You guys are helping me put this in perspective. All this week I was feeling that I must have f***** up severely to have this situation get as out of control as it had. I had realized that emergency situations were hard to control, but I thought that the spiral we got ourselves into was due in large part to me. For the record, I am very confident in our training organization and our instructors. I am positive (even though I was not at this students pool classes) that he was briefed on freeflow proceedures, and that they were practiced in the pool. We did mention the possibility of free flow before the dive, but looking back, I should have gone into further detail. JBD: I appreciate the comment about the reg not necessarily being in the student's mouth, but, in all honesty, it is much easier to look back and know what the situation was, rather than evaluate it at the time....I truly wasn't sure if he was conscious or not on the way up, so I wouldn't have dared to let the octo go. I started on the right side of him, and never considered switching positions on him. I hope there is NEVER a next time, but if there is, these comments are valuable.
Happily, tomorrow my wife and I are leaving for the Bahamas, to do some laid back warm water diving. Im sure that this will "get me back on the horse" and get my confidence back. Thanks for the input and the support.
Wetvet
Happily, tomorrow my wife and I are leaving for the Bahamas, to do some laid back warm water diving. Im sure that this will "get me back on the horse" and get my confidence back. Thanks for the input and the support.
Wetvet