Dumped my weights, found my wife

[billt4sf]

My wife and I had a learning experience yesterday in Monterey at the Breakwater and I’m writing it up here to see if there’s something else we could have learned and for the benefit of others. Our lessons are at the end.

First dive was wonderful! The events of the second dive started when I decided to put on my BPW in a slightly different order. At the beach, just prior to entry, I couldn’t find my inflator hose and turned out it was jammed under the webbing. My wife had to undo the shoulder strap and the chest strap, and take her gloves off to do it, with the gear strapped on our backs on a very warm day. We were anxious to get in because we were getting hot and the equipment is so heavy. While we were doing this, some guy asked us "Can you take our picture?". He didn't get a great response.

Got the inflator hose located correctly and in we went. We went out the large pipe to the Metridium fields as we have done before and as we did on the first dive. We were doing these dives to practice buoyancy in our dry suits – on the way back she had previously had some difficulty with unintended ascents and we had recently worked with a friend / mentor on how to avoid them (burp air from the drysuit periodically as we ascend on the way back) and if they happen, how to exhale and dive down hard to re-establish buoyancy. Max depth was 45 feet.

On the way back, at about 25’ she started to get floaty. Her feet were going high and I pushed them down, which pushed me up (Newton’s 3^rd Law) and we both started to ascend a little. I found that her exhaust valve was closed and I madly began opening it, then I had to get down so I exhaled and swam down hard. I reestablished buoyancy at 25’ but she was not around. Neither could I see her on the surface so I was worried. I thought I would see her up there. Hmmm…. Swam around a little, looked in some kelp, and flashed my light in all directions. I was worried, but I figured it was “only” 20 feet and after a couple minutes I swam up slowly.
When I hit the surface I didn’t see her, and dammit I couldn’t find that inflator hose. I had moved my light from my right D-ring to my left D-ring, and I had added a clip weight there as well. I had to struggle to stay on the surface, and I was worried about my wife. I thought about it for maybe 10 seconds, then I dumped my weights. I remember actually holding on to the clips and thinking “Am I really going to do this?” Answer: YES!

That worked. My head cleared the surface and I saw the wife floating 50 yards away. I was not quite comfortable so I waved my arms in distress. She waved back like “Hi! Good to see you, too!” ****. Waved to her: “Come over”. Again she waved back. ****. So I yelled “Help me!” and I knew what would happen – she freaked. She swam over in a semi-panic, found my inflator hose (right where it should be) and I inflated my BC.
She was exhausted. After she caught her breath, we swam back, exhausted and relieved.

We talked and identified the following things we learned:
· We need to get in the habit of signaling hand over head “Large OK” after surfacing separate from one another, and remember that waving arms is “Help” not “Hello”.

· If one person surfaces before the other, we should stay together by looking for and following the buddy’s bubbles

· The drysuit can be inflated to establish buoyancy on the surface.

· The drysuit exhaust valve has to be checked that is open each dive and during the dive

· We need to find a way to do buddy checks before leaving the car! We have portable tables to make gearing up less strenuous, but I’d say we need more of the mindset that even though it is difficult and hot, gearing up and walking to the shore is do-able – we have done it before -- and if getting in is do-able, 10 second buddy checks are do-able.

To be honest, I hardly know anyone that does buddy checks, at least not in a visible way. On vacation dives, only very rarely have I heard a DM say “Buddy check” before splashing. We need to do them anyway.

If you can think of other lessons we should learn, please let us know.

Thanks,

Bill & Emily

 

[Lorenzoid]

My wife and I seem to be on a similar learning trajectory as you and Emily. In the last couple of years we adopted Hogarthian rigs and took GUE Fundies to improve our recreational diving. Drysuits are next on our list. We are still in the phase of doing rigorous buddy checks no matter how easy the dive plan. More than once, the buddy check has uncovered a long hose or inflator hose that got tangled up in the webbing or otherwise wasn't where it needed to be. I know we're still new at this, but I hope it's not really a "phase" and that we never drift into complacency and let the buddy checks get lax.

 

[Keith.M]

Hey Bill, glad everything was OK.

We're going to dive at the Breakwater tomorrow.
I have a bungee loop that goes with my left D Ring.

Rather than put the inflator through the loop, I capture the loop between the corrugated hose and the LP hose. My inflator hose is pretty short so I do that so that I can always locate it easily.

It sounds like the real issue here was that Emily did not have her exhaust open.

You could make that part of your routine when you decide to ascend. Signal to each other to check their valve

 

[eelnoraa]

Bill, I think you just realized how important gear (buddy) check is. If you dive with BAUE diver, gear check will definitely take place before splash. If I am on a dive boat where I am the only GUE type of diver, I will gear check myself without saying it out loud. I will run from top to bottom.

In breakwater, I will put on my drysuit (at the last minutes), go to one of those showers and cool down for a couple minutes. Then go back to put on my gears, gear check, then walk down to water.

 

[Keith.M]

Are the showers back on?

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Drysuit valve issue can be solved by never closing them, then it never is an issue. Control your bouyancy with your wing not your drysuit, and all is well.

Not to advocate for sidemount, but that is one of the difference between my backmount and sidemount rigs. On the SM rig, the inflator is captured and held in one position in the middle of my chest. While I use a bungee loop for backmount, the hose can move around a little more there, so I can see how you could have trouble finding it.


The thing I love most about scuba diving is, with that last 3rd for emergencies, if I'm having trouble with anything on the surface, can just keep regulator in my mouth and float around in any kind of odd position for hours and hours before I run out of gas to breathe.

 

[eelnoraa]

I havn't check the on by the stair, there is one at back of the restroom, I always use that one.

 

[gcarter]

As you noted in your post-dive analysis, my 1st question / thought was why you did not inflate your drysuit when you could not find your hose.

How much drysuit experience does your wife have? I am surprised that if she is ascending she would not have thought to make sure it was open.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You were safely on the surface, presumably with a bunch of air left in your tank and you couldn't find the BC inflator and you didn't know that you could use a dry suit inflator to provide additional buoyancy on the surface.. so you dropped your weight belt and screamed for your wife to provide help. And then she saved the day by pressing the up button on your BC.

And people wonder why I am an advocate of having some ditchable lead.

 

[dshorwich]

Are the showers back on?

I havn't check the on by the stair, there is one at back of the restroom, I always use that one.

The shower by the stairs is working again, yes; at least it was about a month ago.