What constitutes an emergency?

[Gareth J]

I was thinking how best to constructively add to the thread.

Perhaps it is a matter of terminology.

I think perhaps we should say that we can have a dive where we have had an incident. An initial emergency. i.e.

- running out of gas.
- a free flow.
- High PO2 (on CCR).
- Low PO2 (on CCR).
- Silt out and loss of contact with line (cave dive).

This has been managed, so the emergency has stopped, but we are now on a dive where an incident has occurred.

We are taught to deal with these immediate crises (emergencies). By following out training, and having the appropriate skillset, we manage the emergency, and regain control. So the immediate risk to the diver is negated.
However, we still have had an incident. The dive is now compromised. Under optimal circumstance, the diver(s), can now successfully exit the water in good health.

The issue is that once we have one incident on a dive, how much of a risk that subsequent incidents may occur. More importantly, if a subsequent issue arrises, how much are we now compromised.
i.e. If a second emergency occurs are we likely to survive. Has the first incident compromised our safety?

Obviously, losing gas from one cylinder, and 'bailing out' to the alternate gas source means if we have a second gas issue we are severely at risk.
Loosing the line in a silt out, and finding the line. This is less obvious. But has this effected our mental state, added stress, or used more gas. These are more subtle issues in terms of how much the safety of the dive has been affected.
​

One of the things I was taught during my training, and is still on my mind on any dive, is the incident pit.
This is about incident escalation, where the problems escalate passed the point that you can successfully resolve them.
Think of it as funnel shaped, where the walls get progressively more shear the closer you get to the bottom. At the top, the shallow angle means you can 'climb' out, at the bottom, the shear wall makes it impossible to 'climb' out.


One last thing I would like to leave you with.
Until you get every individual safely out of the water after an incident, it is potentially an on going emergency.
The initial feeling of safety when you reach the surface (or resolve the initial emergency) may well be an illusion.

Gareth

 

[johndiver999]

I think that's more of a "bathroom emergency." Maybe it is multiple kinds of emergencies...

I’ve had to make a few expedited and emergency ascents
for this exact circumstance.

 

[tbone1004]

@boulderjohn my fault for putting it here. There's nowhere else it actually fit where I could keep it open to all divers. I think it is also critical to keep it in here so that new divers will be able to see what the more experienced divers think of as an emergency and how to keep your cool during said exciting incidents. Very similar to my opinion on how the agencies talk about DCS where so many new divers automatically think they got bent because of the stigma associated with it.
I think it is equally as important to talk about what would trigger a true emergency response for a cave/wreck/deep/ccr dive as it would a 30ft reef dive. While the triggering event is likely going to be different, the point of Carol's discussion was less about what triggers the event, and more about how you respond to it that will require a true emergency response.

@kelemvor to your point, I think my last statement is why we need to remove that term from our thought process for most incidents. While the definition is what it is, the stigma associated with an emergency response is what you need to avoid to prevent something from spiraling out of control.
Slow and Relaxed with Good Technique
Stop, Breathe, Think, Breathe, Act, Breathe
whatever you need to do to slow you down and gain control of a situation is important to think of them like incidents vs inciting a potential panic response by thinking of it as an emergency based purely on the stigma and natural reaction to what we perceive as an "emergency".
John brought it back up that it is all a discussion of semantics, but the semantics are important. How you naturally respond to the word "emergency", regardless of how it is defined, is not always a good response. Adrenaline while diving is BAD, and the word emergency will almost always come with adrenaline.

 

[Johnoly]

..What constitutes an emergency?

IMHO, the dividing line between 'incident' and 'emergency' is when someone calls 911. No call,,no emergency.

 

[Doby45]

IMHO, the dividing line between 'incident' and 'emergency' is when someone calls 911. No call,,no emergency.

911 Operator - 911, what's your emergency?
Frantic Person - It is snowing outside.
911 Operator - OK, but sir, what is the emergency?
Frantic Person - I told you, IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE!
911 Operator - Sir, are you outside in the snow?
Frantic Person - NO!
911 Operator - *click*

 

[kelemvor]

911 Operator - 911, what's your emergency?
Frantic Person - It is snowing outside.
911 Operator - OK, but sir, what is the emergency?
Frantic Person - I told you, IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE!
911 Operator - Sir, are you outside in the snow?
Frantic Person - NO!
911 Operator - *click*

McEmergency:
Luckily, the cops did the right thing in the end; they arrested the McCaller.

 

[The Chairman]

Like T-Bone's underwear: it depends.

Some boats demand that you surface with 500 psi. Some divers will blow off their stops in order to comply. Where's the emergency? In the eyes of the diver.

Training, experiences and gear (including redundancies) all affect how we will approach an unexpected event. Your emergency may be my mere inconvenience, or even a slight chuckle and vica versa.

 

[CuzzA]

McEmergency:
Luckily, the cops did the right thing in the end; they arrested the McCaller.

I'm on her side... McThievery.

This is going to get mod treatment, but screw it.

And I've been holding this gif for the right moment, so here you go. In before the edit....

 

[kelemvor]

Some boats demand that you surface with 500 psi. Some divers will blow off their stops in order to comply. Where's the emergency? In the eyes of the diver.

If I thought the boat was actually checking, I would. Better to skip an optional safety stop than miss a dive that I paid for imo.

Everyone's risk tolerance is different, which I think was your whole point.

 

[boulderjohn]

I think it is equally as important to talk about what would trigger a true emergency response for a cave/wreck/deep/ccr dive as it would a 30ft reef dive. While the triggering event is likely going to be different, the point of Carol's discussion was less about what triggers the event, and more about how you respond to it that will require a true emergency response.

In OW class, divers are taught to clear their masks. For nearly all experienced divers, dealing with water in the mask is such a normal part of diving that they barely notice when they clear the mask. Yet, we recently had a thread in which a diver admitted to making a panicked ascent to the surface when water got in the mask.

At all levels of diving, we are taught how to respond to incidents. At all levels of diving, these incidents occur, and different people react differently. Some follow their training; some go into full blown panic. The difference depends upon both your training and, I believe, your natural temperament.

A well-known cave diver told me a story that will stand in contrast to the diver who panicked and bolted to the surface with water in the mask. He and another diver were planning a serious dive with two scooters each, with stage bottles along the way. There had been some kind of a electrical power problem the night before that I did not understand, with the result that they went into this major dive with scooters that were not fully charged. They were quite surprised when both scooters failed for each of them. The last failure occurred when the the main character in this story was being towed by his buddy. As soon as that last scooter died, the buddy unhooked from both it and his towed buddy and began kicking rapidly toward the exit. Getting to where they had staged their next bottles with their current air supply was in serious question. This was a likely death scenario.

With his buddy disappearing in front of him, the diver began a slow, calm, and relaxed exit. He enjoyed the scenery along the way. When he got to the stage bottle, his buddy was there. His buddy had barely made it on the gas he had. As for him, because of his slow, calm, relaxed exit, he still had plenty of gas.