Peacock Fatality Accident Analysis

[JahJahwarrior]

If someone else can confirm what Green Streak said, I think that says a lot about this divers capabilities underwater.


How do you all handle the transition between lines? For example, when going down a jump tunnel, my buddy and I give each other the ok signal on the line we ar ejumping down, to indicate that it is the correct tunnel, and that we have enough gas to proceed with the jump. On the other side, we do the same thing. If jumping back onto the middle of a line so there are two directions to go, once the reel is done, we give each other the ok to make sure the direction we are pointing is correct.

I would be very interested to hear how this team of divers handled that transition on this particular dive.

 

[LiteHedded]

everyone in the team drops a cookie. it ensures everyone is on the same page at every navigational decision

 

[Cave Diver]

everyone in the team drops a cookie. it ensures everyone is on the same page at every navigational decision

Ditto.

 

[rjack321]

everyone in the team drops a cookie. it ensures everyone is on the same page at every navigational decision

+2

I have seen all sorts of seemingly affirmative light signals, oks etc while looking at an arrow pointing towards some other exit (not ours). The only way to affirm you are on the same navigational page is to drop individual cookies affirming your exit at navigational decisions.

 

[rjack321]

While they had been diving this site weekly for a number of years they had only recently started doing jumps/circuits(somewhere in the past 8 months or so). I also know of another dive while still p400' on the olsen line she bolted past other divers in the team, in that instance she had gotten confused about the location of one team member, and thinking she was ahead poured on the speed(leaving the diver she was looking for behind) and this was with no communication whatsoever, just suddenly passing and hauling ass off into the distance. Also both divers had intro cards.

Do you know if they always did visual jumps & circuits? While she was certified awhile ago I wonder if this behavior was apparent in her class (assuming a savy instructor).

 

[ucfdiver]

Lets not get hung up on cards. A lot of this supposed discussion revolves around what card the diver carried. What I've seen so far is the the diver had an intro card but had been diving beyond that level for a few years. Anyone want to clarify this?

We'll talk about the visual jumps later.

I couldn't care less if someone wants to do a jump or dive 1/3rds at c1/intro, as long as they find someone who really is qualified to teach them how to do it properly. I did jumps at intro and stage dove before full cave.

I see a LOT of bad decisions being made on circuits/traverses by full cave divers, I can only imagine these guys teaching intro divers how to do it incorrectly. Entering at Friedmans and exiting at Catfish unverified comes to mind first.

Do you know if they always did visual jumps & circuits? While she was certified awhile ago I wonder if this behavior was apparent in her class (assuming a savy instructor).

During her course, she was timid and not one seemingly looking to push limits. However, after 4 years, any mannerisms shown in the class could have been (and realistically were) modified by outside influences.

Local divers seem to get very comfy in the cave passages they dive often. You can dive Ginnie/Peacock all day and only see a few jump reels in place. Unfortunately, people use "learning the cave" to justify such stupidity, as if learning the cave actually works in a panic situation....

 

[rjack321]

I couldn't care less if someone wants to do a jump or dive 1/3rds at c1/intro, as long as they find someone who really is qualified to teach them how to do it properly.

I'm having a hard time believing they just "forgot" about a continuous guideline. There's no way this is a case of them not knowing what they don't know.

I see a LOT of bad decisions being made on circuits/traverses by full cave divers, I can only imagine these guys teaching intro divers how to do it incorrectly. Entering at Friedmans and exiting at Catfish unverified comes to mind first.

Not setting a primary to come out of Peanut is really bad. Particularly since you could set both primaries and pull both primaries on the same dive (as opposed to the jumps which would take 2 dives).

When I was doing my Cave 1 with Chris we swam by the guy that gave you your pass on your Full Cave. He was doing a circuit with clients, the final part of which was done by breaking the guideline rule. It all seemed harmless to me but even at that stage of my early cave diving it was obvious he was breaking the continuous guideline rule. Immediately after we surfaced Chris told me "If I ever see you doing that I will kick your a s s ." And he was serious. And I know he will. I'm glad to see you are smarter than your Full Cave instructor.

I'm assuming this was an unverified, no primary exit where you can "sorta" see daylight at some place like Ponderosa. Similar to what these divers planned on doing for the Peanut tunnel exit.

 

[TSandM]

No instructor I have worked with has broken the guideline rule. I wouldn't have put up with it, anyway.

 

[Green_Streak]

If someone else can confirm what Green Streak said, I think that says a lot about this divers capabilities underwater.

There were 4 of us diving that day, two of whom were the team wednesday. Maybe I'm just a little confused on what confirmation you're looking for beyond someone who's dove with her in the past?

Do you know if they always did visual jumps & circuits?

I can't say what their typical was as I never made a dive with them that involved jumps or circuits and their plans were always mainline only when I was with them.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I'm assuming this was an unverified, no primary exit where you can "sorta" see daylight at some place like Ponderosa. Similar to what these divers planned on doing for the Peanut tunnel exit.

Not to say its right... but the Peanut line is literally 3' from OW, there's no sorta to seeing daylight there.