So you want to take your kid diving...

[MXGratefulDiver]

Actually some were somewhat related...

The first three were on one group trip. I was put off by the heavy drinking & party atmosphere encouraged by the leader in order to make sure the group was happy and certainly objected, to no avail.

The first guy passed out on a shore dive the first day, was revived, then later admitted that he'd not been taking his seizure meds. :shocked2: He said he was going to sell his gear but last I heard, he still dives with that group - supposedly with a doctor's approval.

Couple days later, a guy took a hit and a couple of chamber rides. I was in charge of that boat that day, the O2 tank was empty, so I had him drink a quart of kool-aid I was carrying. He felt much better by the time we got him to shore, but if you have DAN insurance and call for O2 on a boat in Cozumel - well, the doctors called it so who am I to doubt.

At the end of that week, a diabetic alcoholic passed out on the boat dock before boarding so not really a diving injury. He's since nearly died, amputated a foot, but rebounded and now dives on trips with his daughter and a hired DM on every dive.​

There were some other stunts that week, mostly booze related, but no other injuries. I quit traveling with that group for a few years.

The next was on a group I organized to the Florida Keys, but not a part of my group - a regular customer of the Op who was on the same boat. He solo dived the wreck we were on, the Duane I think, apparently ran out of air, bobbed to the surface unconscious down current. We couldn't move as we had divers down but another boat picked him up and ran him to shore. We were scheduled to go out again on that boat after lunch, which probly would have canceled if he'd croaked but we heard he was arguing with the nurses on whether he had to stay the night so we did another trip.

After some years, I tried the above referenced group again on the assurances that they had calmed down, and on a liveaboard known to run a safe & tight trip - only to see the epileptic diver mentioned above show up. I had swore I wouldn't ever dive around him at all again, but it was a liveaboard so I was stuck. He was the only air diver scheduled, and the captain didn't know, so they did a discover Nitrox course on him so he could dive Enhanced Air. I just avoided it all, and nothing went bad. I thot I'd include that in the reply tho since it was the same group for most of the accidents.

I went to Coz with them, got assigned a former diver/Inst getting back into diving as a buddy first day - and she was better on air that I, so waved me off when I ran low. Once back at the dock, I refused to buddy with her again, went to lunch and a nap. She went out again and passed out in the water, but was saved. The group started breaking up the next morning tho as hurricane Dean hadn't veered off like we'd hoped, so the leader left another lady to tend to the injured diver in the hospital and most left. A medevac had to skirt the storm to fly in from Florida for her but she got to Miami, spent weeks in ICU with a few more chamber rides, never did get a diagnosis, then DAN provided nurses to escort her by train home. I got out the day after most others left. Never did get all the answers I wanted as that group avoids such discussions but I heard she was traveling with them again just to snorkel.

I did one more trip with that group, mostly to get the money they owed me on the canceled trip - an Exuma liveaboard, and a diver had a cardiac event on the first dive, altho I didn't hear about it until supper. I guess he'd been hiding in his room until his roomie found him? A nearby yacht sent over a speed boat to take him back to the island along with the group leader. Somehow the medevac got fumbled, they flew to Nassau, spent the night in a hospital there, finally got to Ft.Lauderdale the next day and surgery. Last I heard he was still among the living.

Well, that's the summary; make of it what you will. I don't travel with groups anymore, as I've seen some things on the others I tried too.

Well Don ... that post doesn't tell me that diving is dangerous ... it tells me your friends are dangerous. Somehow I envision a bunch of west Texas cowboys diving with their spurs on ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Sinbad Scuba]

When I started diving, we were certified as a family - my wife, and our two daughters ages 12 and 14. I made sure we all went through Rescue Diver. The statement I made frequently was, "the life they save could be mine." As with ANY potentially dangerous activity like hunting, dont we always make sure our kids get proper training? We have two 9mm hand guns in our house. Everyone went through the training course on how to handle a firearm. As with all skills based activity, proper training and con ed is important to everyone's safety. That WILL NOT stop the incident that is unavoidable - the massive heart attack, etc.., but it should prepare all concerned to be able to deal with the situation and realize the limitations of our ability to save a life.

 

[DandyDon]

DandyDon, what caused the 6 folks injuries? Do you see any common links to the injuries? Did they all happen at the same place? (even different times)

Well Don ... that post doesn't tell me that diving is dangerous ... it tells me your friends are dangerous. Somehow I envision a bunch of west Texas cowboys diving with their spurs on ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Nope, I was just answering the question as given to me. Only one of those six was from Texas, and I doubt he ever wore spurs when he had two feet.

 

[scubadobadoo]

... I doubt he ever wore spurs when he had two feet.

That response made this whole thread worth my time. lol. Sad but strangely funny.

Thanks for taking the time to share the specifics Dandy Don. Might I suggest not driving or diving with those guys?

 

[soltari675]

Your child can make a sudden loud noise in a car which makes you swerve, get in a wreck and die. Your child can playfully shove you in a pool and you hit your head and die. These things would have just as much impact on the child at seeing their parent killed, possibly at their hands. If we protected them from every possible event, they'd never do anything fun, ever. While I know we want to protect children, we can't live in fear also. If you let fear guide what you do and don't do, then we wouldn't be divers in the first place. The children would never learn or experience new things.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Your child can make a sudden loud noise in a car which makes you swerve, get in a wreck and die. Your child can playfully shove you in a pool and you hit your head and die. These things would have just as much impact on the child at seeing their parent killed, possibly at their hands. If we protected them from every possible event, they'd never do anything fun, ever. While I know we want to protect children, we can't live in fear also. If you let fear guide what you do and don't do, then we wouldn't be divers in the first place. The children would never learn or experience new things.

Hey I saw that movie! FINDING NEMO!!!!!

 

[Stu S.]

If (any of) you were on a boat, and a 13 or 14 year-old diver was assigned to you as a buddy, would you object? This person is a fully certified diver, just like the rest.

What would you do?

 

[soltari675]

If (any of) you were on a boat, and a 13 or 14 year-old diver was assigned to you as a buddy, would you object? This person is a fully certified diver, just like the rest.

What would you do?

I would talk to the child like I would another diver. Establish a dive plan, lost diver plan, etc. Find out how many dives he/she has done. Just have a conversation. If the teenager seemed to have a good head on their shoulders and takes it serious, but still fun, I would dive with them. However, if the teenager seems unsure, nervous, or otherwise not handling the situation. Or they blow off things like the dive plan, I would say no. I don't have the training to help someone who is unsure about a dive and I don't dive with anyone who blows off a dive plan. I would probably find myself watching them more carefully during the dive until I was confident they were ok. That's just instinct I think.

 

[soltari675]

Hey I saw that movie! FINDING NEMO!!!!!

Haha, didn't think about that. That's funny. :dance3:

 

[vladimir]

Divers are big boozers in general, because it is not that athletic.

A big understatement, generally--the "not that athletic" part. It's good to see you outside that dark smoky pub lately. Now I have no incentive to go in there.

....[is] their young-teen child....intellectually able to deal with concepts of physics when they haven't even had algebra yet.

Talk about lax training standards! When do kids take algebra? In my day... I know this was peripheral to Ken's main point, but, in my opinion, anybody can get an adequate intuitive understanding of the physics of diving with the help of a capable instructor and a few props.