Complacency can hit ANYBODY; or why you should NEVER hurry when diving

[Peter Guy]

Just a note on the analysis -- we were sloppy (I was sloppy) with these two tanks that we had just gotten from a good friend. Lynne and I routinely violate the rule of analyze your own tank if the other of us has done the analysis. I don't analyze tanks with her initials -- she doesn't analyze tanks with my initials. I had analyzed the tanks but DID NOT change the tape since the analysis confirmed what was written! I knew that, she did not. And I did not gauge the tanks (or at least the one she dove).

Errors all around.

And as others have said, this was a TEAM failure, not just an error by Lynne.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The faster you do something, the longer it takes.

Yep ... 'cuz you usually have to undo it and do it correctly the second time ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Van Isle]

"Complacency" and "Violation of established rules and procedures." Two small and significant breaks in the chain of errors, or steps down in to the incident pit. Thanks for the reminder.

For those who have yet to understand it, these small "seemingly insignificant" lapses are what can start someone down a path to a failed mission or a severe mishap. It is for this reason - of which I am sure TSandM is well aware - that one should be concerned when he/she makes such an error.

 

[TSandM]

Well said, Van Isle.

 

[stargost]

Mike, so true -- and while I was gearing up, I was even saying to myself, "You're in a hurry, and you're going to forget something," because I have had those sorts of problems before. Never forgot to check my pressure, though!

"Twig" is used in that phrase as picking up on something. Don't know where I picked that one up -- from childhood somewhere, and I suspect my mother used it.

Thanks for the post and the reminder. This is scary and is always my fear to forget something that critical. Especially when standard habits come in play ('known dives, sites, the easier known ones).
But you are even more right about the above statement: when you are in a hurry, you think/know you are going to forget something. I think we have a tendency to think about the 'major - obvious' ones (like fins, mask, etc ... In fact, I forgot my fins once, while I have a check list - lol !), and then forgetting some others "less obvious" like this.

Btw, if I'm right, your preferred buddy is using an AI, if he had picked the tank instead of you, wouldn't have he noticed it was partially filled ? Just one little positive point about AI I guess !

Thanks again for your openness, all these feedbacks from 'the pros' are welcome reminders to ALWAYS be extra careful, especially for people who may not be as picky on checks as you.

 

[Dyno Bill]

Some years back I was on a open boat diving one of the channel Islands. There was a group of divers that came aboard together and partied before hitting the bunks. The boat left at 1:00 in the morning for an island. On the dive site the next morning everyone suited and went diving, the threesome was a little late at the gate and did a longer surface swim before dropping in. There was a heavy kelp bed where they went down. One of the three did the swimon his reg while the others were using snorkels. The diver on the bottle used a large portion of his gas during the swim and soon after starting their dive he got separated from the trio, tangled in the kelp and ran out of air at 70 ft. A diver not in his group found him and surfaced him and began rescue operations including returning him to the boat with the help of the deck crew. When the diver was on the deck to stern he was actually dead on deck but one of the divers on the boat was also an ER doc with experience with trauma victims. He took the oxygen system apart and put the air supply down the divers throat or at least thats what it looked like, to make a long story less painful he got the divers heart working again and with the help of the Coast Guard the man left the boat in a gurney slung beneath a helo. and survived the ordeal. From what I was told he didn't return to diving after that. Moral to the story..... never stop thinking about what your doing. The man was white and his lips and nail beds were purple without respiration or heart beat... again be careful, the life you save might be mine
Bill

 

[CamG]

Greetings TSandM and I applaud your honest break down of the events of your dive.
I have just been rereading Diver Down. Dive accidents are not pleasant to break down and evaluate and those who take the time to do so are rewarded with key elements to keep them sharp.

I have been reminded lately with several losses no one is exempt from issues and only training and safe diving practices truly minimize the risks. It is not good that this happened but it is good that you posted that it did happen! We are all human and will make mistakes and diving is not the place for one check only. I have started to do bubble buddy checks on every dive to go through the basics pre-dive should have caught but just in the last two dive trips little unseen issues have been discovered.
One bad O-ring and a light tank 700psi. both issues were resolved and the dives resumed.

I am a firm believer in more checks because it never fails when you are in a rush something gets forgotten or missed.
If it is a stuck inflator and it is mine I will do a tour OW and orally inflate but that is because I train that way. When it is someone else I want to fix it before we role.
Is that sound reasoning? NO! What if? That reasoning is dangerous and needs to be corrected. Safe diving requires one to stick to the rules and do not violate them.
I know I am preaching to the choir and you were in good hands. Thank goodness all went well and you were able to complete the dive normally.

Not long ago I PM'ed you after I had a dive that jerked a knot in my rear! Your words were priceless and very much appreciated. It is good to be humble and one must never forget that. I try to remember that many divers far better with more experience have made mistakes that cost their lives.
None of us are in a race to the afterlife, I prefer to take my time on that one!
It sounded that you had a awesome dive to boot! I love it when aquatic life is out and about. Thanks again,

CamG Keep diving....Keep training....Keep learning!

 

[knotical]

...What really shook me about this was that I managed to omit THREE separate times when I habitually check...

Hi Lynne,

Another slant: perhaps you have too many checks. If you missed the check three times, were you at some level thinking "this is a redundant check, so I don't need to do it this time"?

k

 

[dumpsterDiver]

The mistake(s) were not good, but we should also realize that it really was not a big deal for a little recreational dive in 60 feet. So what if it got hard to breath after 8 minutes into a dive and the diver had never checked their air supply (I know that this did not occur in this particular case). A diver should be able to make an uneventful ascent to the surface without an difficulties at all, even if they breathed the tank down to near zero at 60 feet..

In actuality, at least for recreational diving, we should really ASSUME and be prepared for a stupid error such as running completely out of air.

 

[gypsyjim]

Thanks. It never hurts to be reminded of the need to slow down and double check our assumptions.