A real rescue course - very close near miss

[kathydee]

Wanted to share this very near miss with the group. I'm still a bit shaken as it only happened 5 days ago, but really glad to have had the experience.

* * *

We had just completed open water exercise 1 & 2 in the Padi Rescue course, surfaced and met on the bow of the boat for a debrief. Suddenly the instructor pointed at a diver about 150 ft off the bow and said who is that diver? Thinking it was yet another drill, we groaned at the distance we would have to swim to complete yet another fake rescue.

The diver was obviously not behaving normally and appeared in distress. Is this another exercise we inquired? No our instructor said, it is real. Still not believing him, we watched for a few more seconds as the diver splashed around, then, went limp face down in the water. The student who had military rescue experience grabbed his gear and buddy, I hustled to find flotation devices for the two students before they set out on the rescue. As they swam, I quickly found mask/banging object so the DMT, assistant on the course, could recall the other two open water classes.

The rescue students arrived at the victim, turned him over as we learned in class, to find an unconscious diver, gurgling, shaking, no reg in his mouth, but still alive and breathing.

While the other two students started towing and I slipped down and started assembling the oxygen system. About this time another instructor and his class surfaced & quickly swam towards the students/victim to help out. The rest went fast two classes of Open Water students clamoring up the ladder (instructors/DMT directing), the victim arrived at the boat, was pulled on board, oxygen mask on, his body violently seizing and twitching. Above the noise I screamed for a roll call quick roll call proved nobody left behind. At least 3 instructors, 3 DMT, 3 rescue students, 1 or 2 DMT worked to keep his body still. For me, it was so surrealistic to remove his fins and hold his writhing body. Soon the OW students calmed and the oxygen flowed.

The boat raced towards the recompression chamber, the instructor switched to CF oxygen as the patients breath became shallower and at one point promised to stop. OW students fought tears back. So many qualified rescuers, at this point I sat back, subordinate to the others awaiting direction and comforting the OW students. Just when we were almost out of oxygen, we pulled up at the chamber and the patient was carried in.

He apparently left one OW group to swim to another. Based on his location, he most likely got lost between groups. He remembers fear and hyperventilating, then to the surface. It is estimated that his (most likely rapid-non-breathing ascent) occurred in 12-14 m of water and resulted in an embolism in his brain. After 7-8 trips to the recompression chamber he is doing much better and is projected to make a 100% recovery but no diving for quite a while.

For me, it was one hell of a rescue course. Suddenly theory became reality and the application of practiced skills became crystal clear. Had we not surfaced when we did, he would be dead. Had our instructor not spotted him, he would be dead. Had the students not had the skills they just learned he may be dead. Our boat of skilled divers saved his life.

I wish I helped more, but am so glad I learned the skills to help some & knew what was happening. I may even take another rescue course with more sincere intention.

Where this happened is not important. The incident could happen anywhere, anytime to any of us. It stresses the need to learn and develop rescue skills! The need to continuously practice rescue skills, so they are automatic in a stressful situation. It stresses following basic scuba rules such as diving with a buddy, slow ascents and continous breathing.

The divers main mistake was diving alone. So Please, Please, Please everyone- dive within your limits & the body's limits, stay with a partner, sharpen up on rescue skills and be careful. It was really scary & I am amazed he will make a recovery - many are not so lucky!

[scubagoldmc]

Kathy,

You and your class are to be commended. Great job. Don't think what you did was any less important than what anybody else did. Having the oxygen ready when he got to the boat was VERY important.

I am sure others will suggest that you talk to people who can help you with your feelings over this. I was on a boat where a diver had a medical problem and was taken to the chamber but did not survive. It was very hard on the instructors and one of them took 2-3 years before he could teach again.

Again, you did a great job.

Mike

[jridg]

The diver was extremely lucky to have all the right people on the boat when he surfaced. Never assume that a diver acting in distress is part of the class - I always tell students in OW classes that if they do X or Y I WILL rescue them until I determine they are actually OK. It also reinforces the true value of the training you are taking. Kudos for continuing your training to the point where you can handle a true emergency.

Well done!

[wreckchick]

Congrats on saving a life, to you all!

Rescue is an incredibly valuable course and one I really enjoy teaching and if I ever hear of one of my students doing what you all did it would make me very proud

Rachel

[openmindOW]

KathyDee, thank you for sharing this with the ScubaBoard. This is a very intructive post - divers can learn from it.

Thanks to you and your buddies for your actions - you probably saved the diver's life.

If I may, I have a few questions.

What were the conditions like? Where did this occur?

Do you know if the diver part of a class or what his experience level was?

Thanks again.

[kathydee]

If I may, I have a few questions.

What were the conditions like? Where did this occur?

Do you know if the diver part of a class or what his experience level was?

Thanks again.

Here is a little more about the environmental conditions, the vis was at least 50 ft, the swell was about 2-3 ft ( just rough at the surface). There was basically no current and it is believed that he was either following a coral wall or became disoriented over a sand patch. There was no computer so the depth was just a guess based on the mapped terrain where he surfaced.

I do not think these environmental factors played much of a roll in the accident unless the sand patch disoriented navigation. The shore was well within swimming distance, but we were boat diving. We watched him surface, passively struggle for a few seconds then go still.

I do not know how many dives he has, but he was about 2 weeks into a DM training program and assisting an OW course so at the least he completed OW, AOW and Rescue.

He is ok, so if he wishes to post more such as dive location and personal identity -- I will leave it to him.

[jridg]

I do not know how many dives he has, but he was 2 weeks into a DM training program and assisting an OW course so at the least he has OW, AOW and Rescue.

He is ok, so if he wishes to post more such as dive location and personal identity -- I will leave it to him.

I would be very interested to know how many dives he had at that point. I know there is now a minimum for DM - but # of dives and experience/confidence are two different items entirely......

[IceBergSlim]

Sounds like all are to be commended. Imagine having so many rescuers in one place.

Your story made me think of this painting.

[kathydee]

I would be very interested to know how many dives he had at that point. I know there is now a minimum for DM - but # of dives and experience/confidence are two different items entirely......

I'm not sure. But regardless, I think the buddy system is important no matter how many dives or how much confidence you have -- Just in case -

[roturner]

...snip interesting story

Wow!!!! that is one VERY lucky diver and from the sounds of it a very tight rescue. Well done!



It seems really odd to me that someone who was taking the DM training would hyperventilate, panic and make a breath-hold ascent from a buddy separation. Am I understanding correctly that this is what happened?

R..