Buddy OOA in Challenging Conditions

[Beiji]

Divers: 
Lisa, 52, 130+ dives, mainly in Upstate NY freshwater lake and in Cozumel. Wrist computer, not air integrated. Diving Nitrox 32%.
Trish, 49, 70+ dives, mainly in Florida. Wrist computer, not air integrated. Diving air.

Location: 
The wreck of the Ophelia Brian, 110 feet, off the coast of Miami, Florida, for a treasure hunt

Conditions: Swells 2 - 3 feet, current. 

Deepest depth: 91 feet, about 4 - 6 feet below the bottom of the descent line. 

During the dive briefing we were told to wait on the line (the line from the boat to the descent/ascent line) until everyone was in the water, unless there was a lot of current, and in that case, head down. There was a lot of current in my opinion, but apparently not everyone thought so, and we had three people ahead of us just hanging on the line. I thought I was probably burning through a lot of air while waiting because my prior diving experience has been of a different kind, and I found it stressful bouncing up and down, the boat inches from my head. Finally we went down, hand over hand. At times when I was holding the line with just one hand, I felt like I would get blown off. We got to the wreck and swam around the top deck. The current was very strong, and a couple times I almost got blown off the wreck, and Trish grabbed me and helped me reestablish a handhold on the wreck. We didn't know at the time that most people dive that wreck by going into the hatch to the cargo hold, which of course, is out of the current. We stayed on the top deck, right in the current. 

Before we started the dive we had talked about our dive plan. We would look for medallions first then look around the wreck; we would tell each other when we were down to 2000 psi and decide then whether to turn the dive or stay longer. We talked about how close we would stay to one another. Prior to meeting in person, I had told Trish that I had pretty good air consumption and could usually get an hour on most multilevel dives, but I didn't know how her air consumption was, and I hadn't asked. I'm not sure how much air we had when we first got on the wreck. I think I had between 2200 and 2500, but I'm not sure. We looked around for the treasure hunt medallions for a while. Then Trish gestured to me, and I wasn't sure what she meant, and she headed to the bow I thought to look for more medallions. But she had actually gone to the bow looking for the line because she was getting low on air. When we got to the bow, she made more hand signals, made the boat sign, and I pointed back toward the stern. When I talked to Trish about this part, she said she didn't make the boat sign, so I'm not sure what happened, if I pointed to the stern or if she decided to go back because she didn't see the line. 

When we got to the line she showed me her gauge - 300 psi. I pulled my pony regulator out of the elastic and held it and the line in my right hand, the hand next to Trish. I had to keep both hands on the line because the current was so strong. I was worried about Trish. She ran out of air around 60 feet, and I handed her the reg. We kept moving up the line, slowly and under control. I didn't know how long the 13 cf pony bottle would last for her. I checked my pressure several times and had over 1000 psi, so I knew that we could use my tank if the pony ran out but was concerned that Trish was going to burn through the air really fast. I wanted to go around the people doing the safety stop and blow our safety stop, but Trish wanted to stay. We were at 20 feet. At one point I tried to convey to her to stay calm, but I don't know if she understood. She never seemed panicked to me. We completed the 3-minute safety stop that seemed like 3 hours.

When we reached the surface, I grabbed the boat line, but Trish and I got separated. Then the boat hit me in the head. When the boat hit me, I thought, "I hope I don't lose consciousness." I still had the line, but right after that I lost it. I yelled to Trish to inflate her BC. I yelled at the boat that we needed help, but there didn't seem to be a response. So I yelled that Trish was out of air. At that point Mercedes, from the boat crew, jumped in. I watched Mercedes take off some clothes, and it seemed to take forever though I'm sure it only took seconds. She jumped in and swam to Trish. According to Trish, Mercedes got to her and orally inflated her BC. She had been struggling to keep her head above water, and had gone under a couple times. According to her, she was panicking, and she didn't remember to try her power inflator in case there was still some air in the tank that had expanded upon ascending, drop her weights, let go of the one fin that had come off and that she was holding, or let go of the medallions in her hand. At the same time, she says that she knew she had to swim to the stern in order to get help. After Mercedes jumped in, another diver, still in his gear, jumped in and swam to Trish and offered her his reg. She said that she yelled at him, "Put it in my mouth!" because she felt unable to do so. Some of Trish's actions seem to indicate that she wasn't in a full-blown panic. 

In the meantime, I managed to grab the line again but was having trouble holding onto it. I ended up at the very end of the line. I pulled myself along but had trouble maintaining my position because of the surge. Mercedes swam out to me and yelled, "Don't let go of the line!" Right before she got to me I considered dropping it and inflating my safety sausage. I just felt so exhausted and weak. But with Mercedes swimming in front of me I made me way back to the boat. I realize now that I did have the strength and energy to pull myself on the line, I did it after all, but I was defeating myself in my head by thinking "I'm too tired. I'm not strong enough." However, I never felt I was at any risk because I had my safety equipment, but maybe I put too much faith in it.

When I got back on the boat I asked Trish if she was okay. She said yes, but later said her head hurt. I wanted her to take oxygen and told Mercedes. She talked to the boat captain, Mike, and went to get the O2 kit. Mike said  he didn't think it was necessary, and it wouldn't then be available for someone else who needed it. Trish decided to breathe from my nitrox tank (32%) instead - I still had 500 psi. I went in for the second dive. When I got back, Trish said she felt better. 

We had two good dives the next day and checked in often with each other. We got back on the boat with plenty of air.

Mistakes I made:

I should have checked in with Trish about her air and turned the dive then. 

I should not always assume that the other diver has more experience and better skills than I do. I assumed she had more experience than I did and better gas management skills, but I based that belief on circumstantial things, not direct questioning. She has done shark dives and went on the Wreck Trek the week before we dove together. Because Trish had been on the wreck before, I left it to her to lead, although that was not part of our dive plan. When she knew it was time to ascend because of her air, she got confused about the exit point and went to the bow. We had dropped in closer to the stern. When we were at the bow I finally understood she  was looking for the line. But i was confused and thought that Trish must have known what she was doing in going to the bow. I knew it was behind us, but I looked around the bow for it which makes me think I was a little narced or very doubtful about my own perceptions. 

We should have gone over hand signals. The next day we dove together again, and I said that if she's ready to end the dive, just give the thumbs up sign. It's confusing when divers try to convey too much information with their signs. I also realized the next day that hand signals should be made slowly and deliberately. When I would ask Trish her pressure she would flash five fingers several times in a row rather fast, and I couldn't add it up quickly enough, so she would show me her gauge. 

Once we were on the surface I grabbed the boat line with both hands, but I think instead I should have grabbed Trish, inflated my BC, and had her inflate hers and drop her weights. We would have been swept away from the boat, but she would have still had air and been less at risk for drowning. Once we were stable I could have inflated my SMB and used my air horn if necessary.

When I was trying to get help for Trish I could have used my air horn, but I would have had to have changed it from water to air, and I'm not sure that would have saved any time. Although it seemed to take forever, I'm sure it took only seconds between calling for help and help arriving. 

I should have realized that getting back to the boat could be as hard and possibly harder than getting to the descent line and called the dive. But it didn't even cross my mind. After the second time Trish kept me from being swept off the wreck I should have called the dive. 

I realize how strongly my thinking influences my performance. I never panicked. I knew we had enough air to get to the surface, but once Trish had help, I had a hard time pulling myself in and didn't think I could do it. I am stronger than I think I am and shouldn't let my thinking defeat me.

I'd appreciate your comments, but please be gentle. 

 

[TSandM]

This scenario reminds me forcefully of THIS thread, which is one of my all-time SB favorites.

My first reaction is that, once you had a crisis situation, it sounds as though you actually managed it pretty well. I would have done a couple of things a little differently -- I would have gotten Trish onto your pony bottle before you began your ascent, on the theory that if anything happened to separate you, at least she would then have some gas on her back (and might have had some to inflate her BC at the surface). Especially since you had both ample backgas and a pony, that might have been a better strategy. My view is that one of the worst possible things is to have a diver in the water who can't breathe from any of their own gas supply, so anything I can do to avoid that situation is a good thing.

Second, I hope I would have prioritized a little differently with regard to what it was critical to maintain hold of. It was more convenient for you and the dive crew for you to remain in contact with the upline, but it was mission-critical to retain hold of Trish. Losing that hold resulted in a diver with no gas who was not processing well (no oral inflation, no weight drop) and had to be rescued. In some such circumstances, the diver has gone under and not come back. You were both gas and auxiliary buoyancy for her, and both of you could survive on the surface, even if you were delayed in reaching the boat.

(Note that I fully realize that it's extremely easy for me to think this through from the keyboard, so don't take it as a negative judgment of you at all.)

A couple of other thoughts . . . One is that current can be nasty stuff. I know just hanging on a surface line in very strong current is a lot of work, and descending hand over hand is stressful and onerous, especially if you are not used to it. Maintaining position in strong current is hard and blows through gas. I'm not terribly good in current, but I've learned how to look at the structure and try to find places to shelter from the worst of it. Sometimes that means hanging on to something!

But you do have to watch your gas like a hawk in any conditions that are stressful, because even just mental tension can significantly raise your gas consumption -- and I mean significantly. One of my first practice dives to run line, my gas consumption was nearly DOUBLE normal. I wasn't expecting that at all.

And my final thought is that, as I have said before, narcosis can be very subtle. You don't have to feel woozy and out of it to be thinking poorly. Getting confused about where the upline on a wreck is, despite the fact that you have recognizable structure AND the direction of the current for orientation, is an example of the kind of poor processing I associate with narcosis in myself.

I recently finished Steve Lewis's excellent new book on technical diving, and came away with a new idea -- that of waypoints. He talks about mentally dividing a dive into sections with identifiable waypoints, whether those are gas or location or depth or time, and doing a "diagnostic check" of the dive at each waypoint to determine if things are as they should be. You had a number of possible waypoints (and you talked about some of them) where the dive could have been evaluated and either continued or called -- on the surface, on the descent line, onarrival on the wreck and appreciation of the deep current, and at your agreed 2000 psi checkpoint, which it seems that at least one of you missed completely. I really like this waypoint concept, and it's one I'm going to start using for myself, and you might find it useful, too. (And I strongly recommend Steve's book -- it's full of good thoughts like that.)

 

[Peter Guy]

There is a lot that could be discussed but I'll just aim at one point -- when to donate gas.

In this case, I believe a mistake was made in letting Trish do the ascent on her backgas after she had shown you the guage at 300 psi. Since you are obviously ready, willing and able to donate, you should have donated then -- so that she could save her remaining backgas in case something REALLY bad happened.

Second issue is the size of your pony -- you may have found that a 13 ft3 just isn't enough for safety for dives approaching 100+ feet.

-----------------------
Just saw that TSandM was writing at the same time. Pay attention to what she writes -- she is a very smart and thoughtful diver -- much more educated and thoughtful than this poor guppie.

 

[Jax]

Thanks for a clear thought process . . . I hadn't thought about shoving over a pony at the first sign of low gas.

I have a somewhat related question -

If you are diving with a buddy, and everyone's gas is okay and you're heading up or down the line, and your buddy gets blown off . . .

Do you let go and stay with him/her? In the thought that two can be spotted easier than one?

or

Do you head up the line to report the lost diver? Hopefully you got a compass bearing . . .

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Thanks for sharing your story and allowing the rest of us to learn from it.

TSandM already mentioned handing off the pony earlier and other prioritization issues (remaining with the OOG diver vs. hanging onto the upline).

I think it was approprate that you considered the possibility of skipping the safety stop at 15-20 fsw. Given an OOG scenario, the priority is to get to the surface where there's an unlimited gas supply.

The original plan specified that 2000 psi was to be the turn-pressure.
How did you determine that was enough gas to ascend safely and comfortably?
Having had some experience in current, I will always account for it, when present, in pre-dive planning.

Do you know how to figure out, on the fly, how long a 13 cuft pony will last a diver (given a certain consumption rate)?
Is a 13 cuft pony enough of an emergency gas supply to get one diver to the surface from a depth of 100 fsw?

Did you discuss in detail during pre-dive planning how gas would be donated in an OOG scenario?

Do you think that Trish is/was properly weighted?

Sorry for all of the questions. These are just some of the thoughts I had when thinking through your incident.

 

[TSandM]

Jax, regarding your question, which I guess is really relevant here, although the separation occurred on the surface . . . I stay with my buddy. Period. I am his spare gas, his spare buoyancy, and his spare brain (which the diver in this scenario clearly needed!) and I stay with him.

If the vis is excellent, you can follow someone's progress easily for a long way (keep sight of the upline). If the viz is poor, taking a compass heading on where your buddy disappeared is pretty useless, because you have no idea if he continued in that direction. If it's as simple as where the current is blowing, the boat ought to have a rough idea of that.

 

[Jax]

Thanks - that was one of my 'what if's put to bed!

 

[Beiji]

I really appreciate everyone's comments and questions. Thanks for taking it easy on me.

My first reaction is that, once you had a crisis situation, it sounds as though you actually managed it pretty well. I would have done a couple of things a little differently -- I would have gotten Trish onto your pony bottle before you began your ascent, on the theory that if anything happened to separate you, at least she would then have some gas on her back (and might have had some to inflate her BC at the surface). Especially since you had both ample backgas and a pony, that might have been a better strategy. My view is that one of the worst possible things is to have a diver in the water who can't breathe from any of their own gas supply, so anything I can do to avoid that situation is a good thing.

What an excellent idea. I'm not sure I would ever have thought of it even though it makes so much sense.

Second, I hope I would have prioritized a little differently with regard to what it was critical to maintain hold of. It was more convenient for you and the dive crew for you to remain in contact with the upline, but it was mission-critical to retain hold of Trish. Losing that hold resulted in a diver with no gas who was not processing well (no oral inflation, no weight drop) and had to be rescued. In some such circumstances, the diver has gone under and not come back. You were both gas and auxiliary buoyancy for her, and both of you could survive on the surface, even if you were delayed in reaching the boat.

That is the same conclusion I have come to, and I'm very thankful that in spite of my not holding onto her she survived. Thanks so much for all your comments. I will read the thread you mentioned and look for the book.

Second issue is the size of your pony -- you may have found that a 13 ft3 just isn't enough for safety for dives approaching 100+ feet.

Honestly, I never imagined that I would be in the situation we were in. I still had enough air in my main tank to donate if she had used up the pony. I carry the pony as a redundant source for me. I'll have to do some thinking about whether I should switch to a larger one in the event I have to use it again for a buddy OOA situation.

The original plan specified that 2000 psi was to be the turn-pressure. How did you determine that was enough gas to ascend safely and comfortably? Having had some experience in current, I will always account for it, when present, in pre-dive planning. Do you know how to figure out, on the fly, how long a 13 cuft pony will last a diver (given a certain consumption rate)? Is a 13 cuft pony enough of an emergency gas supply to get one diver to the surface from a depth of 100 fsw? Did you discuss in detail during pre-dive planning how gas would be donated in an OOG scenario? Do you think that Trish is/was properly weighted? Sorry for all of the questions. These are just some of the thoughts I had when thinking through your incident.

No, I don't know how to figure out on the fly how long the pony would last another diver. If I had, I guess I would have known if we had time for the safety stop. I was continuously checking my gauge, concerned that I might have to donate air from my main tank. When we were planning the dive, I said I would donate my primary reg, but in the situation it was easier to donate my pony reg. I think Trish was properly weighted, but I don't know for sure. As to your first question, I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't do any calculations to determine it. It just seemed like a conservative estimate.

 

[Beiji]

There is a lot that could be discussed

I'd be interested in hearing your other thoughts.

 

[Cave Diver]

Thanks so much for all your comments. I will read the thread you mentioned and look for the book.

I believe this is the book she was referring to, by our very own [user]Doppler[/user]

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