Death at Blue Springs State Park, Florida

[Jim Lapenta]

Jesus. Yeah, tell me again about how buddy breathing does not need to be taught. As well as basic rescue skills for OW divers.
And it sounds like their gas planning skills were about average for your OW diver today.

 

[darushin]

I am wondering if this is just news getting it wrong and the guy actually shared with his octopus and they didn't have enough air to surface.

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[sharpenu]

Here is a better story:

Vansickle told investigators he removed his air regulator from his mouth and passed it to Slack. The technique is known as buddy breathing -- two divers share the air through one regulator. After about 30 seconds, Vansickle motioned for Slack to return the regulator, but Slack did not release the regulator. Vansickle then began pulling away from Slack to get air from the regulator and then swam to the surface, the report states.
It makes me wonder where the guy's octo was. If they were at 80 feet, they were in the cave. Sounds like OW divers in over their training level to me.

Edgewater diver in fatal Blue Spring dive may have had equipment failure | News-JournalOnline.com

 

[chillyinCanada]

Bizarre . . .and terribly sad.

 

[Bob DBF]

Jesus. Yeah, tell me again about how buddy breathing does not need to be taught. As well as basic rescue skills for OW divers.
And it sounds like their gas planning skills were about average for your OW diver today.

The most important part of buddy breathing training using one second is being able to control the sharing with a diver who isn't interested in returning the reg. This was part of a basic rescue skill, as you would have to control the breathing and control the ascent as the "victim" would be only interested in the air. Without practice by both parties the situation can turn into a fluster cluck in no time at all.

With my regular buddy's, back in the day, the air shares when needed were pretty routine. With others I had a couple of less than optimum air shares and was glad to see the safe second come onto the scene. Some of the old guard were vocal about the safe second being a gear solution to a skills problem, in one sense they were correct.



Bob
----------------
I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.

 

[Scott]

Vansickle then began pulling away from Slack to get air from the regulator and then swam to the surface, the report states.

So did Vansickle secure his reg and return to the surface or did Vansickle panic, bolt and pull the reg from his buddies mouth?
Both are sad senerios

 

[Crass3000]

Tragic... Seems really odd given buddy breathing and not coming up with an octo. I saw it not long ago with a couple that were diving doubles. I can't even figure out how that happened. All were taken care of though. This is an odd one though.

 

[mdax]

I don't agree that new divers should donate a dangling second they never check.

Seems obvious that a long(5') hose and backup bungied around the neck may have prevented this tragedy...course so would proper gas management, donating backup, good communications or a number of other currently accepted standards.

 

[Jon_R]

Or check and buddy check that second. I always check my buddy's second as part of the check as it is there for me just in case. My buddy is also my girlfriend or one of my children. Leaving one of them ooa I would like to think would be nearly impossible for me to do.

I also carry a small poney should make a cesa a little more relaxed from 40 - 60 feet if I had to.

I don't agree that new divers should donate a dangling second they never check.

Seems obvious that a long(5') hose and backup bungied around the neck may have prevented this tragedy...course so would proper gas management, donating backup, good communications or a number of other currently accepted standards.

 

[Pedro Burrito]

I've been demonstrating and practicing air shares more the past few months than I have done in the other 30+ years of diving. One thing that I've noticed when I get a donated octo is that it's very difficult to breathe. And that's in shallow water. I cannot imagine having to breathe from a cheap octo in 80 feet of water.