Death at Blue Springs State Park, Florida

[bluejaykaren]

My heart goes out to all and I sincerely hope the survivor gets some counseling.
I've spent many hours at Blue Springs State Park and it's considered more of a pita dive then a dangerous dive but I wouldn't go past the 65' mark either.

 

[Bob DBF]

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

I spend a part of each dive breathing off second, as well as the surface check, and encourage others to do the same. Breathing off your emergency reg insures it works, gives practice finding and stowing, allows you the opportunity to notice any problems, and you can see if the primary functions properly when not used.

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.

The problem may have to do with how the reg is adjusted rather than how much it costs. Also there is a school (more old school) that the safety reg should be de-tuned to prevent freeflows, I will do that if the conditions warrant. Some regs do breathe hard, since I started diving on those, I'm not as pickey as some, as long as I can get air.



Bob
-------------------------------
Trained when J-valves solved the OOA problem.

 

[mdb]

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.

I have been diving for 40+ years. Over that time I have 3 "buddy breathing" experiences.

The first one was in San Diego, a fellow Marine, who sucked his tank dry looking for Abalone.

When my "buddy" tapped me on the shoulder he just grabbed the regulator out of my mouth.

I passed the regulator to him holding onto the hose. He clamped down on the reg and would not
give it up.

I bailed out and made a free ascent.

Depend on yourself.

 

[Steve_C]

All this talking about buddy breathing and training etc is nice and it seems to me often theoretical unless you always dive with experienced divers and they are the only lives you care about. If there are two regulators there is time to calm things down. Working with one reg just seems to me to be a sure way to add stress to the situation and increase the odds that one or both will die needlessly.

Not saying one should not practice buddy breathing. But why make that the only option?

 

[victorzamora]

^That!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

It is not the only option but if people are going to insist on using cheap octos that they refuse to take care of and have tuned properly it should be an option.

 

[Steve_C]

Don't understand how the fact that somebody else does not take care of their equipment should affect my decision on what equipment I have with me?

 

[Doubler]

Back in the 80's when I was doing serious cave diving my buddy and I did a drill weekend once a month at Blue Springs. Buddy Breathing, no mask Buddy Breathing, long hose following front to front restrictions, blow and go 's and on and on. Buddy breathing is a technique that should be taught in Advanced. One of the issues with the new modern world is we are so dependent on gadgets. When the gadget fails many are clueless on what to do. My spouse and I will buddy breath occasionally at depth and it has freaked people out, so now we tell them we are going to practice sometime during the dive. This also goes along with learning tables.

 

[keller34]

I do the same as Doubler with my 2 boys. We are only about 20ft down but I shut of one of the tanks and then monitor them. After that is done they do the same to me. We also practice lost mask drills, towing, and all the other basic skills every diver should know and practice. Does it take time out of the fun dive, Yes. But I would rather spend 30-45 mins one one dive to practice and feel confident in having to use those skills if the need arises than to not do them or not do them enough and have an accident like this.

Here recently we have been able to practice the jellyfish stinging swarm skill

 

[Tegg]

This is why I dive a long hose even while single tank.

If my buddy or student takes my primary second stage and "can't" give it back, no big deal. I have my backup which is the same as the primary second stage.

I also teach my students that a good performance regulator with two second stages is critical to their diving safety.

I am interested in why Sam needed gas in the first place.