Deco obligation during Emergency Recall

[TSandM]

This seems like a good example of why you shouldn't be doing staged decompression dives off a boat with a dive-naive crew.

If I were under an obligation and an emergency recall was sounded, I would assume that someone was in desperate straits, and I would shorten my deco as much as I thought I could, and get on O2 immediately upon boarding. I would not do a deco dive off a boat without O2. And I would be pretty danged livid if I surfaced and found out the boat had given an emergency recall just for drifting divers. I WAS just a drifting diver, and I have been before, and if you stay calm AND the boat has seen you, you're going to be fine. The guy who cut his deco short, however, may not be.

 

[The Surly Mermaid]

Let's assume that the divers were not just drifting, but in distress.... I'd still completely do the deco...AND I would expect the captain to go after those in distress. I would rather spend 20 minutes hanging onto a mooring ball at the surface waiting on the boat to come back and pick me up, than risk having to do several hours in the chamber. I'm assuming the captain wouldn't want to deal with having to treat a potential DCS case while also having to rescue the distressed divers... You just doubled his headache.

*** Curiousity question... The divers that omitted their deco... you said one diver was already OOA... assuming they were sharing air...did they surface because of the recall or because they were both almost OOA?

 

[vladimir]

Be really pissed if you obey the recall and onboard O2 isn't available.

If they truly have an emergency worthy of a recall, the chances that O2 is not available (to you) may have increased quite a bit, I would think.

 

[Akimbo]

I would suggest that if a captain or crew does not explain what will happen in an emergency recall, you should ask. Say I have some serious decom and you are found unconscious with lots of blood coming out of your nose and mouth. Seams serious enough.

The procedure I like the best is:

1. Captain calls Coast Guard while crew gets you on deck
2. Recall is sounded
3. A cherry buoy gets tied off to the anchor chain
4. Chain is cut — hopefully between the boat and buoy
5. Dive master, crewman, or anybody suited up jumps in and stays with the buoy. Surfacing divers get briefed and hang together.
6. Boat heads home at full speed and hopefully meets a Coast Guard Chopper on the way
7. Another boat picks up divers in the water or your boat comes back

Extra charges for the extended time and bonus adventure should be negotiated in advance

 

[Reef_Haven]

*** Curiousity question... The divers that omitted their deco... you said one diver was already OOA... assuming they were sharing air...did they surface because of the recall or because they were both almost OOA?

They were definitely aware of the banging. I don't know if they thought there was an emergency or just that the staff was annoyed cause they didn't surface after a reasonable 3 minute stop. They definitely stayed due to deco, until one diver ended up OOA.
At that point; If you offered to share your last few minutes of air with an insta-buddy and he declined; would you surface with him or finish your obligation?
He had a snorkel, tag line, current line and people on the surface.

 

[lowviz]

If they truly have an emergency worthy of a recall, the chances that O2 is not available (to you) may have increased quite a bit, I would think.

I took advanced nitrox so I could bring my own. OK, maybe not quite so pissed, but still pissed...

 

[HowardE]

I guess my question is IF you got into a situation where you had a Deco obligation and there was an Emergency Recall, what would you do?

Do the deco. Two or more victims complicates the situation dramatically. Don't be added to the list of casualties.

 

[RJP]

They were definitely aware of the banging. I don't know if they thought there was an emergency or just that the staff was annoyed cause they didn't surface after a reasonable 3 minute stop. They definitely stayed due to deco, until one diver ended up OOA.
At that point; If you offered to share your last few minutes of air with an insta-buddy and he declined; would you surface with him or finish your obligation?
He had a snorkel, tag line, current line and people on the surface.

I'm still not sure how the current and missing the up line caused them to go into deco.

At what point do you say "Well, I'm swimming my fins off fighting this current, I can't get to the up-line, and I'm looking at the needle get lower and lower. Ah what the hell... might as well go into deco too."

 

[Reef_Haven]

I would suggest that if a captain or crew does not explain what will happen in an emergency recall, you should ask. Say I have some serious decom and you are found unconscious with lots of blood coming out of your nose and mouth. Seams serious enough.

The procedure I have like the best is:

1. Captain calls Coast Guard while crew gets you on deck
2. Recall is sounded
3. A cherry buoy gets tied off to the anchor chain
4. Chain is cut — hopefully between the boat and buoy
5. Dive master, crewman, or anybody suited up jumps in and stays with the buoy. Surfacing divers get briefed and hang together.
6. Boat heads home at full speed and hopefully meets a Coast Guard Chopper on the way
7. Another boat picks up divers in the water or your boat comes back

Extra charges for the extended time and bonus adventure should be negotiated in advance

I like this, BUT have you ever seriously heard any discussion like this on a briefing before?
I only have about 300 dives and I rarely here ANY emergency recall protocall during the briefing. I always ask, and 9 times out of 10 is....We'll rev the engines above you really loudly! End of discussion, but at least I ask and hope most of the other divers here the response and will be able to connect the dots if that situation does happen.
I've only been on 1 boat that had an underwater microphone. Oddly, they usually only dive in 28' of water.

 

[Reef_Haven]

I'm still not sure how the current and missing the up line caused them to go into deco.

At what point do you say "Well, I'm swimming my fins off fighting this current, I can't get to the up-line, and I'm looking at the needle get lower and lower. Ah what the hell... might as well go into deco too."

I agree. That was their explanation, no one called them on it. There were alot of mistakes made on that trip. It was actually a year ago, I think back on it often. Glad I was only a spectator. Seeing it happen has made me think and be more prepared.