pjhansman
Contributor
To the moderator: Marg…..this is posted here and in Basic Scuba Discussions. Feel free to remove one if you want.
identical thread in two different forums merged. Marg, SB Senior Moderator
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Just some thoughts as I sit by the pool numbing myself with Don Julio. (Edited later for clarity)
Anyone who has been part of ScubaBoard for more than a week has seen the discussions concerning which dive op is “the best”, whether it’s in Cozumel, the Keys, the GBR, the Red Sea, or lower Slobovia. People are pretty polarized and reasons include any number of things……tank size, diving your tank, cheap nitrox, boat size, boat speed, food served, attention to detail, and maybe even how good the crew looks in bikinis.
Painful experience has given me sort of an epiphany concerning a truly critical reason for choosing your dive op wisely. A reason that seems to be rarely mentioned or discussed.
On a recent boat/drift dive, someone very near and dear to me experienced a critical problem at 60 fsw and was completely unresponsive shortly after she got to surface. Not conscious. Not breathing. No heartbeat. Not good. I’m leaving out the details but this wasn’t an equipment problem. We all know those can generally be mitigated by proper servicing, good diving practices, redundancy, and a good buddy, etc. This was something else that happened 45 minutes into a slow, relaxing drift dive, and things went from zero to OH F#CK!! in less than 2 minutes.
But our divemaster TOOK CHARGE!! Mouth-to-mouth in the water, gear stripped off, into the boat, CPR until breathing started, oxygen, doctor/hospital/ambulance all contacted on speed dial. All in a very few minutes. Ambulance waiting when we got to shore. Doctors waiting at the hospital. Happy ending. Looks like she’ll be around for me to annoy for a few years yet.
So my point is, many of you have your favorites for any number of reasons. But ask yourself this…..are the divemaster and crew the kind of people who can keep it together and do things right when the sh*t really hits the fan? Are they truly prepared and capable of managing a life or death scenario? Because at some point you may be putting your life into their hands.
Just food for thought.
A ScubaBoard Staff Message...
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Just some thoughts as I sit by the pool numbing myself with Don Julio. (Edited later for clarity)
Anyone who has been part of ScubaBoard for more than a week has seen the discussions concerning which dive op is “the best”, whether it’s in Cozumel, the Keys, the GBR, the Red Sea, or lower Slobovia. People are pretty polarized and reasons include any number of things……tank size, diving your tank, cheap nitrox, boat size, boat speed, food served, attention to detail, and maybe even how good the crew looks in bikinis.
Painful experience has given me sort of an epiphany concerning a truly critical reason for choosing your dive op wisely. A reason that seems to be rarely mentioned or discussed.
On a recent boat/drift dive, someone very near and dear to me experienced a critical problem at 60 fsw and was completely unresponsive shortly after she got to surface. Not conscious. Not breathing. No heartbeat. Not good. I’m leaving out the details but this wasn’t an equipment problem. We all know those can generally be mitigated by proper servicing, good diving practices, redundancy, and a good buddy, etc. This was something else that happened 45 minutes into a slow, relaxing drift dive, and things went from zero to OH F#CK!! in less than 2 minutes.
But our divemaster TOOK CHARGE!! Mouth-to-mouth in the water, gear stripped off, into the boat, CPR until breathing started, oxygen, doctor/hospital/ambulance all contacted on speed dial. All in a very few minutes. Ambulance waiting when we got to shore. Doctors waiting at the hospital. Happy ending. Looks like she’ll be around for me to annoy for a few years yet.
So my point is, many of you have your favorites for any number of reasons. But ask yourself this…..are the divemaster and crew the kind of people who can keep it together and do things right when the sh*t really hits the fan? Are they truly prepared and capable of managing a life or death scenario? Because at some point you may be putting your life into their hands.
Just food for thought.
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