Confident CESA depth?

[northernone]

Personally, in your current physical condition, what depth are you reasonably confident you can successfully perform a controlled emergency swimming ascent?

Not a planned training exercise with a free diving style breathe up or necessarily full lungs to start. I mean a mid ventilation cycle out of air where your next breath must be from the surface to survive and you can arrive there in good health. Also not rocketing fully positively buoyant or arriving unconscious.

What gives you confidence your estimate might be a 'safe enough' depth. Your own risk tolerance factors calculated.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[AfterDark]

There was a time I practiced this regularly, every ascent was a "blow and go". On one dive I had to do it for real from 70', that was 46 years ago. These days I'm confident I can do 33' easily.

 

[rhwestfall]

I'd really rather just switch over to an alternate independent air source, but I know the 33' is still likely within my tools in the toolbox....

@northernone : why no 66' as a choice?

 

[The Chairman]

Personally, in your current physical condition, what depth are you reasonably confident you can successfully perform a controlled emergency swimming ascent?

Since I've started using SPGs, I've never had to do a CESA. Ever. A CESA means you've screwed the pooch on at least two levels and have shown you are unable to pay attention.

Plan your dive and dive your plan!

 

[scubadada]

I'm with Pete, have never run out of gas, never plan to. I could probably do a CESA from 66 ft.

 

[northernone]

I'd really rather just switch over to an alternate independent air source, but I know the 33' is still likely within my tools in the toolbox....

@northernone : why no 66' as a choice?

My mistake. Edited it in now in replacement of an unlikely depth which had no votes as to not reset the poll. Thank you.

 

[markmud]

Hello All,

I agree with Pete. I have had primary regulator issues u/w with one issue being a near-catastrophic failure of my first stage regulator. Another issue was an HP hose that failed, but only failed the first layer hose and not the cover (cover leaked but did blow-out). All issues I had were from low-cycle-time (late model) parts that had been routinely serviced by professionals (yes, plural). I had another HP hose failure but it was a minor and slow leak. Stuff happens.

My point is this, in both cases, even after my insta-buddy split to go look for lobsters, I ascended on the free flow and surface-swam to the boat (by myself in both cases; I was solo diving the second time).

CESA would literally mean you have "...screwed the pooch on at least two levels..." For me that could be 3 levels because I dive with a pony even when buddy diving.

markm

 

[Akimbo]

A CESA means you've screwed the pooch on at least two levels and have shown you are unable to pay attention.

True enough but sometimes all hell breaks loose, usually with three or more things conspiring against you. Those errors in judgement should be a learning experience, not a death sentence. Besides, free ascents are more about self-confidence and panic resistance than making it to the surface bent but not drowned or embolized.

 

[Sam Miller III]

In the beginning there was one certifying organization that was the very demanding LA Co UW Instructors Association who created the world's first certifying program, the Underwater Instructor's Certifying Course commonly referred to as "UICC"

The course required a D&R at 33 plus feet and a free assent (aka CESA) from 100 feet.. Every one who passed the course performed a CSEA with out any problems.
"Practice under controlled conditions what you may need to do under emergency panic conditions"

In1967 LA County developed the world's first Advance Diver Program the three months long "ADP. " It require the student to perform a free assent a "CESA" from 33 feet.

The program also required the students to maintain a LA Co dive log - the first time a dive log was required and it was the second dive log ever created-- The first Dive Log was created by the late Dick Bonin in 1955 while employed at Dive Master, and who later founded SCUBA Pro in 1963- Lets give credit were credit is do...

Dick as an USN officer under Doug Fane (read his book The Naked Warriors or view the movie - Zale Parry is Doug's daughter) They were testing regulator performance under the artic ice and Dick's regulator froze - he made a free assent under ice from 200 + feet

Every diver I certified in 28 years of instruction as LA Co, NAUI, PADI CMAS and other certifications all did a 33 CSEA as part of Catalina dive experience. Not one had difficulty.

While training and diving with my young son, what seems like in retrospect every day and night, I made a rule that he could only dive as deep as he could perform a free assent CESA. I rescinded the requirement at 66 feet -As an adult pre med student Sam IV and Jeff Bozanic were drilling 300 & 400 foot holes in the Pacific -Good training pays !

I have made innumerable free assents CESAs from 100 and one from, GOK, how many feet ? when my regulator and lift bag became one and away I went all tangled and dangled to the surface,.

Today, my age but with my long history of CESAs I suspect any reasonable depth, that a bath tub could be filled with water--but once perfected CESAs should be an automatic reflex , so who knows --But I still recall the LA Co motto "Blow and Go; Flair and you are There !" --

I am going to the beach to walk my dog Lucky and not to attempt a CESA

Sam Miller, 111

 

[Steve_C]

I carry redundant air. If somehow 4 extremely unlikely things all go wrong at once I will try to live. In other words if the CESA is the only option open to me I will try to take it no matter what the depth is.

As a related question. If one happens to be near the anchor line when all 4 things happen, is it advisable to use the anchor line to help regulate the speed in addition to bleeding a little air? In OW you are pretty shallow when doing a CESA. If you are starting from say 70-90 ft where I normally am, then there is the need to slow the assent a bit as you exhale. Just a thought.