Atomic_Diver
Scubaboard Enthusiast
Attach a yoke regulator to a din tank and jump in
Dumbest things you've seen a newbie diver do
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NC Wreck Diver
Contributor
I've been diving since 1985. I seen some dumb things, and I've done some dumb things. Not really outragous, but problems or accidents usually are compounds of things happening, not really one event. We were always taught to reconize the first problem, so it didn't manifest into something unhandleable.
The dumbest thing I've ever seen was a guy do was to dive a 120 foot deep wreck on a single Steel 72 Cu. Ft. tank, with a small pony bottle hard mounted to the back of his main tank. His plan was to shoot down the anchorline to the wreck, grab an artifact and come right back up. Instead of having a simple laynard for his pony bottle around his neck, it was dangleing behing his back.
He ran out of air very quickly, and could never reach his pony regulator. In his panic, he almost killed his buddy (who didn't have an octupus!), and this guy drowed. Our dive team was able to save his buddy, but this guy could not be resuscitated with CPR. Although it was the worst day of diving for all of us, I learned so much that day, I'll never forget it. Coast Guard, chopper, the works.
Use a redundant air system. Forget about cost, your life is worth it. Buy a $2.00 laynard for your pony regulator. How this dive team ever got past the divemaster without an octupus for each diver, and a simple laynard for the pony bottle is beyond me. We were on two boats finishing our AOW course, so my team really didn't see them gear up. But we pulled them out of the water, which was gut wrenching.
SCUBA is an extremely safe sport. As the majority of everyone on Scubaboard knows, just do what your instructors trained you to do, and you will have a lifetime of the best sport I ever found.
The dumbest thing I've ever seen was a guy do was to dive a 120 foot deep wreck on a single Steel 72 Cu. Ft. tank, with a small pony bottle hard mounted to the back of his main tank. His plan was to shoot down the anchorline to the wreck, grab an artifact and come right back up. Instead of having a simple laynard for his pony bottle around his neck, it was dangleing behing his back.
He ran out of air very quickly, and could never reach his pony regulator. In his panic, he almost killed his buddy (who didn't have an octupus!), and this guy drowed. Our dive team was able to save his buddy, but this guy could not be resuscitated with CPR. Although it was the worst day of diving for all of us, I learned so much that day, I'll never forget it. Coast Guard, chopper, the works.
Use a redundant air system. Forget about cost, your life is worth it. Buy a $2.00 laynard for your pony regulator. How this dive team ever got past the divemaster without an octupus for each diver, and a simple laynard for the pony bottle is beyond me. We were on two boats finishing our AOW course, so my team really didn't see them gear up. But we pulled them out of the water, which was gut wrenching.
SCUBA is an extremely safe sport. As the majority of everyone on Scubaboard knows, just do what your instructors trained you to do, and you will have a lifetime of the best sport I ever found.
Well he wasn't a newbie... and I agree often newbies do too many "trust me dives". An "experienced Rescue Diver" Didn't watch his guage... went OOA.... noticed me with my camera and "posed for a picture" on the way to share air with his buddy 
Then his buddy swam off leaving him getting tossed around in some pretty rough surface conditions. I surfaced because I had been "teamed with these guys who normally dived together and I didn't think he should be alone. We had a pretty rough surface swim and he wanted to tow ME back to shore! :doh: I almost had to fight him off to keep him from "rescuing me". I had enough air for another 30 min bottom time and still surface with adequate reserve. Darned if I wanted all the divers on shore (signaling to see if we were OK) to think I WAS the MORON who ran out of air!
The kicker was that both he and his buddy thought the whole thing was funny! Needless to say I have not dived with them again and all of my normal dive buddies refuse to dive with them too!
Then his buddy swam off leaving him getting tossed around in some pretty rough surface conditions. I surfaced because I had been "teamed with these guys who normally dived together and I didn't think he should be alone. We had a pretty rough surface swim and he wanted to tow ME back to shore! :doh: I almost had to fight him off to keep him from "rescuing me". I had enough air for another 30 min bottom time and still surface with adequate reserve. Darned if I wanted all the divers on shore (signaling to see if we were OK) to think I WAS the MORON who ran out of air!The kicker was that both he and his buddy thought the whole thing was funny! Needless to say I have not dived with them again and all of my normal dive buddies refuse to dive with them too!
bamamedic
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Hmmmm...I've failed to unbungee my cylinders more than once! Tried to step away from the tank platform...boing! I didn't get far 
It's only slightly less embarassing than finding some dude walking by to "please unbungee my tanks for me?"
Forgot my 5mm gloves, and wound up getting some seriously cold hands...no fun.
Forgot my mesh bag with my drysuit undies in it at home...and completed the dive in overly large borrowed undies.
One of my first few drysuit dives (probably around dive 50 or so)....I really wanted to see the bottom of the quarry. My regular dive buddy (AN/Deco certified) would not take me down there, because he felt I didn't have the experience yet. So, I buddied up with 3 people who had a plan on how to do it (I thought) pretty safely, we calculated a crude min deco, and went for it. We performed a mid-water descent with no point of reference...my buddies wound up below me and facing away from me. I freaked out because I was essentially solo diving at that point, I was feeling narced and was experiencing some vertigo, and bolted from 120 feet. First and last time that'll ever happen.
Big lesson learned...diving beyond experience is bad, m'kay (and being that I've got a rather thick skull, have relearned that lesson at least twice in my diving career)
It's only slightly less embarassing than finding some dude walking by to "please unbungee my tanks for me?" Forgot my 5mm gloves, and wound up getting some seriously cold hands...no fun.
Forgot my mesh bag with my drysuit undies in it at home...and completed the dive in overly large borrowed undies.
One of my first few drysuit dives (probably around dive 50 or so)....I really wanted to see the bottom of the quarry. My regular dive buddy (AN/Deco certified) would not take me down there, because he felt I didn't have the experience yet. So, I buddied up with 3 people who had a plan on how to do it (I thought) pretty safely, we calculated a crude min deco, and went for it. We performed a mid-water descent with no point of reference...my buddies wound up below me and facing away from me. I freaked out because I was essentially solo diving at that point, I was feeling narced and was experiencing some vertigo, and bolted from 120 feet. First and last time that'll ever happen.
Big lesson learned...diving beyond experience is bad, m'kay (and being that I've got a rather thick skull, have relearned that lesson at least twice in my diving career)
Get train, get certified. Buy gear, than quit diving.
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The only things I really see new divers do that is "dumb," is stuff I, and every other diver, has done once or twice.
The things that scare me aren't the "dumb" things, it's the flat out scary things. Since I DM classes whenever possible, I've been present for my share of panics, and those aren't out of ignorance or carelessness, they're just moments of panic that aren't really within the new diver's control.
The things that scare me aren't the "dumb" things, it's the flat out scary things. Since I DM classes whenever possible, I've been present for my share of panics, and those aren't out of ignorance or carelessness, they're just moments of panic that aren't really within the new diver's control.
I
idocsteve
Guest
That size tank should be sufficient for a short dive to that depth.
I've been to 125 feet or so on a single AL80 with a 19 cf pony. I'm not going to bother checking the tables but I figure you have about 8-10 minutes bottom time or thereabouts.
Sure he screwed up on the secondary regulator and didn't watch his gas supply, but overall the dive plan wasn't all that bad.
Holding the rig upside down in front of you, you reach through the arm openings, grab the tank, lift it up and drop it on your back. Easy enough, especially with practice.
Who cares what you're standing in front of?
I prefer to give the newbies some slack. We all did dumb things at one time or another. The dumbest things I see come from experienced divers who lack social skills and courtesy.
One pet peeve of mine re: any diver is when I'm filming a subject and another diver comes right up to me and puts their hand, foot, or other body part into my frame. Don't laugh. I've literally had another diver come up and place their hand right on my subject... twice! Both times the diver did not appear to see me even though I was about two feet away.
Lynn certainly hit the nail on the head when she mentioned new divers who undertake dives way over their head. When I used to dive off a local dive boat, I saw divers with less than 25 dives go solo without redundant gear. One went to 150 ft. I think I'd call that crazy rather than dumb.
One pet peeve of mine re: any diver is when I'm filming a subject and another diver comes right up to me and puts their hand, foot, or other body part into my frame. Don't laugh. I've literally had another diver come up and place their hand right on my subject... twice! Both times the diver did not appear to see me even though I was about two feet away.
Lynn certainly hit the nail on the head when she mentioned new divers who undertake dives way over their head. When I used to dive off a local dive boat, I saw divers with less than 25 dives go solo without redundant gear. One went to 150 ft. I think I'd call that crazy rather than dumb.
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