Out of curiosity was the cause of death something that an open circuit diver would encounter, and if so would having a buddy present have prevented that.....
Irrelevant really - the issue isn't what
initiated the incident. Many issues can spark an incident. The issue is that he ultimately drowned, in "a safe pool environment". Thereby, it dispels the
myth that a swimming pool is a foolproof safe solo diving location...
The further issue, relevant to this debate, is that; if not alone, he probably wouldn't have died...
I haven't been able to find any reference to an open circuit diver dying
Look harder....
I've heard of a few... the fact they might not appear in the first 5 pages of a Google search doesn't mean they didn't happen...
For the record, I'm not advocating solo diving and I would not do an "actual" dive solo, but I admit I have checked my gear for a minute or two in a pool myself. when I did so, I was aware that I was not "safe" there was the possibility that something could go wrong. I'm just saying the list of things one can possibly die from is long. Avoiding everything that is theoretically possible (even in the absence of statistical probability) would result in a pretty boring life. I might slip on the stairs and break my neck when I go down to get some ice tea in a moment - but it's not going to stop me from doing it.
This issue with solo diving is
never about
avoiding risk. That's just Russian Roulette.
The issue with
diving is about
mitigating risk.
mit·i·gate /ˈmitəˌgāt/
Verb:
Make less severe, serious, or painful
Lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake)
The buddy system goes a long way to mitigating most common scuba risks. A long way.... When you remove that particular mitigation factor, you need to replace it with alternatives. Those alternatives include a mixture of technique, training, equipment, physiological and psychological factors.
If you know someone who died in a car accident, then you cannot avoid the same thing - but you can mitigate further against it. Especially if the exact causes of the accident were known. Wear a seatbelt, buy a car with air-bags, drive slower, train to be more observant and situationally aware, stop texting when you drive, get advanced driving lessons etc etc etc
If you worry about the risk of "falling down stairs when going to get ice tea"... you can't avoid that either, but you can (again) mitigate against it. Don't leave clutter on the stairs, fix the loose carpet, don't let yourself get distracted, watch where you place your feet, walk down the stairs slower...
The word '
mitigate' is particular relevant to
OUTCOME, rather than
initiation of an incident. You can't necessarily prevent something bad happening - but you can put 'safety nets' in place that stop that bad thing from having a more serious impact.
Examples:
Out-of-Air:
Unmitigated = drown
Partially Mitigated = stay shallow - perform CESA
More Mitigated = access buddies AAS or your redundant air source
Entanglement:
Unmitigated = drown
Partially Mitigated = rely on buddy to help you untangle
More Mitigated = cut yourself free with your dive knife (with a back-up blade, just in case)
Regulator Failure:
Unmitigated = drown
Partially Mitigated = breath from freeflowing regulator for emergency ascent
Mitigated = identify and resolve problem on pre-dive equipment/buddy check
Mitigated = perform AAS ascent with buddy
Mitigated = perform safe ascent using redundant gas system
As a recreational diver - it should be easy for someone to assess the training they have received and identify the risk mitigation measures that they have been provided with.
Hint: You'll find most of them within the syllabus of entry-level / open-water training courses.
Hint: Most of them include the existence/support of a buddy diver.
The first step towards
safe solo diving isn't to avoid risk factors - because you cannot - it is to replace the mitigation factors you lose by going solo.
If you are a recreational diver who "
dives within the limits of their training and experience", then you have a clear outline of the skills/procedures that you need to replace within your skillset... and a good clue about the equipment necessary to support the new skillset that you'll need. Go through each aspect of your risk mitigation 'tool-set' and replace it with something equally reliable and effective.
Instead of a buddy with an AAS, you have
a redundant air source.
Instead of a buddy with a knife, you have a
back-up knife.
Instead of a buddy with a cool head who can calm you when panicked, you have
experience and training.
