First panicked diver

[The Laconic]

I witnessed my first panicked diver this weekend.

I'll try to keep it vague, because I don't want to embarrass the guy (much to his credit, he did pull himself together). It was my (insta-)buddy on the first of two dives yesterday. We were making our way up the granny line to the mooring line. It was pretty cold water, a little wavy, but not too bad. When we got to the bow, I was trying to get an OK from him before we descended, and he gave me some hand signal I didn't recognize. Then he was hanging on the mooring line, like he was trying to pull himself out of the water. Asked if he was OK, several times, nothing. I kept telling him to let go of the line, to get away from the boat (which was yanking him up and down), and get closer to me, nothing. I was surprised at how textbook it was. Wide, staring eyes, no response at all to my questions and suggestions. :buggy: It really happens exactly like that.

I'm still not sure how or why he snapped out of it, but he did, and then we had two perfectly uneventful dives together. (Apart from a bolt coming unscrewed on my backplate just before the second dive. Thanks to the folks who spotted that, and fixed it.)

I keep replaying the whole thing in my head to try to figure out what (if anything) I should have done differently.

 

[TSandM]

I've seen the same thing. Years ago, we were in a class, and we had surfaced to debrief. A very young diver was on the surface near where we came up, and he just didn't look right. We swam over to him, and he kept repeating, "I've lost my buddy, I've lost my buddy.". He didn't appear panicky -- he wasn't flailing or choking or anything. But he didn't answer when we spoke to him, he didn't follow commands, and he kept perseverating. Our instructor moved in and inflated his BC, and then went down to find the young man's instructor, who hadn't even realized one of his students had gone to the surface. It was quite the thing to see.

I have seen active panic in the pool during OW classes. They bolt, and when they get to the surface, they don't inflate their BCs and they start choking. We have never taken anyone into OW unless they have clearly gotten past that. I don't ever want to see it in open water.

 

[FinnMom]

Apart from a bolt coming unscrewed on my backplate just before the second dive. Thanks to the folks who spotted that, and fixed it.

If the culprit was a wing nut, I'd recommend not using those things. They seem to come loose a lot.

 

[The Laconic]

No, not a wing nut. Bolt was probably too short, and/or I didn't tighten it enough last time I put it together. Good to know, though.

 

[LeFlaneur]

Good on you for sticking with him, communicating and realizing it didn't mean he couldn't dive or be a good buddy himself. Also, regarding him "snapping out of it," this is typical. He got control of it and it passed, a bit like a cramp.

Also good on you for understanding that it can be really embarrassing. This has happened to me and basically you're acting like a cornered animal or an infant, so yeah, it's embarrassing.

The one thing I would say is that any attempt to reason with him to let go of the line was probably useless. For that moment he was frozen and that line meant safety. You could have coaxed him off but you could never reason him off.

I'm not qualified to give life saving guidelines but as someone who knows what it feels like I would say:

1. Don't over-react. That's what he's doing. You're not going to make it better by shouting, getting frustrated or treating him like a nutcase. Rise to the occasion and be the calm one. Enter full-on protective mode.
2. He needs support, not logic. Accept that this is a reptilian brain moment - probably only for a minute or so -- but for that minute you're not going to reason with him. He just needs to know you're not gonna let him die.
3. Let the person know he can abort. Bizarrely, the simple reminder that they have a choice can diffuse panic.
4. Eye contact is critical, also voice and touch if you can. We're social primates and panicking feels very "alone." Anything you can do to make the person feel connected will help.
5. Understand that this has no bearing on whether he or she is a good diver or a good buddy. It happens sometimes and some people are more prone to it than others. But it's usually fleeting if it happens.

Anyway, just my two cents. I'm sure the other diver was grateful to you.