UDaMang
Registered
Let me start with the fact that I am a new diver, and I am loving Scubaboard for absorbing everything I can about this sport that has overtaken my life :07:
I wanted to share this scenario with other new divers on the board in hopes they don't make the same STUPID mistakes that my buddies and I made on a recent dive while on vaction.
My 2 dive buddies and I are very new to the world of Diving. We got our C-cards at the end of May in Tobermory, Ontario. We are all completely addicted, and have been diving as much as possible ever since. So here's what happened.
After logging 15 recreational dives in the Great Lakes on our own after our OW cert, we decided to go to Cuba in July for a week's diving vacation to see what the salt-water world had to offer.
On our first dive my buddies and I dove as a group of 3 on some small reef's surrounded by sand. What a difference from the Great Lakes, WOW! At 1500 psi we gave the DM the T signal. He acknowledged and we continued. As we dropped below 1000 psi my buddies and I started to wonder if we were going to start ascending soon as we were at 88 feet. When one of my buddies reached 750 psi we notified the DM and showed him the gauge. He reacted with an OK and motioned that we would be swimming a little more then ascending. Sure enough, we reach the ascent line shortly thereafter and do a slow ascent with a full safety stop. I ended up surfacing with 150 psi remaining, with each of us below 500 psi. This definitely goes against our training, and we all realized it an discussed it, but the conversation quickly turned to focus on the incredible sea life that we had all just witnessed for the first time! Mistake #1.
After a 3 hour SI we headed out for dive #2. A large tugboat wreck at 70 feet. Another incredible dive, but here's where the OOA happened. At 1500 psi we signaled T to the DM and he acknowledged. We continued to follow him and kept observing the wreck. As we dropped below 1000 psi my buddies and I kept showing each other our gauges. We were all concerned, but I think we all figured because of our experience on the first dive that the DM was heading back to the ascent line, so we just kept following the DM closely. Mistake #2.
I hit 500 psi first. I notified my buddies and swam quickly up to the DM. When I showed him my gauge I had 465 psi. He reacted with on OK and some signal similar to the previous dive, so I assumed he wanted me to follow him and that we would head to the line immediately. Perhaps I misread his signal, but he certainly did not give me ANYTHING CLOSE to the impression that I should ascend with my buddies on our own. There was defintely no :thumbs_up (not to mention we didn't know where the ascent line was). Mistake #3.
We proceeded to follow him closely and then he descended another 15 feet towards another 2 divers that were with our dive group who were checking out a lobster under the wreck. I assumed he was going to signal them to start to ascend. However, when he reached them, he proceeded to try and coax the lobster out from under the wreck. My buddies and I are all VERY concerned at this point as we are at 66 feet and I have 300 psi. At 260 psi I can't take it anymore. I swim quickly towards the DM and grab him to show him my gauge. He OK's and he proceeds to head to the other side of the wreck. Thankfully, after a short swim I see the ascent line about 40 feet away. That's when I realize that the breath I am taking from my reg at that moment is harder to pull. Uh-oh. Sure enough, I try to take another breath and there is nothing - OMG!! At this point I am 15 feet from the ascent line and the DM has just reached it. My buddies are close behind me, but with the momentum I have going - the DM is a quicker air source. I am flying obviously at this point - he turns towards me when he gets to the line, I am screaming towards him giving the out of air signal. He immediately grabs his octo and has it out waiting for me by the time I arrive. I grab the octo and take the most rewarding breath of air in my life!
My buddies arrive at the line and we all begin our ascent. At around 40 feet one of my buddies breathes his tank dry and has to share with our other buddy! We proceed with a full safety stop and begin slowly ascending to the surface. At 10 feet I realize that the DM's tank has just given it's last breath! He hands me my reg back and tells me to breathe. Sure enough there is a breath in there and we make it to the surface with my buddies right behind us - everyone is OK. We proceed to the boat and the rest of the group surfaces shortly thereafter and we head back to shore. OK - that was definitely NOT cool and the three of us begin to debrief on the whole situation. (We still discuss it every time we get together) I do believe the DM was a factor in this, but ultimately it was our inexperience that led to this incident and I take full responsibility for that.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't rely on the DM or guide - Always take a bearing and be VERY aware of where the ascent line is on any dive that is new to you - we were too overwhelmed with excitement and the scenery to pay attention to where the line was - we were relying on the DM.
2. It doesn't matter what rules the DM/guide or the group use for air consumption - you and your buddies dive by your rules and as you were instructed - in our case - 1500 psi is turn-around with ascent beginning by at least 1000 and 500 remaining at the surface.
3. Inexperience = Inexperience. You can have the best instruction and have great dive skills - it won't necessarily prevent a situation that inexperience brings you into. However - it does teach you how to deal with it. Read everything you can and learn as much from other divers as possible.
4. Hindsight being 20/20, I am actually glad this experience happend for a couple of reasons:
A. It will NEVER happen again:icon4:
B. The realization that our training was invaluable. All of us kept calm during the incident and (imho) reacted exactly as we were instructed - which upon until then was pure theory and skills practice. I attribute this 100% to good instruction during our OW course.
That being said, we had a fantastic week diving in Cuba with a total of 8 dives. We have all since completed our AOW and our Deep Diver Specialty and I'm up to 35 dives. Winter's coming in the not too distant future so I'm off to research drysuit's
Comments and criticism's from the wealth of diver knowledge on this board welcomed.
I wanted to share this scenario with other new divers on the board in hopes they don't make the same STUPID mistakes that my buddies and I made on a recent dive while on vaction.
My 2 dive buddies and I are very new to the world of Diving. We got our C-cards at the end of May in Tobermory, Ontario. We are all completely addicted, and have been diving as much as possible ever since. So here's what happened.
After logging 15 recreational dives in the Great Lakes on our own after our OW cert, we decided to go to Cuba in July for a week's diving vacation to see what the salt-water world had to offer.
On our first dive my buddies and I dove as a group of 3 on some small reef's surrounded by sand. What a difference from the Great Lakes, WOW! At 1500 psi we gave the DM the T signal. He acknowledged and we continued. As we dropped below 1000 psi my buddies and I started to wonder if we were going to start ascending soon as we were at 88 feet. When one of my buddies reached 750 psi we notified the DM and showed him the gauge. He reacted with an OK and motioned that we would be swimming a little more then ascending. Sure enough, we reach the ascent line shortly thereafter and do a slow ascent with a full safety stop. I ended up surfacing with 150 psi remaining, with each of us below 500 psi. This definitely goes against our training, and we all realized it an discussed it, but the conversation quickly turned to focus on the incredible sea life that we had all just witnessed for the first time! Mistake #1.
After a 3 hour SI we headed out for dive #2. A large tugboat wreck at 70 feet. Another incredible dive, but here's where the OOA happened. At 1500 psi we signaled T to the DM and he acknowledged. We continued to follow him and kept observing the wreck. As we dropped below 1000 psi my buddies and I kept showing each other our gauges. We were all concerned, but I think we all figured because of our experience on the first dive that the DM was heading back to the ascent line, so we just kept following the DM closely. Mistake #2.
I hit 500 psi first. I notified my buddies and swam quickly up to the DM. When I showed him my gauge I had 465 psi. He reacted with on OK and some signal similar to the previous dive, so I assumed he wanted me to follow him and that we would head to the line immediately. Perhaps I misread his signal, but he certainly did not give me ANYTHING CLOSE to the impression that I should ascend with my buddies on our own. There was defintely no :thumbs_up (not to mention we didn't know where the ascent line was). Mistake #3.
We proceeded to follow him closely and then he descended another 15 feet towards another 2 divers that were with our dive group who were checking out a lobster under the wreck. I assumed he was going to signal them to start to ascend. However, when he reached them, he proceeded to try and coax the lobster out from under the wreck. My buddies and I are all VERY concerned at this point as we are at 66 feet and I have 300 psi. At 260 psi I can't take it anymore. I swim quickly towards the DM and grab him to show him my gauge. He OK's and he proceeds to head to the other side of the wreck. Thankfully, after a short swim I see the ascent line about 40 feet away. That's when I realize that the breath I am taking from my reg at that moment is harder to pull. Uh-oh. Sure enough, I try to take another breath and there is nothing - OMG!! At this point I am 15 feet from the ascent line and the DM has just reached it. My buddies are close behind me, but with the momentum I have going - the DM is a quicker air source. I am flying obviously at this point - he turns towards me when he gets to the line, I am screaming towards him giving the out of air signal. He immediately grabs his octo and has it out waiting for me by the time I arrive. I grab the octo and take the most rewarding breath of air in my life!
My buddies arrive at the line and we all begin our ascent. At around 40 feet one of my buddies breathes his tank dry and has to share with our other buddy! We proceed with a full safety stop and begin slowly ascending to the surface. At 10 feet I realize that the DM's tank has just given it's last breath! He hands me my reg back and tells me to breathe. Sure enough there is a breath in there and we make it to the surface with my buddies right behind us - everyone is OK. We proceed to the boat and the rest of the group surfaces shortly thereafter and we head back to shore. OK - that was definitely NOT cool and the three of us begin to debrief on the whole situation. (We still discuss it every time we get together) I do believe the DM was a factor in this, but ultimately it was our inexperience that led to this incident and I take full responsibility for that.
Lessons learned:
1. Don't rely on the DM or guide - Always take a bearing and be VERY aware of where the ascent line is on any dive that is new to you - we were too overwhelmed with excitement and the scenery to pay attention to where the line was - we were relying on the DM.
2. It doesn't matter what rules the DM/guide or the group use for air consumption - you and your buddies dive by your rules and as you were instructed - in our case - 1500 psi is turn-around with ascent beginning by at least 1000 and 500 remaining at the surface.
3. Inexperience = Inexperience. You can have the best instruction and have great dive skills - it won't necessarily prevent a situation that inexperience brings you into. However - it does teach you how to deal with it. Read everything you can and learn as much from other divers as possible.
4. Hindsight being 20/20, I am actually glad this experience happend for a couple of reasons:
A. It will NEVER happen again:icon4:
B. The realization that our training was invaluable. All of us kept calm during the incident and (imho) reacted exactly as we were instructed - which upon until then was pure theory and skills practice. I attribute this 100% to good instruction during our OW course.
That being said, we had a fantastic week diving in Cuba with a total of 8 dives. We have all since completed our AOW and our Deep Diver Specialty and I'm up to 35 dives. Winter's coming in the not too distant future so I'm off to research drysuit's
Comments and criticism's from the wealth of diver knowledge on this board welcomed.
