Georgia man dead - Key Largo, Florida

[doctormike]

"Not taught", by whom? I learned to reach my valve in YMCA Scuba in 1970.
Doubles were just something we saw Lloyd Bridges use on TV.

Not taught by open water instructors in the 21st century, to my knowledge.

Here's me, the year before you got certified... Lloyd had nothing on me!

 

[gypsyjim]

Not taught by open water instructors in the 21st century, to my knowledge.

Here's me, the year before you got certified... Lloyd had nothing on me!

<img src="http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=217552"/>

I guess it was just my instructor who saw value in being able to reach your valve. Maybe something to do with being able to reach your J valve, or just a common sense extra he threw in

 

[doctormike]

I guess it was just my instructor who saw value in being able to reach your valve. Maybe something to do with being able to reach your J valve, or just a common sense extra he threw in

Yeah, and that probably has something more do to with the extent of training back then as compared to today. I don't know about your course, but you probably had a lot more training before you got in the water - there weren't "discover diving" courses back then.

It does make sense from the point of view of a comfortable diver to teach how to open the valve on a single tank, but I can also see the counter argument. Specifically, if you teach it to someone who will be diving very infrequently, or with anxiety issues, or with limited skills, then you may solve one problem and create another. It's not always so obvious which way to turn a valve behind your head, especially in a panic situation. I can remember having trouble with the isolator valve when I started diving doubles...

 

[seeker242]

The only critical observation I would say about that story is, why on earth would you not have your air turned on? I just can't think of a reason to turn my air off unless i'm taking my regulator yolk off the tank. I like to have my rig together and check my air after the boat ride to see if it has lost any air.

Where does it say his air was off? I don't see that in any of the news reports.

 

[gypsyjim]

I noticed that part myself.
My observation was only addressing commentary, not the actual incident itself.

 

[tridacna]

I was getting ready for a second dive for DM class. We were diving in summer in AZ. I geared up a little early and my buddy and instructor were still hanging out in the shade, unaware that I was walking down to the lake.
I decided to take a dunk to cool off. I didn't check my gear but I was just going to go out into the wading depth water and sit down in about 6-12". I fell in a hole, had a steel tank and just a skin so kind of negative,although no weight belt. My air was off,oops! Not being ready to be underwater I don't even think I had a full breath of air. I honestly thought I was going to drown in just over 5 feet of water,not even the deep end of a pool! Luckily I was able to claw my way to the surface and get a breath and get out of that darn hole!
I learned that day to respect all water, even little puddles. You never know when somehow you won't be able to get your nostrils or mouth above the surface of that puddle.
Probably nothing to do with this current incident but I have no problem with it being called a scuba death and discussing it as such.

There's a lesson here. I had EXACTLY the same thing happen to me at Round Lake in NJ. I thought that you had plagiarized my story. I still remember the awful panic. You forget everything you learned. I just needed to get air. There's no logical thought. I clawed and kicked until my buddy jumped in and pulled me up out of 5 feet of water. I'm sure that it would have been reported as a SCUBA accident.

 

[Steve_C]

You know, when I started diving a few years ago, I thought I was a little ocd neurotic about checking, double, and triple checking my valves and air supply. I always go in the water with a full breath, make sure my reg is working,

Assume you look at your gauge while breathing the reg to make sure valve is fully open.

 

[Ayisha]

...People diving doubles of course do valve drills. Should OW students diving single tank be taught the same thing?

Yes, I believe so, IMHO

Not taught by open water instructors in the 21st century, to my knowledge...

Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) teaches single tank valve drills as one of the requirements to achieve open water certification, which they call Recreational 1.

 

[doctormike]

Not taught by open water instructors in the 21st century, to my knowledge...

Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) teaches single tank valve drills as one of the requirements to achieve open water certification, which they call Recreational 1.

Cool! My knowledge is now expanded...

 

[wgw04024]

Assume you look at your gauge while breathing the reg to make sure valve is fully open.

Yes, definitely. I do, as someone else mentioned, take a breath or two before jumping in.