Something sad and serious to consider

[Northeastwrecks]

Dee once bubbled...

1) Go out in buddy pairs only. These group dives with 3 or more never work out and someone always gets seperated.

This is the only one I don't quite agree with.

A three person integrated team works quite well and is quite safe, if the people in the team are willing to work on their skills as a unit and learn to work together. My most challenging dives are done as a trio.

Other than that, you're spot on.

 

[Dee]

Northeastwrecks once bubbled...


This is the only one I don't quite agree with.

A three person integrated team works quite well and is quite safe, if the people in the team are willing to work on their skills as a unit and learn to work together. My most challenging dives are done as a trio.

Other than that, you're spot on.

Yeah...I agree. A group of us were at the lake today talking about this and I realized how narrow my first thought was. And we do have a lot of 3 buddy dives going on. But we've still got to work on those skills to make these threesomes work properly.

 

[steeldiver]

Complacency is a killer
IT is amazing who many diving accidents go unreported
Making people aware is a step at
preventing accidents
Howard

 

[DivingGal]

It's amazing how complacent we "experienced" divers get. Just this past weekend out with the gang. After reading this post, I realized how few did a buddy check or a review of signals. We did have a plan however, and did stick to it...

We stuck together, and no one had a problem. But after the dive I was helping someone (who was part of my buddy team) out of their kit, and realized I had no clue how everything was done up! I realized then in a case of an emergency, I wouldn't have been much of a buddy.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Yes...

Easy dives shouldn't be sloppy dives. We don't teach buddy skills and most divers dont have them. Poor team skills are No more acceptable in the Caribbean than anywhere else. In general we have divers solo diving in groups at best.

 

[Alfred.E]

I'm as guilt as anyone in forgetting to follow the very basics you learn in your OW, doing buddy checks and staying close to your buddy. An accident like this just drives home the importance not laking on them.

 

[deignor]

Dee-
I am glad you brought this up. I have been diving now for 11 months and coming up on 50 dives. There have been 2 deaths in the local quarries of people that I know or have met briefly (I only met DiverDan once briefly). The deaths are in quarries I frequent and practice in. The divers were experienced, advanced, with 100s more dives than I have. One at 30 feet and the other at this 15 foot safety stop.
The effect on me- I wonder if this can happen to someone so much more advanced than I am, how can I keep this from happening to me? I only dive with a buddy, we practice drills in the local quarries (OOA emergencies, navigation, etc, etc), I try to be prepared but................ I am beginning to think the line they give you about this being as safe as bowling is one big line of BS.
After one of these incidents, I question everything and I get much more nervous and anxious about diving. Just last weekend, I was the one rushing into that cold quarry, excited and happy. Yesterday, I cancelled my dive because of my attitude.
Just needed to think out loud a little.
Diana

 

[Genesis]

will kill you.

In this and in many other endeavors.

One of the primary means of avoiding disasters is avoiding complacency. If you can do that, the odds of you becoming a statistic or footnote in the local paper go down dramatically.

 

[steeldiver]

Most divers are a friendly bunch and if asked for
help at a dive site be it advice on the dive site or
help with equipment.
And yet i see it time and time again where a group
make out that they know the dive site and end up
not seeing the true value of the site ,entring and exiting at strange points and then bad mouthing the location
Part of a dive plan is gather local knowledge.
I saw this yesterday again.
Howard

 

[JRRKAR]

I found out about the dive accident on Monday morning. As an acquaintance of Dan it hit me very hard. I also deal with his brother Mark, as he is the manager of a LDS. Dan loved to dive, and dove year round. He dove off the Jersey Coast all summer with the Seeker. This was a diver with considerable experience on every type of dive. He had a rebreather, and loved using it. The email I got didn't say what equipment he was using, but the equipment was looked at quickly and nothing appeared wrong. This happened at the end of the dive only a few feet offshore with other very experienced divers. If this can happen to Dan it could happen to anyone.

This may have been a medical problem that could of happened anywhere. Unfortunately it happened underwater. The email I got said after the safety stop (and all appeared well) the group headed into shore. This was a group that dived the same lake, every Thursday, all year long. ( For those unfamilair, Willow Springs is a small, manmade lake, http://www.willowspringspark.com ) Dan trailing behind was normal, so nobody panicked right away. After 10 minutes the group started a search for him and found him 20 feet from the dock. We all have to remember that something like this CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MANY CERTS. AND DIVES YOU HAVE UNDER YOUR BELT. As a buddy, we all must recognize the potential for trouble, especially in low. viz. areas. Just because the diver at the back of the line is the most experienced, doesn't mean an unknown medical problem may not instantly strike. And after a kick cycle or two, the person at the back is out of sight and out of helps way. I prefer to have my buddy right on my side, so I can him (most of the time it is my wife, so her) without moving my head.

We will have to wait for a doctors report in the next few days as to the cause of his death. But my deepest regrets go out to the family, the LDS family and all those that new Dan.

This is especially hard for me since my wife and I leave for a dive trip to Cayman Brac tomorrow. I will surely keep my eye on my buddy the entire time. There is a local memorial service for Dan on Saturday, May 3. As a diver we are all linked to a special family. Just like firefighters or police, we as divers all need to remember a fallen friend. So I ask all of you to take a minute and think of Dan on Saturday.