Entanglement Training

[Rapid Diver]

Training with trauma shears vs a knife is an important skill to learn. Monofiliment/line/rope can be cut easily with one hand with the shears. The line will "float" away from a knife making it more difficult to make a clean cut...this is a skill that is easily learned and beneficial in the field. Trauma shears are cheap,easily stowed and super effective.

 

[Diver0001]

We do in pool training,with BIG nets and lines.
Let members swimm thru with binded masks and then free themselfs.
Cutting lines,with knives,shears and line cutters.
freeing them selfs from the netting,by taking sets off and untangeling and redonning.

Lots of fun

Do you do this yourself or do you hire Get Wet to do it for you?

R..

 

[ditch-diver]

Our training is only ever done in open water. With the limited movement and feel with a Viking drysuit, doing anything in a pool is of little value for realism. We tend to focus our entanglement issues a little differently from what I've been reading here. We wnt our gang to manage their dives. If they detect a net, secure it with zap straps out of the way before trying to move on. Same with lines. If you become tangled, the question is "How long are you there before you
a- notify topside you are tangled.
b -can free yourself or ask for assistance
c- are still there without asking for the standby before the Supervisor sends someone (we get Sup training out if this too)
d- figure out what you want to cut

We'll let a diver cut netting and monofilament. They are never allowed to cut anything even close in size to their lifeline. If they do it is a fail. They are never allowed to even attempt to remove any gear..., if they do it is a fail. If it's to the point that they would need to be taking gear off..., the safety diver should have long since been there handling the situation.

Like DA said.., we teach less movement is more....., allow yourself to drift a bit in the direction of the tangle then try to locate the issue with mininal movement. If it takes any spinning, twisting at all...., just stay and call for safety to come in.

 

[bridgediver]

Hi Jay

I like your list - a good summary and its generally our approach too.

We've never run into a problem where the entanglement is significant enough to require zip tying it down but that is a good drill. Thanks for sharing.

We do the doff and don simply as a part of building confidence in the diver early on in the training. Never do it in the open water when the diver is alone (ie tethered).

I think pool drills can be a good thing too - especially in the colder months when open water may not be possible. It gives other divers and tenders the ability to provide feedback to the diver as they can see all but the most subtle moves and it also gives them (tenders/divers) a greater understanding of what the diver is doing.
(can also fine tune optimum body position to increase search effectiveness)
Of course this needs to be done as simulated as possible - ie full viking, AGA, blacked out etc. No point in training if you're not dressed as you would be for real. About the only thing different is lighter undergarments (and weightbelt) as the guys would roast with the thicker undies at the pool.

take care

mark

 

[james croft]

Words to live by:

Never cut the red wire .
Never pull a loose line.
Never cut a tight line .

 

[Diver0001]

Words to live by:

Never cut the red wire .
Never pull a loose line.
Never cut a tight line .

And if you're deep enough avoid the green wire too...

R..

 

[ditch-diver]

Actually..., I think if I remember correctly that you are only supposed to cut the blue wire after holding your cutters over the red wire for several seconds before moving them and cutting the blue wire really quickly...., just as the timer counts down to zero.

Good point about the winter Mark.., being a lifetime 'Salty" I tend to forget you water gets hard in the wintertime.

 

[Scott L]

Too funny...

 

[URSA78244]

I don't just carry one type of device, and personally i carry a set of trauma sheers, a zknife like cutter, a pair of wire cutters, and a small knife. The divers should have them on their harnesses and usual stow locations where they are accessible.

I've been performing recovery dives for a while now and I would ad a note to Blackwaters thougth. I not only carry what he listed, but also carry a small single-hand hacksaw and 2 extra knives, located on my off arm and my BC. You can't always reach the leg.

 

[bridgediver]

I've been performing recovery dives for a while now and I would ad a note to Blackwaters thougth. I not only carry what he listed, but also carry a small single-hand hacksaw and 2 extra knives, located on my off arm and my BC. You can't always reach the leg.

Good point about not being able to reach a leg knife when you need it most but not only that; more than a few divers have died in an emergency when they attempted to drop their weight belt only to get it caught on the leg knife pulling them to the bottom.
A knife strapped to the leg is a poor choice for any type of diver even though it makes you look like James Bond

Personally I've never needed anything except the shears. The only thing that I can think of that will defeat them is barb wire so wire cutters for sure. Shears can do anything a knife can do without the danger of accidentally cutting oneself or another diver (low vis remember). We carry one but never use them
What do you need a hack saw for on a regular basis?