I f*** up and I am ashamed

[Dody]

My guess is 1C, a swim through

No, it is 1A. Only one entrance/ exit. Then a space so big that I did not even see the far end of it. But there was no light in front of me. The sunlight was behind me.

 

[chillyinCanada]

No, it is 1A. Only one entrance/ exit. Then a space so big that I did not even see the far end of it. But there was no light in front of me. The sunlight was behind me.

Your dive guide explained to you afterwards that you need to look away from the back to be able to see the light. I have been reading about the dive sights at Cape Verde, in hopes of helping you understand more, what happened to you.

I've read that there are some very long overhangs (which some here would refer to as a cavern, whereas I would not, that doesn't make me right). Also that there are some swim through. At first, I thought it was a swim through because of the way you were describing the light but now I'm thinking that it was a long overhang.

 

[Dody]

How do you know for sure?

Because you couldn't get anymore air to come out when you were venting?

Were you using your corrugated inflator hose to dump the air or were you using your butt dump? Did you try all of your dump valves? Remember that the air remaining in your bcd will be at the highest point.

So, you were stuck to the top of the overhang and looking towards the back instead of out into the light zone and freaking yourself out more. As you were dumping air, what position was your body in? Were you vertical? Feet down, head up? Or feet up, head down?

I used the dump valves, front and back not the LPI. No air was coming out. I was horizontal maybe feet slightly down. I would like to think that I did not panic. I did not really but I was totally in the dark. Stuck in the ceiling. Alone. Venting did not work. All that I could think of was to go down and find the way out. When I managed to go down ( 1,2,5 meters, I don't know), I saw the light out and I went for it, my mouth full of salt water. I will get rid of my Calypso regulator and get a better one .

 

[chillyinCanada]

I used the dump valves, front and back not the LPI. No air was coming out. I was horizontal maybe feet slightly down. I would like to think that I did not panic. I did not really but I was totally in the dark. Stuck in the ceiling. Alone. Venting did not work. All that I could think of was to go down and find the way out. When I managed to go down ( 1,2,5 meters, I don't know), I saw the light out and I went for it, my mouth full of salt water. I will get rid of my Calypso regulator and get a better one .

There you go. You didn't panic but you were stressed. The way you are explaining now, sounds much less frightening than your first explanations.

But back to the bcd. Next time that you go diving, when you are checking over your gear while it is attached to the tank, inflate it.
Then check every one of your dumps to ensure that you hear the whoosh as air escapes. After you feel sure that you've let out all of the air, hold up your inflator hose and depress the button and no air is coming out. Keep that button pressed and the hose up and then, with your other hand squeeze the wing part of your bcd. How does it feel? Still a tiny bit inflated or flat like a pancake? When you were squeezing the wing did you hear or sense anymore air leaving the inflator hose (because you have kept the button depressed)?

 

[Dody]

We both have the very same equipment. Two knives each, one DMSB each, mirror, power whistle. I plan to buy two Garmin Mk2i with the satellite subscription. That's about it.

Plus two diving lamps that do not work properly.

You found yourself in a bad situation, and you did well to get yourself out. Yes, the DM played a big role in that he should have briefed you about the cavern, made sure you were comfortable with it, and made sure that you had lights.

But as we all know, serious diving accidents are made up of a string of contributing, seemingly inconsequential actions.

For me, the bigger issue issue is your stubborness not to carry extra weight, when you know you need it, and have been told by others that you need it.

Things will go wrong in diving - someone else causing it, the environment causing it, you causing it. But by starting out with a less than ideal situation and attitude, you are always diving one error closer to a serious accident.

You are right.

 

[Dody]

Why?

But I was led to believe that less is better. Now, I understand that I was wrong.

 

[Centrals]

Plus two diving lamps that do not work properly.

Light must be working. Period.
"Does not work properly" = stay on dry land.
Every bit of your equipment must be in proper working order eg. spg does not reset to ZERO = a new replacement.
Everything is replaceable but not your or someone else life.

Less is better but does not mean underweight.

 

[Dody]

Determining weighting isn't intended to be at the safety stop or with 500 psi. If someone is determining their weighting requirements at 15 or 20 feet or with 500 psi, they may well be underweighted.

That's why it's at the last stop at 10' and with a "nearly empty" tank.

For example, after doing a dive, I've almost finished off a tank (to about 100 psi) in very shallow water doing skills, which is a great way to test out if you're correctly weighted.

If the OP didn't get pinned to the ceiling toward the end of the dive, he would have had a runaway ascent, and likely did ascend rapidly after exiting the cavern. That's assuming the BCD was actually empty in the cavern and was vented properly.

I guess that ended up being a very convincing weighting test.

I agree but I usually control this with my DC. In this case, I lost control because I could not see my DC. I had never experienced a situation where I had to trust my feelings instead of instruments.

 

[MaxTorque]

Together we stand, divided we fall.

That's true in diving as well as life in general


You and your wife are the BUDDIES. You need to have some fixed rules in place. Irrespective of the seperation between you during an actual dive, which can be some distance in high current conditions for example, you BOTH need to ensure that you both stop BEFORE any significant change in dive environment, and both agree to procede, with appropriate signalling. That might be a descent to a lower depth, going into a swim through, surfacing, what ever really. At any point where there is a noticable change in environment, risk, or dive profile, you both stop, buddy up closely, and both agree before proceeding. This point is also an ideal point for an air check and gear check (take a quick look at each others kit, look for any obv problems etc.

So yes, you messed up, but your wife messed up by simply following the guide without stopping and waiting and AGREEING with you, her buddy. This is the classic "three person team" problem we see time and time again

 

[ginti]

So yes, you messed up,

Funny, with the few data we have, I believe he was the only one who did not mess up anything...