Part 2..
My takeaways –
1) On a rebreather, calculate how much gas you need for bailout or for reserve, and at the minimum, double it. On OC, it is simply not enough to just apply the rule of thirds, particularly in a complex system or when doing exploration. Thirds is an overly simple rule, and will not save you in low flow or if a secondary problem strikes. When I hear teams planning “team bailout” where between the team members they barely have enough gas to get one person out, or when I hear divers planning thirds in no-flow caves like Peacock and Mexico I cringe – on this dive I had enough theoretically to get 4 divers out, yet needed all of it. Remember, when an emergency strikes, you will need way more gas because of your panicked state of mind and because of the added time needed to deal with the emergency than you usually do. Plan accordingly. Rules like thirds are a starting point and an insufficient, bare minimum. They are not the final answer. I would really appreciate it if instructors taught this, and got their students to always turn below thirds in all but caves with howling flow and huge passages – and particularly that they enforce such an approach in places like Peacock.
2) Once you’ve planned properly, when a situation occurs that gets your attention, keep reminding yourself of what an outrageous amount of gas you have on you, and use that time to move as rationally and slowly as you can. Don’t stop doing your normal checks and protocols because of your desperation to get out of the cave. This really is an example of slow and careful being ultimately safer and probably even faster than a flat-out dash to the exit.
3) At every transitional point when moving from one gas source to another, use that time to ask yourself – just how much gas do I have in each tank? Are the tanks truly opened, and am I sure that they haven’t rolled off? Do I have an alternate to go to if my current reg stops working for any reason? Where exactly is that regulator? Are the others stowed so I don’t accidentally pick up a non-functioning reg when I need one? Be methodical and organized at all times. The same applies to any jumps or T’s. When your rationality is compromised, it is even more important than usual to make sure that your navigation is going correctly. Pick up your spools, markers and arrows, and as you’re doing so, run a mental check that the information that these devices are giving you ensures that you are still swimming to the exit.
I’m not proud of this dive, or of how close I came to a less auspicious outcome. But I’m willing to air my appalling performance in public in the hopes that each of you will reconsider just how well you will perform in an emergency, and how well you’ve planned for that emergency. Keep thinking, slow down, and allow yourself huge reserves of gas. This is particularly important on bigger dives, but equally important on even the shortest one. I hope that sharing this experience will change someone’s behavior enough to allow them to survive a dive that would otherwise have killed them.
My takeaways –
1) On a rebreather, calculate how much gas you need for bailout or for reserve, and at the minimum, double it. On OC, it is simply not enough to just apply the rule of thirds, particularly in a complex system or when doing exploration. Thirds is an overly simple rule, and will not save you in low flow or if a secondary problem strikes. When I hear teams planning “team bailout” where between the team members they barely have enough gas to get one person out, or when I hear divers planning thirds in no-flow caves like Peacock and Mexico I cringe – on this dive I had enough theoretically to get 4 divers out, yet needed all of it. Remember, when an emergency strikes, you will need way more gas because of your panicked state of mind and because of the added time needed to deal with the emergency than you usually do. Plan accordingly. Rules like thirds are a starting point and an insufficient, bare minimum. They are not the final answer. I would really appreciate it if instructors taught this, and got their students to always turn below thirds in all but caves with howling flow and huge passages – and particularly that they enforce such an approach in places like Peacock.
2) Once you’ve planned properly, when a situation occurs that gets your attention, keep reminding yourself of what an outrageous amount of gas you have on you, and use that time to move as rationally and slowly as you can. Don’t stop doing your normal checks and protocols because of your desperation to get out of the cave. This really is an example of slow and careful being ultimately safer and probably even faster than a flat-out dash to the exit.
3) At every transitional point when moving from one gas source to another, use that time to ask yourself – just how much gas do I have in each tank? Are the tanks truly opened, and am I sure that they haven’t rolled off? Do I have an alternate to go to if my current reg stops working for any reason? Where exactly is that regulator? Are the others stowed so I don’t accidentally pick up a non-functioning reg when I need one? Be methodical and organized at all times. The same applies to any jumps or T’s. When your rationality is compromised, it is even more important than usual to make sure that your navigation is going correctly. Pick up your spools, markers and arrows, and as you’re doing so, run a mental check that the information that these devices are giving you ensures that you are still swimming to the exit.
I’m not proud of this dive, or of how close I came to a less auspicious outcome. But I’m willing to air my appalling performance in public in the hopes that each of you will reconsider just how well you will perform in an emergency, and how well you’ve planned for that emergency. Keep thinking, slow down, and allow yourself huge reserves of gas. This is particularly important on bigger dives, but equally important on even the shortest one. I hope that sharing this experience will change someone’s behavior enough to allow them to survive a dive that would otherwise have killed them.