The straw that broke the divers back
Or
I really dont want another diver to die
By Kevin Ward
Today I read about another dead diver, this time on the mighty O. I am sorry for all the friends and families left behind. I am sorry that I didnt do this earlier. It may not do any good, but all a man can do try. Here is my attempt.
We owe it to ourselves to be in shape, be intelligent about our activities and our limitations.
If you are a couch potato, a disgusting fat body, gravely ill etc. You should take care of yourself for the sake of your friends and family, and those of us who may have to go into harms way to help if you get yourself into trouble.
If you choose to do a little recreational paddling around in warm calm shallow waters to look at fish, Ok. You will be safer and enjoy yourself more if you are fit, and not in danger of dieing.
But as you stray from that PADI dream world, you must hold yourself to a higher standard.
If you are tech diving if you dont hold yourself to a much higher standard, you are an irresponsible careless ********.
This is not to say even if we were all supermen (and women) there wouldnt be mishaps. On the contrary diving, and especially extreme diving are inherently dangerous. But that doesnt absolve YOU of responsibility to maximize your chances of survival. And being a BETTER diver will increase your enjoyment of even relaxing rec diving.
So for an extreme diver you (should) already know this. To all divers, reasons to be a BETTER: Your in shape, comfortable in the water, and your skills are better. So your air lasts longer, you are relaxed, better able to appreciate the sights that we are there to see. You are able to deal with unexpected evens better, calmly. You are more likely to be able to help another.
So how do we know what a BETTER safer diver is?
I have heard from old timers about YMCA cert that took months with many days of skills training, and lots of induced stress.
I heard a story from an instructor about a CMAS training program, one of the drills was dive to the bottom of the pool, put a mask on off the bottom and clear it 3 times on one breath, surface.
Watch the Costner/Kutchner movie about Coast guard rescue divers. Or one of those discovery Channel seal training shows. Not that most of us will get anywhere near that level, but if you can handle that sort of artificial stress and high levels of exertion, it will make you a better diver.
Do drills, try to do them perfectly. Take all you gear off and put in on again, do it with good buoyancy, staying in the same spot in the pool or quarry, do it with no wasted motion.
There is a test from a life guard web page: 1) Swim 550 yards continuously using 200 yards of front crawl, 200 yards of breaststroke and 150 yard s of front crawl or breaststroke.
2) Start in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7 -10 feet, retrieve a 10 lb. Brick, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the brick in both hands and exit the water without using a ladder or steps within 1 minute, 40 seconds. 3) Swim 5 yards, submerge and retrieve three dive rings placed 5 yards apart in 4-7 feet of water, resurface and swim 5 yards to the side of the pool.
I offer these examples so it doesnt look like I pulled my suggestions out of thin air. To further add background, I have been a firefighter in a poor busy area of Chicago for over ten years, doing a lot of ALS medical runs. I was also on Air Sea Rescue in Chicago, for which among other things, included jumping out of a helicopter with scuba gear at night in December into lake Michigan. I am a trimix rebreather diver, I have build a rebreather, and a fill station in my garage.
My suggestions to be a BETTER diver:
Medical: Have a physical once a year. Have a stress test.
Physical: Swim, dive swim some more. If you are a technical diver you should be able to swim 550 yards in under 10 min. You should be able to swim 25yards, underwater, say 3 times on a 1 min interval. Pick up a 10# weight off the bottom and carry it up to the surface, hold it out of the water and tread water for 10 sec. Static breath hold in water for 60 sec. Just examples, and its not so much the actual standards, but that you are on the journey.
Cardio 3 times a week 30 min. This is too light if you are exceeding rec limits. Then more like a 90 min 4 times a week plus some weights, abs etc.
Just because you are certified, doesnt mean you are educated. Learn read
The standards for OW are dangerously low. If you dont keep learning and practicing, you are asking for trouble.
For all the silliness surrounding DIR/GUE--(drink the Kool-Aid) They are a wonderful resource. I think their classes a bit expensive, but very sound. Take a fundies class, at least go on their web site and buy the material and read it. Their attitude towards basic skills is outstanding. Trim, buoyancy skills. When is the last time you did an OOA drill with your buddy--if the answer wasnt the last dive we did together, it was wrong.
And of course you are CPR certified and some sort of basic first aid right?
So when there is a tech diving mishap, our after dive analysis should start like this:
Well His last stress test/and physical where clear. And even though there was a ripping current the only one who beat him back to the boat was Phelps. We see his equipment was in perfect shape and the predive check list was in order. The dive plan was flawless, and his buddy was right there to provide moral support when the hang nail occurred at depth. First aid consisting of a band aid and cold beer was administered on the boat ride back in and an emergency manicure scheduled.
Lastly I would like to put a good word in for underwater hockey. I have been playing this silly looking but great sport for a while. It will motivate you, and make you fit. Its like a good game of basketball or what ever your sport is. I go and chase the puck around the bottom of the pool for an hour and a half and dont even realize I am getting a work out. It will make you comfortable in the water like nothing else.
The link for my club: Chicago Underwater Hockey - UWH History
The US link: USOA Underwater Hockey
Panic: If your life depends on it, you better not. If it doesnt, why panic.
Please stay safe.
Posted on RBW, Deco stop, SB
Or
I really dont want another diver to die
By Kevin Ward
Today I read about another dead diver, this time on the mighty O. I am sorry for all the friends and families left behind. I am sorry that I didnt do this earlier. It may not do any good, but all a man can do try. Here is my attempt.
We owe it to ourselves to be in shape, be intelligent about our activities and our limitations.
If you are a couch potato, a disgusting fat body, gravely ill etc. You should take care of yourself for the sake of your friends and family, and those of us who may have to go into harms way to help if you get yourself into trouble.
If you choose to do a little recreational paddling around in warm calm shallow waters to look at fish, Ok. You will be safer and enjoy yourself more if you are fit, and not in danger of dieing.
But as you stray from that PADI dream world, you must hold yourself to a higher standard.
If you are tech diving if you dont hold yourself to a much higher standard, you are an irresponsible careless ********.
This is not to say even if we were all supermen (and women) there wouldnt be mishaps. On the contrary diving, and especially extreme diving are inherently dangerous. But that doesnt absolve YOU of responsibility to maximize your chances of survival. And being a BETTER diver will increase your enjoyment of even relaxing rec diving.
So for an extreme diver you (should) already know this. To all divers, reasons to be a BETTER: Your in shape, comfortable in the water, and your skills are better. So your air lasts longer, you are relaxed, better able to appreciate the sights that we are there to see. You are able to deal with unexpected evens better, calmly. You are more likely to be able to help another.
So how do we know what a BETTER safer diver is?
I have heard from old timers about YMCA cert that took months with many days of skills training, and lots of induced stress.
I heard a story from an instructor about a CMAS training program, one of the drills was dive to the bottom of the pool, put a mask on off the bottom and clear it 3 times on one breath, surface.
Watch the Costner/Kutchner movie about Coast guard rescue divers. Or one of those discovery Channel seal training shows. Not that most of us will get anywhere near that level, but if you can handle that sort of artificial stress and high levels of exertion, it will make you a better diver.
Do drills, try to do them perfectly. Take all you gear off and put in on again, do it with good buoyancy, staying in the same spot in the pool or quarry, do it with no wasted motion.
There is a test from a life guard web page: 1) Swim 550 yards continuously using 200 yards of front crawl, 200 yards of breaststroke and 150 yard s of front crawl or breaststroke.
2) Start in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7 -10 feet, retrieve a 10 lb. Brick, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the brick in both hands and exit the water without using a ladder or steps within 1 minute, 40 seconds. 3) Swim 5 yards, submerge and retrieve three dive rings placed 5 yards apart in 4-7 feet of water, resurface and swim 5 yards to the side of the pool.
I offer these examples so it doesnt look like I pulled my suggestions out of thin air. To further add background, I have been a firefighter in a poor busy area of Chicago for over ten years, doing a lot of ALS medical runs. I was also on Air Sea Rescue in Chicago, for which among other things, included jumping out of a helicopter with scuba gear at night in December into lake Michigan. I am a trimix rebreather diver, I have build a rebreather, and a fill station in my garage.
My suggestions to be a BETTER diver:
Medical: Have a physical once a year. Have a stress test.
Physical: Swim, dive swim some more. If you are a technical diver you should be able to swim 550 yards in under 10 min. You should be able to swim 25yards, underwater, say 3 times on a 1 min interval. Pick up a 10# weight off the bottom and carry it up to the surface, hold it out of the water and tread water for 10 sec. Static breath hold in water for 60 sec. Just examples, and its not so much the actual standards, but that you are on the journey.
Cardio 3 times a week 30 min. This is too light if you are exceeding rec limits. Then more like a 90 min 4 times a week plus some weights, abs etc.
Just because you are certified, doesnt mean you are educated. Learn read
The standards for OW are dangerously low. If you dont keep learning and practicing, you are asking for trouble.
For all the silliness surrounding DIR/GUE--(drink the Kool-Aid) They are a wonderful resource. I think their classes a bit expensive, but very sound. Take a fundies class, at least go on their web site and buy the material and read it. Their attitude towards basic skills is outstanding. Trim, buoyancy skills. When is the last time you did an OOA drill with your buddy--if the answer wasnt the last dive we did together, it was wrong.
And of course you are CPR certified and some sort of basic first aid right?
So when there is a tech diving mishap, our after dive analysis should start like this:
Well His last stress test/and physical where clear. And even though there was a ripping current the only one who beat him back to the boat was Phelps. We see his equipment was in perfect shape and the predive check list was in order. The dive plan was flawless, and his buddy was right there to provide moral support when the hang nail occurred at depth. First aid consisting of a band aid and cold beer was administered on the boat ride back in and an emergency manicure scheduled.
Lastly I would like to put a good word in for underwater hockey. I have been playing this silly looking but great sport for a while. It will motivate you, and make you fit. Its like a good game of basketball or what ever your sport is. I go and chase the puck around the bottom of the pool for an hour and a half and dont even realize I am getting a work out. It will make you comfortable in the water like nothing else.
The link for my club: Chicago Underwater Hockey - UWH History
The US link: USOA Underwater Hockey
Panic: If your life depends on it, you better not. If it doesnt, why panic.
Please stay safe.
Posted on RBW, Deco stop, SB
