My lesson learned

[Darol]

Wow, just amazing......

 

[clownfishsydney]

I doubt that there is a single brand and model of dive computer that has not failed at one time or another (not battery failure). I personally have had 3 or 4 fail over the past 22 years I have used dive computers. The thing is, you need to be able to recognise and react to that failure. While the OP recognised it, he did not react to it in a manner that indicated enough knowledge to be doing that sort of dive.

Some comments have been made about doing decompression dives using the computer when the manual says not to. Many computers have this standard statement to presumably remove the chance of being sued later on.

The things that are not clear to me is why you started the dive with a tank that was nowhere near full, why you did not just backtrack the way you descended and then spend as much time as possible at 3-5 metres (10 to 18 feet) till your air was almost expended. This is one of the most basic of all things to know if you do a dive where you have probably entered into decompression.

 

[SC_Hoaty]

So much for flame free forum announcement when you enter the forum.

Not so sure I would call some of the responses "flames." I have seen much worse. Still, if you feel someone has crossed the line, report the post so a mod can look at what is going on.

Of course, your "flaming" of Sherwood is OK in your book.

 

[racerfern]

I doubt that there is a single brand and model of dive computer that has not failed at one time or another (not battery failure). I personally have had 3 or 4 fail over the past 22 years I have used dive computers. The thing is, you need to be able to recognise and react to that failure. While the OP recognised it, he did not react to it in a manner that indicated enough knowledge to be doing that sort of dive.

Some comments have been made about doing decompression dives using the computer when the manual says not to. Many computers have this standard statement to presumably remove the chance of being sued later on.

The things that are not clear to me is why you started the dive with a tank that was nowhere near full, why you did not just backtrack the way you descended and then spend as much time as possible at 3-5 metres (10 to 18 feet) till your air was almost expended. This is one of the most basic of all things to know if you do a dive where you have probably entered into decompression.

The tank is a LP 125 and is full at 2400psi. I started with just over 2500. I did backtrack following the sloping terrain in the opposite of what I descended. Agreed, one of my mistakes was I didn't keep going until 10-18 ft. I had enough air to get there and did not think that through as I should have. Even if I didn't know my exact depth I should have kept on going shallower since I was low but not out.

 

[261311]

Sheez, so much for flame free forum announcement when you enter the forum. The blog was written well before I posted about it here. I've certainly read all the posts here very carefully and clearly understand them. I did learn a lot and I will continue my training beyond its current level. My next dive will be #239, the number is correct. Some people dive or do whatever they enjoy all their lives without incident, some people can't get past the first couple times of trying a sport before they come across a major hurdle. They can either give up or learn to deal with challenges, failures, etc. I choose to learn, I don't give up.

I also learned more here than from all the casual observers that read my blog so inspite of the pounding I'm glad I posted here. I get it, I get it, I get it. OK.

I didn't intend them as such. These are inspired, criticizing comments from us reading your blog, look at your dive counts and the jaw dropping reaction. Whether you've learned from your mistakes or not, and don't get me wrong- it takes a man to admit what you've done, you exceeded every possible rule and thrown out basic knowledge that even basic certifications give you. The reaction of "how in the hell..." after 200 dives I feel is quite natural. Diving is safe when done right, what you did, knowingly or not was kick Darwin in the balls and yell at him to chase you. I am happy that this has woken you up however and you're safe now.

 

[Ben_ca]

I think you were extremely lucky and hopefully learn how to avoid this in the future.

There are plenty of others who were not as lucky and many of us shake our heads when we see this happen over and over.

I urge you to read about some of those who were not as lucky. If I may quote from the story

"Plan your dive... a vague goal to go deep is not a plan"

Lessons for Life: Lack of Training, Prep Spells Doom

 

[Hatul]

What bothered me when I read your account, is you made a number of errors, but seemed to be oblivious. A statement of fact without self criticism. Nevertheless thanks for posting this and glad you came out OK in the end.

I know this site fairly well and have dove it myself solo. It's a good site for deep dives as there is a canyon there with a gradually sloping drop off. It's tempting to go deep there as otherwise quite often there is not that much to see as it's a sandy bottom.

I also have hypertension and take a couple of meds for BP. Before I dive, I try to remember to take my BP at home and may even make small adjustment to my BP meds if it's too high. Also sip on water during the drive to avoid dehydration. Yes the Flomax and lisinopril work synergistically to lower BP as does dehydration. Unlike someone who takes no meds, we poison our body's homeostatic BP mechanism making it more important to stay properly hydrated. If you check your BP while on meds you find that your pressure fluctuates more than normal and depends on such factors as stress, activity, sodium intake, hydration and other factors.

Personally I never dive solo without a pony bottle, and certainly I would not do a deep dive without redundant air. I dove there solo as well deep ( won't say how deep to avoid flames) but I avoided deco. It's possible there to make a deep dive and gradually come back, making a long multilevel dive without deco. I also take a portable depth sounder to know when to descend, though 56 feet is not a bad depth to descend as the drop off starts soon. It's common after a long underwater swim to be away from entry point (after all we're using dead reckoning navigation), so after a safety stop at around 10-15 feet I make a slow ascent, take my bearing and swim either on my back or underwater slowly to the entry point.

 

[boulderjohn]

I would like to amplify SuperLyte27's comments on narcosis. You said you were not narced. I assure you that you were.

Different people respond to narcosis in different ways. Some people get a definite feeling that is unmistakable. I am one of the ones who does not. I have never once felt that I was narced. I know I was narced on the occasions when I realized I was being particularly stupid and/or could not remember details of a dive. For example, I was once in a dive that had a real potential for narcosis, and I was being very alert for signs of it. I noticed that my regulator had started to free flow slightly, and I played with the adjustment knob until I could get it to breathe at its easiest without free flowing. I thought, "I am being very alert and aware; I am not narced." Then my buddy flashed me with my light to get my attention. He wanted to know why I was breathing off my alternate regulator instead of my primary regulator. Until he asked me, I had no idea that I was not breathing off my primary regulator. At some point in the dive, I had switched from my primary to my alternate regulator, but I had no memory of doing it, and I had no idea why I had done it.

I have no trouble believing you could have gone from 150' to 220' feet without any memory of doing so, even though you felt perfectly fine and clear headed when you did it.

It is best to assume you are narced on any deep dive on air or nitrox. Just like the drunk driver who thinks he is doing fine, the worst thing about the way nitrox affects many people (including me) is that they cannot feel the degree to which they are impaired.

 

[Jax]

The tank is a LP 125 and is full at 2400psi. I started with just over 2500. I did backtrack following the sloping terrain in the opposite of what I descended. Agreed, one of my mistakes was I didn't keep going until 10-18 ft. I had enough air to get there and did not think that through as I should have. Even if I didn't know my exact depth I should have kept on going shallower since I was low but not out.

Could I get some clarification? First, in your write-up, it was easy to confuse the headings and the depth . . . that could lead to some people's flaming.

Basically, because of the funny reporting your Wisdom did, you don't really know what depth you attained, right? You assumed the dead shark was at 100fsw because that is what your computer said, but you have no way of knowing what the actual depth was? And since the computer went to 220fsw (assuming without you), you really don't know when the report went bad, right?

 

[Hatul]

I would like to amplify SuperLyte27's comments on narcosis. You said you were not narced. I assure you that you were.


I have no trouble believing you could have gone from 150' to 220' feet without any memory of doing so, even though you felt perfectly fine and clear headed when you did it.

He pointed out that the 220 ft reading was spurious and not a true depth.