What I've learned from the Accidents/Incidents report forum

[PatW]

I was just reading DAN's magazine that came this week. In it they talked about their analysis of fatal dive accidents. In something like 45% of the fatal accidents, the triggering problem was running out of air. It seems simple to look at your guage regularly. I suppose a certain number of people don't.

 

[FinnMom]

The warning I might not have realized on my own was the fact that people are very rarely hurt by only one problem: usually it takes a series, or a snowball. Although I don't remember the exact wording, the idea is one of those mentioned in Diver Down.

Basically: Cut short the chain of unfortunate events. When you have a problem/disadvantage/failure, solve it, do NOT decide it's OK to ignore it. You might think it's only *, or * is only 1 little problem, but if * is already causing you a little worry, that's a distraction. Now you've got concentration problems too. That's already 2 problems. Obviously things aren't improving.
Show a little self disciple and just don't go down that path.

 

[BaaBee D]

Moonglow, in my limited experience, Number 4. has been the foremost reason for accidents

 

[dumpsterDiver]

A recent study ... cited in the Alert Diver I received over this past week-end ... stated that 41% of the accidents investigated were attributable to poor air management. In other words, people either ran out of air or ran low enough to have to abort the dive ... and did so in ways that resulted in an accident.

I'd be willing to bet that approximately 100% of those accidents were completely preventable ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

That is a very important statistic, but then again, we are underwater.

I personally believe that the simple failure (refusal) to carry some independent and meaningful redundancy (i.e., a pony bottle) must make up a good portion of the 41%; how could it not? I wonder what percentage of the 41% is just composed of people too distracted to look at a freaking gage on a reasonably frequent basis.

So the pony is probably more of an attempt to address the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem; in most situations.

I kinda like the two-fold approach: All divers should know just enough to make sure they almost never need a pony bottle..

And of course, being strong enough to kick a pair of fins for 60 seconds isn't a bad idea either.

 

[RonFrank]

Interesting that every skill listed in the opening post was something that OW 101 teaches. I would guess most basic skills discussed on this thread are covered in the OW book. Maybe rather than crediting the A&I forum, or Scubaboard, we need to pull out the scuba 101 literature and do a review now and again. I think many folks would be surprised at what was covered that they failed to comprehend on the first go around. Even if your instructor was poor, the info was in the material. Less time PADI bashing, more time studying! :cool2:

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

That is a very important statistic, but then again, we are underwater.

I personally believe that the simple failure (refusal) to carry some independent and meaningful redundancy (i.e., a pony bottle) must make up a good portion of the 41%; how could it not? I wonder what percentage of the 41% is just composed of people too distracted to look at a freaking gage on a reasonably frequent basis.

So the pony is probably more of an attempt to address the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem; in most situations.

I kinda like the two-fold approach: All divers should know just enough to make sure they almost never need a pony bottle..

And of course, being strong enough to kick a pair of fins for 60 seconds isn't a bad idea either.

I didn't even state it strongly enough. Here's the quote from the article ...

In analyzing nearly 1,000 fatalities, approximately 41 percent of the divers ran out of breathing gas during the dive. That means of the 1,000 fatalities, nearly 400 of those divers might be alive today had they only correctly managed their breathing gas supply.

What's absolutely staggering about that statistic is that every diver learns how to respond to an OOA emergency during their basic training ... so it stands to reason that a significant percentage of people who run out of air don't die. If those who do die make up such a significant percentage of diving fatalities ... it begs the question ...

How many divers are running out of air? And why?

The article goes on to state the obvious ...

With the technology we have available to us such as submersible pressure gauges and air/gas integrated dive computers, running out of breathing gas underwater should simply never happen.

I couldn't agree more strongly with this statement. I have my own thoughts on why so many people do ... but perhaps that's a good topic for its own thread ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Bubbletrubble]

@NWGratefulDiver: Did the accident analysis in the cited article discuss the possibility that the tanks were drained after the victims expired or lost consciousness (for whatever reason)?

I realize we're talking about hundreds of cases here, and it would be reasonable to assume that, in a large number of those fatalities (in which victim is found with empty tank), the tank was drained prior to the victim's death.

As such, it would definitely be good to: (1) emphasize constant gas monitoring and (2) teach gas management in basic OW class.

 

[freewillie]

Prior to any dive, assess not only your skills but your buddy's as well. You both may have several dives but take into account new situations and new environments.

Beach/shore diving very different entrances than off a boat. Watch the waves!

Cold water diving with wetsuits very different warm water tropical dives swim suits. Weights checks for proper buoyancy.

Just because you have "x" number of dives in one environment doesn't translate to "experience" in another environment.

Assess your skills honestly without ego or emotion. Never be afraid to call a dive before or during a dive if you feel uncomfortable. Being in "no man's land" in the surf zone in 6 ft waves is too late to realize you are literally in over your head. Call it before you are in trouble.

 

[Thalassamania]

It is rarely the first thing to go wrong that kills a diver, it's more often the second, or third.

 

[kimbalabala]

Interesting that every skill listed in the opening post was something that OW 101 teaches. I would guess most basic skills discussed on this thread are covered in the OW book. Maybe rather than crediting the A&I forum, or Scubaboard, we need to pull out the scuba 101 literature and do a review now and again. I think many folks would be surprised at what was covered that they failed to comprehend on the first go around. Even if your instructor was poor, the info was in the material. Less time PADI bashing, more time studying! :cool2:

I absolutely agree. I can only speak for myself - and I know that when I watched those dvd's and listened to the classroom lecture for OW, and even when I did my initial open water dives, so much of the information was still "theory" in my head. It wasn't until I had some "real" dives under my belt that the information went from "theory" to real understanding (the quarter dropped). This is the very reason I refused to get certified for AOW until I was much more comfortable with my basic skills (rather than rush into it just so I could say "I'm AOW!"). While I SHOULD review the dvd's and informational pamphlets as a refresher, the reality is that I will not. Tell me I'm a bad diver - but how many people can honestly say they would opt to do that instead of watching the latest Harry Potter, go to dinner, or read a good book (or fill in the blank). I'm just not that disciplined. And because of that fact I will not dive any environment that I am not confident that my skills are sufficient for - nor will I dive where there is not medical help easily available.

I also agree with the idea that it's more than one thing that usually goes wrong. I had a close call at a local quarry that started with me being overstressed and hyperventilating before we descended (dumb). The result was an incredibly anxious dive that I had to thumb because I was in a complete panic - no harm done - but could have been worse if we were in an environment that was less forgiving. I was able to do my safety stops but really wanted to cork to the top. One thing I learned that day is to EXHALE. I was holding in so much air as I hyperventilated that it was completely messing up my buoyancy, increasing my anxiety and creating this really vicious cycle. For several dives after that I had written on my slate "EXHALE" as a reminder.

I appreciate everyone's sharing what they've learned. Even if we already learned it in OW, it's a good idea to be reminded often - at least for me. Thanks.