question with "yes" after you get more experience and take a rescue diver course. It'll also reduce the chances that you'll ever have to ask that second question.

I answer this question the same way a mariner would answer a similar question about another mariner. The law of the sea requires those on the sea to render assistance whenever they can. I take that mindset under the sea also.

Well, isn't the better question, "How do I prepare myself so that I can intervene in these scenarios safely?" This is why Rescue classes exist, and why organizations like GUE start introducing failure management at the recreational diving level.

No -- I couldn't stand by and do nothing; therefore I have to make sure I'm capable of doing what needs to be done.

Yes, it IS harder said than done to make the decision that your best effort is to make no effort - I know first hand...

A buddy I had got their inflator stuck and didnt realize what was going on before she was flying off towards the surface. I tried to catch up at 4x the recommended ascent rates and increasing when I decided that I would be of no use to her if we both got injured on the ascent.
This was at the end of a close to NDL 30m square profile dive, right at the ascent line and I found her hanging on for her dear life at 5 meters where we stayed till our tanks where getting low before we ascended and fortunately both where fine.
If both of us where to be hit on the surface, that might not have been the case..

brnt999:

If you are diving with a family member or a long time buddy the idea that you would simply let them sink without trying to help them would be hard to live with. You would also have to answer to their loved ones about why you did nothing. Do you think you could live with yourself and do nothing?

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My opinion: It's better to have two bent divers than one dead diver.

kelemvor:

My opinion: It's better to have two bent divers than one dead diver.

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Yeah, problem being two bent divers can result in two dead divers..
Which means you need to consider your action damn carefully before you make the decision.

brnt999:

I have been thinking that is easier said than done. If you are diving with a family member or a long time buddy the idea that you would simply let them sink without trying to help them would be hard to live with. You would also have to answer to their loved ones about why you did nothing. Do you think you could live with yourself and do nothing?

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Even better is to get the training needed to engineer failures out of your dive, detect unanticipated problems and head them off, making sure that the emergency doesn't happen, and get the training and practice to handle undetected problems if/when they occur.

The most dangerous thing that can happen in open water (excluding medical problems and freak accidents) is panic, and panic can be avoided by preventing the problems that caused it.

There is nothing that can happen underwater that can't be handled by being a well-trained, well practiced diver. Avoiding panic and learning how to detect and head it off in your buddy will go a long way toward never having to decide between saving your buddy and getting injured/killed.

I would recommend taking a good Diver Stress and Rescue class that emphasizes detecting and eliminating problems while they're still annoyances. Not one that teaches you how to tow your dead buddy back to shore, but one that teaches you how to prevent the emergency in the first place.

And in fact, if you're a well-trained good buddy, you'll never be in a position to "let them sink" because you'll be right there, and ready to make them buoyant. The problem would never get to the "sinking" stage.

flots

flots am:

Even better is to get the training needed to engineer failures out of your dive, detect unanticipated problems and head them off, making sure that the emergency doesn't happen, and get the training and practice to handle undetected problems if/when they occur.

The most dangerous thing that can happen in open water (excluding medical problems and freak accidents) is panic, and panic can be avoided by preventing the problems that caused it.

There is nothing that can happen underwater that can't be handled by being a well-trained, well practised diver. Avoiding panic and learning how to detect and head it off in your buddy will go a long way toward never having to decide between saving your buddy and getting injured/killed.

I would recommend taking a good Diver Stress and Rescue class that emphasizes detecting and eliminating problems while they're still annoyances. Not one that teaches you how to tow your dead buddy back to shore, but one that teaches you how to prevent the emergency in the first place.

And in fact, if you're a well-trained good buddy, you'll never be in a position to "let them sink" because you'll be right there, and ready to make them buoyant. The problem would never get to the "sinking" stage.

flots

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Nothing can happen if you are trained well and you don't panic... Were did you learn this stuff? Does it work when driving a car, flying a plane, skiing, riding a bicycle

Tigerman:

Yeah, problem being two bent divers can result in two dead divers..
Which means you need to consider your action damn carefully before you make the decision.

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In an emergency situation where seconds can mean the difference between life and death for your wingman, dive buddy, or a total stranger, you likely will not have the time to "consider your actions damned carefully before you make the decision". Taking immediate action to help save another without regard to one's own safety is a pretty good working description of a hero. Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Air Force/Army/Navy/Coast Guard Cross, as well as firefighters, police officers, and extraordinary citizens that "try to save" without thinking about their own safety come to mind. No one prefers to lose two people instead of one in an emergency situation, but I pray I would be a person that would take action, even if unsuccessful. Fortunately most of us will never have to choose.