Rescue of DIR style Diver

[MXGratefulDiver]

I know that DIR/GUE types like to "ride" the unconscious diver up, controlling the ascent from above. This seems to work with a rider in trimmed-out gear. What happens if you encounter a non-DIR/GUE diver who is badly out-of-trim? If the diver is in cold water they might need a great deal of ballast and be badly out-of-trim. Can you "ride up" a diver who is essentially vertical in the water column? I am imagining this - essentially sitting on someone's head. No matter how I imagine this, it cracks me up. I am afraid that suitable photos might end up in the Pub...

Seriously - DIR/GUE folks - how do you rescue someone who has not converted?

You miss the point of "riding from above" ... it has nothing to do with trim. It's how you ascend with an unconscious diver in doubles ... regardless of trim. In a typical recreational scenario when the diver's in singles you learn to approach the diver from behind, move your right arm under their right armpit and use your right hand to hold their regulator in their mouth. Your left arm goes over their left shoulder, grabs their inflator hose, and you use their hose to control the ascent.

This approach doesn't work with a doubles-diver ... you'd need arms like an orangutan to be able to reach around the twin tanks and do all that. The solution is to work from above the diver ... which allows you to do all the same things without having to reach around the tanks. It's awkward at first, but with some practice you learn how to "finesse" the diver up to get them started ... putting some air in their wing if necessary to get them off the bottom. Most likely the diver is going to be in a somewhat vertical (or completely vertical) position ... and you may find yourself almost inverted in order to control everything. So don't worry about trim ... worry about getting the job done. You won't win any style points for maintaining trim while doing it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[muddiver]

I thought the correct DIR technique to rescue an unconcious diver from depth was to clip off your reel to said diver, add a small shot of air to their dry suit/BCD, lift them up until they are positivly buoyant and allow the line to reel out as your new oversized SMB rises to the surface. Then you follow the reel line up at a safe, controlled ascent rate.

 

[aquaregia]

how do you rescue someone who has not converted?

It's not "converted", it's "saved."

 

[Crush]

forgot what I was going to say...

 

[flots am]

I was wondering how that would pan out in a rescue situation. All likeliness aside, if you have to rescue an unconsious diver with his/her weight belt set under the crotch strap and harness, is it easy to take it off.

If it's a real rescue and I have to think about how to get stuff off for more than a second or two, I'll be using my "crap that's in the way" removal tool.

Straps, webbing, lines, hoses, wires. drysuit, underwear. If it's a real rescue, I don't really care what I cut as long as it's not the victim.

flots.